6 month old babies sleep an average of 13-14 hours in a 24-hour period with 11-12 hours at night and 2-3 hours during the day. A good schedule can help your baby sleep better and eat better. This post will provide sample 6 month old feeding and sleep schedules, including milk feedings for breastfeeding and formula-feeding babies, solids, naps, and nighttime sleep.
6 Month Old Baby: Sleep Needs and Development
Here is the average amount of sleep for a 6 month old baby:
How much does a 6 month old sleep at night?
Most babies this age will sleep 11-12 hours at night and go to bed between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. At this age, if you are not lucky enough to have a baby who sleeps through the night, you are not alone. Some babies will wake 1-2 times a night. If your baby is waking more than 1-2 times a night (e.g. every 2 hours), you likely have a sleep association problem.
Can you do sleep training at 6 months to teach baby to self-soothe?
If you’re considering sleep training your 6 month old, here are 5 Things You Need to Know.
Does a 6 month old have to eat at night?
Most 6 month old babies eat 0-2 feedings at night, depending on whether your baby is breastfed or formula-fed as well as any health issues such as reflux.
Breastfed babies can do a single 5-8-hour stretch and then will eat every 3 hours thereafter, on average.
Formula-fed babies can often be night-weaned by this age. If not, some will still have a dream feed but will not eat again until morning.
However, you should know there is also a 6 month growth spurt that lasts a few days to a week, though. Some people think it’s a 6 month sleep regression, however, that is not the case.
How Many Naps for a 6 Month Old?
Most 6 month old babies take 2-3 naps each day that total 2 to 3 hours. Babies this age stay awake and have wake windows between 2 and 3 hours at a time, on average.
How much should a 6 month old nap and how often?
Your 6 month old should also be taking 2-3 naps per day for a total of 2-3 hours of sleep in total. Most babies this age can stay awake 2 to 2 1/2 hours at a time, sometimes 3 hours. If your baby has transitioned to two naps this early, they might have a single 4-hour awake period before bedtime. As a sleep consultant of over 12 years, this is on the rarer side.
Having Trouble With Short Naps?
If you’re having trouble with naps, you might be interested in helping your baby nap better with our free e-Book, 7 Common Napping Mistakes.
How Much Milk or Formula Does a 6 Month Old Need?
Breast milk or formula should be the primary nutrition for the first year and solids come secondary. Below are the amounts we recommend.
For more information on starting your baby on solid food, we have a series of blog posts dedicated to the subject. We include recommendations about how and when to start solids, as well as helpful information on food allergies, recommended products, baby-friendly recipes, and more.
Not sure what your 6 month old can eat? Try this chart: Feeding Chart by Age
Average amounts per day:
• At least 5-6 breastfeeding sessions per day or 24-32 ounces formula or a combination (decrease solids if your baby is not taking in at least this much)
• Water is unnecessary (breast milk and formula have plenty of water in them). If your baby has any constipation issues, focus on P-foods (pears, prunes, etc.)
• 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)
Note: If you did not start solids until 6 months (I did not start until 6 months), you will work your way up to the number of servings above. Don’t worry about feeding this much right away! Most babies this age should only eat solids 1-2 times a day.
6 Month Feeding and Sleep Schedules
Obviously, all babies vary, but here are a couple of sample schedules you can use to make your own for your unique baby. Strict schedules by the clock are iffy at this age because many babies simply can not stay up longer than 2 hours to get to the next scheduled nap-time. So at this age, it’s possible that naps are still on the short side but come frequently (up to 3-4 naps a day).
Here is what I call a “staggered” approach when babies take a full milk feeding and then having solids a bit in between. Babies are a little hungry but not famished which helps them be interested and tolerate trying new foods. Some babies just don’t do well with stopping a milk feeding mid-way to eat solids.
Staggered Feeding and Sleep Schedule – Ideal for breastfed babies
6:30 AM – Wake
6:45/7:00 AM – Breast Milk or Formula
7:45 AM – Solids
8:30 AM – Nap (2-hour Nap Gap; at least 1 hour long)
10:00 AM – Breast Milk or Formula
12:00 PM – Nap (2 to 2 1/2-hour Nap Gap; at least 1 hour long)
1:00 PM – Breast Milk or Formula (when baby wakes up from their nap)
3:30 PM – Nap (2 to 2 1/2-hour Nap Gap; ~30-45 minutes at this age)
4:00 PM – Breast Milk or Formula
5:00 PM – Solids (no new foods)
6:00 PM – Begin bedtime routine
6:15 PM – Breast Milk or Formula
6:30 PM – Bedtime (2 to 2 1/2-hour Nap Gap)
+Plus possibly 1-2 nighttime feedings, including a dream feed
If your baby doesn’t mind a more “consolidated” approach to eating, here is another type of schedule:
Consolidated Feeding and Sleep Schedule
7:00 AM – Wake and Breast Milk or Formula
7:30 AM – Solids
9:00 AM – Nap (2-hour Nap Gap; at least 1 hour long)
10:00 AM – Breast Milk or Formula
12:00 PM – Nap (2 to 2 1/2-hour Nap Gap; at least 1 hour long)
1:00 PM – Breast Milk or Formula
3:30 PM – Nap (2 to 2 1/2-hour Nap Gap; ~30-45 minutes at this age)
4:00 PM – Breast Milk or Formula
4:30 PM – Solids
6:30 PM – Begin bedtime routine
6:45 PM – Breast Milk or Formula
7:00 PM – Bedtime (2 1/2 to 3-hour Nap Gap)
+Plus possibly 1-2 nighttime feedings, including a dream feed
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 that comes due. 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.
Looking for more sample 6-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!
You Might Also Like:
- Custom Schedule Maker (for members only)
- Mastering Naps and Schedules (Members Area digital e-Book)
- 3 Signs It May Be Time For Night Weaning Your Baby
- Night Weaning Quiz: Is Your Baby Ready To Night Wean?
- Chat Live with a Sleep Consultant (for members only)
- 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)
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!
What is your 6-month old’s schedule? Share below!
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Leoni says
Hi. My son is now 6months and ebf. I’ve got a semi schedule going (especially bedtime routine) but he still prefers feed on demand. How do I get him to start feeding on a schedule?
Also he has 3 naps during the day and they went from 1,5hrs down to 45min on the dot for the last month.
How can I get him napping longer? He doesn’t seem cranky when waking – usually full of smiles.
Also he still wakes 3-4 times at night. How I would love a good nights rest. I do not want to do the cry it out method. Any other ways to get him sleeping through the night or to only waking once or even twice will be a refreshing change.
Debbye @ The Baby Sleep Site says
Hi @Leoni – Thank you so much for writing to us! Feel free to use the free sample schedules for 6 month old babies as your guide to beginning to feed on a schedule. Some babies do better than this than others, so a little flexibility can go a long way!
Short naps are common, and do often lengthen at around 6 months, so if they remain short after another few weeks, you may want to consider working on lengthening them at that time. Just as you’d do at bedtime and for those pesky night wakings, your goal is to teach him that he can fall asleep and back to sleep on his own.
There is a lot of sleep coaching that you can employ between straight cry it out and just settling for so man night wakings. I think our Members Area would be a GREAT resource for you, and would answer all of your questions!
Our Members Area gives you access to all of our ebooks as well as all teleseminar recordings, case studies, and do-it-yourself tutorials, including a workbook to create your own sleep plan! My favorite feature is the access to a “members only” weekly live “chat” where an expert sleep consultant will answer your specific questions, live via chat room.
You can read more about the Member’s Area here:
https://www.babysleepsite.com/diy/
Good luck, and please feel free to contact us with any questions!
Jessica says
Hi! If you skip a step (baby sleeps longer in the morning, taking care of another child), do you recommend backpedaling to stick or the schedule or condensing the day to skip a step? My baby slept until 830 so wondering if he still needs the first morning nap. If yes, the 9am nap doesn’t make sense so would I push that time back?
Thanks!
Debbye @ The Baby Sleep Site says
Hi @Jessica – Thanks for writing, and yes, do feel free to make the schedule your own! If your little one wakes at 8:30, then yes, you can push that first nap back and just start from there watching awake times as you create your own schedule. This may be very helpful for you: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-toddler-schedule-maker/
Good luck Jessica!
Katie says
Hi – I have twin boys who are 6.5 months. They were 34 seekers and have been healthy other than 1 has possible reflux. We’re following the above schedule but I am letting them sleep about 1 hour at each nap. They go to bed fine but are waking consistently at 6a. Would love that to be 630 or 7 – help!
Janelle Reid says
Hi @Katie, thanks for writing to us! Some babies are early risers, but we would consider 6am the earliest in the “normal” range, of course there are things you can do to help stretch their sleep a bit. Here is a link to an article with tips for early wakings: https://www.babysleepsite.com/how-we-sleep/baby-waking-too-early/
Additionally, you mentioned you keep naps to 1 hour, does this mean you are waking them up after an hour? If so, you may try to see what happens if you let them wake up on their own (unless it was like 4 hours or something and going to totally disrupt with bedtime or something). It may seem counter intuitive, but sometimes sleep results in more sleep. Let us know how it goes and if you need anything else!
Erika says
I’m trying to figure out how to get my now 6 month old to sleep better, particularly at night. He had RSV and back to back colds making sleep difficult for about 2.5 months and letting him cry it out just made it worse because he couldn’t breath with the congestion. Now that he seems to be over it we’re trying again. His naps have improved (though still on the short side, usually 45min) but night time sleep is still hard. We put him down drowsy but awake and he can fall asleep just fine but he wakes 3-4 times a night. I’ve stopped nursing him every time he wakes the past week but he’s still waking up every 3hrs or so. We’ve started gently offering solids, but he hasn’t been interested. Thanks for your help!
Debbye @ The Baby Sleep Site says
Hi @Erika – Thank you for writing to us! I am sorry to hear that your little guy had RSV and then back to back colds! Yikes, that does make sleep tough! I am happy to hear that he is better now and you are working to get back on track with sleep!! it is common for babies to have an easier time falling sleep initially at night, but still “needing help” falling back to sleep when they wake at night. You are definitely not alone! It may need more time and reinforcement, and hopefully within another week or so, these are fading too! If you find that things so not smooth out, even after another week or so of being very consistent, please do consider working with one of our consultants, who can work with you and take a whole picture of everything sleep and help you get past this and to reach all of your sleep goals for your 6 month old!
Good luck Erika and feel free to contact us at any time for more info!
Makiyla Jo says
My doctor told me that my daughter (6 months) doesn’t need formula at night anymore but she wants it and just keeps crying for it. I’m about to implement one of these schedules but I’m not positive that I should proceed with the night feedings. What should I do?
Danielle says
Hi Makiyla,
Thank you so much for your comment on The Baby Sleep Site! I’m sorry to hear you’re having trouble with this. We hear from many clients that their pediatrician is recommending cutting back on night feeding very early, but truthfully, most babies are not ready to go a full 12 hours without eating until at least 8 months-old, and often later. We have an article on how doctors are sometimes not well trained on baby sleep here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/doctors-out-of-touch-with-sleep-training/
And we have an article on how to tell if a night feeding is necessary or not here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/baby-night-feedings-when-necessary/
I hope these will help you, but please get in touch if you have any questions!
Bianca says
I would like to find out, would you recommend waking baby in the morning in order to start a routine?
Het naps are in general good in the day and her feeding as well, she does however not sleep more than 2 hours at night anymore where she use to wake maybe once or twice at night. She only falls asleep between 8-9 pm. I am still breastfeeding and she is having sollids twice a day.
How can I get her to sleep longer again during the night?
She is 5 and a half months old.
Danielle says
Hi Bianca,
Thank you for visiting The Baby Sleep Site! I’m sorry you’re experiencing these recent sleep trouble with your almost-6 month-old. Based on your description, it sounds like you may be dealing with the 4 month sleep regression, which can cause excessive night waking for a lot of babies. We have a good article with tips here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-regression-2/4-month-sleep-regression-checklist/
Regarding the schedule, most 5 month-olds are not completely on a fixed schedule yet, but we do recommend fixing their morning wake-up, first nap, and bedtime. We have an article with more info here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/fixed-points-help-baby-sleep/
I hope these resources help, but please let us know if you have any questions. Good luck!
Anna says
Hi. My baby started sleeping through the night when she reached 6 month. She’s been able to setlle herself to sleep since she was 4 months but at 6 months We sleep trained her at night. The perfect world lasted 1 week. Then she started waking again crying a lot and I tried to let her cry it out again but isn’t working because I give up and pick her up. It’s strange because she knows how to settle herself. I have a few suspicions why this happened. One is that maybe my training didn’t work and I have tk retrain? Second reason is the temperature. It’s very hot now we all suffer and we don’t have AC in her room. Maybe she’s just very thirsty at night. Not sure if I should retiran her or wait for the temperature to go down
Janelle Reid says
Hi @Anna, thanks for writing to us. I’m so sorry to hear that after a great week things seemed to go downhill. It could certainly be some of your suspicions and you may need to retrain her, but I would also make sure you’re allowing her to feed 1-2 times a night as she may still need that as well. I know it can seem crazy that one week they can do something then the next they can, but as your baby gets more active and busy, she will burn more calories during the day and may only have time to replenish them at night. I would guess the heat would contribute to that so I’m not sure what your family solution is to help you sleep better (perhaps sleeping in just a diaper or onesie and putting a fan in her room)? Hang in there! I hope things get better again soon. Let us know if you need anything else!
Anna says
Hi. My baby started sleeping through the night when she reached 6 month. We sleep trained her. The perfect world lasted 1 week. Then she started waking again crying a lot and I tried to let her cry it out again but the only thing that would calm her down was nursing because I couldn’t see her trying so badly for more then 10 min. I have a few suspicions why this happened. One is that maybe my training didn’t work and I have tk retrain? Second reason is the temperature. It’s very hot now we al suffer. Maybe she’s just very thirsty at night. Third is her strange couthing at times. Not sure if I should retiran her or wait for the temperature to go down.
Danielle says
Hi Anna,
Thank you for checking out The Baby Sleep Site! Unfortunately, there are so many reasons for sleep training to fail that it’s going to be hard to pin down without a thorough review of your situation. It’s normal for a 6 month-old to still need to nurse once or twice over a twelve hour night, but if she’s waking past those feeding times, it may be a scheduling issue, the temperature as you mentioned, or that she needs a different sleep training approach. We have an article on why sleep training can fail that I hope will help here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/sleep-training-fails-3/
Or, this is definitely a situation that once of our sleep consultants could help with, either through a personalized package, or in our weekly Members Area chat. I hope this helps!
Annisa says
Hi!
Im curious with the daily routine example above. So you recommend to give 6m breakfast and dinner only?
What about lunch time? I give breakfast, lunch and dinner for my baby. But Im wondering if you have any suggestion for me to follow?
Thanks!
Janelle Reid says
Hi @Annisia, thanks for writing to us. Yes our sample schedules don’t include lunch until as early as our 8 month schedule which would be quite a bit different from your 6 month schedule, so I would just work in a lunchtime somewhere before the morning nap and one of the afternoon naps. The breastmilk/formula recommendations we put in the sample schedule are based on the amount of milk a baby that age needs, so I would just be sure to not replace a bottle/breast feeding with the solids, but to add it in. 🙂 All doctors recommend different amount of solids and the timeline for it, so we totally understand changes will need to be made to the schedule to fit you and your baby’s needs. I hope this helps!
Anfah says
Hi, my daughter is 6 months old 7 to be soon. I’m having bit difficult time putting her on route schedule and I need it so bad because the semester started I’ll get super busy. She got ear infections which lasted over 20 days. Due to the sickness, she experienced sleep apnea and now she’s getting back to normal. She’ll be going to full time daycare center and she can’t sleep in loud environment. I took her there one day for 4 hours and missed the entire day nap! I’m so concerned about her sleep. She also get used to sleep on breast. When I put her to sleep she’ll wake up after 30 minutes crying even if she don’t nap get all day! Please help.
Janelle Reid says
@Anfah, I am so sorry to hear things have been so difficult lately with your daughter’s sleep! I am glad her ear infection has cleared up – poor baby and poor Momma! I know adding sleepless nights on top of a busy time for you is probably not the best mix. We would love to help. I think in your situation for the fastest results that will require the least amount of thinking on your part since you have so much going on, is to consider working with one of our highly trained sleep consultants. They would look at a sleep history you fill out on your daughter and then craft a plan for you to get things back on track – they even take into account daycare and if the daycare workers have a set schedule of when they offer naps, etc, they can work the schedule around that. Here is a link to read about our personalized packages: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-sleep-patterns/4-times-wake-your-baby-sleep/
If you think that is a more extreme approach for what you are dealing with currently, I understand that as well! So here also is a link to a free guide that will provide tips on helping her sleep through the night: https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-through-night-free-ebook/
This will not be nearly as in-depth as a Personalized Plan will be, but if you need something immediate, hopefully this will help. We also have a free guide for naps you can find on our site but I figured I’d include the area of sleep you are helping her with.
I hope we can help! Please contact us directly at [email protected] if you have any other questions and we’ll be happy to help you more from there. Hang in there!