Is your baby ready to ditch wake windows and follow a clock-based schedule? 

Since before your baby was born, you've probably been hearing about wake windows. A wake window is the age-appropriate amount of time that your baby is likely to need to be awake for between naps and before bed. While wake windows aren't exactly the same for every baby, using them as a guide can help to ensure that your baby has enough sleep pressure for quality sleep while still going down without becoming overtired. For many babies, being awake for too long, or awake for not long enough can significantly impact nighttime sleep and naps. 

So who should folow wake windows? As a general rule, I suggest that families with babies who are 6 weeks to 6 months follow wake windows.  Most babies are taking between 3 and 5 naps during these early months, and need to sleep pretty frequently. Following wake windows helps to prevent your baby from becoming overtired, and allows you to adapt their sleep schedule based on nap length. 

Once your baby hits 7-ish months and drops to 2 naps, however, following a clock=based schedule can be really helpful. At this point, your baby has a longer threshold for being awake. Many babies can tolerate being awake for close to 3 hours, and as babies get closer to 10 and 11 months, that threshold increases to close to 4 hours. It can feel so freeing when you get to this point, because your days won't be quite so driven by naps. 

Moving to a clock-based schedule at this point has many benefits. To start,  your baby will get into a nice sleep rhythm when her body can predict when it's time to go to sleep. In fact, with a clock-based schedule, your baby will start to produce melatonin a little bit before nap and bedtimes, which will help her settle into sleep. A clock-based schedule also helps provide some structure to your day. When babies follow a (flexible) structure, they get to know the routine, which helps them know when it will be time for nap or bed. The more cues babies and kids have that it's going to be time to sleep, the easier it will be for them wind down for nap or bed. 

So essentially, the best time to move to a clock-based schedule is when your baby drops to 2 naps, which is often around 7 months. It may take a few days to a week for your baby to adjust to the schedule, but then you're likely to find that naps and falling asleep at bedtime start to become easier for your baby. Of course, if your baby has had a super short nap, and you need to adjust to avoid her becoming overtired, it's fine to adapt as needed, especially during the transition from wake windows to naps. 

Unsure if your baby is ready to drop to 2 naps or not? Check out my blog post about how to know when it's time drop a nap and then download my How to Drop a Nap Guide!  Feeling like your baby isn't going to sleep no matter what type of a schedule you follow? Book a free discovery call with me and I'll share how I can help you totally transform your child's sleep using methods that feel right for your family. 

Your child can be a good sleeper. I'll show you how to get there!