Many parents rely on bedtime tricks like rocking, patting, white noise, dark rooms, and carefully timed feeds to help their babies sleep. While these routines can be effective, a sleep expert says one simple factor is often overlooked: your baby's "awake hours" or "wake windows."
If your baby hasn't been awake long enough, the chances of settling for a nap are much slimmer, no matter how calm the environment or how many lullabies you play. Paying closer attention to these wake windows can help you put your baby down when they're actually ready to sleep.
What are wake windows?
Wake windows are the typical length of time a baby can comfortably stay awake between sleeps before becoming overtired. The idea is simple: put a baby down too soon and they may not be tired enough; leave it too long and they can become overtired, fussy, and harder to settle.
Heidi Skudder, sleep expert and founder of Positively Parenthood, described wake windows as the "magic ingredient when it comes to improving sleep." Speaking exclusively to The Mirror, she said: "Newborns settle and sleep much more easily if they adhere to the awake windows. In fact, a baby's awake window can be the most powerful magic ingredient for improving sleep."
She added: "You don't need to stick to a super strict schedule as a schedule can come later on, but at around three months of age, your baby's awake window is one hour and 30 minutes, adding on 15 minutes or so for every month until they are one. Just knowing this will improve both how easily they settle and also how long they sleep for."
How to use wake windows
To use wake windows, time the next nap or bedtime from when your baby woke up, not from when the last nap started. Watch for sleepy cues like yawning, rubbing eyes, zoning out, or fussiness, and aim to start winding down before the window ends.
Heidi noted: "If you attempt to put your baby down for a nap much later than their awake window, you may discover they are harder to settle to sleep." She also advised: "For example, if you stick to their awake window - give or take - depending on poonamis and feeding (feeding is much more important than sleep in those early months), that will aid their sleep and help them and you to sleep better. So, it's about knowledge, knowing how long they can be awake for but not really putting too much pressure on it as what you don't want to be doing is stressing about a very strict routine in those early months."
Typical wake windows vary by baby, but commonly: newborns (0-3 months) are awake for about 45-90 minutes; 3-6 months, 1.5-2.5 hours; 6-12 months, 2-4 hours; and 1-2 years, 4-6 hours.
NHS guidance on baby sleep
The NHS website states: "Some babies sleep much more than others. Some sleep for long periods, others in short bursts. Some soon sleep through the night, while some do not for a long time. Your baby will have their own pattern of waking and sleeping, and it's unlikely to be the same as other babies you know. It's also unlikely to fit in with your need for sleep. Try to sleep when your baby sleeps."
The NHS also advises: "If you're breastfeeding, in the early weeks your baby is likely to doze off for short periods during a feed. Carry on feeding until you think your baby has finished or until they're fully asleep. This is a good opportunity to try to get a bit of rest yourself. If you're not sleeping at the same time as your baby, do not worry about keeping the house silent while they sleep. It's good to get your baby used to sleeping through a certain amount of noise."
If you have concerns about your baby's sleep routine, or worry they aren't getting enough rest, contact your doctor for support and advice. You can also find helpful resources on the NHS website.
