5 month old wake window
Most 5 month olds do well with 2 to 2¾ hours awake between sleeps: about 2 hours after the morning wake-up, stretching to 2½ or 2¾ hours before bed. That usually works out to 3 naps, though some 5 month olds still take 4, and a bedtime between 6 and 8 pm. (Taking Cara Babies gives 2 to 3 hours for 5 to 7 months; Huckleberry gives 2 to 3 hours on a 3-nap day and 1½ to 2½ hours for babies still on 4 naps.)
Set to 5 months. Change the wake-up time to match this morning; if your baby looks sleepy before a nap time, go with the baby.
Sample 5 month old schedule
| Time | How long | |
|---|---|---|
| 7:00 am | Wake up, feed | awake 2 h |
| 9:00 am | Nap 1 | about 1 h 15 min |
| 10:15 am | Awake | 2 h 15 min |
| 12:30 pm | Nap 2 | about 1 h 15 min |
| 1:45 pm | Awake | 2 h 30 min |
| 4:15 pm | Nap 3 (catnap) | 30 min |
| 4:45 pm | Awake | 2 h 45 min |
| 7:30 pm | Bedtime |
That is about 3 hours of day sleep; Huckleberry puts the usual range at 2½ to 3½ hours. Naps of 30 to 45 minutes are common at this age because many babies can't yet link sleep cycles. If that happens, start the next window from when they woke rather than sticking to the clock, and the day shifts earlier.
What's changing at 5 months
After the 4 month sleep change. Around 3 to 4 months a baby's sleep matures and they wake briefly between sleep cycles. Babies who can't yet settle themselves back may cry at those wake-ups, so short naps and extra night wakings can carry on into month five.
Rolling. Rolling usually develops between about 4 and 7 months. The AAP says to stop swaddling when your baby looks like they're trying to roll over. Always put your baby down on their back; once they are comfortable rolling both ways, you don't need to keep turning them back over.
Four naps down to three. Huckleberry's 5-month guide says most babies switch to 3 naps around this age, and some go back and forth between 3- and 4-nap days for a while. A late-afternoon nap that's hard to get, or that pushes bedtime late, is a sign the change is near.
Is the 5 month old wake window too long?
A common approach: if your 5 month old cries hard at nap time and falls asleep the moment you lay them down, try starting the next nap 15 minutes earlier for a few days. If they lie awake for a long time before dozing off, try 15 minutes later. Short naps alone aren't a sure sign, since they are common at this age.
Other ages
Wake windows by age (full chart) · 5 months · 6 months · 7 months · Sleep schedule calculator, any age
Questions parents ask
How long should the morning wake window be at 5 months?
Around 2 hours. The first window of the day is the shortest; many 5 month olds are ready for nap 1 about two hours after waking up.
Is 6:30 too early for bedtime for a 5 month old?
No. Huckleberry says most babies this age are ready for night sleep between 6 and 8 pm, and suggests timing bedtime by the last wake window rather than the clock.
How long should a 5 month old's last nap be?
Short: a 30 to 45 minute catnap in the late afternoon, enough to reach bedtime without pushing it late.
Sources
Checked 4 November 2026. Wake windows are not an official medical guideline, and published ranges differ a lot from one source to another, so this site follows one chart and says where others differ.
- Taking Cara Babies, Wake windows and baby sleep: 0–4 weeks 30–60 min, 4–12 weeks 60–90 min, 3–4 months 75–120 min, 5–7 months 2–3 h, 7–10 months 2½–3½ h, 11–14 months 3–4 h, 14–24 months 4–6 h. The ranges on this site sit inside these.
- Huckleberry month-by-month guides (5, 6, 7 months) for naps, nap lengths and bedtimes, and its 2-year guide (5½–6 h) for the 2–3 year row.
- Huckleberry, Decoding baby sleep cues (reviewed by a board-certified pediatrician): yawning, droopy eyelids, eye rubbing and slowing down as early sleepy cues.
- Cleveland Clinic gives wider ranges (for example 2–4 h at 5–7 months), and the Sleep Foundation wider still (1½–4½ h at 5–7 months).
- American Academy of Sleep Medicine consensus statement (Paruthi et al., 2016, endorsed by the AAP) for total sleep hours.
- American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org, for safe sleep, swaddling, solid foods, teething and separation anxiety.
Safe sleep, every nap
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends putting babies down on their back, on a firm flat surface in their own sleep space, with no pillows, bumpers or loose blankets, for naps as well as nights. A schedule is never a reason to skip a feed. This page is general information, not medical advice; if you are worried about your baby's sleep or growth, talk to your pediatrician.