It’s probably hard to believe that you have a six month old, but somehow here you are. Gone are the newborn days and into the sedentary, solid food-like-are-you-so-big days.
Your baby will grow and change a lot this month, as will his sleep. With all of the exciting new changes your baby is going to go through this month, their sleep can change too – but in a totally good way. Your baby will get used to more regular sleep patterns and will be able to both sleep longer stretches and calm themselves when they wake up with you at night. It’s a whole new (six month old!) World, parents!
How much sleep does a six month old baby need?
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, babies under one year of age should get 12-16 hours of sleep per 24 hours. The Journal of Nature and Science of Sleep also adds that a six-month-old baby’s sleep is most often in the range of 13 to 14 hours a day. However, all babies are different, and some six-month-olds may still need those few extra hours of sleep! Rachel Mitchell, Certified Pediatric and Maternal Sleep Consultant and Founder of My Sweet Sleeper, also acknowledges that babies at six months will lose weight in how much sleep they need.
“There’s a lot going on with your six-month-old baby,” says Mitchell. “This is usually the phase when your little one officially falls into three naps and the daytime sleep solidifies naturally.”
She adds that some babies may need even more sleep at this point, and that’s fine – the important thing is that you follow your baby’s own sleep signals and support his or her individual development, rather than sticking to a rigid schedule. “Ideally, during this phase, your baby will still sleep between 3 / 3.5 to 4 hours a day, or a little more if your baby is what we call a ‘baby with high sleep needs,'” she explains. (Serious question: can a mother be viewed as a “high need for sleep” because if so, I am.)
Speaking of schedules, knowing the ideal sleep schedule for your six month old baby can be very helpful. It can help you know how long your baby should be up between naps, when to nap, and what an ideal bedtime time will be. Because babies can all be so different and change so much at this age, an individual sleep schedule can be a determining factor.
Sleep schedule for 6 month old baby
The most important change that Mitchell says parents should be aware of is that having a six-month-old baby has the ability to sleep longer, which is an extremely exciting milestone. She also notes that babies can likely begin to calm themselves down on their own. So you can start by experimenting with letting them try some methods (for sure!) That they can use to calm themselves down.
Windows wake up for a six month old child
At six months of age, Mitchell realizes that your approach to waking windows for your baby should change a little.
“At this stage, you should still be following wake windows versus a post-clock schedule, and your baby may be ready to slightly increase the wake windows to 2 to 3 hours,” she explains.
By following your baby’s own watch windows, you can also plan their naps during the day accordingly. Just like last month, you want to reduce your baby’s nap times during the day. For example, you should aim to have your baby’s first two naps between 1.5 and 2 hours and the last nap between 45 minutes and 1 hour.
“The last nap of the day should really just be a bridge to bedtime, which is ideally between 7:00 and 8:00 pm,” adds Mitchell.
Sleep tips for babies
The Biggest Sleeping Tip for Babies Six Months Old? Introducing solid foods can help your little one sleep better.
Mitchell points out that during this time there is often a strong growth spurt that can lead to insomnia if your nutritional needs are not met. Solids during the day can help bridge that void as your baby grows, and it adds that a temporary nightly wake up call to feed is also normal.
“This is the age at which I recommend starting solids gradually, and you may find that your baby is hungrier than usual at this stage, which may be due to a growth spurt that is common at this time “she explains. “If you’ve skipped the night food but find that your child suddenly wakes up and needs it, you know it’s okay to give it back temporarily.”
