6 month old sleep schedule
At 6 months, most babies take 3 naps with wake windows of 2 h to 3 h, and need 12–16 h of sleep in 24 hours.
- Wake window
- 2 h – 3 h
- Naps a day
- 3
- Total sleep / 24 h
- 12–16 h
- Daytime sleep (sample)
- about 2 h 40 min
Most 6-month-olds take 3 naps totalling 2½–3½ hours and sleep 10–12 hours at night, sometimes with a feed.
Starting solids and new skills such as rolling and sitting can briefly unsettle sleep.
Night Nap Awake
- 7:00 amWake up, feed
- 9:00 amNap 1 · about 1 h
- 12:21 pmNap 2 · about 1 h
- 4:03 pmNap 3 · about 40 min
- 7:28 pmBedtime (start routine 20–30 min before)
Make it fit your baby
This schedule is built from the middle of the wake-window range for this age, with windows that lengthen through the day. If your baby fights naps, try stretching each window by 10–15 minutes; if they melt down before naps, shorten them. For a schedule from your baby's exact age, a sleep pressure clock and an AI helper for specific problems, use the baby sleep schedule calculator.
Feeding and sleep go together: see the 6-month-old feeding schedule for how much milk to expect at this age.
Safe sleep: the AAP recommends placing babies on their back on a firm, flat, empty surface, in the parents' room for at least the first 6 months.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a 6-month-old stay awake between naps?
A typical wake window at this age is 2 h to 3 h, with the shortest window in the morning and the longest before bed. Watch sleepy cues (staring, eye rubbing, yawning, fussing) rather than the clock alone.
How many naps does a 6-month-old take?
Usually 3 naps a day. Most 6-month-olds take 3 naps totalling 2½–3½ hours and sleep 10–12 hours at night, sometimes with a feed.
How much sleep does a 6-month-old need?
About 12–16 h in 24 hours, including naps. This is the range recommended by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and endorsed by the AAP.
What time should a 6-month-old go to bed?
Counted from a 7:00 am wake-up, the sample schedule below lands bedtime at about 7:28 pm. Enter your baby's actual wake-up time to shift the whole day.
Sources: Paruthi S et al., AASM consensus on recommended sleep for pediatric populations (2016), endorsed by the AAP; AAP safe sleep policy statement (2022); HealthyChildren.org. Wake windows are typical ranges compiled from paediatric sleep guidance, not rules.