6-Month-Old Wake Windows and Sleep Schedule: Naps, Night and Total Sleep

How long should a 6-month-old be awake between naps?

A 6-month-old is usually awake for about 2 to 3 hours between sleeps, the awake window Tresillian, a free service for parents in Australia, gives for babies 5 to 6 months old and as the average for babies 6 to 8 months old. Cleveland Clinic gives 2 to 4 hours for babies 5 to 7 months old, up from 1 hour 15 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes at 3 to 4 months.

Cleveland Clinic counts a wake window from when your baby wakes up until you put them down to nap, and says a baby a few months old should be up long enough to eat, get a fresh diaper and have some playtime.

Measure	Range or average	Source
Awake time between sleeps	2 to 3 h (5 to 6 months; 6 to 8 months)	Tresillian
Awake time between sleeps	2 to 4 h (5 to 7 months)	Cleveland Clinic
Recommended sleep in 24 hours, naps included	12 to 16 h (4 to 12 months)	AASM
Total sleep, day and night	14 or 15 h for most babies (3 to 6 months)	Tresillian
Total sleep, parent reports	Average 13.7 h (6 months)	Finnish cohort study, 2020
Number of naps	2 to 3 (5 to 6 months); may drop to 2 (6 to 8 months)	Tresillian
Daytime naps in total	3 to 4 h (5 to 6 months)	Tresillian
Daytime sleep, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.	Average 3.7 h (6 months)	Finnish cohort study, 2020
Night sleep	About 10 to 12 h (6 to 8 months)	Tresillian
Night sleep, 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.	Average 9.9 h (6 months)	Finnish cohort study, 2020

Cleveland Clinic notes that your baby's wake windows may look a little different from one day to the next, even from one nap to the next. Wake windows by age covers the rest of the first year.

How much should a 6-month-old sleep?

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) recommends 12 to 16 hours of sleep in 24 hours, naps included, for babies 4 to 12 months old, in a 2016 consensus the American Academy of Pediatrics endorsed.

Other sources describe what is typical. Tresillian says most babies 3 to 6 months old sleep 14 or 15 hours spread across the day and night. The NHS says some babies aged 6 months to a year sleep for around 15 hours, most of it at night.

In a 2020 study published in Sleep Medicine, parents of 6-month-olds in one of two Finnish birth cohorts reported an average of 13.7 hours of sleep a day. The authors put that slightly above an earlier meta-analysis, which found 12.9 hours at six months, and found the range very wide, particularly in early childhood. How much sleep a baby needs at each age has the figures from birth to 12 months.

How many naps does a 6-month-old take?

A 6-month-old typically takes 2 to 3 daytime naps, adding up to 3 to 4 hours, in Tresillian's example for babies 5 to 6 months old. Tresillian says that by 6 to 8 months, babies may drop to two daytime sleeps as they stay awake for longer periods.

In the Finnish study's other cohort, most 8-month-olds had two naps: 71.6% had two, 23.7% had three or more and 4.7% had one. Tresillian's guide says that once solid food is established, a 7- or 8-month-old may have 2 daytime naps lasting 2 to 3 hours in total.

How long should a 6-month-old nap?

Nap length varies: Tresillian says some babies 6 to 8 months old have 2 to 3 longer sleeps a day while others only need short sleeps. Its example day for 6 to 8 months has a first nap of 1 to 2 hours and a second of 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes.

Parents in the Finnish study reported an average of 3.7 hours of daytime sleep at 6 months, counting every sleep between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

The AAP says to always place your baby on their back to sleep, for naps and at night. Once your baby rolls comfortably both ways, back to tummy and tummy to back, the AAP says you don't need to keep turning them onto their back, as long as there are no blankets, pillows, stuffed toys or bumper pads in their bed. Safe sleep practices covers the rest of a safe sleep space.

How long does a 6-month-old sleep at night?

A 6-month-old's night sleep stretches to about 10 to 12 hours in Tresillian's guide for 6 to 8 months. Tresillian's guide for 3 to 6 months says that by around 6 months the sustained night sleep has lengthened to 6 hours, twice a night, with 1 to 3 brief wakings during these stretches.

Parents in the 2020 Finnish study reported an average of 9.9 hours between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. at 6 months, and an average of 2.5 wakings between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Answering a parent of a baby 6 to 7 months old in its sleep FAQ, Tresillian says it is very common for babies to start waking more often at night at this age, because they become more aware of when they come into their light sleep cycles. The NHS says teething discomfort or hunger may wake some babies during the night.

Tresillian says many babies 6 to 8 months old will still wake for a feed overnight. The NHS says that for some babies aged 6 months to a year, night feeds may no longer be necessary. Cleveland Clinic says most babies start sleeping through the night by 6 months, which it defines as five to six hours at a stretch without feeding. Night weaning covers how to tell hunger from comfort at night.

What does a 6-month-old's sleep schedule look like?

A 6-month-old's sleep schedule, in Tresillian's guides, is 2 to 3 naps a day (5 to 6 months), about 2 to 3 hours awake between sleeps (5 to 6 and 6 to 8 months) and about 10 to 12 hours of sleep at night (6 to 8 months), within the 12 to 16 hours in 24 hours the AASM recommends from 4 to 12 months.

The guidance bodies cited here give ranges and no clock times. Tresillian calls its routine a guide only, to be adapted to your baby's sleep needs and your own activities.

Tresillian's example day for 6 to 8 months starts with an early milk feed. Breakfast and lunch each bring solids and a milk feed, then play, then a nap once your baby shows tired signs, and the day ends with play, dinner solids and a milk feed, a quiet wind-down, a bath and a bedtime routine.

Cleveland Clinic advises keeping naps as part of your baby's daytime routine, because a baby kept up longer in the hope of a better night becomes overtired and has a hard time falling and staying asleep.

What time should a 6-month-old go to bed?

No guidance body cited here gives a bedtime by the clock; parents of 6-month-olds in the Finnish study reported an average bedtime of 8:54 p.m., and individual bedtimes ranged from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Cleveland Clinic suggests a 20- to 30-minute bedtime routine, with a feed at the start so your baby doesn't rely on feeding to fall asleep. The NHS suggests steps such as a bath, night clothes and a fresh diaper, a bedtime story, dimmed lights and a goodnight cuddle, and brushing their teeth if they have any.

What are the signs a 6-month-old is tired?

Tired signs include grimacing, yawning, frowning, sucking, staring, jerky movements, becoming overactive, clenching their fists, rubbing their eyes, and fussing or crying, in Tresillian's list for babies 3 to 6 months old. Cleveland Clinic pediatrician Kristin Barrett, MD, adds blinking more often, and says each baby's sleepy signals might be a little different. Dr. Barrett says the goal is to put your baby down for a nap when they're sleepy but still awake.

Tresillian says responding early to tired signs prevents your baby becoming distressed and makes it easier for them to sleep. If your baby is happy during wake periods during the day, Tresillian says, they have had enough sleep.

When should you call your pediatrician about sleep?

Cleveland Clinic advises talking to your pediatrician if your baby:

• Seems extremely fussy and soothing isn't working
• Has a difficult time waking up
• Seems uninterested in feeding

The AASM says parents concerned that their child is sleeping too little or too much should consult their healthcare provider. Cleveland Clinic's advice for anything else is that when in doubt, call your pediatrician.