Wake windows at 7 months

A sample day at 7 months

Here is what the planner gives a 7 month old who wakes at 7:00 am, on a day without surprises. First the 2-nap day that most babies settle into this month:

Wake 7:00 am · Nap 1 9:35–10:50 am · Nap 2 1:40–3:10 pm · Bedtime 6:25 pm

Notice the early bedtime. With only two naps, the afternoon is long, and putting your baby down around 6:30 pm is what makes the switch work in the first week or two. And here is the 3-nap day, still a good plan on days the morning nap comes out short:

Wake 7:00 am · Nap 1 9:05–10:05 am · Nap 2 12:25–1:55 pm · Nap 3 4:20–4:50 pm · Bedtime 7:25 pm

Shorter windows, a 30-minute catnap late in the afternoon, and a bedtime about an hour later. In the planner above you can switch between 2 and 3 naps; log the naps as they happen and it tells you when a day only works with the other count.

What changes at 7 months: from 3 naps to 2

For most babies this is the month of the 3 to 2 nap transition. It usually happens somewhere between 6 and 8 months, and 7 months is right in the middle. It is not something you need to schedule: your baby tells you, usually through the third nap.

The signs it's time. Look for these over several days, not one:

• The third nap gets refused, or your baby lies in the crib chatting through it.
• The third nap keeps sliding past 5 pm, because the first two windows have grown.
• Bedtime drifts past 8 pm to fit everything in, and mornings start earlier.
• Your baby now handles 2½ hours awake without falling apart.

One of these on a single day is just a day. Two or three, most days for a week, mean the third nap has done its job.

How to make the switch. Drop the catnap, stretch the windows toward 2½–3 hours, and move bedtime earlier, to around 6:30 pm, for a week or two. That early bedtime is the most important part: it covers the long stretch between the end of the second nap and night. Without it, the last window runs to 4 hours and an overtired baby fights bedtime and often wakes early the next morning. As the afternoon window grows over the following weeks, bedtime slides back toward 7 pm by itself.

Going back and forth is normal. Few babies switch in one clean step. A short morning nap on a 2-nap day is a good reason to put the third nap back for that day. The planner does this for you: when a nap comes out short, it shortens the next window and, if bedtime would land too early, suggests a short catnap in the stroller or the car.

Daycare days. If your baby is in daycare, the timing there may not match home. Many families run 2 naps at daycare and keep a third catnap on the way home, or the other way round. Both are fine; aim for a similar bedtime either way.

Teeth and new skills. Most babies start teething around 6 months, and the NHS lists not sleeping very well and being more fretful than usual among the signs. A few rough naps around a new tooth don't mean the schedule stopped working. Sitting up, rolling everywhere and the first attempts at crawling can also make naps shaky for a week. Lots of floor time while awake helps your baby practice the new skill by day instead of in the crib.

Sleepy cues at 7 months, and when they disagree with the clock

• Early cues: losing interest in toys, a glazed stare, quieter babbling, wanting to be held.
• Late cues: rubbing the eyes, pulling the ears or hair, clumsy crawling or sitting, crankiness that a snack doesn't fix.
• Overtired: hard crying, arching away, or a sudden burst of energy late in a window.

From 4 months on, the wake window sets the plan and the cues fine-tune it. During the 3 to 2 transition, watch the end of the second window especially closely: if your baby is falling apart an hour before bedtime, that day needs either a short catnap or an even earlier bedtime.

Born early?

Plan by adjusted age: a baby born 6 weeks early who is 7 months old today sleeps more like a 5½ month old, and is likely still on 3 naps. 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.