Baby Sleep Schedule Generator
Babies sleep more than they do anything else in the first year, but the pattern changes every few months — number of naps, length of each nap, acceptable wake window between them. This generator builds a day-by-day schedule anchored to your chosen wake time using the wake-window approach that most pediatric sleep consultants teach, so you stop guessing when the next nap is due.
How to build a schedule
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1
Enter your baby's age
In weeks for newborns, months thereafter — the schedule is generated from age-appropriate wake windows.
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2
Set the morning wake time
The rest of the day anchors to this single time. Most pediatric sleep guidance recommends 6-7 AM.
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3
Pick total daily sleep target
Defaults follow the AAP guidance for age; adjust by ±30 minutes if your baby trends short or long sleeper.
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4
Read the generated schedule
A block per nap with start time and expected wake-window length, plus a bedtime target.
Wake windows by age
The wake window is the time a baby can comfortably stay awake between sleeps. Too short and they fight the nap; too long and over-tiredness makes them harder to settle.
| Age | Wake window | Naps per day | Total sleep (24h) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 weeks | 30-60 min | 4-6+ | 14-17 hours |
| 1-2 months | 60-90 min | 4-5 | 14-16 hours |
| 3-4 months | 90-120 min | 4 | 14-16 hours |
| 5-6 months | 2-2.5 hours | 3 | 13-15 hours |
| 7-9 months | 2.5-3 hours | 2-3 | 12-14 hours |
| 10-12 months | 3-4 hours | 2 | 12-14 hours |
| 13-18 months | 4-5 hours | 1-2 | 11-14 hours |
| 19-24 months | 5-6 hours | 1 | 11-14 hours |
The 2-3-4 schedule
From around 9-12 months many babies fit a “2-3-4” pattern: 2 hours awake before nap 1, 3 hours before nap 2, 4 hours from nap 2 to bedtime. The generator offers this as a preset.
Signs you are in the window
Yawning, eye-rubbing, ear-tugging, staring off, fussiness. Catch these before full meltdown — the quickest-to-settle babies are the ones put down at the start of tiredness cues, not at crying.
When schedules stop working
Growth spurts (4, 8, 12 months typically), teething, illness, travel and developmental leaps all break a schedule for a week or two. Do not abandon the plan; ride out the disruption and reset to the age-appropriate windows once the phase passes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Generally no, except to cap naps that run too long and push bedtime past a reasonable hour, or for newborns who would go beyond 3 hours without a feed. For older babies, a single long nap often borrows from the next one.
Usually between 13 and 18 months. The signal is that the second nap consistently starts refusing to happen, or pushes bedtime very late. Shift to one midday nap and a slightly earlier bedtime for a few weeks while they adjust.
Yes — one sleep cycle for most babies is about 30-45 minutes, and short nappers consolidate cycles as they get older. Focus on total daily sleep rather than nap length.
Absolutely. If the last nap was short or ended too early, bring bedtime forward by 15-30 minutes to avoid over-tiredness. The schedule is a framework, not a contract.
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