5 Month Old Schedule

Having a schedule for your 5 month old can be helpful to avoid having an overtired baby who wakes up multiple times a night!

You may be wondering how many naps should a 5 month old be taking? At this age 3 naps are the goal for a 5 month old. The transition from 4 naps to 3 naps usually happens between 4-5 months old.

Try to encourage play time and social interaction to get your baby to the point that they are tired but not overtired. Pay attention to sleep/wake windows to avoid your baby being up too long or going down for a nap too soon. Your baby’s schedule should include about 3-4 hours of nap time in a day ( 24 hour period).

If your baby sleeps too much during the day then it might be tough for them to get a good nights sleep at night.

For a 5 month old, the goal is for 10-12 hours of night sleep. If they have poor naps during the day this leads to having an overtired baby and they can end up with poor night sleep as a result. Sleep begets sleep.

Sleep/Wake Windows

A five month olds awake window is around 2-3 hours.

A wake window is from the time your baby opens their eyes to the time you lay them down for the next nap or bedtime. Some babies this age will be closer to the 2 to 2.5 hours wake window for the first nap of the day and this is pretty normal. The shortest wake window is usually in the morning. Following a schedule is helpful to avoid multiple night wake ups.

A typical bedtime for this age is around 7-8 pm. Natural melatonin is higher during this time so taking advantage of this sleepy hormone is helpful.

Be patient with yourself as you figure out your little ones needs! Sleep/awake windows change a lot in the first few months of a newborns life. Try to spend time watching for your babies cues close to the 2 hour mark so you don’t miss what they are trying to tell you.

You are the best parent for your baby! Enjoy your baby and don’t stress about missing a sleep window, just start over at the next nap and give yourself grace. A schedule is a guide that will allow you to start having some predictability in your day. If you need some support and encouragement schedule a FREE 15 minute consultation with me so we can get you and your baby sleeping better tonight!