Guides · Sleep schedule
3 to 6 Month Sleep Schedule
Between 3 and 6 months, sleep stops being newborn chaos and starts becoming a schedule you can actually work with. Day and night separate, naps consolidate to three or four, and wake windows roughly double — from about 75 minutes at 3 months to 2.5 hours as your baby nears 6. The catch is timing: this window contains the 4-month sleep regression, a permanent change in how your baby cycles through sleep. This guide covers the whole band — the numbers for each month, a three-nap day you can copy, and what to do when the regression hits.
Sleep schedule · data from paediatric sleep guidelinesLast updated:
Wake windows, naps and total sleep
Wake windows grow fast in this band: around 75–100 minutes at 3 months (10–14 weeks), 90–120 minutes at 3.5–4.5 months, 105–135 minutes at 4.5–5 months, and 120–150 minutes by 5–6 months. Nap count drifts from four down to three as the late catnap starts fighting back. Total sleep settles near 12–15 hours in 24 hours for most babies in the second half of the band, with 10–11 of those at night after the regression settles. Adjust wake windows every couple of weeks — a schedule set at 3 months will be too short by 5.
| Age in the band | Wake window | Naps per day |
|---|---|---|
| 10–14 weeks | 1h 15m–1h 40m | 3–4 |
| 3.5–4.5 months | 1h 30m–2h | 3–4 |
| 4.5–5 months | 1h 45m–2h 15m | 3–4 |
| 5–6 months | 2h–2h 30m | 3–4 |
Sources: American Academy of Pediatrics — HealthyChildren.org · WHO guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5
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Illustrative 3-nap day (around 4–5 months) — every baby varies; anchor to wake windows, not the clock.
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 7:00 AM | Wake, feed |
| 8:45–10:00 AM | Nap 1 |
| 11:45 AM–1:00 PM | Nap 2 |
| 2:45–4:00 PM | Nap 3 |
| 5:45–6:15 PM | Catnap (4th — only if needed, often dropping) |
| 7:00 PM | Bedtime routine, feed, sleep |
| Night | 10–11h; 1–2 night feeds are still normal |
Bedtime routine
At 3–6 months the bedtime routine starts doing real work: your baby is old enough to learn the sequence and begin falling asleep with less help from you. Keep it to a calm 20–30 minutes in the same order every night:
- Feed first, not last — move the feed to the start of the routine so milk and falling asleep slowly come unlinked.
- Pyjamas and sleep sack — the sleep sack replaces the swaddle once rolling starts — usually in this band.
- One or two short books or a song — the same ones every night; familiarity is the point.
- Into the crib drowsy but awake — at least once a day, put your baby down before fully asleep. This is the age the skill becomes learnable.
Common sleep challenges at this age
- The 4-month sleep regression. Around 3.5–4.5 months your baby's sleep permanently changes to lighter, more adult-like cycles. They may wake every 1–2 hours at night and nap poorly for 2–6 weeks. This is developmental, not a step backwards — consistent routines and putting them down drowsy but awake help them learn to connect sleep cycles.
- Dropping from four naps to three. The late-afternoon 4th nap becomes harder to achieve as wake windows lengthen. Most babies drop it between 4 and 6 months; move bedtime 15–30 minutes earlier to bridge the gap on catnap-less days.
- Short naps. Thirty-to-forty-five-minute naps are common in this band because baby sleep cycles run about 40 minutes. If your baby wakes after one cycle but seems rested, it may simply be age-appropriate; if they are cranky, check the wake window first — both too-short and too-long windows fragment naps.
Frequently asked questions
What is the wake window for a 4-month-old?
Roughly 90–120 minutes between sleeps, stretching toward 2–2.25 hours by 4.5–5 months. The window grows quickly at this age — re-check every couple of weeks, because a schedule that worked at 15 weeks will undertire a 20-week-old.
How many naps should a 3–6 month old take?
Three to four. At 3 months many babies still take four (with catnaps); by 5–6 months most are on three, with the late catnap actively dropping. Total daytime sleep is usually 3–5 hours.
Is the 4-month sleep regression real, and what helps?
Yes — it is a permanent maturation of sleep architecture that surfaces between 3.5 and 4.5 months, typically lasting 2–6 weeks. It is not caused by anything you did. Hold the routine steady, keep night interaction boring, offer full daytime feeds, and put your baby down drowsy but awake so they can practise linking cycles.
What time should a 3–6 month old go to bed?
Most settle well with a 7:00–8:00 PM bedtime. An early bedtime protects the longest sleep stretch, and on days when the last nap was skipped or short, moving bedtime earlier prevents the overtired second wind.
How many night feeds are normal at this age?
One to two is completely normal across the band, and some babies drop to zero by 6 months while others keep one feed longer. If your baby feeds well during the day and is growing, night waking beyond that is more often a wake-window or settling-skill issue than hunger.
Related guides
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This schedule is a general guide based on paediatric sleep consensus, not medical advice. Every baby is different. For persistent sleep problems, breathing pauses during sleep, or anything that worries you, talk to your pediatrician.