5 Month Old Sleep Schedule: Sample Schedules on 4 and 3 Naps

The Quick Answer

A 5 month old usually needs 3 to 4 hours of naps a day, spread over 4 naps moving to 3, plus 11 to 12 hours overnight. The wake window is about 2 hours, and most babies take a full feed about every 4 hours. Bedtime follows the last nap, and it often moves earlier when your baby drops from 4 naps to 3. Below you'll find a sample day on each.

Parents often ask me for a 5 month old sleep schedule, and I understand why. I remember being a first-time parent and wanting a frame of reference for where my baby stood. But I don't love fixed schedules where 9:00 a.m. is nap time every day. They assume you can control how long your baby naps, and at 5 months you can't. Naps are changing, your baby may be dropping from 4 naps to 3, and a teething night can throw off the next day completely.

I'm Sarah Mitchell, founder of Helping Babies Sleep and author of The Helping Babies Sleep Method. Instead of a fixed schedule, I teach parents a flexible schedule, part of the timing pillar of The Helping Babies Sleep Method. It gives you the skills to handle the days that don't go to plan, and there are plenty of those at 5 months.

What's Happening at 5 Months?

• Naps are consolidating. Your baby can stay awake longer, and at least one nap is starting to stretch past 45 minutes. That's what makes the move from 4 naps to 3 possible.
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• Many babies are still settling after the 4 month sleep regression. The shift to adult-like sleep cycles that started around 4 months is permanent, so night wakings that began then often continue until your baby learns to link sleep cycles. Read more about the 4 month sleep regression.
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• The body clock is still maturing. It isn't fully established until about 6 months, which is why nap lengths can still vary from day to day.
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• Feeds are spreading out to about every 4 hours for most babies.

How Much Sleep Does a 5 Month Old Need?

• Wake window: about 2 hours, sometimes 2 hours 15 minutes for babies sleeping well at night
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• Naps: 4, moving to 3
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• Daytime sleep: 3 to 4 hours
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• Night sleep: 11 to 12 hours
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• Total sleep: about 15 hours in 24 hours
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• Feeding window: about every 4 hours during the day

See how this fits with every other age in Wake Windows by Age.

Sample 5 Month Old Sleep Schedule on 4 Naps

Most babies start 5 months on 4 naps. Here's a sample day from my book. Use it to see how the intervals work, not as a timetable to match to the minute.

Sample 5 Month Old Sleep Schedule on 3 Naps

Once your baby drops the fourth nap, the day looks like this. Notice the longer second nap and the earlier bedtime.

What's important in these schedules: the intervals (about 2 hours awake, about 4 hours between full feeds), feeding on waking rather than right before sleep, and bedtime following the last nap. What's not important: the exact clock times. If your baby wakes at 7:00 a.m., shift everything later. If a nap runs short, the next one comes sooner.

The 4 to 3 Nap Transition

Around the middle of the fifth month, many babies drop their fourth nap. Two things need to happen first:

1. At least one nap longer than 45 minutes. Usually it's the second nap that stretches to 1 to 1.5 hours.
2. Your baby can comfortably stay awake about 2 hours between naps, not counting the first wake window of the day.

When the fourth nap goes, bedtime moves earlier, sometimes to 6:00 or 6:15 p.m. That can feel alarming, but it won't cause an early morning. A bedtime that's too late is far more likely to. Bedtime will slowly move later again as your baby's naps lengthen. I walk through the whole transition in The 4-3 Nap Transition at 5 Months.

How to Use a Flexible Schedule at 5 Months

If your baby has a short nap, do you keep a tired, cranky baby up until the "official" next nap time? Or do you put them down early? With a fixed schedule, you're left second-guessing. With a flexible schedule, you always know what to do:

1. Every time your baby wakes up, predict the next sleep. At 5 months, aim to have them back asleep about 2 hours later.
2. Every time your baby has a full feed, predict the next feed. At 5 months, that's about 4 hours later.

These two habits carry you right through to toddlerhood. Here's how wake windows grow from month to month: Wake Windows by Age: A Simple Guide for Parents.

Feeding at 5 Months

Intentional feeding is the third pillar of The Helping Babies Sleep Method, and at 5 months it makes a real difference to naps and nights.

• Aim for full feeds about every 4 hours. A baby who snacks every 2 hours is often too distracted to take a full feed, and may wake early from naps hungry.
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• Feed on waking. Keeping feeding and falling asleep separate means your baby doesn't learn to need a feed to fall asleep.
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• Keep the last feed away from bedtime. Feed, then wait at least 10 minutes before starting the bedtime routine.
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• Night feeds: one night feed is still common for breastfed babies, and some formula-fed babies drop night feeds by now. By 5 months, a late-evening dreamfeed can usually be dropped.

These times apply to babies who are gaining weight well; check with your pediatrician if you have any concerns. Read more in The Feeding and Sleep Connection and The Snacking Cycle.

Bedtime at 5 Months

Count about 2 hours from when your baby wakes from their last nap. On 4 naps, that often lands around 7:00 to 7:30 p.m. On 3 naps, it can be as early as 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. for a while. I'd avoid a fixed 7:00 p.m. bedtime if it means keeping your baby awake well past their wake window, which raises the risk of night waking and 5:00 a.m. wake-ups.

Keep the routine short and calm, about 10 to 15 minutes in the room where your baby sleeps. Here's how to build a calming bedtime routine.

Still Waking at Night After the 4 Month Regression?

This is the most common reason 5 month olds come to me. Once sleep shifts to adult-like cycles at the 4 month sleep regression, your baby surfaces briefly between cycles all night. If they fall asleep feeding or being rocked, they'll look for the same help every time.

A good schedule makes things easier, but it isn't the whole answer. Timing is one of five pillars in The Helping Babies Sleep Method, and once timing and feeding are in place, 5 months is a great age to teach your baby to fall asleep on their own. The Two Phases of Sleep Training explains how we sequence that, and why drowsy but awake fails most families explains why the popular shortcut often backfires. For more on this age, read Why Your 5 Month Old Isn't Sleeping.

Setting Up the Sleep Space

If you're struggling with short naps or early wake-ups, darken the room. It minimizes the visual distractions that can keep a curious 5 month old awake. My favorites are SleepOut curtains; use my code helpingbabiessleep for 10% off SleepOut Curtains. If your baby is rolling, make sure they're out of the swaddle and in a sleep sack. Here's when and how to stop swaddling and the full baby sleep environment checklist.

What Comes Next

By 6 months, the body clock is well established, wake windows stretch to about 2.5 hours, and naps become more predictable. See the 6 month old sleep schedule, or look back at the 4 month old sleep schedule. If sleep suddenly falls apart and you're not sure why, start with Regression or Schedule Problem? How to Tell the Difference.

Sleep Help in Palo Alto and the Bay Area

Five and six months is one of the most common times families reach out to us, usually after weeks of broken nights following the 4 month regression. We help parents across Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Mountain View, Los Altos, Sunnyvale, Cupertino and San Jose, and coach families virtually anywhere.

• Want the wake window chart? Download the free Sleep Chart →
• Not sure where to start? Take the free Sleep Quiz →
• Baby 4 to 24 months? Explore baby sleep coaching →
• Prefer to learn on your own time? Try the Baby Online Class →
• Ready to talk? Book your intro call →

Frequently Asked Questions About the 5 Month Old Sleep Schedule

How many naps does a 5 month old take?

Five months is a transition month. Many babies start the month on 4 naps and move to 3 naps, often around the middle of the month. Either way, aim for about 3 to 4 hours of daytime sleep in total.

What is the wake window for a 5 month old?

About 2 hours between sleeps, measured from when your baby wakes up to when they're back asleep. Some babies who sleep well at night can stretch to about 2 hours 15 minutes. The first wake window of the morning is often a little shorter.

When does the 4 to 3 nap transition happen?

Usually around 5 months. Two things need to happen first: at least one nap that's longer than 45 minutes, and your baby being able to stay awake comfortably for about 2 hours between naps. Expect bedtime to move earlier for a while when the fourth nap drops.

What time should a 5 month old go to bed?

Bedtime is set by the last nap: count about 2 hours from when your baby wakes from it. On 3 naps that can mean a bedtime as early as 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. for a while. Avoid a fixed 7:00 p.m. bedtime if it means keeping your baby up much longer than 2 hours, which raises the risk of night waking and 5:00 a.m. wake-ups.

How often should a 5 month old eat?

By 5 months, most babies who are gaining weight well take a full feed about every 4 hours during the day. Feed when your baby wakes rather than right before sleep. One night feed is still common for breastfed babies.

Why is my 5 month old still waking at night?

Many 5 month olds are still adjusting to the sleep changes of the 4 month sleep regression. If your baby falls asleep feeding or being rocked, they'll often need the same help when they surface between sleep cycles. Check the timing first, then look at how your baby falls asleep.

Is a 45 minute nap too short at 5 months?

Not if your baby wakes up happy. A 45-minute nap is one sleep cycle. It's only a problem if your baby wakes crying and still tired, which means they can't yet connect sleep cycles. To move to 3 naps, at least one nap needs to be longer than 45 minutes.

Keep Reading

• Wake Windows by Age: A Simple Guide for Parents
• The Helping Babies Sleep Method: The Complete Overview
• 4-Month Sleep Regression: Causes, Signs, and How to Navigate It
• The 4-3 Nap Transition at 5 Months
• 4 Month Old Sleep Schedule
• 6 Month Old Sleep Schedule
• What You Need to Know About Your 5 Month Old Baby Sleep

About the Author

Sarah Mitchell, BKin, DC (retired) is the founder of Helping Babies Sleep, a Bay Area sleep consulting agency based in Palo Alto, and the author of the Amazon bestseller The Helping Babies Sleep Method: The Art and Science of Teaching Your Baby to Sleep. A retired chiropractor, Certified Lactation Counselor, RIE Foundations graduate and member of the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine, she has supported more than 1,000 families over 13 years.

Sources

• Sarah Mitchell, The Helping Babies Sleep Method, Chapter 4: Babies (4 to 24 Months), Five-Month Schedules on Four and Three Naps.
• Paruthi S, et al. Recommended amount of sleep for pediatric populations. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2016. PubMed
• American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org: A Parent's Guide to Safe Sleep