Newborn sleep schedule

Updated 2026-08-22 · Source: National Sleep Foundation · Free · No sign-up

TOTAL SLEEP PER 24 HOURS

14–17 hours

The AASM issues no recommendation for babies under 4 months — it judged the evidence insufficient. This figure is the National Sleep Foundation's, a different body using a different method, and we show it rather than borrowing the older-infant number.

NSFAASM: no recommendation

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 newborn (0–3 months)

Built from a 7:00am wake-up. At this age this is a plausible rhythm, not a schedule to hold to.

7:00am

Wake for the day — your input

7:53am – 8:38am

Nap 1 — 0h 53m awake, then about 0h 45m asleep

9:31am – 10:16am

Nap 2 — 0h 53m awake, then about 0h 45m asleep

11:09am – 11:54am

Nap 3 — 0h 53m awake, then about 0h 45m asleep

12:47pm – 1:32pm

Nap 4 — 0h 53m awake, then about 0h 45m asleep

2:25pm

Bedtime — 0h 53m after the last nap ended

Each nap starts one wake window (0h 53m) after the last sleep ended; bedtime is one more after the final nap. Nap length is assumed at about 0h 45m.

Build this from your own baby's wake time →

What is typical at newborn (0–3 months)

Newborns do not have a schedule and cannot be put on one. Their sleep is distributed around the clock because their circadian rhythm has not developed yet — that typically begins somewhere between 6 and 12 weeks. Feeding drives the pattern at this age, not the clock.

Naps at this age: 4–6 (often not distinguishable from night sleep). Awake between sleeps: 0h 45m to 1h. Longest night stretch: 2–4 hours at a time.

What most babies are doing by 2 months

The CDC does not publish a checkpoint at newborn (0–3 months) — its checkpoints are 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 months. The first checkpoint is the 2-month one. These are the 2-month milestones, which is what most babies are growing into now.

Social and emotional

Calms down when spoken to or picked up
Looks at your face
Smiles when you talk to or smile at them

Language

Makes sounds other than crying
Reacts to loud sounds

Learning and problem-solving

Watches you as you move
Looks at a toy for several seconds

Movement

Holds head up during tummy time
Moves both arms and both legs
Opens hands briefly

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.

↥ Try another age → Browse all ages →

FAQ

How much should a newborn sleep?

The AASM makes no recommendation below 4 months. The National Sleep Foundation's figure is 14–17 hours per 24 hours. Those are different bodies using different methods, which is why the number you see quoted varies by site.

How many naps at newborn (0–3 months)?

4–6 (often not distinguishable from night sleep) 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 newborn (0–3 months)?

Conventionally 0h 45m to 1h awake between sleeps. Wake windows are not published guidance from any medical body, whatever a schedule page implies.