Baby sleep routine: complete age-by-age guide from 0 to 12 months

There is no perfect sleep routine. There is the one that works for your family, applied with consistency and adapted to your baby's age.

This guide doesn't promise miracles. It promises honest, paediatrically grounded information to help you build a sleep routine that makes sense at every stage of the first year of life.

Why a routine matters (but shouldn't become an obsession)

Research is clear: babies who have consistent sleep rituals fall asleep faster, sleep longer, and wake less during the night. Not because the routine 'teaches' them to sleep, but because it acts as a predictive signal for your baby's nervous system: what comes next is sleep.

The goal is not to control your baby's sleep to the minute. The first months are, by nature, unpredictable. A flexible routine — not a rigid schedule — is what truly helps.

0–3 months: realistic expectations and minimal routines

What is normal at this age

During the first three months, babies cannot tell day from night. Their circadian rhythm is still maturing. They will sleep between 14 and 17 hours a day, spread across cycles of 1 to 3 hours, interrupted by feeds (every 2–3 hours if breastfeeding, every 3–4 hours if formula-fed). This is biologically normal and does not reflect any sleep problem.

What you can do

At this stage, the goal is not to set schedules but to plant the first signals that, over time, your baby will associate with sleep. Use natural daylight during waking hours to help the circadian rhythm mature faster. Keep darkness and calm during night feeds: no games, no bright lights, soft voice and a calm tone. Introduce a simple sequence: bath (not every night, but if you use it, use it consistently), clean nappy, sleep sack, feed or dummy, cot.

What not to expect

Don't expect them to sleep through the night — this is not physiological before 3–4 months. Don't expect the routine to work the same every day; there will be growth spurts, mood changes, irregular days. And don't worry that you're spoiling your baby by picking them up to soothe them. At this age, responding to crying is part of the attachment bond, not a habit to correct.

4–6 months: the key moment to build routines

What changes at this age

Around 4 months, one of the most well-known sleep transitions occurs: the 4-month sleep regression. Babies move from undifferentiated sleep cycles to cycles more similar to those of adults, with clearly defined light sleep phases. This can cause more night wakings, cot refusal, and short naps. The good news: it is also the moment when the circadian system is mature enough to start consolidating night sleep.

Sample routine for 4–6 months

7:00 am: Wake and feed. 9:00–9:30 am: 1st nap (45–90 min). 11:00 am: Feed and quiet play. 12:30–1:00 pm: 2nd nap (60–90 min). 3:00 pm: Feed. 4:00–4:30 pm: 3rd short nap (30–45 min). 5:30 pm: Feed. 6:30–7:00 pm: Begin bedtime routine — bath, sleep sack, dim light. 7:00–7:30 pm: Closing feed and cot. This schedule is a guide. Always adapt to your baby's own sleep cues.

The most recommended paediatric tip: put baby down drowsy but awake

When a baby falls asleep in your arms or at the breast and is transferred to the cot already asleep, they learn to associate falling asleep with that condition. When they wake between sleep cycles (which is normal), they don't know how to fall back asleep without that association. Putting baby down when drowsy but still awake gives them the chance to practise falling asleep in their own space. It doesn't always work from the first attempt, and should never be forced, but it is the foundation of most independent sleep approaches.

7–12 months: consolidation and nap adjustment

What changes at this age

Between 7 and 9 months, most babies transition from three naps to two. The wake window extends, night sleep begins to consolidate into longer blocks, and the introduction of solid foods also influences sleep patterns. At 8–10 months, separation anxiety may appear, often causing more night wakings or cot resistance. This is a normal developmental phase, not a sleep regression.

Sample routine for 7–12 months

7:00 am: Wake, feed or breakfast. 9:30–10:00 am: 1st nap (60–90 min). 12:00 pm: Lunch. 1:30–2:00 pm: 2nd nap (60–90 min). 4:00 pm: Afternoon snack. 6:30 pm: Begin bedtime routine — bath, massage, sleep sack. 7:00–7:30 pm: Closing feed, story, and cot.

Signs your baby is ready to move from three to two naps

Your baby consistently refuses the third nap of the day. They take a long time to fall asleep for the midday nap. They wake very early in the morning (before 6:00 am). The third nap delays the start of night sleep.

Sleep cues you should recognise

• Yawning (especially before 6 months, this is an early cue).

• A glazed or unfocused gaze. Reduced interest in their surroundings.

• Rubbing eyes or ears.

• Growing irritability.

  
  

When these cues appear, you have a window of roughly 15–20 minutes before your baby becomes overtired, at which point cortisol makes settling much harder.

Turning routine into connection

Bedtime doesn't have to be a battle. It can — and should — be one of the most intimate moments of the day. A soft light that eases stimulation. A sleep sack that wraps at just the right temperature. A small story or lullaby that marks the end of the day. A ritual that both parent and baby learn to anticipate with calm. That is what we build at Petitblue: not just products, but the elements of a ritual that protects, soothes, and connects.