One of the biggest keys to improving your baby’s sleep is determining their ideal window of wakefulness. More than just a buzzword, the window dictates how easy or difficult sleep will be to come by, as well as how sound the sleep will be and how long it will last. Our sleep team has outlined everything you need to know to start pinning each window down and nailing it as often as possible.
What is a Wake Window?
The wake window, or window of wakefulness, refers to how long your baby can comfortably remain awake before becoming overtired and developing a hormone driven second wind. This second wind can cause a baby to
fight or skip a sleep period and/or shrink the duration of that sleep period.
Think of your baby’s level of tiredness as a
wave in the ocean and yourselves as surfers- you want to paddle into that wave (wind baby down for sleep) as it is building, not after it has peaked. We are aiming to ride the wave smoothly, without crashing into it.
Should I Follow Baby’s Cues or the Clock?
Some babies are obvious and reliable with their sleepy cues. When they yawn, rub their eyes and become fussy, their wave is building and acting on those cues will bring a smooth result. However, most of the babies we work with are “tricky” babies. These are babies who show cues inconsistently, mask their sleepy cues until they can’t anymore and are already overtired, or who show no cues at all. If sleep is historically rough when you follow baby’s lead,
you probably have a tricky baby.
In that case, you want to start the wind down routine
ahead of when baby usually becomes fussy and that may require being more of a clock watcher. If that yields a smoother result, it is fine (and ideal!) to start baby’s sleep routine while they are still looking and acting totally fine. That just truly works best for many.
Where Should I Count From?
Since we are counting how much time has elapsed since baby last woke (the amount of sleep pressure or drive they have built up to fall asleep easily), count from when they woke -
not from when you physically removed them from their sleep space.
What are Common Wake Windows by Age?
Wake windows increase often, with age. Young babies tend to have one window that repeats all day long while older babies will have shorter windows in the morning and longer ones later in the day. In which case you will be working with different maximums in each spot.
While every baby is different, here are some window ranges you can experiment with to start. Aim to have your baby ready to fall asleep by these marks, rather than heading up to start the process or being in the midst it at the goal times:
0-2 Months: Asleep by the 45-60 minute mark and the same window likely repeats all day
3 months: Asleep by the 60-75 minute mark and the same window likely repeats all day
4-5 Months:
Asleep by the 90-120 minute mark and the same window may or may not repeat all day
6-9 Months: Asleep by the 2-3 hour mark and each window may vary at this age with the shortest ones being early in the day
8-9 Months: Probably a 2-3-4 window pattern meaning, asleep by the 2 hour mark for nap one, the 3 hour mark for nap three, and the 4 hour mark for bedtime
14 Months - 2 Years:
Asleep by the 5 hour mark for nap and bedtime and occasionally 6 for some
Don't Ignore the Clock
Some sources will tell you that, as baby grows older, the windows go out the window (pun intended!) in favor of a clock schedule. It really depends on the child. Some are more clock driven while others are more window driven and, while age can determine that, so can temperament and how sensitive a child is to small variances in elapsed awake time. Some of us have the kind of baby who will continue to need to make small adjustments in clock times each day, rather than shifting to a set clock schedule.
Additionally, wake windows are only half the picture. Every child has their own internal clock (circadian rhythm) that dictates what ranges on the clock will yield the smoothest sleep. Meaning, we can’t follow the window but ignore the clock - we need to balance both. For example, a 4 month old with a 90 minute max window should be asleep for bedtime within the 6:30-7:30pm range for the smoothest result. If you nail the 90 minute window but put baby down at 9pm, sleep will probably still be messy. If you need to cap one sleep period (wake your baby) to protect the fact that they can have their ideal amount of wake time but still feel appropriately sleepy within a specific clock range, that is what you should do.
How Do I Know if Baby’s Windows Are Changing?
If your baby was previously falling asleep quickly and easily but is now taking upwards of 15-20 minutes or more to fall asleep, happily or unhappily, it is likely time to make an adjustment. A few words of caution:
* Wait until baby is struggling to fall asleep
repeatedly, in the same spot, before adjusting. Anything can cause a one off struggle and we don’t want to adjust if an adjustment isn’t needed.
* Don’t assume all spots need to adjust at once. Only adjust any spot where it is taking baby longer than usual or involving more drama than usual.
* Adjust by about how long it is taking and compare. If the result is smoother, you have the new window for that spot. If there is still a period of struggle, adjust one more time by how long the struggle is lasting.
For example, let’s say your 4 month old was falling asleep easily and quickly when put down (or assisted to sleep) by or just before the 90 minute mark. Then you gradually notice that, at bedtime, they are now babbling, rolling around, or fussing and crying for 15-30 minutes for the past 3 or 4 nights. As an experiment, increase the problematic window by 15 minutes and compare how bedtime goes. If baby is again falling asleep quickly and easily, 105 minutes is the new bedtime window (even if earlier windows are still maxing out at 90 minutes). If it still takes 15 minutes, especially if drama is involved, try another 15 minute delay, and compare how bedtime goes. If baby is again falling asleep quickly and easily, 120 minutes is the new bedtime window (even if earlier windows are still maxing out at 90-105 minutes). Adjusting only the spots that are problematic and only in small increments at a time, you should be able to determine baby’s new sweet spot(s) for sleep!
If all else fails our sleep team is at the ready to help you track and troubleshoot sleep timing or any other sleep challenge. Schedule a discovery call to learn more about our support options.