7 week old sleep schedule: Bedtime and nap schedule

At 7 weeks you may find that sleep is still a bit unpredictable for your newborn. This is normal! While day/night confusion [1] is likely improving at this age, most babies won’t have a more regular 24-hour cycle of sleeping and eating until closer to 3 - 4 months. 

In the article, we’ll give you the lowdown on naps and bedtime at 7 weeks, give you a sneak peek of what you may expect when your baby is 2 months, and help you understand how to determine if your little one is currently getting enough sleep. 

IN THIS ARTICLE: 

How much should a 7 week old sleep?

Naptime schedule for 7 weeks

Bedtime for 7 week olds

7 week old baby sleep FAQ

How much should a 7 week old sleep?

There’s a wide range of normal when it comes to babies and sleep. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, newborns usually sleep for about 16 - 17 hours per day. [2] However, at 7 weeks sleep is still likely pretty unpredictable. Naps may be long or short throughout the day — and that may change from day to day. It’s expected that newborns will continue to wake overnight for feedings and comfort. Babies typically aren’t on a regular 24-hour cycle of sleep and eating until closer to 3 - 4 months old. 

In the first few weeks of life, newborns can typically comfortably stay awake for around 30 - 90 minutes. Now that your child is nearing the 2-month mark, their wake windows may be a little longer. Most 2 month old babies can comfortably stay awake for 45 minutes - 1.75 hours, so we wouldn’t be too surprised if your baby starts to have slightly longer periods of awake time before needing more sleep. 

Note that it’s important to gauge your baby’s overall mood and energy levels when evaluating if they’re getting enough rest every day. There’s a broad spectrum when it comes to what’s healthy and normal for baby sleep and every child is different. 

Top sleep tip for 7 week old

Now may be a good time to implement a consistent bedtime routine for your little one, if you haven’t already. Around 8 weeks [3] is when day-night circadian rhythm appears and nighttime sleep may be a little more established. In other words, expect to start seeing a clearer separation between day and night sleep coming up. Instead of sleep being evenly distributed around the clock, you can expect a defined bedtime to start emerging, along with significantly more sleep at night than during the day. You’re almost there! Doing the same steps every night before bed (and even a condensed version before naps) can help signal to your baby that it’s time for sleep. 

At 7 weeks, a bedtime routine doesn’t have to be complicated. For example, it may include a breast milk or formula feed, diaper change, putting pajamas on, snuggles, then it’s time for sleep. Other activities you could add include: bathtime, reading a book, singing a song, swaddling (or a sleep sack), etc. Aim to do the same routine every time, in the same order. Even if you don’t have time to complete the full routine sometimes, it’s often better to do a condensed version instead of skipping it altogether. 

Sleep fact for 7 week old babies 

At 7 weeks your baby’s longest stretch of sleep in a 24-hour period may begin around 9:00 or 10:00 PM — or sometimes later.  This is typical for newborns because their internal clock isn’t fully developed yet so “bedtime” is typically influenced by your their morning rise time as well as the number of naps they took that day. While you may be eager to get some shuteye of your own at night, know that late bedtimes are normal for newborns and babies are usually ready to go to bed earlier at around 3 - 4 months. 

Naptime schedule for 7 weeks

How long should a 7 week old nap?

Naps are going to still be pretty unpredictable at 7 weeks, though it’s common to see 5 - 6 hours of daytime sleep spread over 4 - 5 naps around 2 months old. However, babies don’t have predictable or organized sleep cycles [4] just yet so you may see some naps that are 30 minutes while others may be 2 hours. We recommend limiting each individual nap to no more than 2 hours in order to help regulate their schedule and help ensure there are enough feedings during the day. It can be helpful to focus on sleep totals over a 24-hour period, instead of aiming for a certain number or length when it comes to naps at this age. 

You can also use wake windows and sleepy cues to help figure out when your baby may be ready to sleep again. At 7 weeks, your little one may be able to stay awake slightly longer now. Usually 1 month olds can comfortably stay awake for 30 - 90 minutes, while 2 month olds may be able to comfortably stay awake for 45 minutes - 1.75 hours. At 7 weeks, your little one may fit somewhere in those estimates, but keep in mind every baby is different and has different sleep needs. 

Also, monitor your child’s sleepy cues when you think naptime may be approaching. If they’re rubbing their eyes, staring off into space, yawning, or starting to become fussy, these can be signs that your baby is ready to snooze. However,  these signs can be fleeting and easy to miss. We suggest offering a nap if they’ve been awake for around 1.25 hours and haven’t shown sleepy signs.

How many naps for a 7 week old?

Babies aren’t born with predictable or organized sleep cycles, [4]  which means sleep is still likely all over the place at this point. At 7 weeks, we don’t recommend trying to follow a specific sleep schedule as newborn sleep is generally controlled by sleep pressure and hunger. Some naps may be long while others may be quite short. However, as your little one nears 2 months, you may more regularly see around 4 - 5 naps totaling around 5 - 6 hours of daytime sleep. 

Bedtime for 7 week olds

What time should a 7 week old go to bed?

Your baby’s longest stretch of sleep in a 24-hour period may start late — around 9:00 - 10:00 PM, or even later — since sleep schedules are still so irregular at this age. They may be ready for an earlier bedtime at around  3 - 4 months as they grow out of their irregular newborn sleep patterns and settle into a little more of a regular sleep and eating cycle.   

In the meantime, it may be tempting to keep your little one up for longer stretches during the day at this age in hopes of an earlier bedtime, however, this can lead to overtiredness. When your newborn is too tired, it can make it harder for them to fall asleep and stay asleep. Instead, aim to help your child stay well rested throughout the day and the earlier bedtime and more predictable schedule will come!