6 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 6 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

9:23am – 10:38am

Nap 1 — 2h 23m awake, then about 1h 15m asleep

1:01pm – 2:16pm

Nap 2 — 2h 23m awake, then about 1h 15m asleep

4:39pm

Bedtime — 2h 23m after the last nap ended

Each nap starts one wake window (2h 23m) after the last sleep ended; bedtime is one more after the final nap. Nap length is assumed at about 1h 15m.

Build this from your own baby's wake time →

What is typical at 6 months

The drop from three naps to two usually happens somewhere between 6 and 9 months. Solids typically start around now, which changes the daytime pattern but is not a sleep intervention.

Naps at this age: 2–3. Awake between sleeps: 2h to 2h 45m. Longest night stretch: 6–10 hours at a time.

What most babies are doing at 6 months

The CDC publishes a milestone checkpoint at exactly this age. These are the things 75% or more of children can do by 6 months.

Social and emotional

Knows familiar people
Likes to look at self in a mirror
Laughs

Language

Takes turns making sounds with you
Blows "raspberries"
Squeals

Learning and problem-solving

Puts things in their mouth to explore
Reaches to grab a toy
Closes lips to show they don't want more food

Movement

Rolls from tummy to back
Pushes up with straight arms during tummy time
Leans on hands to support self when sitting

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 6 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 6 months?

2–3 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 6 months?

Conventionally 2h to 2h 45m awake between sleeps. Wake windows are not published guidance from any medical body, whatever a schedule page implies.