How many naps should a 6 month old take?

Most 6-month-olds take 2–3 naps per day, totaling about 3–3.5 hours of daytime sleep. Many are dropping the third catnap around this age.

When do babies drop to 2 naps?

Most babies drop from 3 naps to 2 between 6 and 8 months old. Signs include consistently fighting the third nap or it pushing bedtime too late.

How long does the 4 month sleep regression last?

The 4-month sleep regression typically lasts 2–4 weeks. It represents a permanent change in sleep architecture as cycles reorganize to be more adult-like.

When do toddlers stop napping?

Most children stop napping between ages 3 and 5, with the average around 3.5 years old.

What are wake windows?

Wake windows are the amount of time a child can comfortably stay awake between sleep periods, ranging from 45 minutes for newborns to 5–6 hours for 2-year-olds.

Sleep Schedule by Age (Newborn to 4 Years) — Free Nap Calculator | The Mommy

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How This Sleep Schedule Calculator Works

This tool builds a personalized nap and sleep schedule based on two things: your child's age and what time they usually wake up in the morning. It uses wake windows (the amount of time a child can comfortably stay awake between sleeps), pulled from pediatric sleep guidelines and widely-used sleep consultant frameworks.

Wake windows get longer as your child grows. A newborn can only handle about 45–60 minutes of awake time. A 9-month-old can go 2.5–3.5 hours. By age 2, most toddlers manage 5–6 hours before their single nap. The calculator takes the right wake window for your child's age, starts from their wake-up time, and maps out when each nap and bedtime should fall.

Wake Windows by Age

Newborns (0–8 weeks) have wake windows of about 45–90 minutes. By 3–4 months, that stretches to 75–120 minutes. At 5–7 months, expect 2–3 hours between naps. By 8–12 months, most babies can handle 2.5–3.5 hours awake. After the first birthday, wake windows grow to 3–5 hours. And by age 2, most toddlers are awake 5–6 hours before and after their one remaining nap.

One thing a lot of parents don't realize: wake windows usually get longer as the day goes on. The first one (morning to first nap) is almost always the shortest. The last one (final nap to bedtime) is the longest. This is because sleep pressure builds throughout the day.

When Do Children Drop Naps?

Here's the typical progression: 4–5 naps as a newborn, down to 3 naps around 4–5 months, then 2 naps by 7–8 months. The big transition from 2 naps to 1 usually happens between 14–18 months. And most children stop napping entirely between ages 3 and 5.

The 4-Month Sleep Regression

Around 4 months, your baby's sleep cycles permanently change. They go from simple newborn sleep to more complex, adult-like sleep stages. That means more brief wake-ups between cycles. It typically lasts 2–4 weeks. It feels like a step backward, but it's actually a step forward. Once this shift is done, your baby is able to sleep in longer, deeper stretches.

The 8-Month Sleep Regression

Crawling, pulling to stand, separation anxiety. They all tend to collide around 8–10 months. Sleep takes a hit. A lot of parents think this means it's time to drop a nap, but it's not. Two naps are still important at this age. Things usually settle back down in 2–3 weeks.

The 18-Month Sleep Regression

This one is widely considered the hardest. Your toddler is learning new words every day, testing every boundary, and dealing with separation anxiety, all at the same time. They may flat-out refuse the nap. Keep offering it anyway. Most toddlers still need that midday nap until at least age 3.

Frequently Asked Questions

Most 6-month-olds are on 2–3 naps a day, with about 3–3.5 hours of total daytime sleep. A lot of babies are dropping that third catnap around now. If it's becoming a daily fight, try cutting it and moving bedtime up by 30 minutes instead.

Usually between 6 and 8 months. You'll know they're ready when they consistently fight that third nap, it starts pushing bedtime past 8pm, or they take forever to fall asleep. When you drop it, move bedtime about 30 minutes earlier for the first couple weeks.

Usually 2–4 weeks. It's not a random rough patch. It's a permanent change in how your baby sleeps. Their sleep cycles are reorganizing to work more like yours. It's rough in the moment, but once they adjust, they're capable of much longer stretches of sleep.

Most kids drop the nap somewhere between 3 and 5 years old. The average is around 3.5. Even once they stop sleeping, keeping a daily quiet time (30–45 minutes with books or puzzles in their room) is good for them and for you.

For most babies 4 months and older, somewhere between 7:00 and 8:00pm. Newborns naturally go down later, around 9 or 10pm. Toddlers and preschoolers do well with a consistent bedtime around 7:30–8pm. The right time depends on when their last nap ended and how long their wake window is.

A wake window is just the time between one sleep and the next. From the moment your child wakes up to when they fall asleep again. Getting them right is important because a baby who's awake too long gets overtired (which makes it harder to fall asleep, not easier), and a baby who hasn't been up long enough won't be tired enough to sleep well. They range from about 45 minutes for a newborn to 5–6 hours for a 2-year-old.

This tool is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Every child is different. Use this schedule as a starting point and adjust based on what you see. Talk to your pediatrician if you have concerns about your child's sleep. Data is based on guidelines from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, pediatric sleep consultants, and common wake window frameworks.

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