4-month-old sleep schedule: Tips, naps and bedtime

Whether your child is sleeping soundly or it feels like they will never sleep through the night, here’s everything you need to know about a four-month old’s sleep.

We spoke to Theresa Ross, a sleep therapist and clinical nurse specialist in paediatric sleep services at Evelina Children's hospital, about the ideal sleep schedule for a four-month-old, dealing with ‘sleep regressions’, and the ideal bedtime routine.

How much sleep should a 4-month-old get?

“On average, babies require about 15 hours of sleep in a 24-hour period,” Theresa says.

Typically, this looks like 10-11 hours of sleep at night, and three to four hours during the day, spread out over three or four naps.

This is obviously a lot more than adults, but there’s a good reason why.

“Sleep is important for the rapid physical growth that occurs during this stage and throughout childhood,” Theresa says. “It's essential for brain development. It has been suggested that large amount of REM sleep experienced by infants is important for the processing of all the new information they are encountering.”

Understanding wake windows at four months

Because they need all of this sleep, babies get tired much quicker than adults do, too. They usually need to sleep again after being awake for anywhere between 1.5 and three hours — although this will vary from baby to baby, and from day to day.

This informs their ‘wake windows,’ or the time babies can stay awake between naps/sleeps during the day. This time increases as they get older.

Wake windows are determined by a chemical called adenosine which slowly starts to increase as soon as they wake up. As levels of adenosine rise in their bodies, so does their ‘sleep drive,’ or ‘sleep pressure,’ which allows them to feel tired enough to fall asleep

It makes sense that a too-long wake window can lead to an over-tired baby, but leaving too-short period between naps can backfire, too. If you put them to bed when their sleep drive hasn’t built up enough, they can start to associate bedtimes with negative experiences of not being able to sleep.

To figure out when your baby is getting to the end of their wake window, Theresa says to look out for the following signs:

• Rubbing their eyes or ears
• Snuggling into you
• Avoiding stimulating objects
• Becoming fussy or grizzly
• Staring off into space

Sleep schedule for a four-month-old baby

Exact timings for your baby’s sleep schedule will depend on them and what works best for your family. But here’s a sample nap schedule for a four-month-old baby.

• 7am: Wake up
• 8:45-10am: Nap 1
• 11:45-1:45pm: Nap 2
• 3:30-5pm: Nap 3
• 7pm: Bedtime

“Late naps can lead to later bedtimes,” Theresa says. “For instance, if your baby takes a 60 min. nap around 3pm, you might want to start the bedtime routine around 7:30 or 8 p.m.”

“There isn't a one-size-fits-all answer, but many families find that bedtimes between 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. work well.”

Bedtime routine

There’s no one bedtime routine that works for all children. But following a consistent set of steps that fit into your and your family’s schedules can signal to your child that it’s time to wind down and help calm them into being ready for sleep.

Theresa’s biggest tips for a bedtime routine include:

• Have some calming time before a bath, when you can spend some time talking quietly, singing, or reading to your baby.
• Have a relaxing bath, lasting five to 10 minutes. “If possible, do not return to the family room after bath time as this may be too stimulating for baby,” Theresa says.
• Give your baby a gentle five-minute massage to soothe them — this is also great for bonding. Keep the lights low during it, Theresa says.
• Give your baby a cuddle and kisses after their final feed.
• Make sure to place your baby in their cot while they are “drowsy but still awake,” Theresa says, to encourage self-soothing. “If you feed your baby just before bed, they may fall asleep during feeding. If this happens, gently wake them up so they are awake when laid down in the cot.”
• “If possible, share the bedtime routine with your partner so your baby doesn't become reliant on just one person for putting them to sleep,” she says.

MadeForMums has the ultimate advice on how to craft the perfect bedtime routine, with expert-backed tips and ideas.

Dealing with sleep regression?

If your baby was snoozing happily and suddenly starts waking more, struggling to settle or taking shorter naps, you may have hit the ‘four-month sleep regression.’

This isn’t an actual medical term or a problem — it’s just a phrase parents have coined for a common change in sleep habits at around four months.

Theresa explains: ““Sleep regression” is a term used to describe a change in a baby’s sleep pattern, from settled to less settled. It does not actually mean that your child’s sleep has regressed.”

In fact, it’s a sign of progress. Around four months, babies’ brains and bodies are going through big developmental changes. They become more aware of their surroundings, more easily distracted, and may wake hungry during growth spurts. Illness, teething, vaccinations, or shifts in routine (like starting nursery or a parent returning to work) can also play a role.

Signs of the four-month sleep regression:

• More frequent night wakings
• Taking longer to fall asleep
• Fussiness or crying at bedtime
• Shorter naps or unsettled nap patterns

The good news: it’s short-lived. “Such changes occur throughout childhood for a variety of reasons, just as they do with adult sleep,” Theresa says. “It may require you to change feeding schedules, delay bedtime a little or take a little longer in helping them to settle to sleep. However, if you keep to your routine, the negative changes will not last too long.”

Read more:

• 3-month-old sleep schedule: Naps, bedtime and tips
• Is it safe to start weaning at 4 or 5 months?
• Self-soothing – why your baby needs this skill to sleep well