Hey everyone!
We know a lot of you submitted questions for our recent "Ask Me Anything" on Instagram, and we want to thank you so much for reaching out! Unfortunately, this week has been a bit overwhelming. One of us has been under the weather, and with everything going on, we just couldn’t get to all the questions in real-time. But we didn’t want to leave you hanging—so we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to take a little extra time to answer your questions more thoughtfully here on the blog!
What is the Ideal Sleep Schedule for a 7-Month-Old Baby? Are Too Many Naps at 7 Months Too Early?
This is a great question! A typical sleep schedule for a 7-month-old baby at this stage includes 10 to 11 hours of nighttime sleep, along with 2 naps lasting between 1 to 2 hours each. The first nap of the day is usually the longest, often lasting 1.5 to 2 hours, while the second nap tends to be shorter, about 45 minutes to 1 hour (one sleep cycle). We recommend wake windows of 3 to 4.5 hours.
If your baby is closer to 10 hours of sleep at night, their naps might be longer to compensate.
A 7-month-old sleep schedule might look like this: Baby wakes up between 6:00 and 6:30 a.m., with the first nap starting around 9:00 or 9:30 a.m. The second nap typically begins around 2:00 to 2:30 p.m. (aim for the later start, like 2:30 p.m., to ensure a smooth transition to bedtime). Bedtime usually falls about 4 to 4.5 hours after the baby wakes from their second nap. Ideally bedtime is around 7 to 7:30 p.m.
How Can I Lengthen My 4-Month-Old Baby's Naps? Tips for Extending Short Naps (30-45 Minutes)
Let’s talk about naps! Naps can be one of the most challenging aspects of baby sleep and we often say, the last piece of the sleep puzzle! Around 4 months old, your baby’s circadian
rhythm starts to change (Hello 4 month regression!), which may result in them waking after a sleep cycle and struggling to connect them.
Naps can be especially tricky for babies for several reasons: insufficient sleep pressure (not tired enough) and sunlight exposure during the day (which affects melatonin levels). This is particularly common for babies around 4 months old. At this age, babies have shorter wake windows compared to older babies (6-7 months), so it's completely normal for naps to last only one sleep cycle, which is typically 30-45 minutes. This usually improves around 6-7 months of age.
A helpful tip: Wait a few minutes before responding to your baby. Giving them an extra 4-5 minutes to soothe can allow them the time they need to reconnect sleep cycles and nap longer.
11-Month-Old Baby Learned to Stand in Crib and Won't Lie Down – Help!!!
Sleep regressions during major physical developments are completely normal. It's common for your baby to wake up in the middle of the night, practice new skills they've learned during the day, and then panic because they don't know how to get back down.
To help, we recommend lowering the crib to its lowest setting. This will make it harder for your baby to reach the top rail. Also, practice a lot of standing and lying down during their wake windows - repeating the motion back and forth to help them get comfortable with standing (sitting/or/rolling).
When working with clients whose babies are learning new skills, we advise that they can place their baby back on their back during check-ins, but it's important to understand that your baby will likely pop back up. We remind parents that it’s no longer their job to make their baby sleep; it's now their baby’s turn to learn how to fall asleep on their own. When using our method, stay calm and confident. It's possible that your baby may fall asleep while sitting or standing – we know this looks weird. Once you're certain they’re asleep, gently lay them down on their back.
Baby's Wake Window Chart
We received many questions on wake windows for babies of various ages, and we wanted to link our free wake window chart here.
Generally, we recommend following wake windows until your baby is around 6-7 months old. At that point, you can transition to a 2-nap schedule. The first nap usually occurs around 9:00 or 9:30 AM, depending on your baby's wake-up time. The second nap typically happens around 2:30 PM, with bedtime scheduled 4-5 hours after your baby wakes up from their last nap.
That's it for this week! Thank you again for your questions! And we look forward to answering more in the future!
Comments