[test] 2 month / 8 week old sleep schedule: Bedtime and nap schedule

By 2 months of age we expect day/night confusion to have passed and to see some longer periods of sleep at night. It’s common for days and nights to look very different day to day, since babies this age aren’t yet following a 24-hour internal rhythm for sleeping and eating.

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How much should a 2 month old sleep?

At this age we still hope to see at least 15.5 hours of total sleep in a 24-hour period. We recommend aiming for 5 - 6 hours of day sleep broken into 4 - 5 naps.

Top sleep tip for 2 month old

Plan naps with two factors in mind: your baby’s sleepy cues and wake windows. When your baby starts getting quiet and/or still, stares off into space, or lays their head down on you, those are signs that they’re ready to sleep. Wake windows at this age are typically a mere 45 minutes to 1.75 hours long - using our feature can help predict optimal nap times for your baby.

Sleep fact for 2 month old babies

Two months is a great time to introduce a consistent bedtime routine to cue that it’s time to sleep. Short and sweet is best at this age (e.g. diaper change, pajamas, feeding, lullaby); no need to be complicated, it just needs to be consistent to be effective!

Sample 2 month old sleep schedule

Note: Sleep needs vary by child and this chart should be viewed as an example.

Naptime schedule for 2 month old

How long should a 2 month old nap?

We don’t recommend trying to follow a set “schedule” at this age, since nap durations will be unpredictable. Newborn naps tend to range anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours long. If your baby sleeps for longer periods during the day, you can start to limit each individual nap to 2 hours in order to help consolidate night sleep and regulate their schedule. Ideally they’ll get about 5 - 6 hours of total day sleep.

How many naps for a 2 month old?

Most 2 month old babies need 4 - 5 naps per day. How many naps your baby will take each day depends on the length of the naps and the amount of wake time between sleep periods. Two month olds usually need 45 minutes - 1.75 hours of awake time in between sleep periods.

We don’t expect much predictability at this age, and it’s common for naps to vary quite a bit. Although this can be frustrating for parents, short, unpredictable naps are a fact of life at this age. Here are some examples of what your baby’s day could look like, though don’t be worried if your days look quite different:

5-nap schedule

4-nap schedule

Bedtime for a 2 month old

What time should a 2 month old go to bed?

It’s common for bedtimes to still be pretty late at this age (often after 9:00 PM). Your baby’s bedtime will be determined by the time they woke up in the morning and how many naps they took that day. Once your baby’s internal clock is fully developed (which happens between 3 - 4 months of age), bedtime tends to gravitate earlier.