4 Month Old Sleep Schedule

It can be super tricky to pin down a great 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. 

It can be really helpful to know what the average sleep needs are for a 4 month old, what sleep during this time generally looks like, some options for sleep schedules, and of course, suggestions for how to improve and optimize your little one’s sleep. 

Of course, every baby is different. Sleep needs differ between 4 month olds and optimal schedules will be different. 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 a 4 month old sleep schedule could look like, so you can tweak and tailor things to best fit YOUR baby. 

How much should a 4 month old sleep? 

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). 

Using these averages can be a very helpful starting point. You can then tweak your baby’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 months 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. 

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 are shorter and you are risking overtiredness, you can squeeze in a 4th cat nap or bump bedtime a little earlier. 

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’re 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. 

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 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 by sleep training/sleep learning. This means you will be able to figure out their optimal sleep schedule, they will be able to initiate sleep on their own AND they will 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? 

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’s our job to tune in, and meet their individual needs. 

That being said, when figuring out your 4 month old’s 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. 

Check out the 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. 

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	7:30 pm

Total Sleep: 15 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 

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

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 to sleep, all while tuning into your baby’s cues and signs of readiness.  

The process of sleep learning is broken down into four 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 method includes 4 approaches that range from “cry it out” to “no cry it out”, 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. 

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!) 

You can find all of this in our app, or in my national bestselling book. 

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 and help you play detective and discern your baby’s cues so you know when and how to intervene. 

The 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  

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 DIY approach, grab my book. If you want some support and an amazing community, join us in the app. Or we’d love to work one-on-one with you!

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