Baby sleep schedule: 6-7 months

Now your baby is 6-7 months old, and she/he develops quickly.

At this age, it's typically a good time to revisit their sleep schedule.

If you are in doubt what a sleep schedule is, you can start by reading: “Sleep schedule - explanation and how to get started”.

Remember all babies are different and it might be necessary to change/adjust your baby’s sleep schedule to match his/her needs.

Your baby’s development at 6-7 months

Your baby develops quickly at 6-7 months. E.g., the maternity/paternity leave might transition from one parent to another. At this stage your baby also becomes more aware of his/her surroundings - also beyond the parents. This can be overwhelming for your baby and might affect both day- and especially nighttime routines. The reason being your baby needs to explore and process all these new experiences. If your baby becomes distressed and clingy when he/she cannot see you for a short period of time, it’s a sign the attachment between you and your baby works exactly as it should.

Sleep schedule: 6-7 months

Here you can see what a sleep schedule for a 6–7-month-old baby looks like:

  • 10:00 – 11:00 am: Naptime
  • 13:30 – 16:00 pm: Naptime
  • 09:00 pm – 07:00 am: Nighttime

At 6-7 months most babies thrive on two naps. Meaning the third nap which they usually take in the late afternoon at 3-4 months should be dropped. As a result, your baby will start getting tired and going to bed for the night earlier.

At 3-4 months your baby would typically go to bed at 9:30 pm, but now this is moved up to 8:00 pm. Moreover, the two naps become longer. At 6-7 months it’s age-appropriate for your baby to sleep from 11-12 pm until 06:00 am without nursing because your baby now can go without milk for 6-7 hours. At this age your baby stops getting hungry at night and waking up needing milk.

Other sleep schedules

Depending on your baby’s age, different sleep schedules are relevant. Please find a complete overview of the relevant sleep schedules here.

Are you being challenged? Here’s how you can help your 6-7-months-old baby sleep

Something that doesn’t fix the challenges but might put you more at ease during the tough evenings/nights is knowing restless sleep is completely normal at this age. However, focusing on intimacy might help getting your baby to sleep.

At this age some parents start moving their baby out of the parents’ bedroom. "If you're struggling with restless sleep during this period, as most do, it might be a good idea to reconsider sleeping together again until you're past this stage."

During this age it can be more challenging getting your baby to sleep and generally he/she sleeps more lightly waking up frequently to check if you are still nearby.

Skin-to-skin contact is a good trick during this time if you want to soothe a fussy baby. Furthermore, at this age it is recommended to let someone other that the mother soothe the baby if he/she wakes up at night. The father/partner can provide just as much comfort and reassurance making it a perfect time to start this routine after the nighttime feeding.