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3 month old sleep

schedule: Bedtime and nap
schedule
Amber LoRe - Sleep Consultant / Pediatric Sleep

Consultant
/ Updated Sep 03, 2021

While your baby’s outgrowing newborn

diapers and clothes, they’re also outgrowing
their newborn sleep patterns. Between 3 - 4
months, you may notice some big
differences in your baby’s sleep, like
increased night waking and shorter naps.

Thank the circadian rhythm (a.k.a. your

internal clock) for this change; it’s
undergoing a maturation process that results
in additional sleep cycles for your baby, and
that often translates to disrupted sleep.
Don’t fret - following the right schedule can
improve sleep!

IN THIS ARTICLE

• How much should a 3 month old

sleep?

• Sample 3 month old sleep schedule

• Naptime schedule for 3 month old

• Bedtime for a 3 month old

• 3 month old baby sleep FAQ

How much should a 3

month old sleep?
At this age most babies need at least 15
hours of total sleep in a 24-hour period.
Ideally we’ll see at least 10 hours of sleep at
night, and 3 - 5 naps a day, though there’s
still a lot of variation at this age. Getting
enough sleep remains an important part of
baby development.

[Note: for children who were born early, we

go by their adjusted age for sleep
development.]

Top sleep tip for 3 month olds

Go ahead and introduce a comfort object (or

“lovey”) at this age. Even though we don’t
recommend taking it into their sleep space
with them yet (for safety reasons), you can
use it during pre-sleep routines so your baby
can start developing an attachment to it.

Sleep fact for 3 month old babies

Although many parents are ready for more

predictability at this age, most babies still
need naps based upon how long they’ve
been awake for (otherwise known as wake
windows), rather than set times “by the
clock.”

Sample 3 month old sleep

schedule

Note: Sleep needs vary by child and this

chart should be viewed as an example.

Naptime schedule for 3

month old

How long should a 3 month old

nap?

Ideally your 3 month old will get 4 - 5 hours

of day sleep on average, broken up into 3 -
5 naps. Short naps are still developmentally
appropriate at this age, so it’s common to
see 30 - 45 minute naps, as well as longer 1 -
2 hour naps.

How many naps for a 3 month

old?

Most 3 month olds take 3 - 5 naps per day. If

your baby regularly takes longer naps, their
wake windows will likely be longer, meaning
they may be comfortable with just 3 naps a
day.

On the other hand, if your baby only has a

bunch of short catnaps all day, they could
need 5 naps in order to comfortably make it
to bedtime. At this age we expect babies to
need a nap after 60 - 120 minutes of awake
time.

Want optimal nap time predictions?

Continue to pay attention to your

baby’s sleep cues (getting quiet/still,
staring off into space, putting their
head down on you) and the amount
of awake time in order to determine
the best nap time. You can also use
Huckleberry’s SweetSpot to take the
guesswork out of optimal sleep times.

Install now

Check out this sample 4-nap schedule,

keeping in mind that it's just that - a sample.
Your baby’s day may look quite different,
which is expected and okay!

4-nap schedule

Morning rise 7:00 AM

1st nap 8:15 AM - 9:30 AM

(1.25 hour nap)
1.25 hours of
awake time before
1st nap

2nd nap 11:00 AM - 12:30

PM (1.5 hour nap)
1.5 hours of awake
time before 2nd
nap

3rd nap 2:15 PM - 3:45 (1.5

hour nap) 1.75
hours of awake
time before 3rd
nap

4th nap 5:30 PM - 6:00 (30

minute nap) 1.75
hours of awake
time before 4th
nap

Get ready for bed 7:30 PM

Asleep 8:00 PM 2 hours of

awake time before
bed

Bedtime for a 3 month old

What time should a 3 month old

go to bed?

At this age, we start to see bedtimes shift

earlier. Plan for bedtime to be 12 - 14 hours
after waking for the day, but no earlier than
6:00 PM. That means an optimal bedtime for
a baby waking around 6:00 AM will be
between 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM.

Bedtime will still depend on how many naps

your baby takes, and how long they can
comfortably stay awake. Most 3 month olds
have a wake window range that’s between 1
- 2 hours long. Babies taking fewer naps (3 -
4 per day) will generally need an earlier
bedtime than babies taking 5 naps a day.

3 month old baby sleep

FAQ

Q: Can a 3 month old baby sleep

through the night?

A: Most babies this age will continue to wake

during the night for feedings. Consult
with your pediatrician and/or lactation
consultant if you have questions regarding
the appropriate amount of feedings per
night for your three month old.

Q: How often do 3 month old

babies sleep?

A: Typically, most babies this age have a

wake window of 60 - 120 minutes,
meaning they may need to sleep after just
an hour of awake time. Aim for at least 15
hours of sleep during a 24-hour period
(between 3 - 5 naps a day).

Q: How much nighttime sleep for a

3 month old?

A: Target 10 - 12 hours of night sleep,

including wakings for feedings.

Q: How much awake time for a 3

month old?

A: The majority of 3 month olds need sleep

after an awake period of 60 - 120 minutes,
depending on the time of day. The
amount of awake time tends to be shorter
in the morning, and lengthens throughout
the day.

The last wake window is usually the

longest stretch of awake time during the
day, which means your baby will probably
sleep best with 90 - 120 minutes of awake
time in between the last nap and
bedtime.

Q: How much daytime sleep for a 3

month old?

A: Your infant’s sleep habits will still be a bit

unpredictable at this age. Aim for 4 - 5
hours of day sleep over the course of 3 - 5
naps.

Q: My 3 month old’s sleep is all over

the place. How do I get a more
predictable schedule?

A: If you’d like to work on regulating your

baby’s schedule, the best thing you can
do is to aim for a consistent morning
wake-up time. Ideally the morning wake
time will be within the same 30 minute
window each morning.
If your baby sometimes wakes at 6:00 AM,
and other times sleeps in until 8:00 AM,
you might feel momentary tears of joy on
those later mornings, however, the
variation in the waking time can lead to a
lot of unpredictability when it comes to
planning naps and bedtime.

Q: My 3 month old’s sleep is

suddenly different. Is this a
regression?

A: Between 3 - 4 months, your baby’s

circadian rhythm will mature, resulting in a
change in the stages and cycles of sleep
(they’ll no longer sleep like a newborn,
and instead have patterns similar to an
adult). This is often referred to as the “4
month sleep regression.” You can read
more about pediatric sleep patterns and
the 4 month sleep regression here.

Don’t let another sleepless night

pass you by

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just days away from a custom, easy-
to-follow plan for your family - and all
at an affordable cost. We’re a sleep
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