1 Month Old Sleep Schedule
In the very first month of your baby’s life, you and baby are both going through a lot of growing and learning. Having a newborn might be one of the most exciting yet challenging experiences you’ve faced so far. There is a seemingly constant flurry of feedings, sleeping, and diaper changes that fill your day.
In this article, I will share a sample 1 month old sleep schedule. But first, it’s important to set the right expectations. Many parents are in complete survival mode with their 1 month old baby, and that is perfectly normal. This can be an exhausting season of life. When you think about a sleep schedule for your 1 month old, it’s important to think more about a flexible pattern and routine as opposed to a rigid, fixed schedule.
Knowing the basics of newborn sleep and some guidelines can be very helpful for shaping the building blocks for great sleep in your 1 month old. While there will be a lot of variation at this age, it’s absolutely possible to get a great routine set up for your baby that will help ensure quality sleep that will fuel their growth and development. Let’s dive in.
1 Month Old Sleep Schedule
Newborn Sleep Schedule
Typical Baby Sleep Needs and Wake Windows at 1 Month Old
While each individual baby is different, it’s very helpful to know what you can likely expect for a 1 month old baby based on their age and development. Here are some guidelines for sleep needs at 1 months old.
Total Sleep: Most 1 month old babies need between 16 and 20 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period. This includes both overnight sleep and daytime naps.
Wake Windows: Most 1 month old babies have a maximum wake time (also called a “wake window”) of 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes. As baby gets closer to 6 - 7 weeks old, this may increase slightly to about 90 minutes. Once they are awake for that length of time, they will become fussy and overtired if they do not go to sleep.
Tip: the maximum wake time is measured from the end of one period of sleep to the start of the next (ex: end of 1st nap to beginning of 2nd nap). You may notice the wake windows are shorter in the morning and longer later in the day. You may also notice they are shorter as baby approaches 1 months and then lengthen out as baby nears 2 months old.
Nap Length and Number of Naps: Naps at this age vary widely in length. You can expect a 1 month old baby to have 5 - 9 naps throughout the day.
Nighttime Wakings: it is completely normal and expected that your 1 month old baby will be waking up multiple times a night at this age. Your pediatrician may even be instructing you to wake your baby for feeds every 3 - 4 hours to ensure proper weight gain.
At this age, babies still have newborn-like sleep patterns. This will all change around 4 months old when they go through a major biological change that is sometimes referred to as the 4 month sleep regression (read more about that here).
Tips for Better Sleep at 1 Month Old
One of the best things you can do for your 1 month old baby is ensure you’re covering all the basics to set them up for great sleep and healthy development. These include an optimal sleep environment and following signs for hunger to ensure full feeds and tiredness to ensure adequate sleep. Here are some tips:
Optimal Room Temperature: 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit is the best room temperature for baby sleep. This temperature ensures baby does not get too warm overnight and allows for dressing them in layers, including a swaddle. If you want to learn more about how to dress your baby for sleep, click here.
Sound Machine: use a sound machine to create a soothing sleep environment for naps and sleep that mimics what they heard in the womb. This can also drown out any household noise.
Swaddle: using a swaddle can provide comfort by re-creating the cramped, cozy feeling of being in the womb and help prevent the startle (Moro) reflex from waking your baby.
Feed Baby When Hungry and Ensure Adequate Daytime Feeds: your 1 will need to feed frequently throughout the day and even at night. At 1 months, they should be fed every 2-3 hours during the day (or as directed by your pediatrician). This helps ensure they receive most of their calories during the day. It will eventually allow them to consolidate sleep overnight and not rely on nighttime feedings for nutrition. For now, be sure you know how to identify signs that your baby is hungry. Feeding your baby when they show signs of hunger and not letting them go more than 3 hours between feeds during the day is a great approach that works for many families.
Follow Wake Windows & Learn Signs For Tiredness: overtired babies fight sleep, so it’s important you pay attention to the wake windows noted above to ensure your newborn does not become overtired. Putting them down for sleep at an appropriate wake window and when they are showing the first sign of tiredness will ensure optimal naps and overnight sleep. Learn the signs for tiredness here if you aren’t familiar yet.
Start A Bedtime Routine: Establishing a simple bedtime routine can help your baby learn it’s time to go down to sleep. This can be as simple as diaper change, PJs on, read a short book, swaddle on, white noise on, and down to sleep. Over time, a bedtime routine becomes a powerful cue for your baby that it’s time to sleep.
1 Month Old Sleep Can Be Variable: baby is still incredibly young, so don’t put pressure on yourself and your baby to have a perfect schedule and sleep yet. It’s completely normal for there to be a lot of variation and for the schedule to look a bit different each day. Focusing on establishing a flexible routine rather than a rigid schedule is important.
1 Month Old Sample Sleep Schedule
Here is what a typical daily schedule, including both overnight sleep and naps, may look like for a 1 month old baby. Keep in mind the schedule can vary depending on the family’s schedule (ex: preferred morning wake time). You can adjust the specific times of this schedule to meet your needs. Be sure to look at the tips below to help you and your baby with great sleep at 1 months old.
7:00am - morning wake up
8:00am - nap #1
10:00am - nap #2
1:00pm - nap #3
4:00pm - nap #4
7:00pm - nap #5
9:30pm - bedtime
Note that newborn “bedtimes” are often a fairly late, and you will likely have multiple overnight feedings in addition to the sample daytime schedule above.
Importantly, the schedule for a 1 month old baby can very from day to day—it’s critical that you focus not just on the clock but also on cues for sleepiness and hunger, wake windows, and your baby’s nap lengths that specific day. The schedule above is something you should use as an example rather than something you try to follow exactly.
HOW TO IMPLEMENT YOUR 1 MONTH SLEEP SCHEDULE
First Set A Morning Wake Time: To customize your schedule for you and your baby, I recommend deciding first what time you want to start your baby’s day. You can then build the rest of the schedule based on the preferred morning wake time. The example above uses 7am, however, you can set the morning wake time to whatever works best for your family.
Short Naps: Short naps are very common at 1 months old, so if your baby’s naps are shorter, they may need more than 5 naps per day in order to get their total recommended sleep within a 24 hour period. As baby gets older, daytime naps will continue consolidating into fewer naps that are longer. There can still be quite a bit of variability at 1 months old.
Wake Windows and Cues for Tiredness Matter More Than The Clock: if your baby gets “off schedule” by having a short nap (which they will!), you can quickly modify the schedule. Once they wake up from their nap, the new wake window has begun, and baby will need to go down for sleep as soon as they show signs of sleepy cues between 45 and 75 minutes of when they woke up.
Flexibility Is Important: Life (and sleep!) can be unpredictable at 1 month old. Be sure to follow wake windows, watch for cues for tiredness and hunger, and adjust the schedule based on your baby’s naps that day. A flexible mindset and approach to baby sleep at this age is incredibly important!
Final Thoughts
By setting up a sleep-friendly environment, establishing consistent routines, and being responsive to your baby’s cues, you can help your newborn develop better sleep patterns and habits. Remember that flexibility is important—what works today might need adjusting tomorrow. Keep the focus on creating a calm, nurturing environment that promotes healthy sleep for your little one.
If you want to learn more details about exactly how to do this, I dive deeper in my eBook, The Ultimate Guide To Better Baby Sleep. It’s a no-crying, gentle approach to creating healthy sleep patterns and habits specially designed for babies aged birth through 3 months so that you can breeze right through the 4 month sleep regression with minimal, if any, disruption to your baby’s sleep. Click here to learn more.
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