Baby sleep schedule calculator
Pick your baby's age and the time they woke up. You get a nap-by-nap plan for today, with wake windows and a bedtime, based on Taking Cara Babies' published wake window chart. Wake windows are a rule of thumb, not an official medical guideline.
A starting point, not a rule. If your baby shows sleepy cues (rubbing eyes, staring off, fussing) before a nap time, go with the baby.
How the baby sleep schedule is worked out
A wake window is how long a baby can comfortably stay awake between sleeps. It grows with age: a few weeks old, it's under an hour; at six months, around two to three hours; by a year and a half, around four and a half to five and a half hours. The calculator takes the low and high end of the window for your baby's age and spreads them across the day, shortest in the morning and longest before bed, which is the pattern most babies follow.
Naps use a typical length for the age unless you pick your own. If your baby takes short naps, choose 30 or 45 minutes and the next nap moves earlier. With three or more naps, the last one is a 30-minute catnap so it doesn't push bedtime late. Newborns under two months don't have a set bedtime yet, so for them the calculator repeats short wake-and-nap cycles through the day.
Wake windows by age
| Age | Wake window | Naps |
|---|---|---|
| 0–4 weeks | 30–60 min | 5 or more |
| 1–2 months | 1–1.5 h | 4–5 |
| 3–4 months | 1.25–2 h | 4 |
| 5–7 months | 2–3.25 h | 3 |
| 8–12 months | 2.75–4 h | 2 |
| 13–15 months | 3.5–4.5 h | 2, moving to 1 |
| 15 months–3 years | 4.5–6 h | 1 |
Every baby is different, and published ranges differ a lot from one source to another: Cleveland Clinic gives 2 to 4 hours at 5 to 7 months, the Sleep Foundation 1.5 to 4.5 hours. The table follows Taking Cara Babies' chart (checked 4 November 2026); treat it as a starting point. Month by month: 5 months, 6 months, 7 months, or the full wake window chart.
Safe sleep reminders
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends placing babies on their back, on a firm flat surface in their own sleep space, with no pillows, bumpers or loose blankets, for every sleep including naps. A schedule is never a reason to skip a feed; newborns in particular eat on demand. If you're worried about how much your baby sleeps, ask your pediatrician.
Remember the month too
Once the naps settle, take the monthly photo: the baby milestone photo editor puts the month and name on a picture you already have.