3 months
3 month old sleep: schedule, naps & wake windows
At 3 months many families notice the first big shift: night sleep consolidates, bedtime moves earlier and the day starts to have a recognisable structure of 3–4 naps. It’s the perfect time to start following wake windows.
How much sleep does a 3 month old need?
Between 14–16 h in total across the day: about 9–10 h at night and 4–5 h during the day, spread over 3–4 naps. These are guide ranges: if your baby wakes rested and cheerful, they’re probably getting what they need. Compare all stages in the baby sleep chart by age.
Wake windows at 3 months
The wake window at 3 months is 1–2 h: the time they can comfortably stay awake before needing sleep again. Overshooting the window usually means overtiredness, crying and shorter naps; undershooting means bedtime resistance. The first window of the day is usually the shortest and the last one the longest.
Don’t feel like clock-watching? The wake windows calculator gives you the exact range for the next nap.
Naps at 3 months
Expect 3–4 naps of 30 min – 1.5 h each. The norm is 3 “main” naps plus, on some days, a fourth catnap in the late afternoon to bridge to bedtime. Windows range from 1 hour in the morning to almost 2 hours before bed. Nap transitions and lengths by age are in the baby naps guide.
Sample schedule for a 3 month old
Based on a 7:00 am wake-up. Shift the times to your baby’s real wake-up, keeping the windows.
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 7:00 | Wake up & feed |
| 8:15 | Nap 1 (about 1 h) |
| 9:15 | Awake & feed |
| 10:45 | Nap 2 (1–1.5 h) |
| 12:15 | Awake & feed |
| 13:45 | Nap 3 (about 1 h) |
| 14:45 | Awake & feed |
| 16:30 | Catnap (30 min) |
| 17:00 | Awake, bath & routine |
| 20:00 | Bedtime |
If naps run short, bring the next one forward: the wake window matters more than the clock.
What time should bedtime be?
The usual range at 3 months is 8:00–9:30 pm. More than a fixed time, what matters is the window from the end of the last nap. A short, repeated bedtime routine (bath, pyjamas, story or song) helps them anticipate that sleep is coming.