How to fix baby’s sleep schedule

It can be hard to know where to start once you feel ready to get your baby on a regular sleeping schedule. If it seems like every day is completely different and you’re finding it hard to plan ahead for outings or appointments, you’re in the right place!

I love lists, so here is the TLDR version for how to fix baby’s sleep schedule:

  • Set their morning out of crib time

  • Age appropriate wake windows

  • Age appropriate number of naps

  • Total amount of sleep needed in 24 hours

  • How much overnight sleep needed

  • How much nap sleep needed

  • Bedtime between 6-8 pm (following wake windows and nap schedule)

Morning wake up time for baby or toddler:

The very first thing I tell my clients when they’re wondering how to fix baby’s sleep schedule is to choose their out of crib time in the morning.  Anytime between 6-8 am is good for supporting their natural circadian rhythm. There’s no expectation that your baby will wake up at the exact same time every day, they’re not robots after all! If a 7 am wake up time works best for you, then use that to choose a window of time to set as your out of crib time (OOC), usually about 30 minutes before and after. So, you can get your baby up between 6:30am-7:30am to keep your baby’s daily sleep schedule roughly the same each day. 

Age appropriate wake windows:

Once you have your baby’s OOC time set, then you’ll want to figure out age appropriate wake windows (the amount of time they spend awake between sleeps) and how much sleep they need between naps and nighttime. When you’re just starting out you will want to assume your baby needs more sleep, and then you can add more awake time from there if needed. Wake windows are NOT evidence-based, however we do know enough about how much sleep babies need in their day to make some pretty educated guesses. To learn more about wake windows and what you should be aiming for with your child check out this blog: all about: wake windows!

Number of naps baby needs:

Once you have your wake windows, and how many naps your baby needs is nailed down, you’ll need to figure out how much sleep your baby needs overnight. Roughly 10-12 hours is average, some babies will not be able to sleep 12 hours straight but some will! After deciding the amount of total sleep they need in the day, and the amount of night sleep, then you’ll be able to figure out how much day sleep they need for naps. I recommend keeping any single nap no longer than 2 hours, UNLESS they are only on one nap or about to transition to less naps.

Bedtime timing:

Lastly, you’ll follow your baby’s wake windows, and nap schedule to arrive at bedtime. This doesn’t have to be the exact same time every night, but just like their morning wake up time, you’ll want it to be between 6-8 pm to support their circadian rhythm. Bedtime later than 8 pm may not result in the most restful sleep for your baby. You may need to manipulate the naps by capping when needed to keep bedtime no later than 8 pm. This blog has more info about late bedtimes!

If after reading this you still feel stuck, reach out to me for a free no-strings-attached consultation call! You can let me know what your goals are for sleep, and I can answer any questions you may have about how I can help!

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