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The Best Wake Windows for 7 Month Olds: Plus Sample Sleep Schedules
- Chrissy Lawler
- Jun 13, 2023
- 4 min read
Figuring out the wake windows for a 7 month old can be tricky, especially considering your baby is sandwiched right in between the 6 month sleep regression and the 8 month sleep regression.Have no fear! This blog post is here to help you figure out the perfect wake windows and create the optimal sleep schedule for your 7 month old.In this blog post, I’m going to talk about:Now let’s get into it!
What is a wake window?
If you’ve been around here for a while, you know I talk about wake windows a lot. But what are they?
Wake windows are the amount of time between when your baby wakes up (either in the morning or from a nap) and goes back to sleep (either for a nap or at bedtime). Figuring the wake windows for your 7 month old is key to figuring out a sleep schedule that works for them.
If you want to read more about wake windows, click here…I’ve got an entire blog post about them!
How much should a 7 month old sleep?
The most important thing to remember when talking about a baby’s sleep needs is the fact that the sleep needs of one baby are going to be different than another baby. This is true even when they are the same age!
Repeat after me, “There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to baby sleep!”
The chart below shows what the average sleep needs are for a 7 month old baby. This is super helpful because it can give you a good starting point in your journey of figuring out your baby’s optimal sleep needs. Keep in mind, some babies will have higher sleep needs than others, and some will have lower sleep needs than others!
What should I expect for my 7 month old’s sleep?
Around 7 months is when your baby may be ready to drop to 2 solid naps a day. If your baby is still on 3 naps a day and you’re wondering how to know when it’s time to drop to 2, check out my blog post, “Dropping Naps: Everything You Need to Know.”
At this age, most babies have one or no night feedings. If your baby is still waking more than once to feed, there may be something else going on:
Sleep Regression:
As I mentioned earlier, your 7 month old is sandwiched right between the 6 and 8 month sleep regressions. A TON of growth and development is going on during this time, which is often the culprit!
They are super excited about learning all of those fun new skills, that their brains are just wired for. Because they really do need their sleep, it's all this excitement that might be causing the regression.
Teething:
If your baby hasn’t started already, teething could also be on the horizon. With all those new teeth popping up (and they usually do 2 or 4 at a time), you can expect your baby’s sleep to be disrupted anywhere from 2-14 days.
What should a 7 month old’s sleep schedule be?
As always, my goal is to help YOUR baby optimize THEIR sleep. There isn’t one 7 month old sleep schedule that will work for every single baby…remember, some babies have higher sleep needs and some have lower sleep needs.
Here are several different sleep schedules that you can follow (or just use as guides or starting points) while on the journey to optimize your 7 month old’s sleep. Find the one that looks closest to your baby’s sleep needs and make adjustments as needed!
7 Month Old Sleep Schedule for a Solid 2 Nap Day:
Total Sleep: 14.5 Hours
7 Month Old Sleep Schedule for Early Wake Up:
Total Sleep: 14.5 Hours
7 Month Old Sleep Schedule for Solid 2 Naps and a Cat Nap:
Total Sleep: 14.5 Hours
7 Month Old Sleep Schedule for Low Sleep Needs Baby:
Total Sleep: 13.5 Hours
7 Month Old Sleep Schedule for High Sleep Needs Baby:
Total Sleep: 16 hours
How can I improve my 7 month old’s sleep schedule?
If you feel like your little one is struggling to get the sleep they need, the best thing to do is make sure they have solid independent sleep skills.
Having independent sleep skills means that your baby can initiate sleep all on their own. The good news is that it’s never too late to start sleep learning. If you want to learn more about the sleep learning process, click here to read my blog post all about it!
There’s no perfect sleep schedule, so experimenting with these different sample schedules and tuning into your baby’s specific sleep needs can help you find the one that’s most optimal for THEM and their wake windows at 7 months old.
Recap on Wake Windows for 7 Month Olds & Sleep Schedules
I hope that the information and sample schedules in this blog can give you more confidence when it comes to understanding wake windows for your 7 month old and building the perfect sleep schedule for them…because it is totally possible!
Know that you do NOT have to figure this out on your own! This is why consultations are incredible. We offer everything from phone consultations to in-home support. Let us help you optimize your baby’s (and your) sleep!
Ps. If you want to get a jump start on future potential sleep schedules for your baby, I also have sample schedules for 8, 9, and 10 month olds!
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