Enter your baby's age and morning wake time to get a full day of predicted nap times and bedtime.
A wake window is the total time a baby stays awake between one sleep period and the next. It starts the moment your baby wakes up and ends when they fall asleep again. During this time, babies feed, play, have tummy time, get diaper changes, and go through a wind-down routine before the next nap or bedtime.
Getting wake windows right is one of the most important factors in good baby sleep. A baby put down too early may not be tired enough to fall asleep. A baby kept awake too long becomes overtired, releasing cortisol and adrenaline that make it harder to settle. The "sweet spot" is when the baby is tired but not yet overtired.
Newborns (0-6 weeks) have the shortest wake windows at just 45-60 minutes. At this age, many babies can barely stay awake through a feeding. 2-3 month old babies extend to 60-90 minutes. By 4-5 months, wake windows reach 1.5-2.5 hours as naps consolidate from 4-5 short naps down to 3. At 6-8 months, babies typically handle 2-3 hours awake with 2-3 naps per day.
9-12 month old babies often transition from 3 naps to 2, with wake windows of 2.5-3.5 hours. By 13-17 months, most babies drop to 1 nap with wake windows of 3-4 hours (though the afternoon window before the single nap may be longer). 18-24 month old toddlers are solidly on one nap, with wake windows of 4.5-5.5 hours before and after the midday nap.
Nap transitions (going from 4 to 3 naps, 3 to 2, or 2 to 1) are often the trickiest periods for baby sleep. Signs your baby is ready to drop a nap include consistently fighting one nap, taking shorter naps, or the last nap of the day pushing bedtime too late. Transitions usually take 1-3 weeks. During the transition, it is okay to alternate between the old and new schedule as needed.