4 months
4 month old sleep: schedule, naps & wake windows
Four months is a turning point: the baby’s brain permanently reorganises its sleep architecture, and the famous 4 month sleep regression shows up. The good news: with the right wake windows and a steady routine, this stage passes too.
How much sleep does a 4 month old need?
Between 12–16 h in total across the day: about 10–11 h at night and 3–4 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.
If they’ve suddenly started waking every hour or naps have fallen apart, it’s probably the 4 month sleep regression: a developmental change, not a schedule mistake.
Wake windows at 4 months
The wake window at 4 months is 1.5–2.5 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 4 months
Expect 3–4 naps of 30 min – 1.5 h each. The day usually settles into 3 naps (sometimes 4 if they run short). The first window is about 1.5 hours and the last can reach 2.5. An early bedtime (7:00–8:00 pm) usually works better than stretching the afternoon. Nap transitions and lengths by age are in the baby naps guide.
Sample schedule for a 4 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 |
| 8:45 | Nap 1 (1–1.5 h) |
| 10:00 | Awake & feed |
| 12:00 | Nap 2 (1–1.5 h) |
| 13:15 | Awake & feed |
| 15:15 | Nap 3 (30–45 min) |
| 16:00 | Awake, walk & bath |
| 19:30 | Bedtime |
During the 4 month regression it’s normal for this schedule to fall apart on some days: keep the windows and get back to the routine as soon as you can.
What time should bedtime be?
The usual range at 4 months is 7:00–8:30 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.