Age Appropriate Awake Windows & Help Understanding Sleep Cues

When exhausted parents reach out to me, one of the first questions I ask is about awake windows. How much awake time are they giving their child before offering a nap or bedtime? All too often, these awake windows are much too long. 

An overtired baby has a harder time calming, falling asleep and staying asleep. Being overtired is the #1 culprit for early morning wake-ups too. So how do you know if your baby is tired? Here are a few sleep cues to look for: 

Getting Sleepy: Baby may start being uninterested in toys or maybe even you; looking off into space and giving cues like red eyebrows. Start working on your nap/bedtime routine now to get them to sleep before they are overtired. 

Time For Bed: This is when you will see more signs like yawning, red eyes, and fussing. Now is the time to get your child in bed so they can fall asleep. Allow enough time so that you don't skip your regular bedtime routine. You can adjust and make it a bit shorter if needed, but always offer a consistent routine to help signal that it is bedtime. 

Overtired: Your baby may become inconsolable, show signs like red eyes or pulling at their ears. You may even see a burst of energy. This “second wind” is definitely a sign that they are overtired. When your baby is overtired, you may find that it takes longer to get your little one to settle and fall asleep. 

Still struggling to understand sleep cues?

Along with the sleep cues listed above, you may also use their age-appropriate awake windows as a guide to know when to offer their next sleep. During the first 4-5 months, I suggest following a routine rather than a strict schedule. Babies and children thrive on a routine, and you may notice things feeling easier once you have a good routine in place.

Here are some age-specific guidelines that I recommend:



0-3 months: The maximum awake time during the newborn stage is 60-90 minutes. This is often just enough time to change a dirty diaper, feed your baby, snuggle and change another dirty diaper before they doze off. Naps in the early months are often short and frequent. 

3-6 months: Naps should be offered after 1.5-2.5 hours of awake time. Most often this allows for three naps. Around the 5-month mark is when we start seeing naps consolidating from short snoozes to longer naps. 

6-9 months: You will start seeing your baby consolidate to two naps with 2.5-3 hours of awake time in between. 

9-13 months: At this age, naps should be offered after about 2.5-4 hours of awake time between each sleep. The shortest awake window should be offered in the morning while the longest awake window is between the last nap and bedtime. 

13-18 months: This is the most common time to transition to 1 nap with 4.5-6 hours of awake time. Make sure to offer an early bedtime if the nap is short to avoid them becoming overtired. 

18 months-3 years: Continue to offer a nap with 5-6 hours of awake time. Your child is usually ready to drop the nap altogether between 3-4 years old. It’s still important to offer a “quiet time” until they are able to go from morning wakeup to bedtime without major meltdowns. It’s also wonderful for parents and caregivers to have some downtime in the middle of the day, too. 

I am available to help you and your family manage awake windows and more. See my bio below — and I encourage you to follow me on Instagram for more tips.

Heidi Lovens 
Founder of Everyday Lovens
Certified Baby & Toddler Sleep Coach & Wellness Advocate 

I am a business owner, toddler mama to my 2-year-old son, Lennon, and wife to my busy and often sleep-deprived FireFighter husband. Sleep is so important in our household! My husband often comes home exhausted after a busy shift at the firehouse. This is why I created Everyday Lovens in 2015 — to help educate parents and caregivers on the fundamentals and importance of sleep. 

I specialize in gentile and holistic techniques to create healthy lifelong habits. Each plan and approach is customized to a family's unique needs. 

www.everydaylovens.com
IG @everydaylovens 

Our Suggested Products


69 comments
- SlumberPod

Hi Clarissa,
We’re so sorry to hear your family is dealing with some less-than-restful nights! We recommend that you follow our Instagram account as we share sleep-related advice. We also partner with many pediatric sleep consultants who may be good resources for you. Check out our recent blogs for a few of those sleep consultants’ names. Best of luck to you!

- Clarissa Abbott

My daughter just turned 17 weeks a few days ago, I am struggling with her wake windows/naps. I used to be able to follow her yawns as sleepy cues but now she hardly does that. ….I always put her down between 1.5-2hrs but it seems she scream cries each time for a nap and bedtime is the easiest time where she normally is up 1hr50min. The only way I can get a good nap in is if I hold her and I have a 23month old. I am desperate for any advice!!! When should I put her down for her naps when I don’t see any sleepy cues? And bc she just does short naps should I just aim to always put her down at 1.5hrs?

- SlumberPod

Thank you for your questions! Heidi with Everyday Lovens would love to help guide you with your sleep questions. You can reach out to her directly Heidi@everydaylovens.com or schedule your FREE 15-minute phone consultation https://everydaylovens.com/booking
Use code SLUMBERPOD25 for $25 off any sleep package purchased.

- Farjana Chowdhury

Farjana said

Hi,

My daughter is 12.5 months old. Refuse to take evening nap on time, by the time she takes evening nap its too late and close to her bed time. Should I transit her nap from 2 to 1? If I do transition them her awake time will be 5 hours between naps and bed time. My query is 5 hours awake time will negatively impact on her brain ?

Thanks for your time

- Shoosh

I have 18 month old twins.
We bedshare and contact nap which I love and wouldn’t change for the world.
Currently (and for a while now) we wake up at 7.30amto get my near 5 year old ready and off to school and we go for a nap at 12 until 1.30am.
Bedtime is 7.30pm.
Is this a good schedule or do they need more awake time before the nap?
Also, my near 5 year old goes to bed at 7.30pm and wakes up at 7.30am but lately has been complaining in the evening that she’s tired.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 14
  • >
Leave a comment
Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.