Wake windows at 6 months

A sample day at 6 months

Here is what the planner gives a 6 month old who wakes at 7:00 am, on a day without surprises. First the usual 3-nap day:

Wake 7:00 am · Nap 1 9:00–10:00 am · Nap 2 12:10–1:40 pm · Nap 3 4:00–4:30 pm · Bedtime 7:00 pm

The middle nap is usually the long one now, and the third is a half-hour catnap that saves bedtime. Here is the same morning on 2 naps:

Wake 7:00 am · Nap 1 9:30–10:45 am · Nap 2 1:25–2:55 pm · Bedtime 6:10 pm

Look at the bedtime: without the third nap, the afternoon would be too long for most 6 month olds, so the 2-nap day ends early. That early bedtime is the point, not a mistake, and it is why most babies aren't ready for 2 naps until 7 or 8 months. In the planner above, the nap count switches with one tap, and it tells you when today only works with the other option.

What changes at 6 months

Naps get longer. Somewhere between 5 and 7 months, many babies learn to link two sleep cycles, and the 30–45 minute naps of the last few months turn into naps of an hour to an hour and a half. Usually the morning nap or the midday nap lengthens first. Day sleep in all doesn't grow, though; it shrinks a little, to about 2½ to 3½ hours, because the windows in between are getting longer. A 6 month old who still takes mostly short naps isn't behind: keep the next window on the short side after each one, and lean on the third catnap.

The 3-to-2 question starts. The move from 3 naps to 2 usually happens between 6 and 8 months. The signs it's coming: the third nap gets refused, or it lands after 5 pm because the earlier windows have stretched, and bedtime keeps drifting past 8 pm. One rough day isn't a sign; a week of them is. When it's time, do it with an early bedtime, around 6:30 pm, for a week or two while your baby gets used to the long afternoon. Going back to 3 naps on days after short naps is fine. If you aren't there yet, there is a page on the 3-to-2 switch at 7 months.

Solids start. The AAP and WHO recommend starting solid foods at about 6 months, when your baby can sit with support, hold their head steady and shows interest in food. Breast milk or formula is still the main food. For the nap plan, the easiest slot for a solid meal is when your baby is awake and alert, right after a nap, not at the end of a wake window when they're tired. Keep the milk feeds where they were.

Their own room, maybe. The AAP recommends that babies sleep in their parents' room, on their own flat sleep surface, ideally for at least the first 6 months; the NHS gives the same advice. So this is the month many families move the crib into the nursery. The rules for the crib stay the same: on the back, firm flat mattress, nothing else in it. A move is also when a baby monitor earns its keep, so you can hear the end of a nap from another room.

Bedtime is steady. Most 6 month olds go to bed between 6:30 and 8 pm. With longer windows, the last one before bed is now up to 2¾ hours on 3 naps. After a day of short naps, use the early end.

Sleepy cues at 6 months, and when they disagree with the clock

• Early cues: a far-off stare, less babbling, losing interest in toys or food, wanting to be held.
• Late cues: rubbing the eyes, pulling the ears or hair, yawning, whining that nothing fixes.
• Overtired: crying hard, arching, a second wind of giggles late in the window, then a fight at nap time.

From about 4 months, the wake window sets the plan and the cues fine-tune it. A curious 6 month old can hide tiredness behind excitement, so start a short wind-down 10 minutes before the planned nap even without cues.

Born early?

Plan by adjusted age: a baby born 6 weeks early who is 6 months old today sleeps more like a 4½ month old, so 3 naps with shorter windows. The planner does the math if you tap “Born more than 3 weeks early?”; here is how adjusted age works.

Frequently asked questions

All ages: wake windows by age · the full nap schedule planner, newborn to 3 years.