Here’s the data…but don’t forget that sometimes your little one may just defy the averages!
What is an awake window? And why should you worry about it? Well little ones have a fine line between being tired and being overtired. If they are overtired, they may find it harder to settle, but they will definitely have a harder time staying asleep, so they may settle well because they’re exhausted, but they’ll soon wake up, and they won’t be very happy about it! Being overtired can impact bedtime and overnight sleep, result in shorter naps and – crucially – mean an earlier morning wake up. Uh oh!
Naps in particular can be tricky because they are based on sleep pressure – or tiredness – and with too much or too little, your little one will likely have a short nap. Double uh oh!
So, in answer to our original question, an awake window is how long a baby should be awake before their next nap, or before bedtime. The important thing to remember, however, is that every baby is different – plus, different babies have a different tolerance of how long these windows can be ‘stretched by’. For example, some little ones can stay awake an extra 10-15 minutes quite easily, while others will not cope at all well if you go 5 minutes too long over their awake window.
To give you an example, these are the awake window guides we work with:
Newborns: 45 mins-1hr
6-12/14 weeks: 1-1 ½ hrs
4 months: 1 ½-2 hrs
5 months: 1 ¾ -2 ½ hrs
6-7 months: 2 ½ -3hrs
8-11/12 months: 3-4 hrs
12/13 months-3 years: 5-6hrs
Of course, every little one is different so they could be at either end of these timings. While we’d advise trying these awake windows, in conjunction, you could also look out for sleepy cues to help you understand when your little one needs a nap or to go to bed. Again, bear in mind that not every baby will show sleepy cues until they are overtired – some like to keep us on our toes! – so keeping an eye on them and tracking how easily your little one goes down will also help you ascertain their specific cues.
Sleepy cues can include:
Sleep totals
It’s important – as well as keeping an eye on awake windows – to think about total sleep in a 24-hour period as this will impact nap lengths and sleep quality overnight. And this changes rapidly from newborn to no-napping toddlers. Here’s our guide – again, it is a guide, and all little ones are different.
0-3 months: 16-18 hours per day
3-6 months: 15 hours per day
6-12 months: 14 hours per day
1-2 years: 12-13 hours per day
3-5 years: 10-13 hours per day
And remember when times are tough, no human on earth is truly average and sometimes your little one is going to defy the textbooks. If you think you might need support with independent sleeping or if you’d like personalised advice to help you understand your baby’s own individual sleep needs, now might be a good time to consider a conversation with a sleep consultant.
This article was written by Little Dreams Consulting, a baby and child sleep consultants working with tired parents around the UK to help everybody get a better night’s sleep.
Visit their website here.
