Wake Windows
I know I know! You’re probably already bored me of talking about wake windows, but they are so important! I’ve mentioned them in my Newborn class and also in other videos, but I wanted to do a video exclusively on them because they’re that darn important.
So, what’s a wake window. To review, it’s simply the time between sleeps. It’s the time it takes the baby to wake up from their nap, eat, be changed, be burped, be awake, cry, hang out, and fall asleep, and often not in that order.
Wake windows change as babies get older, so let’s go week by week.
In weeks 1 to 3, normally, wake windows are so short and so easy. Babies are very very sleepy and are often hard to wake, it may be hard to get in a full feed, and they’ll go right back to sleep once you’re done trying. Their wake windows are short and their naps are long. To quantify that, they’re usually awake between 30 to 60 minutes, and will sleep between an hour and a half to two hours, at which point you will probably have to wake them to make sure they get in the minimum 8 feeds a day.
For bottle-fed babies, who we can see what they’re feeding and can, unfortunately, force feed them a little more, it’s easier to have a full feed, short wake window and then have them right back to sleep. For body-fed babies, it is often more challenging to make sure they’re having a full feed and a full nap, but that’s another video. For this video, I just want to focus on wake windows. So in weeks 1, 2 and 3, your newborn should not be awake for more than 60 minutes at a time, and they may only be awake for 30 minutes and that’s perfect. 60 minutes is an absolute MAXIMUM and not an ideal.
Also, for parents who want to keep their baby awake longer so they sleep longer overnight, that DOES NOT WORK! If you feed them more often during the day they’ll sleep longer overnight, but not respecting the 30-60 minute wake window is not a way to get more sleep at night and is also probably part of the reason why nights are so tough.
So to recap. Weeks 1, 2, and 3. Your baby should be awake for minimum 30 minutes for a change, feed, burp, cuddle and then should be sleeping by the 60 minute mark. If that happens at minute 31, minute 39, minute 47, minute 58, it’s all good! Just make sure they’re offered a nap within that 60 minute window from waking.
Another side-bar is how parents think the baby is not being stimulated enough? Or that they want to spend more time with their baby awake? This is a you-problem, and should not become a your-baby problem. Let them sleep! They need 16-20 hours of sleep every single day for proper brain development so please know the time they are awake, feeding and being changed and held and burped and loved is all the stimulation and contact they need! Sleeping and feeding are the absolute #1 priorities.
Okay, so now we enter week 4, 5, 6, 7 where the wake windows are going to extend a little bit. The concept stays the same -- the wake window is the time where they need to feed, be changed, be burped, be loved, be snuggled, and be put to sleep, but the times are going to be longer. Typically at this age, wake windows are between 30 and 75 minutes. Earlier in the day you may find that your baby feeds and goes right back to sleep, so the wake windows are shorter, and later in the day your baby is awake for longer (and also likely more cranky, more fussy, harder to put down because they’re getting into overtired and overstimulated territory a lot easier). I suggest that families always aim for a 30-60 minute wake window during these weeks because it may take the baby 15 minutes to fall asleep -- and if I start putting them down at 60 minutes, they’ll be asleep by the end of their window but if I start at 75 minutes then I probably won’t be able to get that baby down because they’ll be overtired and not very interested or compliant.
Which brings me to my next side-bar -- wake windows help remind us that babies need tons and tons of sleep and can be used to help guide activities. For example, if I start the feed and everything takes 50 minutes and then I’m going to bathe the baby, I need to hurry up and hustle because I may end up with a very unhappy baby if I go over the wake window. So if I’m at 50 minutes already, I may wait until the next day to find a better window to bathe. HOWEVER, the big catch to this is that because the window is 30-75 minutes, if we wait to offer a baby until minute 60 then we may have already way missed the tired cues so please make sure you’re following those first and foremost. At some point during the wake window, your baby is going to give you a tired cues so follow those -- however, a lot of families miss those cues and don’t think a baby could possibly be tired after 30 minutes but YES! Yes they can! So be sure to a. offer a nap within the wake window, but b. most importantly is to offer the nap within the wake window when your baby signals they need a nap.
So, now we’re at weeks 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 where the wake windows are typically anywhere between 45 and 90 minutes. So a little bit longer on both ends of the minimum and maximum, but again, let them sleep when they’re tired!! These are guidelines to make sure that they’re not awake longer than 90 minutes, especially if you’re feeding every 2.5 hours during the day to get longer stretches overnight, because if you do the math, 90 minutes awake means only a 60 minute nap.
I’ve linked some more information about wake windows down below, so please be sure to take a peek!!
I know I know! You’re probably already bored me of talking about wake windows, but they are so important! I’ve mentioned them in my Newborn class and also in other videos, but I wanted to do a video exclusively on them because they’re that darn important.
So, what’s a wake window. To review, it’s simply the time between sleeps. It’s the time it takes the baby to wake up from their nap, eat, be changed, be burped, be awake, cry, hang out, and fall asleep, and often not in that order.
Wake windows change as babies get older, so let’s go week by week.
In weeks 1 to 3, normally, wake windows are so short and so easy. Babies are very very sleepy and are often hard to wake, it may be hard to get in a full feed, and they’ll go right back to sleep once you’re done trying. Their wake windows are short and their naps are long. To quantify that, they’re usually awake between 30 to 60 minutes, and will sleep between an hour and a half to two hours, at which point you will probably have to wake them to make sure they get in the minimum 8 feeds a day.
For bottle-fed babies, who we can see what they’re feeding and can, unfortunately, force feed them a little more, it’s easier to have a full feed, short wake window and then have them right back to sleep. For body-fed babies, it is often more challenging to make sure they’re having a full feed and a full nap, but that’s another video. For this video, I just want to focus on wake windows. So in weeks 1, 2 and 3, your newborn should not be awake for more than 60 minutes at a time, and they may only be awake for 30 minutes and that’s perfect. 60 minutes is an absolute MAXIMUM and not an ideal.
Also, for parents who want to keep their baby awake longer so they sleep longer overnight, that DOES NOT WORK! If you feed them more often during the day they’ll sleep longer overnight, but not respecting the 30-60 minute wake window is not a way to get more sleep at night and is also probably part of the reason why nights are so tough.
So to recap. Weeks 1, 2, and 3. Your baby should be awake for minimum 30 minutes for a change, feed, burp, cuddle and then should be sleeping by the 60 minute mark. If that happens at minute 31, minute 39, minute 47, minute 58, it’s all good! Just make sure they’re offered a nap within that 60 minute window from waking.
Another side-bar is how parents think the baby is not being stimulated enough? Or that they want to spend more time with their baby awake? This is a you-problem, and should not become a your-baby problem. Let them sleep! They need 16-20 hours of sleep every single day for proper brain development so please know the time they are awake, feeding and being changed and held and burped and loved is all the stimulation and contact they need! Sleeping and feeding are the absolute #1 priorities.
Okay, so now we enter week 4, 5, 6, 7 where the wake windows are going to extend a little bit. The concept stays the same -- the wake window is the time where they need to feed, be changed, be burped, be loved, be snuggled, and be put to sleep, but the times are going to be longer. Typically at this age, wake windows are between 30 and 75 minutes. Earlier in the day you may find that your baby feeds and goes right back to sleep, so the wake windows are shorter, and later in the day your baby is awake for longer (and also likely more cranky, more fussy, harder to put down because they’re getting into overtired and overstimulated territory a lot easier). I suggest that families always aim for a 30-60 minute wake window during these weeks because it may take the baby 15 minutes to fall asleep -- and if I start putting them down at 60 minutes, they’ll be asleep by the end of their window but if I start at 75 minutes then I probably won’t be able to get that baby down because they’ll be overtired and not very interested or compliant.
Which brings me to my next side-bar -- wake windows help remind us that babies need tons and tons of sleep and can be used to help guide activities. For example, if I start the feed and everything takes 50 minutes and then I’m going to bathe the baby, I need to hurry up and hustle because I may end up with a very unhappy baby if I go over the wake window. So if I’m at 50 minutes already, I may wait until the next day to find a better window to bathe. HOWEVER, the big catch to this is that because the window is 30-75 minutes, if we wait to offer a baby until minute 60 then we may have already way missed the tired cues so please make sure you’re following those first and foremost. At some point during the wake window, your baby is going to give you a tired cues so follow those -- however, a lot of families miss those cues and don’t think a baby could possibly be tired after 30 minutes but YES! Yes they can! So be sure to a. offer a nap within the wake window, but b. most importantly is to offer the nap within the wake window when your baby signals they need a nap.
So, now we’re at weeks 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 where the wake windows are typically anywhere between 45 and 90 minutes. So a little bit longer on both ends of the minimum and maximum, but again, let them sleep when they’re tired!! These are guidelines to make sure that they’re not awake longer than 90 minutes, especially if you’re feeding every 2.5 hours during the day to get longer stretches overnight, because if you do the math, 90 minutes awake means only a 60 minute nap.
I’ve linked some more information about wake windows down below, so please be sure to take a peek!!