Baby Wake Windows - Sleep Schedules - HealthSurgeon - Healthy Living and Fitness

Wake windows refer to the amount of time your baby stays awake while being pleasant and comfortable. Babies have little pockets of time that they are awake in between their naps and their bedtime. Figuring out your baby’s ideal wake window can help you navigate when they will be sleepy easier. This is because you can monitor them and know when they may be ready for a nap before they get overtired. Overtired children can become fussy, restless, and have more trouble falling asleep.

Wake windows vary by age. Not only do they vary by age but they also vary by baby. Some babies will be like little regimented time clocks. While other babies may be less predictable, you will have a ballpark of when your little one will be awake for each wake window. Some babies will even vary from day to day. Wake windows are helpful especially when your baby isn’t on a strict sleep schedule yet, it will help you have some sense of routine to your day. This can happen if you know your baby wakes up at 7am, and their normal awake window is 1 hour, you know that around 8 am they will be ready for their nap. Nap times can vary per child and age as well.

Wake windows can vary per child but here are the acceptable expectation of wake windows per age:

From birth to one month a child can be awake between 30 minutes and an hour.
From one month to three months a child can be awake between one hour and two hours.
From three months to four months a child can be awake between 1.25 hours and two and a half hours.
From five to seven months of age a child can be awake between two to four hours.
From seven to ten months awake windows can be between two and a half hours to four and a half hours.
From ten to twelve months awake windows can be between three to six hours.

Around the ten to twelve month age range your child will start being more predictable with their sleep, their schedule, and their naps. Wake windows become less important once children start only napping once a day, which usually happens between the fifteen to eighteen month mark.

What is supposed to happen during your child’s awake window?

When they are newborns you may barely get a feeding, and a diaper change done in their wake window before they are ready to drift off back to sleep. Once wake windows start to become longer there is so much you can do with your little one. The essentials are feed, diaper change, and some play time. When they are tiny tummy time is essential in them working their muscles they need to learn to strengthen like their neck muscles. You can do bonding activities with your little one, like reading, singing, talking, or holding them. Going for a walk or an outing can be a fun thing to do. Toy play or practicing skills such as rolling over, sitting, standing, or walking. If you have a wake window before nighttime you can add in bath time.

Wake windows are important to make note of because they can help you identify that your child is sleepy before they are overtired. You can work on great self soothing and sleeping skills when learning your baby’s sleep cues and putting them down to nap or to bed when they are still drowsy but not asleep. When learning your child’s wake windows it is important to watch the clock. Keeping track of when the end of their window is getting near can help you decipher if they are starting to get sleepy or what they need if they start to fuss. Watch for tired cues as well. Tired cues of a baby are reduced activity, yawning, staring, blinking, eye rubbing, ear pulling, or hand chewing. Teaching your baby to self soothe early can help their sleep overall immensely. Things you can do to help soothe your baby to sleep are to swaddle them, play some white noise, holding them on their stomachs, side, or over your shoulder, and giving them a pacifier or letting them suck on their hands.

Takeaway

Wake windows can be helpful for you to plan your day around your baby’s naps and wake windows. It can also help you establish some sleep routines even if the time each day isn’t always exactly the same. Once a child goes to one nap a day wake windows become less important. Wake windows can vary by age, day, and baby. You know your little one best, watching them and observing them will help you determine what wake windows are working for them and how long is too long in being awake.