Baby sleep schedule by age

Updated November 2, 2026

Short answer: newborns sleep 14–17 hours a day in 4–5 naps with no real schedule. From 4 to 12 months babies need 12–16 hours including naps: about 3 naps at 4–6 months and 2 naps from 7 months. Between 1 and 2 years it's 11–14 hours, and most toddlers move from 2 naps to 1 somewhere between 13 and 18 months.

Sleep by age at a glance

Age	Total sleep in 24 h	Naps a day	Typical bedtime
0–3 months	14–17 hours	4–5, irregular	No set schedule yet
4–6 months	12–16 hours	3	Around 7–8pm
7–12 months	12–16 hours	2	Around 7pm
13–18 months	11–14 hours	2, then 1	7–7:30pm
19–24 months	11–14 hours	1	7–8pm

Total sleep figures come from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (4 months and up) and the National Sleep Foundation (newborns), both endorsed by the AAP. Nap counts and bedtimes are typical patterns, not targets.

0–3 months: no schedule, and that's normal

Newborns sleep in short stretches around the clock because they need to feed every 2–3 hours. Day and night sort themselves out over the first 6–8 weeks. Bright daylight and normal noise in the day, and a dark, quiet room at night, help. Expect wake windows of 45–90 minutes.

4–6 months: three naps

A sample day with 1.5–2.5 hour wake windows:

7:00 wake
8:45 nap 1 (about 1–1.5 h)
12:15 nap 2 (about 1–1.5 h)
16:00 nap 3, a short catnap (30–45 min)
19:15 bedtime

7–12 months: two naps

The 3-to-2 transition usually happens between 6 and 8 months, when the late catnap gets hard to fit in.

7:00 wake
9:30 nap 1 (about 1–1.5 h)
14:00 nap 2 (about 1–1.5 h)
19:00 bedtime

13–24 months: one nap

Most toddlers drop to one midday nap between 13 and 18 months. Signs it's time: refusing the morning nap or the afternoon nap for a week or more, or the second nap pushing bedtime past 8pm. During the switch, an earlier bedtime for a few weeks helps.

7:00 wake
12:00 nap (about 2–3 h)
19:00–19:30 bedtime

Nap transitions: what to expect

4 to 3 naps around 3–5 months, as wake windows reach about 1.5 hours.
3 to 2 naps around 6–8 months.
2 to 1 nap around 13–18 months.
1 to none anywhere from about 3 to 5 years.

Transitions are rarely clean. Many babies go back and forth for a week or two, taking the extra nap on some days and not others. Follow the day you have rather than the age chart.

Safe sleep

Whatever the schedule, the AAP recommends putting babies to sleep on their back, on a firm flat surface, in their own crib or bassinet with no pillows, bumpers or loose bedding, in the parents' room for at least the first 6 months.

Sources

This guide is general information, not medical advice. Every baby is different; if you are worried about your baby's sleep, feeding or health, talk to your pediatrician or health visitor.