6 months old

Sleep Basics

• At this point, your baby has probably started to settle into a more consistent routine, whether created by your baby or by you.
• Your baby has most likely been taking three naps a day, typically about an hour long each.
• While he or she will probably continue this pattern throughout the month, sometime between six and nine months, babies shift to two longer naps a day. One of the first indicators that your baby is ready to drop the third nap is that it becomes short – 15 minutes or less. When you’re ready for the shift, transition by stretching the length of awake time in between naps.
• For instance, if your baby was napping at 8 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., then he or she might stretch the first nap to 9:00 a.m. and the second nap to 1:00 p.m. Between six and nine months, your baby’s optimal awake window will shift from being about 2 hours in between wake up time and naps and 2.5 hours between last nap and bedtime to being 2.5 hours between naps and 3 hours before bedtime.
• You might notice that your baby’s bedtime might shifts as well, temporarily becoming earlier when your baby first drops the third nap. When the transition finally comes, work with your baby to establish a new routine.
• If your baby still wants to take three naps a day and is sleeping well at night, then don’t push it.
• Your baby should sleep about 13 to 15 hours a day total, including naps.