Newborn Sleep Schedule by Week: Wake Windows, Naps and Sample Routines

What Are the Sleep Patterns of a Newborn?

Newborns sleep 14 to 17 hours in every 24 hours, in short periods of 30 minutes to 4 hours. A range of 11 to 19 hours is normal. Newborn sleep patterns have 3 main features: sleep comes in bursts, feeds interrupt sleep every 2 to 3 hours, and day sleep and night sleep are about equal in length.

Newborn day-night rhythm (the circadian rhythm) starts to form between 6 and 12 weeks, when the body begins to produce melatonin on a regular cycle. Until then, a baby has no sense of day versus night, and a newborn sleep schedule follows hunger and wake windows instead of the clock. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) guidance describes about 8 to 9 hours of sleep by day and about 8 hours by night in the early weeks.

What Are the Sleep States of a Newborn?

A newborn has 2 sleep states, active sleep and quiet sleep, and one full cycle lasts about 50 to 60 minutes. Adults cycle through sleep stages in about 90 minutes, so a newborn surfaces from sleep far more often.

• Active sleep: about half of newborn sleep, with twitching, grunting, irregular breathing, fluttering eyelids and brief smiles. A baby in active sleep is not awake and does not need picking up.
• Quiet sleep: still body, slow regular breathing and heavy limbs. A baby in quiet sleep stays down more easily after a feed or a move to the bassinet.

Waiting 5 minutes before responding to noises helps a baby in active sleep settle alone, and a hungry baby gives clear cues within that time.

What Are the Different Alert Phases of a Newborn?

A newborn moves through 3 alert phases, which are the quiet alert phase, the active alert phase and the crying phase. Each phase shows when to feed, play or settle a baby.

Quiet alert phase

The quiet alert phase is the calm, wide-eyed state when a baby looks at faces and follows sounds. The quiet alert phase lasts 5 to 20 minutes in the first weeks and fits a short play or a diaper change before the next sleep.

Active alert phase

In the active alert phase, a baby moves arms and legs, fusses and turns the head. The active alert phase comes before hunger or tiredness, so a feed or a settling routine starts here.

Crying phase

Crying is a late cue for hunger, tiredness or discomfort, and a crying baby settles faster after a feed, a diaper change, a swaddle or gentle rocking. Crying peaks around 6 weeks of age, and settling a baby at the earlier cues prevents most crying.

Newborn Sleep Schedule by Week

A newborn sleep schedule by week moves from feeding on demand in weeks 1 and 2 to a loose routine of 4 to 5 sleeps by day at weeks 9 to 12. The chart below shows the newborn sleep schedule by age, from birth to 3 months, with total sleep, wake windows and night feeds.

Age	Total sleep per day	Wake window	Night feeds
Weeks 1–2	16–17 hours	45–60 minutes	Every 1.5–3 hours
Weeks 3–4 (1 month)	15–17 hours	45–60 minutes	Every 2–3 hours
Weeks 5–6	15–16 hours	60–75 minutes	2–3 feeds
Weeks 7–8 (2 months)	15–16 hours	75–90 minutes	2 feeds
Weeks 9–12 (3 months)	14–16 hours	75–90 minutes	1–2 feeds

Weeks 1–2: Feed on Demand

Total sleep: 16–17 hours per day · Wake windows: 45–60 minutes · Night feeds: every 1.5–3 hours

In weeks 1 and 2, a newborn has no schedule, and feeding on demand is the plan. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises feeding whenever hunger cues appear, which means every 2 to 3 hours for formula-fed babies and often more frequently for breastfed babies. Total sleep ranges from 11 to 19 hours per day.

Sleep cues to watch for: eye rubbing, yawning, staring into the distance, pulling at the ears and sudden quiet. Start settling when 2 or 3 of these cues appear, since an overtired newborn takes longer to fall asleep.

Weeks 3–4: Newborn Sleep Schedule at 1 Month

Total sleep: 15–17 hours · Wake windows: 45–60 minutes · Night feeds: every 2–3 hours

Week 3 brings the first growth spurt, and babies feed more often and settle poorly for 2 to 4 days. A 1 month old newborn sleep schedule stays flexible, and one consistent sleep cue starts now, such as white noise, the same swaddle or a 3-step sequence of feed, cuddle and bassinet. This is a signal for the baby and not sleep training.

Weeks 5–6: Early Patterns Emerge

Total sleep: 15–16 hours · Wake windows: 60–75 minutes · Night feeds: 2–3 feeds

Around week 6, many babies sleep a longer stretch of 3 to 4 hours at the start of the night, and bedtime drifts from about 10:00 pm toward 9:30 pm. Bright light and activity during the day and dark, quiet night feeds support the new day-night rhythm.

Weeks 7–8: Newborn Sleep Schedule at 2 Months

Total sleep: 15–16 hours · Wake windows: 75–90 minutes · Night feeds: 2 feeds

By 2 months, most babies manage 75 to 90 minute wake windows, and a loose feed, play, sleep pattern forms. A 2 months old newborn sleep schedule has 4 to 5 naps by day, a 4 to 5 hour first stretch at night and 2 night feeds.

Weeks 9–12: Progress Becomes Visible

Total sleep: 14–16 hours · Wake windows: 75–90 minutes · Night feeds: 1–2 feeds

Most babies lengthen their longest night stretch during weeks 9 to 12. A loose routine at 12 weeks looks like this example:

Newborn Sleep Schedule and Wake Windows by Age

A wake window is the length of time a baby stays awake between sleeps. The wake window grows from 45 minutes at birth to 90 minutes at 3 months, and the wake window is the most useful number in a newborn sleep schedule.

Age	Wake window
0–4 weeks	45–60 minutes
4–8 weeks	60–75 minutes
8–12 weeks	75–90 minutes
3–4 months	90 minutes to 2 hours
4–5 months	1.5–2.5 hours
5–6 months	2–2.5 hours
6–8 months	2.5–3 hours

Newborn Nap Schedule and Night Schedule

A newborn takes 4 to 6 naps per day in the first 2 months, and the newborn night schedule has 2 to 4 wakings for feeds. Naps last from 20 minutes to 3 hours, and the sleep eat play routine (feed, short play, sleep) keeps wake windows short.

Newborn sleep schedule during the day

During the day, keep rooms bright, talk to the baby and feed in the living area. Daytime naps in a lit room with normal household noise teach the difference between day and night. Wake a baby from a nap after 3 hours, if the next feed is due.

Newborn sleep schedule day vs night

• Day: light, noise and play during quiet alert time, with feeds every 2 to 3 hours.
• Night: dim light, whispers, no play and a fast diaper change only when the diaper is wet or dirty.
• Transition: a bath, swaddle and feed in the same order every evening signal bedtime.

How to Establish a Newborn Sleep Schedule

To establish a newborn sleep schedule, follow wake windows and feeding cues for the first 4 weeks, then add a fixed bedtime routine from week 4 to 6. A newborn sleep routine takes 4 steps:

• Track every feed, nap and diaper for 3 days in a notebook or an app to find the baby’s natural rhythm.
• Set a consistent wake-up time between 6:30 am and 7:30 am from week 6.
• Follow the sleep eat play order: feed after waking, play for the wake window, then sleep.
• Repeat the same 3 or 4 bedtime steps, such as a bath, a feed, a swaddle and a lullaby, each evening.

Can you put a newborn on a sleep schedule?

No, a rigid sleep schedule does not suit a newborn in the first 4 to 6 weeks, as feeding needs and sleep length change daily. A flexible rhythm built on wake windows suits newborns, and formal sleep training such as the Ferber method (graduated waiting) is not recommended before 4 to 6 months.

How to adjust a newborn sleep schedule

To adjust a newborn sleep schedule, shift naps and feeds by 15 minutes every 2 to 3 days, and not by an hour at once. Move the first nap and bedtime in the same direction, and keep the wake-up time steady.

How to fix a newborn sleep schedule

To fix a newborn sleep schedule, find the cause first. Day-night confusion, overtiredness, hunger and a room that is too warm cause most newborn sleep problems, and each cause has a fix in the challenges section below. Consistency for 7 to 10 days shows whether the change works.

Newborn Sleep Schedule and Feeding

A newborn eats 8 to 12 times in 24 hours, and feeding sets the length of every sleep stretch in a newborn sleep schedule. The feeding types below change sleep in different ways.

Breastfed newborns

Breast milk digests faster than formula, so breastfed babies feed every 1.5 to 2.5 hours in the early weeks. Frequent feeds are normal and do not mean low supply.

Formula-fed newborns

Formula digests more slowly, so formula-fed babies go 2.5 to 3.5 hours between feeds and sometimes sleep a longer first night stretch. Hunger cues matter more than the clock for every baby.

Dream feeding

A dream feed is a feed given to a mostly asleep baby, usually between 10:00 pm and 11:00 pm, before the parent goes to bed. A dream feed tops up the baby and lengthens the first night stretch for many families.

Cluster feeding

Cluster feeding is a run of feeds every 30 to 60 minutes for 2 to 4 hours, usually between 4:00 pm and 10:00 pm, and cluster feeding peaks between weeks 2 and 8. Cluster feeding builds milk supply and does not signal that milk is insufficient.

Should you wake a newborn to feed?

Yes, wake a newborn who sleeps longer than 4 hours in the first 2 to 3 weeks, until the baby is back above birth weight and gaining steadily. The paediatrician then confirms when the baby can sleep longer, and the specific guidance given for the baby comes first.

Parent Sleep Schedule With a Newborn: 3 Shift Plans

The best parent sleep schedule with a newborn gives each parent one uninterrupted stretch of 4 to 5 hours. Newborns wake every 1 to 3 hours, so parents who share nights through shift sleeping protect sleep, mood and health in the postpartum period. There are 3 common newborn shift schedules, which are the split night, the on-call rotation and the full night swap.

The split night shift

In the split night shift, Parent 1 handles wakings from 9:00 pm to 2:00 am and Parent 2 handles wakings from 2:00 am to 7:00 am. Each parent gets 4 to 5 hours of unbroken sleep, and earplugs or a separate room help the off-duty parent.

The on-call rotation

In the on-call rotation, parents alternate full nights, for example Parent 1 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Parent 2 on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, with Sunday flexible. The off-duty parent sleeps deeply for the whole night, and the rotation suits a parent who sleeps lightly.

The full night swap

In the full night swap, the working parent sleeps uninterrupted before workdays, the other parent naps during the day, and full nights alternate at weekends. A breastfeeding parent still handles most feeds, and the other parent does the diaper change, burping and settling.

Working parent survival guide

• Agree the night plan before bedtime.
• Skip the scorekeeping of who slept less.
• Protect one sleep block per parent every night.
• Lower housework standards for the first 12 weeks.
• Accept help from family and friends, such as a meal or a 2-hour nap while someone holds the baby.

How to cope with lack of sleep as a new parent

To cope with lack of sleep as a new parent, sleep in shifts, go to bed early and nap when the baby takes a long daytime nap. Five practical sleep deprivation tips:

• Go to bed 1 to 2 hours earlier instead of catching up later.
• Sleep in shifts every night.
• Keep night feeds calm, dim and short.
• Nap for 20 to 90 minutes in place of chores when the baby naps.
• Rock, walk or use white noise to settle the baby faster.

Contact a health visitor, midwife or doctor, if low mood, anxiety or exhaustion lasts more than 2 weeks, or if thoughts of harming yourself or the baby appear. Postnatal depression and anxiety are common and treatable.

Helping Your Baby Sleep

What are the signs of sleep readiness?

A newborn shows 6 main signs of sleep readiness, which are yawning, eye rubbing, staring into the distance, pulling at the ears, jerky arm movements and sudden quiet. A baby who reaches fussing or crying has passed the best time to settle.

How can you help your baby fall asleep?

To help a baby fall asleep, start at the first sleep cues and follow the same 4 steps: dim the lights, swaddle, feed or cuddle, and lay the baby down drowsy. Gentle rocking, shushing, white noise and a pacifier all settle newborns, and steady rocking movement calms a baby. Keep white noise below 50 dB (about the level of quiet conversation) and place the machine at least 7 feet (2 m) from the cot.

Caution on swaddling

Swaddle a newborn only with the hips loose and the legs free to bend, and stop swaddling as soon as the baby shows signs of trying to roll, often between 2 and 4 months. A swaddled baby always sleeps on the back, and the swaddle stays below the neck with 2 fingers of space at the chest. Swaddling calms the startle reflex that wakes newborns, and an arms-free sleep sack replaces the swaddle after rolling starts.

What sleeping positions are best for a newborn?

The best sleeping position for a newborn is flat on the back, for every sleep, day and night. The AAP recommends back to sleep on a firm, flat surface in a bassinet or crib, with no pillows, bumpers, blankets or soft toys, to lower the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Tummy time while awake and supervised builds neck strength.

Newborn Sleep Environment and Safe Sleep

• Room temperature: 16–20 °C (61–68 °F). Overheating raises SIDS risk, so check the back of the neck, and not the hands.
• White noise: below 50 dB, at least 7 feet (2 m) from the baby, from a dedicated machine and not a phone speaker.
• Darkness: a dark room for night sleeps and a dim, warm nightlight for feeds and diaper changes.
• Swaddling: from birth until the first signs of rolling, then an arms-free sleep sack.
• Safe sleep basics (AAP and CDC): sleep on the back, on a firm flat surface, with nothing loose in the sleep space, and room-share without bed-sharing for at least the first 6 months.

Common Newborn Sleep Problems and What to Do

Day-night confusion

Day-night confusion is a reversed rhythm in which a newborn sleeps long stretches by day and wakes to feed at night. To fix day-night confusion, add light, noise and play to daytime feeds, and keep night feeds dark, quiet and brief. The reversal resolves within 2 to 3 weeks of consistent handling.

The catnapping baby

A baby who wakes at 30 to 45 minutes into every nap completes one sleep cycle and does not yet link the next cycle. Catnaps are normal in newborns. Try a shush and pat to resettle, or accept the short nap and shorten the next wake window.

Overtiredness

Overtiredness makes falling and staying asleep harder. To prevent overtiredness, watch wake windows and not the clock, and begin settling 5 to 10 minutes early.

Newborn sleep regression

Newborn sleep regression is the 4-month sleep change, which starts at 3.5 to 4 months and lasts 2 to 6 weeks. The baby starts cycling through sleep stages like an adult, with brief wakings between cycles. Sleep regression does not happen in the first 8 weeks, and a baby under 3 months who wakes often is following normal newborn sleep.

When to speak to your doctor

Contact a paediatrician or health visitor, if the baby is hard to wake for feeds, is not gaining weight as expected, has fewer wet nappies than usual, or has any breathing concern during sleep. Seek urgent help for laboured breathing, blue lips, a fever of 38 °C (100.4 °F) or higher in a baby under 3 months, or a baby who cannot be woken.

Newborn Sleep Schedule Calculator, Generator and PDF

To make a newborn sleep schedule planner without a calculator, add the wake window for the baby’s age to each wake-up time. A baby who wakes at 7:00 am at 6 weeks (60 to 75 minute wake window) goes down for the first nap at 8:00 to 8:15 am, and the nap lasts 30 minutes to 2 hours. Repeat the calculation after every nap to build the newborn sleep schedule chart for the day.

To save a newborn sleep schedule PDF, print this page (Ctrl+P on Windows, Cmd+P on Mac) and choose Save as PDF. The wake window table and the sample routines print as a ready chart for the fridge.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Sleep and Baby Care Guides

• Newborn Sleep Tips
• Baby Feeding Schedule by Age
• Baby Sleep Gowns vs Footed Pajamas
• Baby Photoshoot Ideas at Home
• Gifts for New Moms

Setting up the room? See our Baby Nursery Ideas guide.