Wake windows are, fundamentally, the amount of time your baby is awake throughout a 24-hour period. This includes bath time, feeding; anything that isn’t a nap, or night sleep!

As you can imagine, the recommended wake windows change as your baby grows. For example a new born needs a lot more sleep than a toddler, and their wake windows will be much shorter.

Why is important to understand wake windows? Well, get them wrong and you could be facing an over tired baby who struggles to get the quality sleep they need! Or it could go the other way, and you’re putting your baby down too early resulting in crying from under stimulation. Every baby’s wake windows will be slightly different as we all develop in different ways, however once you get it right you’ll be in a much better position to get your baby the quality sleep they need.

Below is a rough guide of how long your baby can stay awake throughout the day at each age milestone: 

Remember, you know your baby best! And while this guide will be helpful as a starting point, you can adapt it depending on if you think your baby needs more or less sleep time; If the baby is cranky, shoot for the shorter end of the wake window.⁣ If she's alert and active, aim for the longer end of the range.

As your baby grows, consider the wake windows for each new month.

You will know your wake windows are correct when you find getting your little one to sleep much easier! Having the knowledge of when they should be tired means you can plan your day and your baby should, in theory, settle roughly when you expect them too, without much of a fight! Ideal!

Of course, it doesn’t always go this smoothly, and we do recommend using a swaddle like Love To Dream Swaddle Up to re-enforce those ever-important sleep cues.