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7 month old babies need an average of 14 hours of sleep a day with 11-12 hours of sleep at night and 2-3 hours during the day. Most babies this age can stay awake for 2-3 hours in a stretch. However, some babies are on a 2-nap schedule while others are still taking three naps. Separation anxiety also affects babies this age. This article outlines the average 7-month-old baby’s sleep schedule, including milk feedings for breastfeeding and formula-feeding babies, solids, naps, and nighttime sleep. As a sleep consultant for over 10 years, I will also share typical sleep habits and tips to get your baby to sleep through the night. Or, you can simply skip to the schedule.
7 Month Old Baby’s Sleep Habits and Expectations
At this age, many 7-month-olds can sleep through the night, without any feedings. This is especially true of formula-fed babies, however, if your baby is breastfed, you may still have one feeding at night.
Regardless of how many naps your baby takes, your 7-month-old should be napping a total of 2-3 hours per day plus sleeping 11-12 hours at night. The average total sleep in a 24-hour period is around 14 hours. However, always keep in mind that some babies will need more or less sleep than the average.
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How Many Naps for a 7 Month Old?
7-month-old babies take two to three naps during the day. Typically, most 5 month olds will transition from four to three naps but then babies will transition to two naps anytime between 6 and 9 months old. If there is a third nap, it is almost always a short 30-45 minute catnap.
Babies this age have wake windows between 2 and 3 hours at a time, on average. A few are dropping the third nap and on a 2-nap schedule sometimes staying awake 3 to 4 hours before bedtime.
You May Also Be Interested In…
- How to Manage Your Baby’s Nap Transitions
- Sleep Regressions: Ages and Everything You Need to Know to Handle Them
- 7 Reasons Your Baby or Toddler Stopped Sleeping Through the Night
7-Month-Olds: Average Milk and Solid Food amounts Per Day
Your baby will sleep better if they are getting all the nutrition they need, obviously. However, it’s easy to accidentally overdo it with solid food if your baby likes it! Keep in mind that breast milk and/or formula should be the primary nutrition for the first year and solids come secondary. Solid food should not decrease milk intake very much if at all. Below are the average amounts we recommend:
- At least 5 nursing sessions per day or 26-32 ounces formula or combination
- Although some say 4-6 oz of water is okay, I usually discourage it at this age
- 1-2 servings baby cereal (1 serving = 1-2 Tablespoons dry)
- 1-2 servings fruit (1 serving = 1-2 Tablespoons)
- 1-2 servings vegetable (1 serving = 1-2 Tablespoons)
- 1 serving Dairy (1 serving = 1/3-1/2 cup yogurt or 1/4 cup cottage cheese)
- You can also offer cooked egg yolk (but possibly no egg whites until 1-year-old due to allergens — check with your doctor)
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Putting it all together, all babies are unique, but here are sample schedules you can use to make your own for your unique baby.
Sample 7 Month Old Baby Sleep Schedules
The first sample schedule is what I call a “staggered” approach. My first son did better nursing fully and then had solids a bit in between nursing sessions. He was a little hungry but not famished. He just didn’t do well with stopping nursing mid-way to eat solid food at all.
Sample Schedule 1: Staggered Approach
| 7 Month Old Sleep Schedule With Feedings | |
|---|---|
| Time | Activity |
| 7:00 AM | Wake and Milk |
| 8:15 AM | Breakfast |
| 9:00 AM | Morning Nap (at least one hour long) |
| 10:00 AM | Milk (upon waking) |
| 12:30 PM | Milk |
| 1:00 PM | Early Afternoon Nap (at least one hour long) |
| 3:00 PM | Milk |
| 4:00 PM | Catnap (30-45 minutes; can be “on the go”) |
| 4:30/5:00 PM | Dinner (if you offer a second solid meal; sometimes not offered until 8 months old) |
| 6:30 PM | Begin your bedtime routine |
| 7:00 PM | Milk and Bedtime (goal to be asleep by this time) |
+ Plus possibly 1-2 nighttime feedings
If your baby doesn’t mind a more “consolidated” approach to eating, like my second son, here is another type of schedule:
Sample Schedule 2: Consolidated Approach
| 7 Month Old Sleep Schedule With Milk and Solid Feedings Together | |
|---|---|
| Time | Activity |
| 7:00 AM | Wake |
| 7:15 AM | Breakfast + Milk (offer half milk feeding, then solids, then remaining milk) |
| 9:00 AM | Morning Nap (at least one hour long) |
| 10:00 AM | Milk (upon waking) |
| 12:30 PM | Milk |
| 1:00 PM | Early Afternoon Nap (at least one hour long) |
| 3:00 PM | Milk |
| 4:00 PM | Catnap (can be “on the go”) |
| 4:30/5:00 PM | Dinner + Milk (if you offer a second solid meal; sometimes not offered until 8 months old) |
| 6:30 PM | Begin your bedtime routine |
| 7:00 PM | Milk and Bedtime (goal to be asleep by this time) |
+ Plus possibly 1-2 nighttime feedings
If you prefer an Eat-Play-Sleep Schedule, here’s another sample:
Sample Schedule 3: Eat-Play-Sleep
| 7 Month Old Eat-Play-Sleep Schedule With Feedings | |
|---|---|
| Time | Activity |
| 7:00 AM | Wake |
| 7:30 AM | Milk |
| 8:15 AM | Breakfast |
| 9:00 AM | Morning Nap (at least one hour long) |
| 10:30 AM | Milk |
| 12:30 PM | Early Afternoon Nap (at least one hour long) |
| 1:30 PM | Milk (upon waking) |
| 4:00 PM | Catnap (30-45 minutes; can be “on the go”) |
| 4:30 PM | Milk |
| 5:00 PM | Dinner (if you offer a second solid meal; sometimes not offered until 8 months old) |
| 6:30/7:00 PM | Begin your bedtime routine |
| 7:00/7:30 PM | Milk and Bedtime (goal to be asleep by this time) |
+ Plus possibly 1-2 nighttime feedings
Note: Many people prefer to follow an eat-play-sleep routine, which is a good routine to follow, however, sometimes hard to implement at this age when the amount of time between naps is not long enough and your baby wakes too early from his nap because of a feeding. I take all of that into consideration when making my schedules. The most important part is to be careful not to create sleep associations with feedings too close to sleep times, which we saw become important at 4 months old.
If your baby has already transitioned to two naps, please consider using one of our 8 month old schedules or 9 month old schedule. It’s not always so simple as dropping the last nap. You might need to move the other two naps!
Looking for more sample 7-month schedules?
We have over 40 sample schedules for all ages in our e-Book, Mastering Naps and Schedules. Banish naptime battles and regain control of your day (and your sanity) starting today!
- Custom Schedule Maker (for members only)
- Mastering Naps and Schedules (Members Area digital e-Book)
- Chat Live with a Sleep Consultant (for members only)
- 3 Signs It May Be Time for Night Weaning Your Baby
- Night Weaning Quiz: Is Your Baby Ready To Night Wean?
- 6 Month Baby Sleep Coaching Case Study (Members Area case study)
- How To Put Your Baby On A Schedule (Members Area audio tele-seminar recording with founder)
- How to Nap Train (chapter in Mastering Naps & Schedules)
- Nap Transitions (Members Area audio tele-seminar recording with Q&A)
- Day-by-Day Nap Training Plan (Members Area article)
Want FREE sleep help that you can put to use right away? Download a copy of our free guide, 7 Common Napping Mistakes! The guide is available to download instantly, which means you can start using the techniques in it as early as today. So download now, and learn why your baby is not napping – and what you can do about it.
Click here to learn more about how to get your free guide.
A better daytime schedule could be just a few clicks away. So don’t wait – download now, and start your journey to better napping today!
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Marie says
Hi my little girl schedule is this OK at 7 months
Wakes 8.30am 7oz bottle
10.30am breakfast with 3oz very weak juice as wont drink water
12.30pm lunch with 3oz weak juice
2.30pm 6oz bottle and 2 half hour nap
5pm dinner with 3oz weak juice
6.30pm bath and settle down
7.30 8oz bottle then bed
Sleeps 12 hours straight through the night
Neosha says
@Marie – Thank you for stopping by our sleepy little village and for commenting! Here at The Baby Sleep Site we firmly believe that what you choose to do with your baby’s sleep (as long as it’s done safely and with your healthcare provider’s approval) isn’t a problem until it’s a problem! 🙂 So if your little girl and family are thriving on this schedule and it’s working for you, then it’s okay! Please keep reading and commenting, Marie.
Vanessa says
Hello
I’ve been having a really hard time getting my 7 month old on a schedule. She used to be such a great sleeper and napper, and at about 5 months she changed. Our first (bigger) problem is falling asleep, we have tried CIO and extinction but neither are working. Once she eventually falls asleep, she will sleep 10-12 hours. Now naps are becoming a big issue where I have to put her to bed totally asleep or she will toss and talk to herself before eventually crying – but won’t go to sleep. She has also been fighting her late afternoon nap, but the other two aren’t getting longer to make up for it. If she does that, I’m putting her to bed earlier but then it’s creating a vicious cycle of them waking up before 6am! I really think if I could get her naps more on track it would help her sleep better at night but I’m a bit at a loss all around.
Neosha says
@Vanessa – Thank you for stopping by our sleepy little village and for commenting. I know how frustrating sleep coaching can be along with trying to figure out the timing of naps and night sleep from personal experience. Unless I’m misunderstanding, it sounds like you are having to help your little girl to sleep for all of her sleep and she doesn’t put herself to sleep for day sleep or night sleep. To make things easier for you, you can definitely decide to work on one type of sleep first – day or night. You don’t have to feel compelled to tackle them both all at once, which can be a bit overwhelming at times. You’ll want to figure out a sleep coaching method (to teach her the important skill of getting herself to sleep by herself) that works for your daughter’s personality type – if you need help figuring that out this series of articles will help – https://www.babysleepsite.com/temperament/baby-temperament-sleep-series-part-1/ and this will help you overview some sleep coaching methods – https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/5-baby-sleep-training-methods-explained/
Once you decide on that, try to stick with your sleep coaching method for either day or night sleep (or both if you go that route) for at least a week or two since it takes time for a baby to learn what you expect them to do. And if you’re still running into issues or are confused at that point, or if you just want more support right now, consider one of our personalized sleep consultation packages -https://www.babysleepsite.com/services – where you can work directly with our team of sleep consultants on a day-by-day plan of action and get the follow up support that you need.
As for her schedule, you’ll want to be a little flexible so you can tweak what isn’t working week to week. And be sure you’re trying to put her down to sleep when she’s tired enough to sleep for her nap after having food and activity even before she learns how to put herself to sleep. Babies who are tired and ready for sleep will usually go down for sleep easier. Once she learns the skill of putting herself to sleep, talking (or singing even!) to herself for a few minutes before falling asleep is perfectly okay! Hang in there, Vanessa!
Kelsey says
We moved our 7 month old to her own room. She was sleeping 10 hours a night, until she started waking up twice a night to poop. Then she would want a bottle to settle her down (which we haven’t fed to sleep since 4 months).
She eats solids 2x a day (noon and 5pm) and naps for 1.5 – 2 hours at each nap (twice a day). I think if she wasn’t pooping at night her sleep would improve. Any ideas on how to help that schedule? Should we feed at morning (8am) and night (5pm)? Should I look at the foods we are feeding – she suffers from eczema so we have been eating a lot of the same foods to determine if certain solids are the source.
Debbye @ The Baby Sleep Site says
Hi @Kelsey! Thank you for taking a minute to write to us! Yes, you can look at both solid feed schedule and what you are feeding your little one and see if you can work on reducing or even avoiding those middle of the night bowel movements! We find that many babies have “ill-timed” poops that disrupt sleep sometimes, and that in general this is a phase that does not last forever! Do keep those middle of the night diaper changes, dark, quick, and boring, and if she has not taken a bottle at night for quite a while, do avoid that too! You can also vary what you are feeding and when, to try and get her to have her bowel movements before bed. While she is not constipated per-say, you may find some tips and info on “poop inducing” foods on our sister site helpful. There is also a free guide all about feeding babies solids, that you can sign up for! Here is a link:
https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-solid-foods-reactions/handling-baby-constipation/
If you can move a solid feed to morning, and feed “poop-inducing” foods in the morning, this may help!
I would also recommend checking with her Doctor before adding feeds or changing her diet, because of the eczema.
I hope that this helps and that those night wakings are very limited!
JC says
My LO has just turned 7months and he’s on the breast quite alot through the night. He does co sleep as this makes it easier with all the feeds. However reading all messages most at this age are sleeping through the night. Any tips would be great.
I have started to wean LO one but he hates breakfast but loves dinner. I havent introduced a lunch just yet as thought it would be best to bring that in once he starts eating breakfast properly.
Current rough schedule is:
7am breastfeed
9am to 10am breakfast (if hes eats it) then breastfeed
10am to 11.30am nap
11.30am breastfeed then play
12.30pm nap
2pm breastfeed and play
2.30pm to 3.30pm nap
3.30pm play then maybe have a nap after a little breastfeed again
5pm to 6pm dinner then play for a while
8pm breastfeed
9pm sleep
11pm breastfeed then sleep
Then after that he feeds a few times through the night.
Janelle Reid says
@JC – Thank you for stopping by the Baby Sleep Site and leaving a comment! I am sorry you are struggling with your little one’s sleep. It can be so hard to compare to other children, and while many babies are sleeping through the night at 7 months, it is absolutely normal that he is not. It is possible that he has developed a sleep association to nursing and needs that to put himself back to sleep when he wakes. Here is a link to an article about sleep associations that will explain it in greater detail: https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/sleep-association/
If you need help with this issue, let us know! We have worked with many families that have chosen to co-sleep to continue co-sleeping and sleep train. It can take a bit more patience, but we are happy to help. 🙂 You can view all of our packages on our website here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-toddler-sleep-consulting-services/
Or you can always email our Client Relations team to help you select a package at [email protected]
Thank you for using the Baby Sleep Site as a resource for sleep!
Jamie says
My (almost) 7 month old has zero schedule and it’s driving me crazy! He’s up most mornings between 7-730 nap at 9 for 2 hours. Nap at 1 for an hour and then catnap around 4. So the nap thing is fine, but the nighttime sleep is awful! I’ve tried early and late bedtime and no matter what he wakes up exactly 30 minutes after I put him down. Sometimes he goes back to sleep, sometimes he’s up again. I don’t know if I’m waiting to long to put him to sleep or what, he sometimes treats bedtime like a 4th cat nap and then we are screwed and he comes to bed with us at 10! Help!
*Important to note he breastfeeds to sleep for naps and bedtime and when he wakes up after 30 mins at night I go in and feed him because he does not take a bottle or pacifier and doesn’t like my husband to rock him to sleep. Have a screwed myself over and created a boobie monster sleeping demon?!
Janelle Reid says
@Jamie, I am so sorry you are struggling with your son’s sleep! (But I do see you still have a sense of humor, your last line made me laugh!) Some babies are not really able to get into the groove of a schedule until this age, so don’t worry, I don’t think you have a monster on your hands (at least not permanently). It does sound though, like your son has some sleep associations keeping him from sleeping longer stretches at night and needs you to come help him get to sleep again. Here is a link to an article about sleep associations so you can get a better idea for his dependency on you: https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/sleep-association/
And here is a link to a series of articles we did on various sleep training methods should you be ready to try: https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/sleep-training-from-no-cry-to-cry-series-part-1/
If you need additional help with this issue and getting your son on a better schedule, we would love to help! We have a team of sleep consultants that would love to work with you. You can view all of our packages online here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/services/ Thanks for commenting!
Krista Dasher says
Hi! My 6 month old is on somewhat of a sleep/nap schedule but wakes nightly around 430 and if I wait, he usually goes back to sleep but wakes again at 530. I’d LOVE to get him to stay sleeping until at least 630. How can I make this happen!?? Here’s his schedule (or at least what we aim for each day)
530am – wakes
6am – breastfeeds and then plays
745/8am – nap (hope for 60-90 min)
9/930 – bottle of breast milk
Plays
12/1230 – bottle of breast milk
1245/1 – nap (if he can stay awake to be fed first) …sometimes he naps first followed by feeding
Plays
3pm – nap (30 min — usually fights it and doesn’t always happen)
330/4 – bottle of breast milk
5pm – just starting solid foods
630 – get ready for bed, nurse
7pm – aim to be asleep
Thanks for any help!
Sad mom says
Hi, I have a 7 month old that does not stick to the schedule at all. He won’t go to bed on his own (lots and lots of screaming). When he finally does it’s around 8-9pm then he wakes at 10pm then again at 11pm, then around 2-3 and again at 4. I let him cry sometime just to see if he’ll go to bed on his own but he sits up and starts babbling and crying. He only drinks 2-3 oz per feeding and weighs 23.10lbs (He was born big). I use to give him the breast Every time he wakes but I’m also trying to wean him because I feel he was not getting enough that’s why he kept waking up but even with the formula I have the same issue. I’ve tried so much but the screaming wakes the whole house and possibly neighbours. Why won’t he sleep 🙁
Aching breast,
Tired mom
Neosha says
@Sad Mom – Don’t be sad! I know what you’re going through is terribly frustrating and exhausting (from personal experience!) but you’re doing a good thing for your little guy in seeking help for improving his sleep. We’re so glad you found us! Typically, 7 month old babies may still need a feeding during the night but, of course, that can vary regardless of how much they weigh. It’s possible that your son is waking so frequently at night now, not solely out of hunger though he may still need one, but out of habit.
You didn’t say if he is able to fall asleep on his own or how he falls back to sleep eventually when he does wake up in the night. If he hasn’t yet learned how to put himself to sleep, without the breast, a formula feeding or other help from you, he could be waking up fully as he cycles through light sleep simply because he doesn’t yet know that he CAN fall back asleep without help. Some babies learn this on their own, but most need some help! You may want to read this series of articles for tips on how to teach him the skills that he needs to be able to learn how to sleep on his own. It will also give you an overview of sleep training techniques:
https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/sleep-training-from-no-cry-to-cry-series-part-1/?utm_source=crs&utm_medium=desk Once you’ve read this, you can see what type of sleep training (if any) you would like to try. You just want to be very consistent with what you start doing for at least a week.
If you would like additional help with this issue, you may benefit from one of our Personalized Consultation Packages, where we will work directly with you on a detailed plan you can commit to and feel good about. You can read about all of our sleep consultation packages and purchase directly online here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-toddler-sleep-consulting-services/?utm_source=crs&utm_medium=desk/
Hang in there, Sad Mom, and please keep reading!
Rachel Pickrell says
All these comments and stories are so useful, thankyou!
My 8 mth old used to be a perfect sleeper. Straight through without any problems. 7.5 months hit and we have been waking every 1-2 hours to either re settle or feed! It’s so confusing not knowing why! Her day naps have regressed too- back to the good old 40 minute cat cap… 2-3 solid meals a day, breast fed, 2-3 naps and a bed time of around 7-8pm… Is there something I could be missing, or doing differently to help us sleep??
Cari Day says
Hello,
I know you’re experts in sleep, but do you have any suggestions for a 7 month old who is not interested in baby food at all?! He clamps his mouth shut, and refuses to eat the pureed baby food. I don’t know if it’s a texture thing or if it’s too soon… I even thought about just going straight to regular foods.
He follows the 7 month – Schedule 1 (just without the breakfast and dinner, because he won’t eat it).
He gets up mostly once, sometimes twice a night. We’ve been only giving him a 4oz bottle at night, and he goes back to sleep on his own. During the day he eats a 7oz bottle 4/5x a day =28-35oz (including his bedtime bottle)
Jessica Diller says
@Cari Thank you for commenting. I’m sorry to hear that your 7 month old is not seemingly interested in baby food. It can take several attempts for babies to grow accustomed to different tastes and textures. Many agree that food at this age is purely experimental, and their primary source of nutrition should come from nursing or formula. I recommend speaking with your child’s pediatrician about this issue. They may have extra tips or advice to help you determine what is best for your son. Best of luck!
Rosie says
My daughter used to wake at 12 and 4 for feeds, she then moved to 1 and 5 and on a couple of occasions dropped the 1am feed. Now she seems to wake all the time. I’m hoping it is due to illness and crawling and will change soon… I was only giving her 4 nursings a day and 3 “meals” but I will reintroduce a 5th nursing and see if this helps.
Also, eggs are not dairy. Dairy is a milk based product.
Janelle Reid says
@Rosie, Thanks for commenting! Sickness and milestones can both affect sleep tremendously! Adding some extra calories during the day since she is moving more will hopefully help. Hang in there and thanks for using The Baby Sleep Site as a resource for sleep!