So your baby is 6 months old. You have officially made it through the newborn phase and you’re killing it as a new parent!! I’m proud of you! Now that your baby is 6 months old, they are a little more predictable and you are more confident in knowing what they need and when.
At this age, we can stress the wake window a little less and start to get our babies on more of a schedule. Baby is still going to baby, they aren’t little robots (although that would make life a lot easier, wouldn’t it!?) so we still want to be a little flexible. Things like daycare and life events can absolutely effect the schedule, and that is completely fine! Most babies thrive on a schedule, but they also adjust a lot easier than we give them credit for.
What are Wake Windows for a 6 Month Old?
While we are stressing a little less about wake windows now that we can get our baby on more of a schedule, we still want to be mindful of how long our baby can realistically stay awake without getting overtired. I say we can stress the wake window a little less, because once your baby is on a schedule they will typically wake around the same time every day which means naps will follow suit. Now you can focus more on nap time being at a certain time of day versus counting how long baby has been awake for between each nap.
At 6 months old, babies can typically stay awake for about 3 hours at a time. It is also normal to see their shortest wake window before their first nap, and have those windows get a little longer throughout the day with their longest stretch being right before bed. If you have been stuck in a cycle of short wake windows and you want to start stretching to that 3 hour mark, but your baby has a tough time making it. Start by increasing the wake windows by about 10-15 mins each day!
How Many Naps Should a 6 Month Old Take?
The easy answer, your 6 month old should be taking either 2 or 3 naps a day. The more in depth answer, it depends. A lot of factors can play a role in how many naps your baby should be taking.
Length of their naps, their personal overall sleep needs, are they required to follow a daycare schedule, ect. If your baby is a cat napper, they will most likely still need 3 naps a day in order to make it to bedtime without being overtired. On the other side of that, if your baby naps for long stretches, they’ll probably do just fine on 2 naps a day! Your daycare provider may have a set schedule they need to adhere to, which means your baby will automatically be put on that schedule.
Some babies require more sleep than others, at this age we want to see 12-16 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period. This is important to know because if you have a low sleep needs child that only requires 12 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period and they are sleeping 10 hours overnight and you want them to take three 1 hour naps, well it’s not going to happen and now you are fighting an undertired baby or creating unnecessary night wakings because your baby has hit their total sleep before it’s time to wake in the morning.
As you can see, there are many factors to consider, but you know your child best, you’ve got this!
What Time Should a 6 Month Old Go to Bed?
The ideal bedtime for this age is between 6:30pm and 8pm. I love to recommend a 7/7:30pm bedtime because I feel this allows you to keep your baby on a decent daytime schedule without them reaching a point of overtired. Going to bed too early leading to early morning wake ups. 7/7:30pm bedtime also allows you to have some time for yourself before your own bedtime which is SO important. You deserve that time, take care of yourself and do a little self care. Remember, you can’t pour from an empty cup!
What is a Good Sleep Schedule for a 6 Month Old?
The moment you have really been waiting for! Here are a couple sample sleep schedules. One with 3 naps and another with 2. These are a guide since babies are not one size fits all. You may also need to start your days earlier or end them earlier/later due to work and/or daycare so feel free to tweak these to fit your personal schedule..
What is a Normal Bedtime Routine for a 6 Month Old?
A bedtime routine is SO important! Your routine can be absolutely anything, about 20-30 minutes long, but make sure that you are doing the same steps in the same order each night. This will allow your baby to learn the routine and know what to expect next which is.. SLEEP! We want a routine that is relaxing so think mellow, quiet activities that are not over stimulating. My favorite bedtime routine is
- Warm bath
- Lotion/Massage
- PJ’s
- Book
- Bottle
- Swaddle/Sleep Sack
- Quick lullaby and snuggle
- Place in bed
Is there a 6 Month Sleep Regression?
The term sleep regression means to regress, or move backward with, in this case, sleep. Many parents we find asking this for any month, when something about sleep changes from consistent to baby waking every 2 hours overnight. When a sleep regression happens, at 6 months, or any age, first, ask yourself what changed & what now do they “want” vs. need. It’s important we always tend to our babies needs but balance how we engage when they want something, like being rocked or nursed “to sleep” for example. That preference is what causes the regression because they ‘prefer’ to be rocked so why stop asking for it if you are willing to do it.
It’s important we watch for leaps, developmental changes, timing or schedule adjustments and always be accessible, not excessive and that can tend to keep regressions out of your line of sight. In my experience, with consistency and understanding of this, sleep regressions for many of my clients are a thing of the past.
About The Author
Hi! I’m Alisha Stapes! I am a wife, mom, step mom, fur mom, and Certified Sleep Coach at Tiny Transitions. My whole journey with pediatric sleep began when I had my baby because who knew you have to teach a baby to sleep!? I didn’t at least. Don’t they just like….sleep when they are tired?! HA, insert my FOMO baby and we were spending so many nights and naps rocking and bouncing to try and trick him into getting some sleep. This led me down a rabbit hole earning my google degree in Pediatric Sleep, but there was SO much contradicting information out there and I knew I couldn’t be the only one who felt that way. I chose to become Certified through The Institute of Pediatric Sleep so I could help families take the confusion out of their child’s sleep. I bring an empathetic, gentle approach so you can feel confident in both our journey together as well as the results. If you feel as though you could use some help with your child’s sleep, I am always available for a call! You can book me through Tinytransitions.com/Alisha. I can not wait to meet you and your little one!