7 month old babies need an average of 14 hours of sleep a day with 11-12 hours of sleep at night and 2-3 hours during the day. Most babies this age can stay awake for 2-3 hours in a stretch. However, some babies are on a 2-nap schedule while others are still taking three naps. Separation anxiety also affects babies this age. This article outlines the average 7-month-old baby’s sleep schedule, including milk feedings for breastfeeding and formula-feeding babies, solids, naps, and nighttime sleep. As a sleep consultant for over 15+ years, I will also share typical sleep habits and tips to get your baby to sleep through the night. Or, you can simply skip to the schedule.
7 Month Old Baby’s Sleep Habits and Expectations
At this age, many 7-month-olds can sleep through the night, without any feedings. This is especially true of formula-fed babies, however, if your baby is breastfed, you may still have one feeding at night.
Regardless of how many naps your baby takes, your 7-month-old should be napping a total of 2-3 hours per day plus sleeping 11-12 hours at night. The average total sleep in a 24-hour period is around 14 hours. However, always keep in mind that some babies will need more or less sleep than the average.
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How Many Naps for a 7 Month Old?
7-month-old babies take two to three naps during the day. Typically, most 5 month olds will transition from four to three naps but then babies will transition to two naps anytime between 6 and 9 months old. If there is a third nap, it is almost always a short 30-45 minute catnap.
Babies this age have wake windows between 2 and 3 hours at a time, on average. A few are dropping the third nap and on a 2-nap schedule sometimes staying awake 3 to 4 hours before bedtime.
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Wake Windows for 7 Month Olds
The typical wake windows for a 7-month-old are 2-3 hours with the first wake window being one of the shortest. Usually, that first wake window is just 2 to 2 1/2 hours. If your 7-month-old baby has already dropped their third nap, they are more likely to stay awake 3 1/2 to 4 hours before bedtime, though, unless they are a really long napper. While there is some variation in 7 month old wake windows, they rarely go over 3 hours.
7-Month-Olds: Average Milk and Solid Food amounts Per Day
Your baby will sleep better if they are getting all the nutrition they need, obviously. However, it’s easy to accidentally overdo it with solid food if your baby likes it! Keep in mind that breast milk and/or formula should be the primary nutrition for the first year and solids come secondary. Solid food should not decrease milk intake very much if at all. Below are the average amounts we recommend:
- At least 5 nursing sessions per day or 26-32 ounces formula or combination
- Although some say 4-6 oz of water is okay, I usually discourage it at this age
- 1-2 servings baby cereal (1 serving = 1-2 Tablespoons dry)
- 1-2 servings fruit (1 serving = 1-2 Tablespoons)
- 1-2 servings vegetable (1 serving = 1-2 Tablespoons)
- 1 serving Dairy (1 serving = 1/3-1/2 cup yogurt or 1/4 cup cottage cheese)
- You can also offer cooked egg yolk (but possibly no egg whites until 1-year-old due to allergens — check with your doctor)
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Putting it all together, all babies are unique, but here are sample schedules you can use to make your own for your unique baby.
Sample 7 Month Old Baby Sleep Schedules
The first sample schedule is what I call a “staggered” approach. My first son did better nursing fully and then had solids a bit in between nursing sessions. He was a little hungry but not famished. He just didn’t do well with stopping nursing mid-way to eat solid food at all.
Sample Schedule 1: Staggered Approach
| 7 Month Old Sleep Schedule With Feedings | |
|---|---|
| Time | Activity |
| 7:00 AM | Wake and Milk |
| 8:15 AM | Breakfast |
| 9:00 AM | Morning Nap (at least one hour long) |
| 10:00 AM | Milk (upon waking) |
| 12:30 PM | Milk |
| 1:00 PM | Early Afternoon Nap (at least one hour long) |
| 3:00 PM | Milk |
| 4:00 PM | Catnap (30-45 minutes; can be “on the go”) |
| 4:30/5:00 PM | Dinner (if you offer a second solid meal; sometimes not offered until 8 months old) |
| 6:30 PM | Begin your bedtime routine |
| 7:00 PM | Milk and Bedtime (goal to be asleep by this time) |
+ Plus possibly 1-2 nighttime feedings
If your baby doesn’t mind a more “consolidated” approach to eating, like my second son, here is another type of schedule:
Sample Schedule 2: Consolidated Approach
| 7 Month Old Sleep Schedule With Milk and Solid Feedings Together | |
|---|---|
| Time | Activity |
| 7:00 AM | Wake |
| 7:15 AM | Breakfast + Milk (offer half milk feeding, then solids, then remaining milk) |
| 9:00 AM | Morning Nap (at least one hour long) |
| 10:00 AM | Milk (upon waking) |
| 12:30 PM | Milk |
| 1:00 PM | Early Afternoon Nap (at least one hour long) |
| 3:00 PM | Milk |
| 4:00 PM | Catnap (can be “on the go”) |
| 4:30/5:00 PM | Dinner + Milk (if you offer a second solid meal; sometimes not offered until 8 months old) |
| 6:30 PM | Begin your bedtime routine |
| 7:00 PM | Milk and Bedtime (goal to be asleep by this time) |
+ Plus possibly 1-2 nighttime feedings
If you prefer an Eat-Play-Sleep Schedule, here’s another sample:
Sample Schedule 3: Eat-Play-Sleep
| 7 Month Old Eat-Play-Sleep Schedule With Feedings | |
|---|---|
| Time | Activity |
| 7:00 AM | Wake |
| 7:30 AM | Milk |
| 8:15 AM | Breakfast |
| 9:00 AM | Morning Nap (at least one hour long) |
| 10:30 AM | Milk |
| 12:30 PM | Early Afternoon Nap (at least one hour long) |
| 1:30 PM | Milk (upon waking) |
| 4:00 PM | Catnap (30-45 minutes; can be “on the go”) |
| 4:30 PM | Milk |
| 5:00 PM | Dinner (if you offer a second solid meal; sometimes not offered until 8 months old) |
| 6:30/7:00 PM | Begin your bedtime routine |
| 7:00/7:30 PM | Milk and Bedtime (goal to be asleep by this time) |
+ Plus possibly 1-2 nighttime feedings
Note: Many people prefer to follow an eat-play-sleep routine, which is a good routine to follow, however, sometimes hard to implement at this age when the amount of time between naps is not long enough and your baby wakes too early from his nap because of a feeding. I take all of that into consideration when making my sample schedules. The most important part is to be careful not to create sleep associations with feedings too close to sleep times, which we saw become important at 4 months old.
If your baby has already transitioned to two naps, please consider using one of our 8 month old schedules or 9 month old schedule. It’s not always so simple as dropping the last nap. You might need to move the other two naps!
Looking for more sample 7-month schedules?
We have over 40 sample schedules for all ages in our e-Book, Mastering Naps and Schedules. Banish naptime battles and regain control of your day (and your sanity) starting today!
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