Trying to figure out when and how long your baby should sleep can feel like putting together a 1000 piece puzzle. Wake windows are a guiding tool that can help you figure out when your baby should be sleeping during the day and when their bedtime should be. When using wake windows, remember, sleep begets sleep. Keeping your baby awake for longer than is appropriate for their age, in the hopes that they will sleep better/longer will lead to overtiredness and a more difficult time for your baby trying to fall asleep.

A wake window is the time that your baby is awake between sleeping periods. The length of a wake window varies depending on the age of your child. The younger they are, the shorter their wake windows will be. As they get older, and can tolerate more awake time between sleep,n the longer their wake windows will be.

A newborn typically has a wake window of approximately 45 minutes. Some babies will fill their entire wake window with eating. Others may eat and have a short time of awake time. Up until roughly one month you may have a wake window from 45-60 minutes. You may see a pattern of your wake windows increasing by about 15 minutes each month for the first few months, but typically wake windows become more stable once your baby gets older.

Wake windows are a guide that help you create a flexible schedule that suits your babys’ sleep needs. A perfect schedule is not needed to have a good sleeper. What is important is that you are responsive and offering sleep at an appropriate time relative to your babys’ age. Wake windows should be used as a general guideline but not a one size fits all solution. Your babys’ sleep patterns, individual sleep needs, temperament and age will all play a role in determining your babys’ wake times.

Some people believe that sleep training means you have to follow a rigid schedule. You may have read in different places what time your baby “should” go to sleep based on their age when following a set schedule. Doing this can lead to one of two things. You are keeping your baby awake longer because you read that an 8 month old should not nap until at least 10:00 a.m. On the other hand it says your baby should nap at 10:00 a.m. so you put them down but they actually have lower sleep needs so your baby is not ready for a nap yet. These two scenarios result in either having a very overtired or undertired baby. Neither are conducive to getting good sleep. Using wake windows lets you create a so-called schedule that meets the sleep needs of your baby.

It’s easy when you have an off day to immediately want to tweak the schedule. Off days happen, but if it isn't broken don’t fix it! If you notice a pattern over several days, then you can start to think about changes that might need to happen. If you are experiencing short naps where your baby is waking up happy, you can probably conclude that they are undertired. You can try bumping up the wake window before their nap by 15 minutes. If they are taking a nap where they are sleeping for one sleep cycle but they are unhappy and moody, they are probably over tired and you should move back the wake window by about 15 minutes. At bedtime, if they are taking a long time to fall asleep, you can try adding 15 minutes of awake time before bed. If they are having a false start (waking 30-45 minutes after falling asleep), put them to sleep 15 minutes earlier. In a very general sense, waking happy after a short sleep or taking a long time to fall asleep can mean undertired and you should add 15 minutes of wake time. Waking up cranky/moody, only sleeping for one sleep cycle or having a false start at bedtime can mean overtired and you should pull back the wake time by 15 minutes.

Wake windows are suggestions not a rule that is set in stone that you must follow. Sleep needs vary between baby’s. Some are on the lower end of the wake window suggestions and have higher sleep needs while some need longer wake windows and have lower sleep needs.

Not only does the length of wake windows vary between children, but so does the age in which they might need a nap transition or need a longer/shorter wake window. The ages and lengths of wake windows on the chart are an average.

Watching your baby’s sleep signs as well as knowing that sleep needs change throughout the day can help you adjust wake times when needed. Some children do better when they have shorter wake windows in the morning and longer ones as the day progresses. Some have their longest wake window right before bedtime. If you are struggling with a day of short naps, and your baby is overtired, you may need to pull back the next wake window by 15 minutes. If they had a short last nap before bed, you may even stretch the last one by 15 minutes to make it to a 6:00 bedtime. You know your child best. If they had a short nap, but they seem happy, you may not need to adjust at all. Just remember, don’t try to tweak the schedule for one off nap/day. Wait! Look for a pattern, see where things seem to be going wrong, and then only adjust that wake window, not all of them at one.

Use the information above to help you develop a plan for your baby’s sleep.

If you need help with a sleep plan, or troubleshooting any sleep problems, check out my services to see which one would be the best fit for you!