6 Month Old Sleep Schedule
Sometimes it’s great just to have a 6 month old schedule to turn to so you know what to do when. Especially if sleep is not going well, a schedule can really make a big difference.
I recently worked with a Mom who’s 6 month old struggled with short 30 minute naps, was up 2-3 times a night, was fussy before bedtime, fighting sleep AND waking up early. It was really hard for her to get things done during the day during naptime because naps were so short. Plus she was exhausted and running low on energy to care for other family members. Something had to change!
This Mom texted me out of desperation and was not sure if her little one was too tired (overtired) or not tired enough (undertired) and didn’t know what to change next. She was wasn’t sure what to change next and she was tired of guessing.
As we chatted through her day a few things jumped out at me. But I always like to look at the nap schedule first to see if it needs adjusting. Then if that solves the problem then great! If not then sometimes I will suggest that parents pursue sleep training to help their little one get better sleep. I love working with parents 1:1 to give them the confidence and education needed to help their family get in a better spot with sleep. If your ready for this you can make an appointment with me HERE.
After looking at her 3 nap schedule I suggested she move his naps up by 15 minutes. It seemed like a small move to her. I told her that sometimes little changes make a big difference and that we needed to help him get good sleep during the day so that he wasn’t so tired at bedtime.
Because an overtired baby will wake up more and take short naps.
Here’s the schedule I gave her-
6 Month Old Schedule
3 Nap Schedule
7 am Wake up
9:15 Nap 1
12:30 Nap 2
4:30 Nap 3
7:30 Bedtime
If your little one is not up at 7 am then you can follow these wake windows instead for a 3 nap schedule. It’s easy to adjust the time. Just follow wake windows to create your own 6 month old schedule. Try to do 2.25 hours from wake up to the first nap. Then 2.25 hours from wake up of the first nap to the second nap. Then 2.5 hours from wake up of the second nap to the third nap. Then 2.75 hours until bedtime. If you need help, feel free to reach out!
A normal 2-3 hour wake window is great for 6 month olds! If you have a newer 6 month old then stay closer to my example. If your baby is closer to almost 7 months old then a 3 hour wake window before bedtime is good.
The very next day she texted me this:
“THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. Naptime was a breeze again!”
That night this 6 month old slept from 8-3:20 am and she went in and patted his back and he fell back to sleep. Then he woke up 10 minutes later so she went to grab a bottle but by the time she came back her little one had put himself back to sleep. Then he slept until 7am! Adjusting his sleep schedule by 15 minutes made such a huge impact for this little one. The next night he slept through the night!
How do you handle 30 minute naps?
Next we talked about what to do if he took another 30 minute nap during the day. I told her that at this age you can try to get him back to sleep by patting his back but if your still trying after 10-15 minutes to give up and make sure he’s awake for the FULL wake window for the next nap.
I have told many parents that if you try to put your baby back down for a nap too early then it will usually result in ANOTHER 30 minute short nap. It’s tough but keeping your little one up for the whole wake window will help the nap lengthen!
If you are ready to lengthen naps and decrease night wake ups, I am here for you! Let’s chat and get to the root sleep issue for your little one. You don’t have to wait it out! Book a FREE 15 Minute Sleep Evaluation Call HERE. Learn more about me here.