Wake Windows

A few weeks ago I released a free PDF guide with age-appropriate wake windows and different sample schedules based on age. (If you didn’t get the free guide, you can find it here!) That really opened a floodgate of questions (thank you!!). 

“What is a wake window?”

“My baby doesn’t respond to wake windows.”

“That range doesn’t work for me.”

“How often do they change?”

“My baby was 7 weeks early. What window should I use?”

“What happens if we miss the window?”

“Why do they extend throughout the day?”

“How will I know when my baby is ready for more wake time?”

“Will I ALWAYS have to look at wake windows? When does it get easier?”

These are all amazing questions. First off, let’s start with what a wake window is. A wake window is the amount of time your child is awake between sleeps. For example, if your child’s wake window is “90 minutes,” you would add on 90 minutes from their last nap to know when their next nap should be. If they wake up from their morning nap at 9:30am their next nap should be at 11:00am. 

I like to use wake windows (instead of a set schedule) until the baby is sleeping through the night and consistently taking 2 naps. For example, if your baby consistently sleeps until 7:00am and consistently takes longer naps, then they’re ready for a set schedule and you don’t have to worry about wake windows. Some babies are more ready than others. My boys were on a set schedule when they were 7 months old. They were up at 7:00am, first nap 10:00-11:30am, second nap 2:30-4:00pm, bedtime at 7:00pm. 

Knowing your child’s wake window will help them get the restorative, quality sleep they need during the day. If you miss the window and put your baby down when they’re overtired, they won’t take a great nap. Unfortunately the common thought process behind “If you keep a baby awake longer, they’ll sleep longer or take a better nap” is simply not accurate. It’s actually the opposite. If you put an overtired baby down for their nap, they will not take a good nap. If you keep them up past their bedtime, they will still get up at the same time. Always put your baby down for their nap 5-10 minutes before their wake windows ends so they are fully awake and put themselves to sleep independently for their nap.

One problem with wake times, though, is babies are constantly changing and they’re all different. One month their wake window is 60 minutes and the next month, it’s 75-90 minutes. Time goes by SO fast, especially in the first year. (Although some days do seem like they last an eternity…) Finding their “sweet spot” will take some experimenting throughout the day. You will know it’s time to extend your baby’s wake window when they are fighting that nap and it’s taking them a long time to fall asleep. Are they happily chatting for 20 minutes? Does it keep happening day after day? Looks like they’re ready to extend their wake window. The key word is “happily.” If your baby is crying and very worked up 5-10 minutes before their wake window is “supposed” to end, they might be overtired already and need a shorter wake window.

I’ll always remember my 6-month client, baby Bennett, who had a hard time connecting sleep cycles for naps. Mom and I experimented with different wake windows and it just wasn’t working. We finally tried dropping down to 2 naps which honestly made me pretty nervous because I had never done 2 naps with a 6-month old before. I thought he’d be overtired and it would ruin the nap even more. To my surprise, Bennett was ready for longer wake times and from there, he took two 90-minute restorative naps a day.

If you want to extend your baby’s wake window, start small by extending it 5-10 minutes. I was talking with my friend Madalyn about how to extend her 4-month old baby Albert’s wake window. She felt like he was ready to drop the 4th nap and needed more wake time but he was still pretty fussy towards the end of the wake window. I encouraged her to do random, new, stimulating activities with Albert to push him 10 more minutes. Little things like turning the faucet on and having him watch the water, or putting a bowl of water in front of him and having him splash in it, or putting tissues by a fan and having him watch the tissues fly. Little activities like this can be short and sweet and help your baby extend their wake windows. Think out of the box but don’t complicate it. Even going outside, ripping grass and watching it fly in the wind could give you 5-10 minutes where your baby “forgets” they’re tired and it helps you extend their wake window.

If you have a baby who was born before 38 weeks, I would go with their “adjusted” age. For example, if a baby was 4 weeks early and is currently 5 months old, I would suggest 4 month wake windows and schedules first, before looking at 5 month wake windows and schedules. 

If you haven’t grabbed my free download on wake windows and sample schedules, you can get it here.