By 7 months of age, your baby’s schedule is becoming more consistent with 3 naps per day. At this age your baby needs 2-3 hours of daytime nap hours total and 11-12 hours of overnight sleep.
Every baby is different and can tolerate different awake times. An infant that has just reached 6 months might only be able to tolerate 2 hours awake max, where as an infant closer to 7 months may be able to tolerate up to 2.5 hours. Your little ones awake window will likely differ throughout the day.
Ideally, your 7 month old’s sleep schedule will allow for least 14 hours of total sleep in a 24 hour period. We recommend aiming for 11 – 12 hours at night, and 2.5 – 3 hours during the day, split over three naps.
6/7 months: Babies still need 3 naps at this age and most stay on a 3 nap schedule until 8/9 months of age. Naps should be ending by 5:00pm with bedtime happening 2.25-2.75 hours after the last nap ends.
While it can feel strange, waking a baby from a 3-hour nap is definitely okay, and considered best practice. Babies take a while to learn the skill of sleep, much like an older child is going to take a while to learn to read. Like reading, they need us to coach them as they develop these skills.
Many toddlers will begin to move toward one nap between 14 and 18 months; however, this is very personal. Whether a child is ready for this should be determined based on the overall amount of sleep they’re getting and other signs that they’re ready (more on this below!).
Bridger says if an evening nap becomes the new normal that keeps him awake until late —especially at six months or older—it’s a good idea to gently wake him and go through your nighttime routine (e.g. dinner, a little playtime, a bath, a story) to fill the time before getting to bed at a reasonable hour.
Sleep regressions happen at various ages in a baby’s first years. Seven months can be a common time when your baby’s sleep habits unravel. Just as at the 4 month sleep regression, huge developmental fireworks are likely to blame for your baby’s sleep troubles at 7 months.
Your little one may be especially likely to fight naps if she feels she’ll be missing some exciting activities (like playtime with older siblings) or if she’s going through a bout of separation anxiety and doesn’t want to be left alone in the crib.
Night Wakings
All babies wake naturally during the night 2 to 6 times. Just like younger infants, some older infants wake during the night then return to sleep on their own, without crying and alerting the adults taking care of them.
It might be tempting to let your baby sleep longer than three hours, because let’s be honest, having that much time to yourself is wonderful. But naps that go longer than three hours (at any age) are typically an indication that your baby is crashing, either from a night of poor sleep or prior short naps.
How much milk does a seven-month-old need? Breastmilk or formula are still your baby’s main source of nutrition, but you might find they drop a milk feed once they’re putting away three small meals a day. They’ll still need to have at least 500-600ml (20oz) of breastmilk or formula each day.
Most babies this age should sleep 12–16 hours per day, including a stretch of 9–12 hours at night. Your baby will likely still take two naps per day. Some babies nap for 30 minutes, while others nap for up to 2 hours.
At this age, it is completely normal to experience short and irregular naps. The circadian system is immature, sleep cycles are short and undifferentiated, and your baby simply falls asleep when she feels tired and wakes when she has some other competing need (food, warmth, dryness, comfort).
Napping: Your little sleepyhead will take lots of little naps (for up to 8 hours a day). The daytime cycle is 1 to 2 hours of awake time then 1 to 2 hours of napping. During the second month, if your baby’s nap goes over 1.5 to 2 hours, it’s not a bad idea to wake him for a feeding.
Where Should Baby Nap? Ideally, baby’s naps should be taken in the same place every day—consistency will make it easier for your little one fall and stay asleep. Usually that place is where baby sleeps at night, either in a crib or bassinet, which are generally the safest, most comfortable places for children to sleep.
As long as your child is getting enough sleep (check out our age-by-stage sleep chart), then an early or late bedtime is fine as long as it suits your family’s schedule. Sleeping from 9pm to 8am might be perfectly normal for a baby in one family, while sleeping from 6pm to 5am is the norm in another.
It’s not healthy to let your baby nap more than two or three hours at a time, as it might negatively affect their sleep at night, Dr. Lonzer says. Gently wake your baby after a couple hours if they’re prone to long naps.
Baby growth spurts are aplenty in those first sweet 12 months. Although growth spurts can happen at any time, it’s common for them to hit at about 10 days, between three and six weeks, and several times afterward. Three month growth spurts, as well as six and nine month growth spurts, are especially common.
Kim West: My Sleep Lady Shuffle gently helps babies 6 months and older learn how to fall asleep — and fall back to sleep — on their own without using cry-it-out-style techniques. In a nutshell, the method involves putting your child down awake and comforting your child while you sit next to the crib.
Virtually every baby does better with a 60–90 minute nap, yet 30–45 minute naps are the norm from about 4 months on. This is extremely frustrating, but you can teach your baby to connect sleep cycles once he or she is old enough to do so.
When to let baby cry it out
By about 5 to 6 months, they can sleep through the night without needing to eat, making it a good time to try the CIO method. Keep in mind that your older baby may have already trained you to respond to her nocturnal tears with feedings, cuddling and even a visit to your bed.
It is usually best not to start an evening nap after 5-6 pm and – instead, move bedtime up a little during the transition phase. Most babies are sleeping about 3 hours total during the day at this point. By 18 months children drop down to one nap. This nap often occurs mid-day and may vary in length from 1-3 hours.
Your day should start around… | 7 AM |
---|---|
Naps | 3 to 5 naps, each 15 minutes to 3 hours long |
Time awake between sleeps | 30 minutes to 1 hour |
Longest stretch of nighttime sleep | 2 to 4 hours |
Bedtime should be around… | 9:30 to 11 PM |
Babies who take good naps will actually sleep better overnight (and babies who take good naps have parents who get more sleep at night, too!). Keeping a baby up longer during the day will not tire them out for a good night’s rest.
Start with menu items like pieces of soft cheese; small pieces of pasta or bread; finely chopped soft vegetables; and fruits like bananas, avocado, and ripe peaches or nectarines. These foods should require minimal chewing, as your baby may not yet have teeth.
Between 4 and 6 months of age, most babies begin to signal that they’re ready to start solids. Similar to bottle or breastfeeding, it is possible but relatively uncommon to overfeed a baby solids. To help give your baby the right nutrients, keep these two tips in mind: Focus on fullness cues.
Baby Age | Time between Naps | Nap Duration |
---|---|---|
Birth – 6 weeks | 45 min – 1 hour | 15 minutes – 4 hours |
6 Weeks – 3 Months | 1 hour – 1 hour 45 minutes | 30 minutes – 2 hours |
3 Months – 6 Months | ~2 Hours | 30 minutes – 2 hours |
6 Months – 9 Months | 2-3 hours | 1-3 hours |
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