Unlocking Baby Sleep Secrets: Understanding wake windows
Welcoming a new baby into the world is a magical experience, but it often comes with the challenge of understanding their sleep patterns. One concept that can be a game changer in baby's sleep is the idea of wake windows. Wake windows were something that I had no concept of with our first daughter and I wish that I had!
In this post, we'll chat about what wake windows are, why they matter, and how you can use this knowledge to promote better sleep for your little one.
What are Wake Windows?
Wake windows refer to the length of time a baby can comfortably stay awake between sleep periods without becoming overtired. These windows vary depending on the baby's age, with younger infants having shorter wake windows and older babies being able to stay awake for longer stretches. If baby is under 4 months old, I like to start counting the wake window from the time they open their eyes, until the time you lay them down again. For babies 4 months and older, I start counting the wake window from the time that baby was actually picked up out of their crib and ending at the time you lay them down again.
Wake windows include everything your baby does when they are awake and out of their beds, including feeds, diaper changes, play time, running errands with parents, bath time, and even the bedtime routine.
Why are Wake Windows Important?
Understanding wake windows is crucial for several reasons. First and foremost, keeping your baby within their appropriate wake window helps prevent them from becoming overtired, which can make it harder for them to fall asleep and stay asleep. Overtiredness often leads to a rise in cortisol (stress hormones), which causes more frequent night wakings and shorter naps, creating a cycle of poor sleep for both baby and parent. On the opposite end of the spectrum, wake windows help prevent us from putting babies to sleep when they are undertired. Undertired babies can struggle to fall asleep and may only take short naps.
Respecting your baby's wake windows can help your baby fall asleep easier and sleep longer and more consolidated stretches, which is beneficial for their overall sleep health. Consistency in sleep patterns helps regulate their circadian rhythm and reinforces good sleep habits from an early age.
How to Identify and Utilize Wake Windows:
1. Observe Your Baby: This one is important for newborns. Every baby is unique, so it's essential to observe your little one's behavior to determine their individual wake windows. Look for signs of tiredness such as yawning, rubbing eyes, or becoming fussy, and aim to start the bedtime or nap-time routine before these cues escalate.
2. Once a baby is over 4 months old, sleepy cues aren’t as accurate and can be difficult to get right. Use a wake window chart to guide you so that you know the specific ranges based on your child’s age.
3. It’s important to remember that some babies have higher sleep needs than others their age. For a 4 month old, the wake window chart may state 90 min-2 hour. It’s important to play around with the timing to find what is going to work best for YOUR specific child. You may find that 2 hours is too long for them or that 90 minutes is too short.
4. Be Flexible: While it's essential to respect your baby's wake windows, it's also important to be flexible and responsive to their needs. Some days, they may need to nap sooner or sleep longer than usual, and that's okay. Listen to your baby and adjust their sleep schedule as needed.
How to know if you’re nailing your baby’s wake windows:
Nailing your baby’s wake windows involves observation and a little bit of trial and error. If your baby is falling asleep at nap time and bedtime within 5-20 minutes, waking up happy, and have good energy to sustain them through wake times, you’re probably hitting the mark. You’ll also want to keep an eye on their naps and how well they are napping. Often both too short of a wake window and too long of a wake window can lead to those 30-minute cat naps. If baby is consistently taking longer naps, their wake window is probably right for them. Wake windows evolve and change as they grow so you’ll want to regularly reassess and fine-tune your routine every couple of weeks to ensure optimal sleep.
What activities should I do with baby to keep them awake during their wake window?
Feeding
Feeding time should be included within your baby’s wake window. Babies need about 24-32 oz over a 24 hour period. Try to optimize that day and get as many calories in during the daytime, so that baby won’t need to take as many during the night. Aim for FULL feedings every 2.5 - 3 hours during the day. I like to follow a eat, awake, sleep pattern so baby is fully awake and not falling asleep at the feed.
Tummy time/ floor time
Babies need free play time for their overall development. This can be as simple as laying a blanket down on the floor and placing some toys around for them to reach for. I love using small mirrors as a tummy time toy as well. Babies enjoy looking at their own reflection in the mirror.
The only benefit of free play time is that it uses up some energy. Similar to adults, baby isn’t good to sleep well if they haven’t had enough stimulation or burnt enough energy that day.
Head outside
Hello sunshine and vitaman D! Take your baby on a walk or even lay a blanket down on the ground for them. Sun exposure has so many benefits including being responsible for regulating our circadian rhythm. Exposure to natural sunlight, especially in the morning, keeps their hormones in check, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Talk to your baby and engage with interactive games
Even if baby can’t respond yet, talking to them frequently and playing games like peek-a-boo with them, is so good for their development. Sometimes to distract my own babies, I’d walk around the house pointing out objects to them and repeating the word for the object.
How do I extend my baby’s wake windows?
Wake windows change rapidly in baby’s first year of life. If you notice that suddenly your child has been taking longer to fall asleep at nap time and/ or bedtime, and they seem to just be playing in their crib instead of sleeping, it’s probably time to start extending their wake windows. I like to start slowly increasing in 15 minute increments for a couple of days to let them get adjusted.
What should my child’s wake window be for their age?
Are wake windows important for toddlers?
Most toddlers over 18 months are down to a one nap schedule so we don’t focus on wake windows as much. However, it’s still important to get their schedule right. We want to ensure they have built enough sleep pressure to fall asleep at naptime and bedtime but we want to try to keep them from becoming overtired.
Typically until age 4, I like to see 5-6 hours of awake time before nap time and then another 4-5 hours of awake time before bedtime. If your toddler skipped nap or took a shorter than normal nap, it is important to incorporate an earlier bedtime to compensate for that missed sleep.
Example 1 nap schedule:
7:00am Wake
12:30-2:30 Nap
7:00pm Bedtime
Around age 2, many toddlers go through a “nap strike”. This is just a temporary phase and parents should keep attempting and encouraging the nap each day. On the days where the nap is skipped completely, I’d make bedtime as early as 6pm. Sleep promotes sleep, so the earlier bedtime will be important for getting your child to sleep better and long through the night.
I follow age appropriate wake windows but my child is still struggling with short naps and/or night wakings
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