6 month old wake window
At 6 months the wake window is usually 2 to 3 hours (Taking Cara Babies and Huckleberry both give 2 to 3 hours), with the longest awake stretch before bedtime. Most babies are on 3 naps; the calculator below uses 2¼ to 3 hours.
Set to 6 months. Change the wake-up time to match this morning; if your baby looks sleepy before a nap time, go with the baby.
Sample 6 month old schedule
| Time | How long | |
|---|---|---|
| 7:00 am | Wake up, feed | awake 2 h 15 min |
| 9:15 am | Nap 1 | about 1 h 15 min |
| 10:30 am | Awake | about 2 h 20 min |
| 12:50 pm | Nap 2 | about 1 h 15 min |
| 2:05 pm | Awake | about 2 h 25 min |
| 4:30 pm | Nap 3 (catnap) | 30 min |
| 5:00 pm | Awake | about 2 h 30 min |
| 7:30 pm | Bedtime |
Day sleep comes to around 3 hours, inside Huckleberry's 2½ to 3½ hours for this age. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends 12 to 16 hours of sleep in 24 hours, naps included, for babies 4 to 12 months. Huckleberry says most 6 month olds need at least 10 hours at night and many need 11 to 12.
What's changing at 6 months
Solids. The AAP recommends breast milk only for about the first 6 months, then adding other foods. At first your baby still gets most of their nutrition from breast milk, formula or both. Meals happen during wake windows; ask your pediatrician when and how to start.
Noticing everything. Babies this age are more interested in what's going on around them, and some find it harder to settle for a nap in a busy room. Many parents find a dark, quiet room and the same short routine before every nap help.
Nights. Some 6 month olds sleep long stretches; others still wake once or twice to feed. Both are normal. Whether to cut night feeds is a question for your pediatrician, who knows your baby's weight gain.
3 naps or 2?
Keep 3 for now in most cases: Huckleberry's 6-month guide says most babies aren't ready to drop the third nap until 7 to 9 months. When the time comes, the usual signs are a third nap that's hard to get or that keeps pushing bedtime late. Until then, keep the third nap short (30 to 45 minutes) rather than dropping it.
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 a 6 month old nap?
Usually 1 to 1½ hours for each of the first two naps and 30 to 45 minutes for the last one, about 2½ to 3½ hours of day sleep in total.
What time should a 6 month old go to bed?
Huckleberry says many 6 month olds are ready for bed between 7 and 8 pm, typically 12 to 13 hours after waking up in the morning.
Can a 6 month old do a 3 hour wake window?
Three hours is the top of the usual 2 to 3 hour range, and the longest window is usually the one before bed. Earlier in the day most 6 month olds need a shorter window.
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.