4 Month Old Sleep Development:
At this age most babies need at least 14.5 hours of total sleep in a 24 hour period. We recommend aiming for 10-11 hours of sleep at night and 3.5-4.5 hours of day sleep (split into 3-4 naps).
4 month olds should be settling into a ~24 hour rhythm of sleeping and eating - thanks to a sufficient production of melatonin. While we don’t expect nap times or lengths to be entirely predictable yet, we can focus on a regular wake up time which will help continue to regulate their schedule.
The amount of awake time between naps will become longer: most babies this age need between 1.5 - 2.5 hours of wakefulness before they are ready for sleep again. Try not to feel discouraged if you’re seeing a lot of short naps - it’s common to see shorter naps of 30-45 minutes.
Let’s take a look at an example of a 4 Month Old's sleep schedule:
Note: Sleep needs vary by child and this chart should be viewed as an example.
Sleep Tip:
If your baby’s still swaddled, you’ll want to start thinking about transitioning away from the swaddle before they start to roll for safety reasons.
Sleep Fact:
This age is the perfect time to start shaping a baby's sleep habits in order to lay the foundation needed to ensure they become a great sleeper.
Related Article: 4 Month Sleep Regression: Why It Happens And What You Can Do About It