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A sample day at 6 months
Woke at 7:00 am, naps around 9:00 am, 12:10 pm and 4:00 pm, bedtime 7:00 pm.
- Wake windows: 2½–3½ hours. The first window of the day is the shortest, the one before bed the longest.
- Naps: 2, a shorter one in the morning and a longer one after lunch.
- Day sleep: 2–3 hours in all.
- Total sleep: 12–16 hours in 24 hours, naps included (AASM, endorsed by the AAP).
- Bedtime: 6:30–8 pm.
A sample day at 9 months
Here is what the planner gives a 9 month old who wakes at 7:00 am, on a day without surprises:
Wake 7:00 am · Nap 1 9:40–10:55 am · Nap 2 1:50–3:20 pm · Bedtime 6:30 pm
About 2¾ hours of day sleep in two blocks, with the afternoon nap the longer one. From 9 months the planner no longer offers a third nap: most babies have dropped it for good. If a nap comes out short, it shortens the next window instead and moves bedtime earlier when it needs to. Log the naps in the planner above as they happen and it re-plans the rest of the day.
What changes at 9 months
Two naps, for real. At 7 and 8 months a third catnap still rescued the occasional rough day. By 9 months most babies have stretched to 2½–3½ hours awake, and a catnap late in the afternoon only pushes bedtime toward 8 pm. On a short-nap day, an earlier bedtime does the same job better.
Watch the morning nap. This is the month a common trap appears: the morning nap grows to 2 hours, and then your baby fights the afternoon nap or takes only 30 minutes of it. The day then ends with a long, cranky last window. If that sounds familiar, cap the morning nap at about an hour to an hour and a quarter and let the afternoon nap be the long one. The planner tells you when to wake your baby from a nap to keep bedtime on track.
Fighting the second nap? Before you decide your baby needs one nap (most don't until 13 to 18 months), check the windows. A second nap is often refused because the window before it is too short: at 9 months the afternoon window should be longer than the morning one, about 3 to 3¼ hours. Try moving the afternoon nap 15 minutes later for a few days.
Separation anxiety peaks. HealthyChildren.org says most babies develop stronger separation anxiety around 9 months, once they understand that you still exist when you leave the room. It shows at bedtime: clinging, crying as soon as you head for the door, waking and wanting to see you. It is a sign of a healthy attachment. A short, predictable routine, a calm goodbye, and the same response every night help more than staying until your baby is asleep and then sneaking out.
Standing, cruising, waking. Many 9 month olds pull up to stand and start cruising along furniture. That can bring a few weeks of nights and naps spent practicing in the crib, the tail end of the 8 to 10 month regression. Plenty of floor practice by day helps, including sitting back down from standing.
Waking again at night while learning to crawl and pull up? See the 8–10 month sleep regression.
Night feeds. Plenty of 9 month olds sleep long stretches at night, and plenty still wake to feed. Whether your baby still needs a night feed depends on their growth and feeding, so that is a question for your pediatrician, not for a wake-window chart. Our feeding calculator shows typical daily amounts by age.
Sleepy cues at 9 months, and when they disagree with the clock
- Early cues: crawling or cruising slows, a quieter, glazed look, losing interest in toys and people.
- Late cues: rubbing the eyes, pulling the ears, clinging and whining, more tumbles than usual.
- Overtired: hard crying, arching away, or a burst of wild energy late in a window.
At this age the wake window sets the plan and the cues fine-tune it. Separation anxiety can look like tiredness: a baby who cries when you step away at 10 minutes into a window is probably not tired yet.
Born early?
Plan by adjusted age: a baby born 6 weeks early who is 9 months old today sleeps more like a 7½ month old, and may still be moving from 3 naps to 2. The planner does the math if you tap “Born more than 3 weeks early?”; here is how adjusted age works.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my 9 month old fight the second nap?
Usually the window before it is too short, or the morning nap was too long. At 9 months the afternoon window should be the longer one, about 3 to 3¼ hours. Try moving the second nap 15 minutes later, and cap the morning nap at about an hour. Most babies keep 2 naps until 13 to 18 months.
How long should the morning nap be at 9 months?
About an hour to an hour and a quarter. A longer morning nap often steals from the afternoon one. If your baby sleeps 2 hours in the morning and then refuses the second nap, wake them a little earlier from the first.
Is 3 hours awake too long for a 9 month old?
No, it's in the usual 2½–3½ hour range, and it suits the afternoon and the last window before bed best. The first window of the morning is usually closer to 2½ hours.
Should my 9 month old still have 3 naps?
Most 9 month olds are on 2. If your baby was born early, plan by adjusted age: they may still need a third catnap for a few more weeks. On a day with short naps, an earlier bedtime usually works better than a late catnap.
Sources
- Paruthi S. et al., Recommended Amount of Sleep for Pediatric Populations: a consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, J Clin Sleep Med 2016 (endorsed by the AAP): 4–12 months 12–16 h in 24 h, naps included
- HealthyChildren.org (AAP): Soothing Your Child's Separation Anxiety
- HealthyChildren.org (AAP): Movement Milestones in Babies 8 to 12 Months Old
- Henderson J.M.T. et al., Sleeping Through the Night: The Consolidation of Self-regulated Sleep Across the First Year of Life, Pediatrics 2010
- Mindell J.A. et al., Development of infant and toddler sleep patterns: real-world data from a mobile application, J Sleep Res 2016
- Cleveland Clinic: Wake Windows by Age
Spotted a mistake or an outdated figure? Write to [email protected].
All ages: wake windows by age · the full nap schedule planner, newborn to 3 years.