Baby Schedule at 5 Months: Sample Daily Routines, Naps & Sleep Tips

At 5 months, your baby is going through intense but also really beautiful changes. They start to coo and make more sounds, and they become more interactive. They play with objects, roll onto their tummy, and grow more and more interested in the world around them.

All these physical shifts can affect your baby's sleep, too. Plenty of parents go through sleepless nights, early waking, and tiring days. So if any of this sounds familiar, you can rest assured that you are not alone with these challenges.

Below you will find everything you need for a lovely, healthy daily rhythm.

How Much Should a 5-Month-Old Sleep?

At this age, most babies need about 14.5 hours of sleep within 24 hours. I recommend aiming for 10 to 12 hours at night and 3 to 4 hours during the day.

How Often Does a 5-Month-Old Wake at Night?

Very few parents find that their baby sleeps through the night at this age. It is completely normal for little ones to still wake 1 to 3 times per night to feed.

How Often Should a 5-Month-Old Sleep?

Most 5-month-olds take three or four naps a day. The number usually depends on how long they can stay awake between sleep stretches. The shorter the wake windows, the shorter the naps tend to be as well.

How Long Should a 5-Month-Old Stay Awake?

Most babies this age have a wake window between 2 and 3 hours before they are ready to sleep again. These windows are similar in length between naps and before bedtime in the evening.

That said, it is not unusual for some babies this age to still find it very hard to stay awake longer than 2 hours. That is completely fine, and in that case you should adjust their schedule accordingly (for example, 4 naps).

To avoid overtiredness at all costs, the wake window should generally not be stretched out longer than needed.

Sample Schedules for a 5-Month-Old

Schedule with 3 Naps

Schedule with 4 Naps

Notes:

• Your baby's sleep needs vary from child to child, so these tables should be seen as examples. If a nap runs short, it is of course important to adjust the plan accordingly. What matters most is the spacing between sleep times and the overall sleep need.
• I recommend about 2 to 3 hours between nursing or bottle feeds.
• Many parents find it helps to not nurse the baby to sleep, so that an unwanted sleep association does not form, which your little one then asks for (many times) at night, too.

When Should the Last Nap Be for a 5-Month-Old?

The last nap should have a slightly larger gap before nighttime sleep than the naps have between each other. So if your baby is meant to go to bed at 7:15 PM, for example, aim to have the last nap end by around 5:00 PM at the latest. Or simply push bedtime a little later.

When Should a 5-Month-Old Go to Bed?

The right bedtime depends on when your baby wakes in the morning and how many naps they take. In general, bedtimes between 6:30 and 8:00 PM are common.

Especially in this phase, you can still expect bedtimes to vary a little. Even so, it helps to focus on a consistent wake-up time and a steady bedtime. This will help your baby settle into a good daily rhythm, which is important for their little body, too.

Is a Baby in a Sleep Regression at 5 Months?

The "4-month sleep regression" is a stage in your baby's development that marks a change in sleep stages and cycles. It is a time of adjustment for your child, one that is good and important for your little one's growth. This phase can absolutely still have an effect on 5-month-old babies.

That is because it does not pass unnoticed for most babies. Frequent fussing, a greater need for closeness, and more frequent waking are usually the result.

Learn more about the 4-month sleep regression here.

Three Sleep Tips for a 5-Month-Old

1. Avoid Overtiredness

Try hard to avoid overtiredness in your little one. To do that, it is important to recognize your baby's sleepy cues. These might be eye-rubbing, fussing, yawning, or even thumb-sucking. Every baby is different here and has their own way of showing tiredness.

When your baby is tired but not overtired, falling asleep will go much more smoothly.

This article might be interesting for you: Baby cries before every nap? How you can help right now

2. Establish Routines

It is very helpful to build healthy sleep habits early. A lovely bedtime routine is especially important in this phase, when your baby's body and perception are changing. A calm stretch with Mom or Dad in dimmed light helps your baby relax and signals that it is time to sleep.

As already mentioned, the wake-up and bedtimes should be as consistent as possible. The bedtime routine can start about 30 minutes before sleep.

For naps, I also recommend a shortened routine. This too will help your little one wind down more easily and finally drift off to sleep.

3. Drowsy but Awake

Whenever possible, encourage sleep in their own bed. When you are not out for a walk and your baby is not at daycare or with a caregiver, try to let your baby sleep in their own crib. This can make a big (positive) difference for the whole sleep process. And when your baby also learns to fall asleep on their own, it will noticeably improve nighttime sleep as well.