4 Month Old Sleep Schedule, Wake Windows + How Many Naps

It can be super tricky to pin down a 4 month old sleep schedule. It’s a busy time in your little one’s life where they are exiting the newborn stage, most likely hitting the 4 month sleep regression, and going through a clunky nap phase. 

 

That being said, it IS possible to get on a great sleep schedule and the secret is tuning into your baby!

 

Every baby is different. Their sleep needs are different, and optimal schedules will be different from baby to baby. I can’t stress this enough; what works for one baby may not work for your baby. 

 

This is why I want to empower you with knowledge and confidence around what the average 4 month old sleep needs are, what different sleep schedules could look like, and how to improve your baby’s sleep, so you can tweak and tailor things to best fit YOUR baby. 

 

So grab a beverage and maybe a little snack and let’s chat about: 

 

How much should a 4 month old sleep? 

 

What to expect for my 4 month old’s sleep? 

 

What should a 4 month old’s sleep schedule be? 

 

How can I improve my 4 month old’s sleep schedule?

 

How much/how many hours should a 4 month old sleep?

 

4 month old baby sleeping in a mothers arms | The Peaceful Sleeper

 

As per usual, I want to start off by saying that the sleep needs of a 4 month old are going to vary. I will give you the “averages” but it’s important to know that some babies have higher sleep needs (meaning they need more sleep than what is average for their age) and some babies have lower sleep needs (meaning they need less sleep than what is average for their age). 

 

If you haven’t already, download my FREE newborn sleep guide. It’ll give you a good rundown on establishing good sleep for your newborn that you can print and keep with you! Download for free here 💤

 

Using these averages can be a very helpful starting point. You can then tweak your little’s one’s schedule to determine if they need more or less sleep. Our goal is always to optimize YOUR baby’s sleep. 

 

Average amount of daytime sleep for a 4 month old: 3.5 – 5 hours broken into 3-4 naps. 

 

Average amount of nighttime sleep for a 4 month old: 10 – 11 hours*

 

Average amount of total sleep per 24 hours for a 4 month old: 15 – 16 hours

 

*At the age of 4 months, we would expect nighttime sleep to be broken by night feedings. 3 feedings a night is totally normal at this stage. 

 

Keep in mind that 4 month old’s usually do best with 90 minute wake windows and up to a 2 hour wake window before bed.

 

 

What to expect for my 4 month old’s sleep? 

 

There are a few different things you can expect for your 4 month old’s sleep. 

Naps for 4 month olds

First of all, we are aiming for naps that are longer than 60 minutes. I know, it can be a real dumpster fire around this time, so don’t stress too much. Try and lengthen naps when you can, but call it and move on with your day if it’s not happening.

We are aiming for 3 solid naps however if naps were shorter and you are risking overtiredness, you can squeeze in a 4th cat nap or bump bedtime a little earlier. 

 

a 4 month old baby experiencing a sleep regression | The Peaceful Sleeper

 

Sleep Regression

Secondly, around 4 months old, your baby’s brain changes and they are now capable of deeper and more restorative sleep. The tricky part is getting into those deeper sleep cycles. 

 

Enter: the 4 month sleep regression

 

When your baby is a newborn, they can drift in and out of sleep pretty easily and they often have a strong sleep drive. They also are generally really good at napping just about anywhere. 

 

When the 4 month sleep regression hits, their brain has changed and they are ready for deeper and more restorative sleep cycles. The unpleasant part is that this is tricky for them and they need help to learn how to enter this deeper phase of sleep on their own. Once they learn to do this, they will be able to connect sleep cycles and stay asleep longer. 

 

If you haven’t already, download my FREE newborn sleep guide. It’ll give you a good rundown on establishing good sleep for your newborn that you can print and keep with you! Download for free here 💤

 

The 4 month sleep regression is hard to miss. It can look like: 

  • More night wakings
  • Crap naps: Short 30-40 minute naps 
  • Early morning wakings: Anytime before 6am is an early morning waking
  • False starts: Waking up very soon after you got them to sleep for the night
  • Very difficult to get your baby to sleep 
  • Suddenly have to be held for every nap and during the night 

 

The 4 month sleep regression can last anywhere from a few weeks to months. The best way through is to teach your baby independent sleep skills. This means you will be able to figure out their optimal sleep schedule, they will be able to initiate sleep on their own, and stay asleep through sleep cycles. Sounds delightful, doesn’t it!?  More on making this your reality, below! 

 

 

What should a 4 month old’s sleep schedule be including wake windows & naps? 

 

a mother following a schedule and putting her baby down for a nap | The Peaceful Sleeper

 

What your 4 month old’s sleep schedule SHOULD be, is a sleep schedule that works for them!

 

We know that babies are not robots, they don’t all fit into the same boxes, and it is our job to tune in, and meet their individual needs. 

 

That being said, when figuring out your little one’s optimal sleep schedule, it can often be helpful to have a starting point. It can also be helpful to see some different variations of 4 month old sleep schedules so you have different options to go off of. 

 

Remember, every baby is different and some have higher sleep needs and some have lower sleep needs. So check out the sample 4 month old sleep schedules below, and my hope is that you find the different potential options helpful in finding what works best for your baby. 👇

 

If you haven’t already, download my FREE newborn sleep guide. It’ll give you a good rundown on establishing good sleep for your newborn that you can print and keep with you! Download for free here 💤

 

4 month old sleep schedule: 3 solid naps 

 

Time  Length of Nap
Wake Up 7:00am 
1st Nap 8:30am – 10:00am 90 min 
2nd Nap 12:00pm- 2:00pm 120 min 
3rd Nap 4:00pm – 5:30pm 90 min 
Bedtime  7:30 pm 

Total Sleep: 16.5 hours

 

 

4 month old sleep schedule: for shorter naps and a cat nap: 

 

Time  Length of Nap
Wake Up 6:30am 
1st Nap 8:00am – 9:00am  60 min 
2nd Nap 11:00am – 1:00pm 120 min 
3rd Nap 3:00pm – 3:30 pm 30 min 
Cat Nap 5:15pm – 5:45pm 30 min 
Bedtime  7:45 pm 

Total Sleep: 14.75 hours

 

 

4 month old sleep schedule: lower sleep needs

 

Time  Length of Nap
Wake Up 6:00 am 
1st Nap 8:00 – 9:30am  90 min 
2nd Nap 12:00am – 1:00pm 60 min 
3rd Nap 3:30pm – 4:30 pm 60 min 
Bedtime  7:30 pm 

Total Sleep: 14 hours 

 

 

4 month old sleep schedule: higher sleep needs

 

Time  Length of Nap
Wake Up 8:00 am 
1st Nap 9:15 am -11:15am 120 min 
2nd Nap 1:00 pm – 3:30pm 90 min 
3rd Nap 5:00 pm- 6:00pm 60 min 
Bedtime  7:30 pm 

Total Sleep: 17 hours 

 

Keep in mind that 4 month olds usually do best with 90 minute wake windows and up to a 2 hour wake window before bed.

 

How can I improve my 4 month old’s sleep?

 

The best way to improve your 4 month old’s sleep schedule is to teach them independent sleep skills. 

 

So how does one do this? 

 

Our method for sleep learning is all about working with your baby, in their zone of proximal development, as you gradually release your level of interventions and support, all while tuning into your baby’s cues and signs of readiness.  

 

Improving 4 month old's sleep | The Peaceful Sleeper

 

The process of sleep learning is broken down into four phases. 

 

If you haven’t already, download my FREE newborn sleep guide. It’ll give you a good rundown on establishing good sleep for your newborn that you can print and keep with you! Download for free here 💤

 

Sleep Learning Phases:

 

1. Optimize your baby’s sleep schedule 

Every baby’s sleep needs are different. We want to optimize YOUR baby’s sleep so they are on a sleep schedule that is best for them. 

 

2. Independent sleep initiation 

Teaching your baby to put themselves to sleep at bedtime and naps independently. (How you go about doing this depends on what approach you choose. Our approaches range from accelerated to gradual approaches, and all are meant to be tailored to best suit you and your baby. 

 

3. Lengthen Naps

Teach your baby to connect sleep cycles and take 1-3 hour naps on their own, in their own sleep space. Lengthening naps is vital to great sleep!

 

4. Drop any unnecessary night wakings 

At this point in the learning process, most unnecessary night wakings have dropped all on their own! If there are any night wakings left and they are not for a feed that your baby needs, then the last phase of sleep learning is working on dropping them (if you want!) 

 

All of this, including the different approaches you can use, are fully laid out in my 4-24 Month Package. You also learn how to tailor whatever approach you choose to best fit you and your baby!

 

You can also hop on the phone with one of our amazing sleep consultants! They can give you the run down on all the approaches and help you create an individualized sleep plan that works best for your family!

 

We also offer daily check in support, as well as Zoom calls where we can watch the monitor with you, help you play detective and discern your baby’s cues so you know when and how to intervene. 

 

Bottom line is, 4 months is a great time to work on improving your baby’s sleep and find a sleep schedule that meets their individual sleep needs!

 

 

 

Recap on 4 month old sleep schedule, wake windows & naps  

 

Figuring out the optimal 4 month old sleep schedule for your little one is totally possible! It’s all about tuning into YOUR baby, playing detective and working to improve their sleep skills and habits. 

 

Of course, it can be tricky. Especially since the 4 month mark can feel like mile 23 of a marathon. 

 

We are here to help! If you prefer a more DIY approach, my video course and guide pack are for you! We also offer tons of different support options for working one on one with a sleep consultant.

You can check out all those support options here, or hop on a free call with me so I can help you figure out the best level of support for you! We also have a hybrid option where you get the video course and guide pack plus an hour consultation to ask questions and fine tune your plan. 

 

I promise, every baby can get better sleep. We’ve got you! 

 

If you haven’t already, download my FREE newborn sleep guide. It’ll give you a good rundown on establishing good sleep for your newborn that you can print and keep with you! Download for free here 💤

 

Just trying to get ahead and still have a 3 month old? Learn all about 3 month old wake windows.

Christine Lawler

Christine Lawler

MS, LMFT, Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant

Hi! I’m so glad you’re here! I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, practicing for over 13 years. I’ve set out to do ALL of the research and I created a method to optimize baby sleep that is tuned in, empowering and WORKS. There absolutely should be joy in motherhood, and I have learned that every baby CAN get better sleep!

Read more about my team here.

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