Your baby's sleep schedule, age by age
How many naps, how long awake between two sleeps, what time for bed: these are the guidelines Bercio starts from to estimate your baby's next nap, from birth to 4 years. Averages, not rules: every child has their own rhythm.
What is a wake window?
It is the time your baby spends awake between two sleeps, from waking up to falling asleep again. It grows with age, and over the day too: the first one of the morning is the shortest, the one before bed the longest.
Sleepy cues, like yawning or rubbing eyes, always come before the clock.
Naps and wake windows by age
The usual guidelines of paediatric sleep charts, the ones Bercio uses until it knows your baby's own rhythm.
| Age | Naps a day | Wake windows (first → before bed) | Nap length | Bedtime | Night |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 weeks | 5 | 35 min – 1 h | 1 h | Not yet | Not yet |
| 4 weeks – 2 months | 4 | 1 h – 1 h 30 min | 1 h | Not yet | Not yet |
| 2–3 months | 4 | 1 h – 1 h 45 min | 50 min | 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm | 10 h |
| 3–4 months | 4 | 1 h 15 min – 2 h | 50 min | 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm | 10 h 30 min |
| 4–5 months | 3 | 1 h 30 min – 2 h 30 min | 1 h | 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm | 11 h |
| 5–7 months | 3 | 2 h – 2 h 45 min | 1 h | 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm | 11 h |
| 7–9 months | 2 | 2 h 30 min – 3 h 15 min | 1 h 20 min | 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm | 11 h |
| 9–12 months | 2 | 2 h 45 min – 3 h 45 min | 1 h 15 min | 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm | 11 h |
| 12–15 months | 2 | 3 h – 4 h | 1 h 10 min | 6:45 pm – 8:00 pm | 11 h |
| 15–18 months | 1 | 4 h – 5 h 30 min | 2 h | 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm | 11 h |
| 18 months – 2 years | 1 | 5 h – 6 h | 2 h | 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm | 11 h |
| 2–3 years | 1 | 5 h 30 min – 6 h 30 min | 1 h 45 min | 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm | 10 h 30 min |
| 3–4 years | 1 | 6 h – 7 h | 1 h 30 min | 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm | 10 h 30 min |
| 4 years and up | No nap | 12 h – 13 h | — | 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm | 10 h 30 min |
- In the first weeks, days and nights are not told apart yet: no bedtime or typical night, and Bercio only estimates the next sleep.
- Nap length: the usual length of a nap. When your baby takes three naps or more, the last one of the day is shorter.
- Night: its usual length, from bedtime to the morning wake-up, night wakings included.
These guidelines day to day
- Baby born early: Bercio reads these guidelines at corrected age, counted from the due date, until 2 years.
- A short nap leaves less rest: the next wake window gets shorter. After a nap half as long as expected, Bercio shortens it by 15%.
- A day of short naps: Bercio may bring bedtime forward, up to 30 minutes before the usual range.
- Dropping a nap: children don't all drop it at the same age. If your baby already takes one nap less than the chart (or still one more), Bercio follows the age band with that many naps.
- Bedtime still far off after the last nap: Bercio plans one extra short nap, only one, to get to the evening.
What Bercio does
Bercio starts from these guidelines, then learns your baby's rhythm: as you log their sleeps, their own wake windows, nap lengths, bedtimes and wake-up times take over, over the last two weeks, recent days weighing more.
It estimates the next nap, the rest of the day and bedtime, and shows you how many of its estimates were within 15 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
How many naps does a 6-month-old take?
As a guideline, three naps a day between 5 and 7 months, with 2 h to 2 h 45 min awake between two sleeps, then two naps from 7 months.
How long can a 3-month-old stay awake?
Between 1 h 15 min and 2 h from 3 to 4 months: the first wake window of the morning is the shortest, the one before bed the longest.
When do babies move to one nap?
In these guidelines, around 15 months: two naps from 7 to 15 months, then a single one of about 2 hours. Some children move earlier, others later.
What time should my baby go to bed?
From 2 months, the guidelines put bedtime between 7:30 and 9:30 pm, then earlier as your baby grows: between 6:30 and 8 pm from 5 months to 1 year, between 7 and 8:30 pm from 15 months.
Until what age do children nap?
Bercio's guidelines keep one nap until 4 years, shorter and shorter: about 1 h 30 min between 3 and 4 years.
Guidelines, not medical advice
These figures are averages, not targets: every child has their own rhythm, and sleepy cues come first. Bercio is a helper, not a medical device. For any question about your child's sleep, ask your doctor or paediatrician.