4 months old sleep schedule

Updated 2026-08-22 · Source: AASM (AAP-endorsed) · Free · No sign-up

TOTAL SLEEP PER 24 HOURS

12–16 hours

Published by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and endorsed by the AAP, including naps. This is the part of any sleep schedule that is actually guidance.

AASMAAP-endorsed

Convention, not guidance. The nap count and wake windows below are not published by any medical body. Which parts of a sleep schedule are actually published →

A sample day at 4 months

Built from a 7:00am wake-up. Change the wake time in the tool to shift the whole day.

7:00am

Wake for the day — your input

8:45am – 9:45am

Nap 1 — 1h 45m awake, then about 1h asleep

11:30am – 12:30pm

Nap 2 — 1h 45m awake, then about 1h asleep

2:15pm – 3:15pm

Nap 3 — 1h 45m awake, then about 1h asleep

5:00pm

Bedtime — 1h 45m after the last nap ended

Each nap starts one wake window (1h 45m) after the last sleep ended; bedtime is one more after the final nap. Nap length is assumed at about 1h.

Build this from your own baby's wake time →

What is typical at 4 months

The published guidance starts here: the AASM's 12 to 16 hours applies from 4 months. This is also when many parents report sleep getting temporarily worse as sleep cycles mature — commonly called the 4-month regression, which is a permanent developmental change rather than a phase that reverses.

Naps at this age: 3–4. Awake between sleeps: 1h 30m to 2h. Longest night stretch: 5–8 hours at a time.

What most babies are doing at 4 months

The CDC publishes a milestone checkpoint at exactly this age. These are the things 75% or more of children can do by 4 months.

Social and emotional

Smiles on their own to get your attention
Chuckles when you try to make them laugh
Looks, moves, or makes sounds to get/keep your attention

Language

Makes cooing sounds
Turns head toward the sound of your voice

Learning and problem-solving

Opens mouth when hungry and sees breast/bottle
Looks at their hands with interest

Movement

Holds head steady without support when held
Holds a toy when you put it in their hand
Brings hands to mouth
Pushes up onto elbows during tummy time

The CDC does not link these milestones to sleep, and neither do we. They are here because much of what changes about sleep at a given age is really what is changing about the baby. Source: CDC, Learn the Signs. Act Early.

Safe sleep, source conflicts and what this is not — the AAP safe-sleep rules, where the AASM and the National Sleep Foundation disagree, and why this is not a sleep-training method: read the full guidance notes. General guidance, not medical advice.

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FAQ

How much should a 4 months old sleep?

12–16 hours per 24 hours including naps, per the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, endorsed by the AAP.

How many naps at 4 months?

3–4 is the conventional range at this age. No medical body publishes nap counts — this is convention, and healthy babies fall outside it.

What are wake windows at 4 months?

Conventionally 1h 30m to 2h awake between sleeps. Wake windows are not published guidance from any medical body, whatever a schedule page implies.