The What, When & Why Behind Wake Windows

Whether you’re a wake window advocate or follower of sleepy cues, nearly every mom – both newbie and seasoned pro – has heard of this term, “wake window,” before. However, if you’ve been living under a sleep deprived rock, or have simply been doing things your own way, somehow managing not to have heard this baby sleep term before, chances are you’re here reading this for good reason. Well, let me say, I’m psyched to be popping your wake window cherry!

So….what are wake windows anyway? Like….common times of day when babies are awake? Well….you could kind of say that! In short, a wake window is the amount of time that baby is awake between sleeps. This could be between waking in the morning and nap one, or between naps, or between the final nap and bedtime. And these windows of awake time are EVER-CHANGING, as well as quite different at each developmental stage, AND different for every baby. If that seems overwhelming, don’t stress – I’ve attached a chart below with basic wake windows for each age range for those of you who want your info quick and to the point. The good news to go along with that? You could pretty much follow that chart and be golden for the first 2 years of your little nugget’s life. The unfortunate news? Your baby may not line up with other babies or may not thrive on an “average” schedule…. and that’s okay! To be honest, my second baby didn’t follow the “typical” wake windows at any age and we were just fine.

Now let’s dive in a bit further!

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How Do You Know If Your Baby’s Wake Windows Are Correct?

I love getting this question from families! The first thing I do when someone asks me this, is ask them if they’re currently logging baby’s sleep and feeds. And not just a simple, “baby slept this much and ate this much over the day,” but I look for specifics. If you’re trying to sort out your baby’s ideal wake windows to maximize both day AND, therefor, night sleep, you’ll want to track the following:

• How long was baby awake before their sleep time?
• What was their mood like leading up to that sleep?
• HOW did they fall asleep? Independently, or with some type of support?
• How long did it take for them to fall asleep? Did they need support during this time?
• How long did they sleep?
• What was their mood upon waking?
• If upset, did they snap out of it quickly, or did they remain upset for 10+ minutes?

Additionally, I’ll ask that you track feeds – both times of day and amounts/length of nursing, so we know that baby is getting enough to eat and eating at times of day that promote solid, independent sleep. The reason for this is, well, obviously you want a baby with a happy belly, right? But additionally, it’s very common in months 5-7 for baby to wake due to hunger, and for you, the parent, to think your timing is off, when in reality your wake windows are just fine but baby is hungry.

Finally, let’s get to the good stuff! Below is a table that breaks down wake windows and how to plan them out appropriately – aka, based on the previous sleep + baby’s mood.

One more thing to keep in mind….

Everything above will essentially be taken with a grain of salt ANY TIME baby is going through a LEAP, a MILESTONE, TEETHING, some other type of ILLNESS, or a GROWTH SPURT. Why? Well, because babies can wake up at those times from simple discomfort, or excitement to be learning a new skill like rolling or practicing new sounds, and truly that can adjust all things sleep. Temporarily. Unfortunately, that’s just part of baby life. But this is why it’s always so beneficial to keep a log of their sleep anytime things go south, because often times, if it’s any of the above reasons, they’ll go right back to their normal wake windows after the situation is resolved.

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xx – Ro