6–8 month old sleep schedule: naps, wake windows and example days

Babies aged 6–8 months need about 12–16 hours of sleep in 24 hours, including naps, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Most sleep the bulk of that at night and take 2–3 naps adding up to about 3–4 hours. Commonly used wake windows are about 2–4 hours, stretching a little as the months go on. This is also the age when many babies drop from three naps to two, start solids and learn to sit and crawl, so expect the schedule to shift more than once.

How much sleep does a 6–8 month old need?

KidsHealth on 4–7 month olds says that by 6 months most babies sleep 9 hours or longer at night, with brief wakings, and have at least two naps adding up to about 3–4 hours. The NHS guide to baby sleep says some babies aged 6–12 months sleep around 15 hours, most of it at night.

For a sense of how that splits, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia gives average totals of 14 hours at both 6 and 9 months: about 10 hours at night and 4 in the day at 6 months, shifting to 11 at night and 3 in the day by 9 months. These are averages, not targets.

What are typical wake windows at 6–8 months?

Cleveland Clinic gives 2–4 hours for babies aged 5–7 months and 2.5–4.5 hours for babies aged 7–10 months. Sleep Foundation's chart is wider, at 1.5–4.5 hours and 1.5–6 hours for the same ages. No public-health body publishes wake windows, so treat these as a practical convention rather than clinical guidance.

The ranges tell you when to start watching. The Better Health Channel lists tired cues for older babies as losing interest in toys, fussiness, yawning, clinginess, eye rubbing and a change in activity level. When those appear, start your wind-down. See wake windows by age for more on using them.

What does a 6–8 month old's day look like?

The two days below are examples built from the ranges above, not targets. Your baby's times will differ, and that's fine.

Example day — adjust to your baby: three naps (around 6 months)

Wake windows here run about 2 hours 15 minutes, and daytime sleep adds up to about 3 hours 25 minutes.

Example day — adjust to your baby: two naps (around 8 months)

Wake windows here stretch from about 2 hours 45 minutes in the morning to 3 hours 30 minutes before bed, with about 3 hours of daytime sleep. The meals and four milk feeds reflect the NHS guide to first solid foods, which says that from about 7 months babies gradually move towards 3 meals a day alongside around 4 milk feeds.

When do babies go from three naps to two?

KidsHealth on naps describes 2–3 naps for babies aged 4–12 months, and KidsHealth on 8–12 month olds says most will likely take two naps, so the change often happens somewhere in these months. There's no fixed age, and signs matter more than the calendar. Common signs include:

• the third nap is refused, or only happens in the stroller or car
• the third nap pushes bedtime later and later
• the first two naps lengthen, leaving little room for a third
• your baby is happy for longer stretches between sleeps

How to make the switch

1. Stretch the morning gently. Push the first nap a little later over several days, watching cues as you go.
2. Expect a mix for a while. Many babies swing between two-nap and three-nap days for a while. Follow the day you're having.
3. Bring bedtime earlier on two-nap days. KidsHealth suggests an earlier bedtime when a child gives up daytime sleep, which helps cover the longer afternoon.
4. Protect the afternoon nap. If the second nap is short, a brief rest in the stroller or a quiet cuddle can carry your baby to an earlier bedtime.

See three naps to two for a full plan, and short naps if naps are getting shorter rather than fewer.

Does starting solids change a baby's sleep?

Not in the way many parents hope. The NHS says solids should start at around 6 months, and that "starting solid foods will not make your baby any more likely to sleep through the night". It lists waking more at night, chewing fists and wanting extra milk as normal behaviors that are often mistaken for signs of readiness for solids; a little extra milk can help until your baby is ready.

Breast milk or infant formula stays the main drink for the first year, so keep milk feeds going around the new meals. The AAP's healthy sleep habits page advises against starting solids before about 6 months, and against putting babies to bed with a bottle of milk, formula or juice. Many families find it easiest to offer solids when their baby is well rested, not just before a nap. See starting solids and first foods and iron.

Why do sitting, crawling and separation anxiety affect sleep?

Sleep Foundation says many babies start to feel separation anxiety around the 6-month mark, and that it usually resolves by age 2. The CDC's 9-month milestones include being shy, clingy or fearful around strangers, reacting when you leave, getting into a sitting position alone and sitting without support. Those new feelings and skills often show up at bedtime and overnight.

What tends to help:

• Plenty of floor time by day, so your baby can practice sitting, rolling and crawling when it isn't sleep time. See sitting up and crawling.
• A calm, predictable goodbye at sleep times, with the same short wind-down each time. See separation anxiety.
• Laying them back down calmly if they sit or roll and get stuck, then settling as usual.

KidsHealth says that once babies consistently roll from front to back and back to front, it's fine for them to stay in the position they choose. Still put them down on their back every time. A run of patchy nights around 8 months is common enough to have its own name; see the 8-month sleep regression.

Are night feeds still normal at 6–8 months?

Often, yes. The NHS says babies need fewer night feeds as they grow, and that for some babies between 6 months and 1 year, night feeds may no longer be necessary. KidsHealth notes that some babies, especially breastfed babies, may still wake at night. CHOP also notes that many babies begin waking in the night again around 6 months, which can be frustrating after a run of good nights.

If your baby feeds well overnight and you're all coping, there's no rush to change it. If you'd like to reduce night feeds, check with your doctor or pediatrician that your baby is growing well first, then see dropping night feeds, night wakings and sleeping through the night.

How do you keep sleep safe as your baby gets more mobile?

Australia's Red Nose's six safe sleep recommendations are to place your baby on their back, keep their head and face uncovered, keep them smoke-free, provide a safe sleeping environment night and day, sleep them in their own safe space in your room for at least the first 6 months, and breastfeed if possible. Australia's Red Nose describes a safe sleep sack as well fitted across the neck and chest, with arms out and no hood. The AAP's safe sleep guidance adds a firm, flat surface, no soft objects or loose bedding, no weighted sleep products, and stopping swaddling as soon as your baby looks like they're trying to roll. Australia's Red Nose in Australia says to stop wrapping when your baby shows signs of rolling or reaches 3 months of age, whichever comes first. Follow your crib's instructions for lowering the mattress as your baby gets more mobile. See safe sleep.

When should you get help with your baby's sleep?

• Call 911 now if your baby is struggling to breathe, has blue, gray, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue, is floppy, difficult to wake or cannot be woken, is much sleepier than usual and not feeding, or is having a seizure. These are on the NHS list of signs needing urgent help.
• See a doctor today (or call your pediatrician's after-hours nurse line) if your baby is feeding much less than usual, has fewer wet diapers than usual, or seems unwell.
• Book a doctor or pediatrician visit soon, rather than waiting for the next check, if your baby snores most nights or snorts or gasps in their sleep. The AAP sleep apnoea guide says to tell your doctor right away about frequent snoring.
• Mention it at the next check with your doctor or pediatrician if your baby wakes very often for weeks, or you have questions about night feeds, growth or your own exhaustion.

If you are so exhausted or low that you have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, call 988 (call or text) or 911 now.

What's worth noting in a sleep log?

For a week, note wake-up time, each nap's start and end, solids and milk feeds, and bedtime. Look for patterns such as a third nap that keeps pushing bedtime late, or night wakings after a short afternoon nap. This makes it easier to spot when a nap transition is coming and to describe sleep clearly to a doctor or pediatrician.