Newborns need 14 to 17 hours of sleep a day (8 hours during the day and 8 at night). They can’t stay awake longer than 1 to 2 hours at a time and newborn sleep patterns change rapidly. If newborns generally eat, poop, and sleep around the clock in the early days, what does a newborn’s sleep schedule look like? This post shares sample newborn sleep schedules by week, information about your newborn’s sleep patterns, and helpful tips to help get your newborn sleeping.
You can peruse all the newborn sleep schedules by scrolling down or using the quick links below. In addition, you may also want to bookmark this page for future use or get more comprehensive sample schedules and sleep schedule guidance in our e-book, Essential Keys to Your Newborn’s Sleep.
1 Week Old Sleep Schedule, Development, and Sleep Patterns
Your newborn’s sleep patterns: A 1-week old will sleep upwards of 16-18+ hours in a day, but babies this age tend to sleep in “chunks” of 2 hours at a time and will need to eat that often. It is important to feed 1-week-old babies often to ensure proper weight gain and, if you’re breastfeeding, it helps establish your milk supply. So, even if your baby wants to sleep longer than 2 hours, you will need to wake him or her to feed. It’s very likely your baby will go right back to sleep after a feeding and diaper change quite a bit of the time. Or, at least, it might feel that way.
Another thing to keep in mind is that your baby’s “night sleep” will not be very long just yet. In fact, late bedtimes are common at these younger ages and many newborns mix up day and night. This means if they are awake at all, they are awake at night when you are sleeping and then sleep in very long stretches during the day. Understandably, you may be wishing they would sleep that long at night. If so, you will want to consider correcting your newborn’s day/night confusion if they don’t correct it themselves in the next week or so.
Your 1-week-old’s newborn sleep schedule will not be set to a clock, but rather, you should feed your baby on demand and put your baby to sleep when they show sleepy signs. Babies this age, can barely stay awake every 45 minutes, usually, and eat every two hours. They have very short wake windows. Here’s a bit of how your day might look but it will vary quite a bit, baby to baby as well as day-to-day, and some naps will likely be longer than others:
| 1-Week-Old Sleep Schedule | |
|---|---|
| Time | Activity |
| 7:00 AM | Wake and Diaper Change |
| 7:15 AM | Milk |
| 7:45 AM | Nap |
| 9:15 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 9:30 AM | Nap (goes right back to sleep after a feeding, possibly) |
| 11:15 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 12:00 PM | Nap |
| 1:15 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 2:00 PM | Nap |
| 3:15 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 3:30 PM | Nap (goes right back to sleep after a feeding, possibly) |
| 5:15 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 6:00 PM | Nap |
| 7:15 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 8:00 PM | Nap |
| 9:15 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 10:00 PM | Bedtime |
| 11:15 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 1:15 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 3:15 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 5:15 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
A newborn’s sleep patterns are a bit repetitive, but I promise things will get more interesting as your baby gets older. 😉
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2 Week Old Sleep Schedule, Development, and Sleep Patterns
Your newborn’s sleep patterns: A 2-week-old doesn’t differ too much from a 1-week-old in that your baby will sleep most of the day, approximately 16 hours, on average. But, again, the sleep is broken into “chunks” where some naps will be longer than others. If your baby still has day/night confusion, you may want to start trying to keep them awake for at least 45 minutes multiple times a day and avoid naps longer than 3 hours.
If your baby will only sleep when in your arms or chest, then the days may be challenging unless you have help at home. However, if your baby is sleeping in a bedside bassinet you may have more time on your hands than you thought you would after having a baby! If that’s the case, try to rest up for the coming weeks. 😉 Here’s how your day might look, but it will vary quite a bit from baby to baby as well as vary from day to day. Some of your newborn’s naps will likely be longer than others too:
| 2-Week-Old Sleep Schedule | |
|---|---|
| Time | Activity |
| 7:00 AM | Wake and Diaper Change |
| 7:15 AM | Milk |
| 7:45 AM | Nap |
| 9:15 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 9:30 AM | Nap (goes right back to sleep after a feeding, possibly) |
| 11:15 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 12:00 PM | Nap |
| 1:15 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 2:00 PM | Nap |
| 3:15 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 3:30 PM | Nap (goes right back to sleep after a feeding, possibly) |
| 5:15 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 6:00 PM | Nap |
| 7:15 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 8:00 PM | Nap |
| 9:15 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 10:00 PM | Bedtime |
| 11:15 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 1:15 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 3:15 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 5:15 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
3 Week Old Sleep Schedule, Development, and Sleep Patterns
Your newborn’s sleep patterns: At 3 weeks old, your newborn baby may begin to stay awake a bit longer during the day up to one hour or so but still will need to sleep about 16 hours in a 24-hour period. Unfortunately, he or she may also begin to become a bit fussier, in general. This is normal as babies sometimes have a hard time adjusting to the outside world. Their central nervous system is maturing and developing.
Talk to your baby’s doctor or healthcare provider to make sure you no longer need to wake your baby to feed. If your baby is gaining weight well, your doctor may allow him or her to sleep in longer stretches during the day and at night. In addition, sometimes babies still feed frequently during the day at this age but then have at least one longer stretch at night. Although a strict newborn sleep schedule is still not common, your day may look a little something like this:
| 3-Week-Old Sleep Schedule | |
|---|---|
| Time | Activity |
| 7:00 AM | Wake and Diaper Change |
| 7:15 AM | Milk |
| 8:00 AM | Nap |
| 9:15 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 9:30 AM | Nap (goes right back to sleep after a feeding, possibly) |
| 11:15 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 12:15 PM | Nap |
| 1:15 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 2:15 PM | Nap |
| 3:15 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 3:30 PM | Nap (goes right back to sleep after a feeding, possibly) |
| 5:15 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 6:15 PM | Nap |
| 7:15 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 8:15 PM | Nap |
| 9:15 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 10:00 PM | Bedtime |
| 1:00 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 3:00 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 5:00 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
Again, which naps are longer will vary from baby to baby and maybe even day-to-day for the same baby.
4 Week Old Sleep Schedule / 1 Month Old Sleep Schedule, Development, and Sleep Patterns
Your newborn’s sleep patterns: At 4 weeks old / 1 month old, your newborn baby will still need ~14-16 hours of sleep per day and will likely begin staying awake a bit more during the day. Sleep schedules are still relatively loose and vary day-to-day though some babies are getting into more predictable sleep patterns.
Thankfully, some 4 week old newborns start to have one or two longer stretches of sleep at night. Talk to your baby’s doctor or healthcare provider to make sure you no longer need to wake your baby to feed. If your baby is gaining weight well, your doctor may allow him or her to sleep in longer stretches during the day and at night and it will be glorious! If you are struggling to put your baby to sleep, be sure to read How to Get Your Newborn to Sleep at Night: 7 Steps.
Breastfed babies sometimes feed more frequently than formula-fed babies at this age. For example, my son was breastfed and couldn’t go longer than 2 to 2 1/2 hours during the day before he needed to eat again while some formula-fed babies start to go 3 hours between feedings. Also, cluster feeding and evening fussiness may become more common around this age. Here is a common 4 week old/1 month old sleep pattern and schedule:
| 4 Week Old / 1 Month Old Sleep Schedule | |
|---|---|
| Time | Activity |
| 7:00 AM | Wake and Diaper Change |
| 7:15 AM | Milk |
| 8:00 AM | Nap |
| 9:45 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 11:00 AM | Nap |
| 12:15 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 1:15 PM | Nap |
| 2:45 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 3:45 PM | Nap |
| 5:15 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 6:15 PM | Nap |
| 6:45 PM | Milk (Cluster Feed) |
| 7:45 PM | Milk (Cluster Feed) |
| 8:15 PM | Nap |
| 8:45 PM | Milk (Cluster Feed) |
| 9:45 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 10:00 PM | Bedtime |
| 2:00 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 5:00 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
As you can see, you may have one fewer night feeding and longer stretches of sleep (hopefully!)
5 Week Old Sleep Schedule, Development, and Sleep Patterns
Your newborn’s sleep patterns: A 5-week-old will still need ~14-16 hours of sleep a day and can’t stay awake much longer than an hour. Some babies need more time to be able to stay awake longer, but 1 to 1 1/2 hours is typical. All babies develop at their own pace so if your baby is still sleeping almost the entire day, as long as your doctor isn’t concerned, it’s likely just fine. On the other hand, if your baby is staying awake a lot more during the day, this is also normal. In other words, newborn sleep patterns change rapidly! Your baby will begin to stay awake more and more throughout the day as they can handle more stimulation.
Newborn sleep cycles are around 30-40 minutes so if your baby is waking up mid-way through the nap, that’s why. Unfortunately, we start to see this become problematic in the coming weeks. Be sure you are still swaddling your baby to help keep them asleep. If their moro reflex wakes them during a sleep cycle, remaining swaddled can help them drift back to sleep.
Here is what a 5-week-old newborn sleep schedule may look like, but again, it could vary quite a bit and you should still be putting your baby down based on his or her sleepy cues:
| 5 Week Old Sleep Schedule | |
|---|---|
| Time | Activity |
| 7:00 AM | Wake and Diaper Change |
| 7:15 AM | Milk |
| 8:15 AM | Nap |
| 9:45 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 11:15 AM | Nap |
| 12:15 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 1:30 PM | Nap |
| 2:45 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 4:15 PM | Nap |
| 5:15 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 6:30 PM | Nap |
| 7:00 PM | Milk (Cluster Feed) |
| 8:00 PM | Milk (Cluster Feed) |
| 8:15 PM | Nap |
| 8:45 PM | Milk (Cluster Feed) |
| 9:45 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 10:00 PM | Bedtime |
| 2:00 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 5:00 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
6 Week Old Sleep Schedule, Development, and Sleep Patterns
Your newborn’s sleep patterns: 6-week-old babies typically need ~14-16 hours of sleep a day and will likely start gravitating toward a 4-5-nap nap schedule. The first nap is typically the first to organize and lengthen to become a more predictable nap. If your baby is fussy, this is typically the age when fussiness peaks. Your baby may be going through their 6-week growth spurt and will become a lot more social. Evening fussiness is still very common at this age and bedtimes often get a bit earlier but I still recommend avoiding bedtimes that are TOO early since babies this age don’t sleep 11-12 hours just yet. We start to see newborns fight sleep around this age and in the coming weeks.
Here’s what a 6-week-old baby’s sleep schedule may look like:
| 6-Week-Old Sleep Schedule | |
|---|---|
| Time | Activity |
| 7:00 AM | Wake, Diaper Change, and Milk |
| 8:30 AM | Nap |
| 10:00 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 11:30 AM | Nap |
| 1:00 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 1:30/2:00 PM | Nap |
| 4:00 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 4:30 PM | Nap |
| 6:30 PM | Nap |
| 7:00 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 8:00/8:30 PM | Milk (Cluster Feed) |
| 8:30 PM | Nap |
| 9:45 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 10:00 PM | Bedtime |
| 2:00 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 5:00 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
7 Week Old Sleep Schedule, Development, and Sleep Patterns
Your newborn’s sleep patterns are emerging and possibly becoming more predictable. 7-week-old newborn will still need ~14-16 hours of sleep each day and his or her schedule will likely look very similar to a 6-week-old’s. Your baby may begin to move bedtime earlier and drop one of their cluster feedings in the evening. Evening fussiness typically is going away around this age, though if your baby needs a couple more weeks, that would be within norms, too. Don’t worry! Your baby won’t likely remain so fussy unless he or she doesn’t get the sleep he or she needs. If you have any concerns, be sure to talk to your doctor and ensure proper weight gain is occurring. Here is a common daily routine and 7 week newborn sleep schedule:
| 7-Week-Old Sleep Schedule | |
|---|---|
| Time | Activity |
| 7:00 AM | Wake, Diaper Change, and Milk |
| 8:30 AM | Nap |
| 10:00 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 11:30 AM | Nap |
| 1:00 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 1:30/2:00 PM | Nap |
| 4:00 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 4:30 PM | Nap |
| 6:30 PM | Nap |
| 7:00 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 8:30 PM | Milk |
| 9:00 PM | Bedtime |
| 2:00 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 5:00 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
A schedule is beginning to emerge! If your baby is sleeping a single 5-hour stretch, congratulations! This is considered “sleeping through the night.” Of course, you may not be sleeping all night just yet. Some babies, especially formula-fed babies, might be sleeping in even longer stretches at night. Some babies have increased their bottle sizes during the day while others haven’t. The key is that they are eating enough in a 24-hour period. Breastfed babies may still be eating three times a night.
8 Week Old Sleep Schedule / 2 Month Old Sleep Schedule, Development, and Sleep Patterns
Your newborn’s sleep patterns: By 8 weeks old/2 months old, many babies are sleeping longer at night and we start to see earlier and earlier bedtimes as your baby lengthens nighttime sleep to 11-12 hours and they nap 3-4 hours during the day, on average. They still need ~14-16 hours of sleep in a 24-hour period. However, if your baby still has a later bedtime, that isn’t too uncommon. Until your baby is sleeping 11-12 hours at night, you really don’t want an 8 PM or earlier bedtime else you will have to start your day WAY too early! In addition, your baby may have been eating just 1-2 times a night but once they lengthen their nighttime sleep, this might mean a night feeding creeps back in, temporarily.
Some parents stop swaddling around this age because baby is rolling which can become problematic for sleep. This can lead to more night-waking and shorter naps. In addition, there is commonly an 8-week growth spurt to keep in mind. This is a common age when parents begin to think about sleep training their newborn.
Here is what your 8-week-old’s schedule may look similar to:
| 8 Week Old/2 Month Old Sleep Schedule | |
|---|---|
| Time | Activity |
| 7:00 AM | Wake, Diaper Change, and Milk |
| 8:30 AM | Nap |
| 10:00 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 11:00/11:30 AM | Nap |
| 1:00 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 1:30/2:00 PM | Nap |
| 4:00 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 5:00 PM | Nap |
| 7:00 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 7:30 PM | Bedtime |
| 10:30 PM | Fill-Up Feed / Dream Feed |
| 3:30 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
Please note: Not all babies, especially breastfed babies, can transition to just two night feedings by this age, especially if they are in bed for 12 hours. Some babies are still getting three night feedings and that would be within the average.
9 Week Old Sleep Schedule, Development, and Sleep Patterns
At 9 weeks old, your baby will need 11-12 hours of sleep at night and 3-4 hours during the day broken into 3-4 naps for a total of ~14-16 hours a day. This will be true for several more weeks. Your 9-week old’s newborn sleep schedule won’t likely look too different than your 8-week schedule. The frequency of schedule changes starts to slow down a bit as we approach 16 weeks. Here is a sample 9-week old sleep schedule, though as always, babies vary a lot:
| 9-Week-Old Sleep Schedule | |
|---|---|
| Time | Activity |
| 7:00 AM | Wake, Diaper Change, and Milk |
| 8:30 AM | Nap |
| 10:00 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 11:00/11:30 AM | Nap |
| 1:00 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 1:30/2:00 PM | Nap |
| 4:00 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 5:00 PM | Nap |
| 7:00 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 7:30 PM | Bedtime |
| 10:30 PM | Fill-Up Feed / Dream Feed |
| 3:30 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
Please note: Not all babies, especially breastfed babies, can transition to just two night feedings by this age, especially if they are in bed 12 hours. Some babies are still getting three night feedings and that would be within the average.
10 Week Old Sleep Schedule, Development, and Sleep Patterns
Your 10-week-old baby is likely starting to move bedtime a bit earlier if they haven’t done so already. It’s even more likely he or she is in bed 11-12 hours at night, now. 10-week-olds need an average of 14-16 hours of sleep in a 24-hour period and will likely be taking 3-4 naps a day, at this point. Here is a sample 10 week old newborn sleep schedule:
| 10-Week-Old Sleep Schedule | |
|---|---|
| Time | Activity |
| 7:00 AM | Wake, Diaper Change, and Milk |
| 8:30 AM | Nap |
| 10:00 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 11:30 AM | Nap |
| 1:00 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 2:00 PM | Nap |
| 4:00 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 5:00 PM | Nap |
| 7:00 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 7:30 PM | Bedtime |
| 10:30 PM | Fill-Up Feed / Dream Feed |
| 3:30 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
Please note: Not all babies, especially breastfed babies, can transition to just two night feedings by this age, especially if they are in bed 12 hours. Some babies are still getting three night feedings and that would be within averages.
11 Week Old Sleep Schedule, Development, and Sleep Patterns
11-week-old babies still need 11-12 hours of sleep at night and 3-4 naps, but the average total sleep tends to drop a bit at this age to ~14-15 hours. As we approach 3 months old, your baby is likely staying awake a bit more during the day and some naps may be starting to shorten. This is a common age to start putting baby in the crib for naps. Here is what a day in the life of an 11-week-old might look like:
| 11-Week-Old Sleep Schedule | |
|---|---|
| Time | Activity |
| 7:00 AM | Wake, Diaper Change, and Milk |
| 8:30 AM | Nap |
| 10:00 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 11:30 AM | Nap |
| 1:00 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 2:00 PM | Nap |
| 4:00 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 4:30 PM | Catnap |
| 6:30 PM | Milk and Diaper Change |
| 7:00 PM | Bedtime |
| 10:30 PM | Fill-Up Feed / Dream Feed |
| 3:30 AM | Milk and Diaper Change |
Please note: Not all babies, especially breastfed babies, can transition to just two night feedings by this age, especially if they are in bed 12 hours. Some babies are still getting three night feedings and that would be within averages.
12 Week Old Sleep Schedule / 3 Month Old Sleep Schedule, Development, and Sleep Patterns
Your newborn’s sleep patterns have likely changed significantly from a few weeks ago. 12-week-olds (or 3-month-olds) are starting to approach the time when we start to see newborn sleep problems if you haven’t seen them up to this point. Naps sometimes get shorter and it may be harder to stick to your schedule or eat-play-sleep routine. Your baby still needs 11-12 hours of sleep at night and 3-4 hours during the day, but the total average sleep is right around 14 hours. Of course, by definition, some babies will need more and some will need less. If your baby needs less, developing a 3-month-old schedule is usually more difficult. Ideally, you’d keep your baby awake no longer than two hours at a time otherwise, your 3 month old might be very fussy.
Here is what a typical 12 week old sleep schedule looks like, though not always predictable just yet:
| 12-Week-Old Sleep Schedule | |
|---|---|
| Time | Activity |
| 7:00 AM | Wake, Diaper Change, and Milk |
| 8:45 AM | Nap |
| 10:00 AM | Milk |
| 11:45 AM | Nap |
| 1:00 PM | Milk |
| 2:30 PM | Nap |
| 4:00 PM | Milk |
| 5:00 PM | Nap |
| 7:00 PM | Milk |
| 7:30 PM | Bedtime |
| 10:30 PM | Fill-Up Feed / Dream Feed |
| 3:30 AM | Milk (formula-fed babies tend to drop this feeding around this age) |
13 Week Old Sleep Schedule, Development, and Sleep Patterns
Your 13-week-old’s sleep schedule won’t be too different than a 12-week-old’s in that not much changes. Of course, as your baby gets older, he or she will be able to stay awake for progressively longer periods of time. Most babies this age will stay awake 1-2 hours at a time, with the first stretch being one of the shortest. However, not all babies this age have 4 naps. Typically, those who take longer naps will have fewer naps, so it depends on whether your baby has started developing a consistent morning nap, yet. Your baby’s central nervous system is maturing and your newborn’s sleep is organizing. Here is a sample 13-week-old’s sleep schedule:
| 13-Week-Old Sleep Schedule | |
|---|---|
| Time | Activity |
| 7:00 AM | Wake, Diaper Change, and Milk |
| 8:45 AM | Nap |
| 10:00 AM | Milk |
| 11:45 AM | Nap |
| 1:00 PM | Milk |
| 2:30 PM | Nap |
| 4:00 PM | Milk |
| 5:00 PM | Nap |
| 7:00 PM | Milk |
| 7:30 PM | Bedtime |
| 10:30 PM | Fill-Up Feed / Dream Feed |
| 3:30 AM | Milk (formula-fed babies don’t always need this feeding) |
14 Week Old Sleep Schedule, Development, and Sleep Patterns
At 14 weeks old, your baby still needs 11-12 hours of sleep at night and 3-4 hours during the day. Some babies are transitioning to 3 naps around this age, though not all, depending on how long they can stay awake between sleep periods. Most babies still need to sleep within 1-2 hours of being awake. And, if they are sleeping 12 hours at night, they may not need quite as much sleep during the day. Schedules are still coming together except for regular or predictable babies who naturally gravitate toward a schedule. Here is what your schedule might look like if your baby takes a longer midday nap:
| 14-Week-Old Sleep Schedule | |
|---|---|
| Time | Activity |
| 7:00 AM | Wake, Diaper Change, and Milk |
| 9:00 AM | Nap |
| 10:00 AM | Milk |
| 12:00 PM | Nap |
| 1:00 PM | Milk |
| 4:00 PM | Milk |
| 4:30 PM | Catnap |
| 6:45 PM | Milk |
| 7:00 PM | Bedtime |
| 10:30 PM | Fill-Up Feed / Dream Feed |
| 3:30 AM | Milk (formula-fed babies don’t always need this feeding) |
15 Week Old Sleep Schedule, Development, and Sleep Patterns
Your 15-week-old will not sleep too differently than 14 weeks old. While not too much changes week-to-week, babies change a lot from week 1 to 16. Most importantly, keep in mind that all babies develop at different paces. For instance, a 15-week old could look more like a 12-week-old or a 16-week-old and both would be “normal.” Not all babies will organize their sleep at the exact same time. Babies tend to be more predictable after they transition from 3 to 2 naps, but other nap transitions and schedule changes aren’t quite as predictable. Here is what some 15-week-old’s schedule looks like if they can’t stay awake very long between sleep periods and don’t take super long naps:
| 15-Week-Old Sleep Schedule | |
|---|---|
| Time | Activity |
| 7:00 AM | Wake, Diaper Change, and Milk |
| 9:00 AM | Nap |
| 10:00 AM | Milk |
| 12:00 PM | Nap |
| 1:00 PM | Milk |
| 3:00 PM | Catnap |
| 4:00 PM | Milk |
| 5:00 PM | Catnap |
| 7:15 PM | Milk |
| 7:30 PM | Bedtime |
| 10:30 PM | Fill-Up Feed / Dream Feed |
| 3:30 AM | Milk (formula-fed babies don’t always need this feeding) |
16 Week Old Sleep Schedule / 4 Month Old Sleep Schedule, Development, and Sleep Patterns
16 weeks is the last that we consider a “newborn.” Your baby should be awake a lot more during the day and developing some personality! By this age, I knew my son was very spirited and persistent, and I had challenges in my future! He did end up inspiring an entire website after all. 😉
At 16 weeks old or 4 months, the main sleep problem we see is the famous 4 Month Sleep Regression. Babies tend to wake up frequently at night and take short naps after this regression begins, however, keep in mind that this can occur as early as 12 weeks old or as late as 5 months old once sleep cycles change. Some babies will go back to sleeping well while others will need more help learning how to sleep in longer stretches at night and take longer naps.
If you haven’t already, this is often when visitors download our free e-Book, 5 Ways to Help Your Child Sleep Through the Night or consider sleep training.
Here is what a sleep schedule for your 16 week old might look like:
| 16-Week-Old Sleep Schedule | |
|---|---|
| Time | Activity |
| 7:00 AM | Wake, Diaper Change, and Milk |
| 9:00 AM | Nap |
| 10:00 AM | Milk |
| 12:00 PM | Nap |
| 1:00 PM | Milk |
| 4:00 PM | Milk |
| 4:30 PM | Catnap |
| 6:45 PM | Milk |
| 7:00 PM | Bedtime |
| 10:30 PM | Fill-Up Feed / Dream Feed |
| 3:30 AM | Milk (formula-fed babies don’t always need this feeding) |
I hope this post gives you some ideas about an appropriate newborn sleep schedule for your baby and about your baby’s sleep patterns. But, keep in mind that all babies are unique, and some are more predictable and easy-going than others. Spirited babies tend to be more challenging when it comes to sleep schedules. Take heart that all babies do eventually get into a rhythm, though not all are predictable to the clock. You’ll get to know your baby and his or her unique needs.
Hi,
How long should the 5pm nap be? I have a 12 week old?
Hi Fiona,
Thank you for using The Baby Sleep Site as a resource! Generally, something like a 30 minute nap is average for this age. You might find this 3 month schedule a better fit for you: https://www.babysleepsite.com/schedules/3-month-old-baby-sleep-and-feeding-schedule/
Please let us know if you have any questions!
Should I wake baby or let him wake on his own if he is napping longer?
Example
Nap 8:30
Wake/milk/diaper 10 (supposed to wake?)
Nap 11:30
Hi @Christy –
Thank you for writing to us! Keep using these schedules as a guide, and do feel free to make them your own! Every baby’s sleep needs are different! As a general rule, if letting your little one nap a little longer does not interfere with the next naps or with bedtime/night sleep, then there is no need to wake him up too early! You may want to test things to see what works best! We’d love to help with this and create a schedule just for you! Please contact us for more info at any time!
Hi Nicole,
In 6-weeks old schedule, there’s 2 nap entries in a row, with no feeding in between:
4:30 PM Nap
6:30 PM Nap
Is that right? How long are these naps? And what’s in between them? My baby is only 3 weeks old now, but he always wakes up hungry, and it’s hard for me to imagine that things will change so much in 3 weeks that he will not demand his meal first thing he wakes up.
Can you advise?
Thanks!
Irina
Hi @Irina-
Thanks for writing to us! Yes, this schedule is correct! The naps are likely 30-60 minutes each, and you could certainly add a feeding in between those naps, especially if baby is cluster feeding! Definitely feed your baby when hungry and feel free to make this schedule your own! These are general guidelines, but schedules and babies can and will be a bit different. Thanks again for visiting us Irina! And check out the other schedules too!
Thank-you for posting this. My 13 week old (ex-32 week prem) is sleeping closer to a 5 week old, as she should. Several people have commented she shouldn’t be snack feeding or sleeping so much, but your schedule is almost exactly what she is doing. Relieved and will stop listening to all the opinions! Thanks.
Hi Nancy,
Thank you so much for your comment! It can be really hard to know which opinions to listen to when your baby is very young, so I’m glad we could provide some support 😀 Babies need to eat, and very young babies are not usually organized sleepers and eaters until at least 4 months after their due date, so you have some time before you need to be worried about that! Hang in there 🙂
Our 12 week old started waking lots in the night and having short 45 minute naps, do you think this would suggest they are going through the 4 month sleep regression early?
We have started to teach him how to fall asleep on his own and he now sleeps through the night from 7/8 till 6 without a feed. His naps have gone from 45 mins to 2/3 hours long during the day. Does this sound okay? I know all babies are different but he’s asleep alot more than the schedules here.
@Bella – Thank you for reading and for sharing with us! Yes, all babies are indeed very different and our schedules are just guidelines. If your little guy is getting the sleep he needs and developing as a whole, by all means let him sleep and keep him on that schedule as long as he’ll let you! 🙂 It’s definitely possible for babies to hit the 4-month sleep regression as early 3 or 3.5 months. Here’s a bit more about that regression that you may find helpful: https://www.babysleepsite.com/how-we-sleep/4-month-old-sleep-regression/ Hang in there, Bella!
Hi, I have a 13 week old who I am exclusively breastfeeding. Ive finally managed to get her to accept a bottle sometimes if she is not too hungry. I’ve tried dream feeding around 10:30 as suggested and she is always is so deep asleep I can only get her to suckle a little off one breast and no more. She will then wake up at 1:30am and then again at 5:30am. What can I do to encourage her to sleep a longer stretch or will this happen naturally eventually?
Hi @Anna, thanks for writing to us. Dream feeds don’t work well for all babies so if your baby doesn’t seem to wake up for it, that’s ok! It sounds like she is sleeping great for a baby her age though. Here is a link to a sample schedule for a 3 month old where you’ll see 1-3 night time wakings are very age appropriate: https://www.babysleepsite.com/schedules/3-month-old-baby-sleep-and-feeding-schedule/
If she was to suddenly start waking every 2 hours or so (or has the same sort of rhythm to her wake ups) then we’d consider that a problem, so let us know if anything changes and you need more help, but hopefully things keep running smoothly! As you said, if all goes well as her belly grows she will being taking longer stretches, it’s just still so small she will still be getting hungry frequently.
Apologies if I just missed this portion, but what plan should premies follow? I have 11 week old twins, but they were born 8 weeks early, so have any adjusted age of 3 weeks. Thanks!
@Julia – Thank you for reading – for babies born prematurely, you would just want to use their adjusted age at this stage. Hope this helps!
What if I want to start my day at 9am? This is convenient for our family schedule at the moment. Also, my 5 week old formula feeds every 3hrs, usually 9am, 12pm, 3pm,6pm, 9pm and naps in between. Should he have a nap between 6pm to 9pm? I usually will feed at 9am and put to bed. What if I do every 4hr feedings instead of 3hrs? Will that impact his night sleeping? Right now he’s sleeping from 10pm and won’t wake till about 230am or 330am and then one more time at around 645am. What do you suggest? That means he’ll nap longer during the day time if I go 4hrs in between feeds. Usually he’ll nap 1.5hrs and I usually wake him every 3hrs to eat
@Claudia – Thank you for reading and for sharing with us. Newborn sleep and daytime schedules can be quite tricky to navigate especially for such young babies. It frequently comes down to patience, trial and error! However, it seems as though you have quite a few detailed and valid schedule questions here! As a representative of our Client Relations team, I am not fully trained to answer all of them. Our sleep consultant team would be a much better resource for you – you can read more about them here:https://www.babysleepsite.com/about You may also find help out in our Members Area where you can chat with a Sleep Consultant and with other parents – https://www.babysleepsite.com/diy/ Hang in there, Claudia!
How long would you say a catnap is? Your sample schedule says “catnap” for the third nap but not sure how long? Thank you
Hi Nicole,
Thanks for your question! A catnap is anywhere between 20-60 minutes. Most young babies aren’t taking longer naps yet consistently. I hope this helps!