Lullabies
Guides/Sleep/Baby sleep from birth to three years
Sleep
Lullabies guide

Baby sleep from birth to three years

In short

Baby sleep changes in broad, overlapping stages rather than fixed schedules: disorganised newborn sleep with 45 to 90 minute wake windows, three naps by around five months, two naps from nine months, one nap between 12 and 18 months, and a daytime rest until nearer three years.

Sleep is the thing almost every parent asks about first, and the thing there is the most nonsense written about. This page is the short version: roughly what to expect at each stage, and how much room there is either side of it. Sleep needs vary far more widely than most charts admit, and a baby at the bottom of a range is as healthy as one at the top. The full fifteen-page guide goes further — sample days for each age, how to set up the room, what the research on sleep training actually says, and where cry-it-out does and doesn't belong. It's laid out to be read on a phone at 3am, which is when most people need it.

The essentials

Newborn (early weeks)
Most newborns can only tolerate about 45–90 minutes of wakefulness before needing to sleep again, and this varies significantly from baby to baby. There's no expectation around nap numbers or schedules at this stage.
Around 5 months
Babies may tolerate awake periods of roughly 2–3 hours, gradually increasing towards the end of this stage. Many settle into three naps a day, though some fluctuate between two and three for a time.
9–12 months
Awake periods may stretch to around 3 hours. Many babies transition to two longer naps, with total daytime sleep averaging around 3 hours across the two naps.
12–18 months
This is the window for the two-to-one nap transition, usually complete by 15–18 months, though rarely as early as 10 months for some. It's often helpful to persevere with two naps until your child consistently refuses one for a week or more.
18–36 months
Most children still benefit from a daytime rest until closer to three years, even as many attempt to drop the nap around age two. Even when they don't sleep, quiet rest still supports regulation and memory recall.
The full guide

Read the whole thing

Everything above is the short version. The full guide has the schedules, checklists and packing lists laid out properly — pop your email in and it lands in your inbox.

PDF · 15 pages

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This guide is informed by current evidence and clinical practice. Individual circumstances vary — it isn’t a substitute for advice from your own midwife, doctor or lactation consultant.

Sources