7 Month Old Sleep Schedule: Sample 3-Nap Day, Wake Windows and Solids

The Quick Answer

A 7 month old usually takes 3 naps for a total of 2 to 3 hours of daytime sleep, plus 11 to 12 hours overnight. The wake window is about 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours, milk feeds come about every 4 hours, and most babies move to two meals of solids. Some babies start moving to 2 naps this month. Below you'll find a sample day.

Parents often ask me for a 7 month old sleep schedule. I understand why. 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 often you can't. What do you do when your baby poops herself awake halfway through a nap? Keep a tired baby up until the "official" next nap, or put her down early?

I'm Sarah Mitchell, founder of Helping Babies Sleep and author of The Helping Babies Sleep Method. Instead of a fixed schedule, I teach a flexible schedule, part of the timing pillar of The Helping Babies Sleep Method. It gives you the skills to manage the days that don't go smoothly, and at 7 months, when some days are 3 naps and some are 2, that matters more than ever.

What's Happening at 7 Months?

• Wake windows are stretching toward 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours.
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• Some babies start showing signs of moving to 2 naps. Most make the switch between 7 and 10 months, with 8 months being average.
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• Solids are growing to two meals a day.
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• Night feeds are dropping to 0 or 1.
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• Big motor skills are coming. Sitting, rolling and early crawling can make for a few busy nights while your baby practices.

If nights have been broken since around 4 months, that's usually not a new problem. The 4 month sleep regression permanently changed how your baby sleeps, and many families are still feeling it at 7 months.

How Much Sleep Does a 7 Month Old Need?

• Wake window: about 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours
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• Naps: 3, sometimes moving to 2
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• Daytime sleep: 2 to 3 hours
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• Night sleep: 11 to 12 hours
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• Total sleep: about 14 to 14.5 hours in 24 hours
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• Milk feeds: about every 4 hours during the day
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• Solids: moving to two meals
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• Night feeds: 0 or 1

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

Sample 7 Month Old Sleep Schedule on 3 Naps

Here's a sample day from my book. Use it to see how the intervals fit together, not as a timetable to match to the minute.

What's important in this schedule: the intervals (about 2 hours 45 minutes awake, about 4 hours between milk feeds), solids spaced 1 to 1.5 hours after milk, feeding kept away from 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, and bedtime may be earlier.

How to Use a Flexible Schedule at 7 Months

A flexible schedule is built on two simple habits:

1. Every time your baby wakes up, predict the next sleep. At 7 months, aim to have them back asleep about 2 hours 45 minutes later.
2. Every time your baby has a full milk feed, predict the next feed. At 7 months, that's about 4 hours later.

These two habits help you rule out hunger and tiredness, so you're not left guessing why your baby is fussing. They'll 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.

Watch out for the "2-3-4" schedule

Some parents use a "2-3-4" schedule at this age: 2 hours awake before the first nap, 3 hours before the second, and 4 hours before bed. I often see this lead to early morning wake-ups. If that's happening to you, shorten the stretch before bed so it doesn't go past about 3 hours, and see if mornings improve.

Is Your 7 Month Old Ready for 2 Naps?

Seven months can be a challenging time because some babies start to show signs they're ready to drop to 2 naps. The tricky part is that it often varies from day to day. Some days your baby takes 3 naps, some days 2. It often takes 1 to 2 weeks to fully transition.

Two things need to happen before your baby can move to 2 naps:

1. Your baby can comfortably stay awake longer than about 2 hours 45 minutes, approaching 3 hours.
2. Naps are longer than 1 hour each, so the 2 to 3 hours of daytime sleep can fit into 2 naps instead of 3.

If the first two naps are still short, dropping the third usually means a very long stretch before bed and an early morning. On days your baby skips the third nap, move bedtime earlier. My full guide, The 3-2 Nap Transition: 7 to 10 Months, is one of the most-read posts on our blog, because so many families struggle with it.

Feeding and Solids at 7 Months

Intentional feeding is the third pillar of The Helping Babies Sleep Method.

• Make the first milk feed of the day the biggest.
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• Milk feeds about every 4 hours. Milk is still the main source of nutrition.
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• Two meals of solids, usually breakfast and lunch, offered about 1 to 1.5 hours after milk so your baby still takes a full milk feed.
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• Feed on waking, not right before sleep. Keeping feeding and falling asleep separate means your baby doesn't learn to need a feed to fall asleep.
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• Night feeds: breastfed babies are generally on 0 or 1 night feed, somewhere between about 1:00 and 4:00 a.m. Formula-fed babies taking about 25 to 30 ounces during the day usually need no night feeds.

Wondering whether more solids will fix night waking? Read Will Starting Solids Help My Baby Sleep Through the Night?. For how daytime feeding shapes nights, see The Feeding and Sleep Connection and The Snacking Cycle. These guidelines apply to babies who are gaining weight well; check with your pediatrician if you have concerns.

Bedtime and Early Wake-Ups at 7 Months

Count about 2 hours 45 minutes from when your baby wakes from the last nap. On a 3-nap day, that often lands around 7:00 to 7:30 p.m. On a day your baby skips the third nap, bedtime needs to come earlier, sometimes 6:00 to 6:30 p.m.

Early morning wake-ups, around 5:00 a.m., are one of the most common problems at this age. The two biggest causes:

• Not moving bedtime earlier when the third nap is dropped. A stretch that's too long before bed often leads to an early wake-up.
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• A room that's too bright. I use SleepOut curtains to block distracting light, which also helps at nap time. Use my code helpingbabiessleep for 10% off SleepOut Curtains.

Sleep begets sleep: the more well rested your baby is, the easier it is to fall asleep and stay asleep. Here's how to build a calming bedtime routine and the full baby sleep environment checklist.

Still Waking at Night at 7 Months?

Since the 4 month sleep regression, your baby surfaces briefly between sleep cycles all night. If they fall asleep feeding or being rocked, they'll look for the same help each time. That's usually a learned habit, not hunger.

A good schedule makes everything easier, but it isn't the whole answer. Timing is one of five pillars in The Helping Babies Sleep Method. Once timing and feeding are in place, 7 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 it, and Self-Soothing Skills and Why Your Child Needs Them explains why it matters. If sleep suddenly falls apart, read how to tell a regression from a schedule problem, and for what's normal overnight, see Night Wakings by Age.

What Comes Next

At 8 months, the wake window reaches about 3 hours, many babies move to 3 meals of solids, and the 3 to 2 nap transition is in full swing. See the 8 month old sleep schedule, and read about the 8 month sleep regression so you know what to expect. Or look back at the 6 month old sleep schedule. For more on this age, read 7 Months Old Baby Sleep: 3 Important Things You Need to Know.

Sleep Help in Palo Alto and the Bay Area

The 3 to 2 nap transition and early wake-ups are two of the most common reasons families with a 7 month old reach out to us. 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 7 Month Old Sleep Schedule

How many naps does a 7 month old take?

Most 7 month olds take 3 naps, for a total of about 2 to 3 hours of daytime sleep. Some start moving to 2 naps this month. Between 7 and 10 months is the normal window for the 3 to 2 nap transition, and 8 months is the average.

What is the wake window for a 7 month old?

About 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours between sleeps, measured from when your baby wakes up to when they're back asleep. The first wake window of the morning is often a little shorter, around 2.5 hours.

What time should a 7 month old go to bed?

Count about 2 hours 45 minutes from when your baby wakes from the last nap. In the sample schedule, that's a 7:30 p.m. bedtime after a catnap that ends at 4:45 p.m. If the last nap is skipped or short, bedtime moves earlier, sometimes as early as 6:00 to 6:30 p.m.

Is my 7 month old ready for 2 naps?

Two things need to happen first: your baby can comfortably stay awake longer than about 2 hours 45 minutes, and naps are longer than 1 hour each. If your baby is fighting the third nap but the first two naps are still short, it's usually too early to drop it.

Does a 7 month old still need a night feed?

Many 7 month olds are on 0 or 1 night feed. For breastfed babies, one feed somewhere between about 1:00 and 4:00 a.m. is common. Formula-fed babies taking about 25 to 30 ounces during the day often need no night feeds. Check with your pediatrician if you have any concerns about weight gain.

How many meals of solids should a 7 month old have?

Most babies move to two meals of solids at 7 months, usually breakfast and lunch. Offer solids about 1 to 1.5 hours after a milk feed, so your baby still comes to the milk feed hungry and takes a full feed. Milk is still the main source of nutrition.

Why is my 7 month old waking at 5 a.m.?

The most common reason at this age is not moving bedtime earlier on days the third nap is skipped. A bedtime that comes too long after the last nap often leads to an early wake-up. A room that's too bright in the early morning is the other big one.

Keep Reading

• Wake Windows by Age: A Simple Guide for Parents
• The Helping Babies Sleep Method: The Complete Overview
• The 3-2 Nap Transition: 7 to 10 Months
• 4-Month Sleep Regression: Causes, Signs, and How to Navigate It
• 6 Month Old Sleep Schedule
• 8 Month Old Sleep Schedule
• When Can My Baby Sleep Through the Night?

About the Author

Sarah Mitchell, Kin, 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), Seven-Month Schedule on 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