5 month old babies need an average of 10-12 hours of sleep at night and 3-4 hours during the day. This article outlines the average 5 month old sleep schedule, including milk feedings for breastfeeding and formula-feeding babies, solids, naps, wake windows, and nighttime sleep. As a sleep consultant for over 15 years, I will also share typical sleep habits and tips to get your baby to sleep through the night.
In This Article:
- How Much 5 Month Olds Sleep and Development
- How Many Naps for a 5 Month Old
- Wake Windows for 5 Month Olds
- Feedings and Nutrition
- Sample 5 Month Old Sleep Schedules
- Sample Schedule With Short Wake Windows
- Sample Schedule With 2-hour Wake Windows
- Sample Schedule With Long Wake Windows
- Pinnable Sample 5 Month Old Sleep Schedule
- What to do if your baby has transitioned to two naps
- VIP Articles
5 Month Old Baby’s Sleep and Development
At 5 months old, most babies are sleeping 10 to 12 hours of sleep at night though not necessarily straight through. Babies this age are also napping for 3-4 hours per day broken into 3-4 naps, on average, due to their typical 2-hour wake window. The total sleep for a 5 month old is 14 hours per day, on average.
If you are NOT lucky enough to have a baby who sleeps through the night, many 5-month-olds are still waking up 1 to 3 times to eat at night. Anything more and you most likely have a sleep association problem. Babies with sleep associations that involve a parent, tend to wake up frequently at night, usually every 1-2 hours all night long.
Also, at this age, baby bedtimes are typically between 6:00 and 8:00 PM unless you have a baby who likes to sleep late in the morning.
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How Many Naps for a 5 Month Old?
Your 5-month-old is most likely taking 3 to 4 naps per day for a total of 3 to 4 hours of sleep per day plus 10-12 hours at night.
The number of naps your baby takes at this age most often depends on how long they can stay awake between sleep periods also known as wake windows. The shorter they can stay awake, typically, the shorter the naps.
Most 4 month olds take 4 naps but 5 month olds often transition from 4 naps to 3 naps in this month. If your baby struggles to stay awake longer than two hours at a time resulting in four short naps, that’s NOT unusual at this age. Not all babies can stay awake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours just yet.
Wake Windows for 5 Month Olds
The typical wake windows for a 5-month-old are approximately 2 hours with the first wake window being one of the shortest. Sometimes, that first wake window is still just 90 minutes at this age. There is a small percentage of 5-month-olds who can stay awake 2-3 hours at a time but 2 hours is average.
Commonly, the first wake window will be 2 hours followed by 2 to 2 1/2 hours for the rest of the day.
5 Month Old Feedings and Nutrition
5 month old babies typically eat every 3 to 4 hours during the day. Please be aware that breast milk and/or formula should be your baby’s primary nutrition for the first year and solids come secondary.
Below are the average amounts per day IF your pediatrician recommends solids before 6 months, the age at which most are recommended now.
Average amounts per day:
- At least 5-6 breastfeeding sessions per day (4-6 during daylight hours, and 1-3 at night) or 24-32 ounces formula or 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).
And, if your pediatrician recommends solids this young (it is generally recommended at 6+ months):
- Up to 1-2 servings baby cereal (1 serving = 1-2 Tablespoons dry)
- Up to 1-2 servings fruit (1 serving = 1-2 Tablespoons) If your baby has any constipation issues, focus on P-foods (pears, prunes, etc.)
- Up to 1-2 servings vegetables (1 serving = 1-2 Tablespoons)
Note: If you do not start solids until 6 months, you will work your way up slowly to the number of servings above.
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.
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Sample 5 Month Old Sleep Schedules
Obviously, all babies vary, but here are sample schedules you can use to make your own for your unique baby. Schedules are hit-and-miss at this age because many babies simply cannot stay up longer than 2 hours to get to the next scheduled nap time. Therefore, at this age, it’s likely naps are still on the short side but come frequently. Over the next several weeks, you can work toward the 6 month sleep schedule.
5 Month Old Sleep Schedule With Short Wake Windows
This sleep schedule works best for babies who become overtired quickly and can stay awake for about 1.5 – 2 hours between naps:
| 5 Month Old 4-Nap Sleep Schedule With Feedings Every 2 1/2 to 3 hours | |
|---|---|
| Time | Activity |
| 6:30 AM | Wake and Milk |
| 7:15 AM | Solids (if your pediatrician has directed you to start this young) |
| 8:00 AM | Morning Nap (at least 1 hour) |
| 9:00 AM | Feed (upon waking; no need to wake baby up!) |
| 11:00 AM | Late Morning Nap (often 45-60 minutes) |
| 12:00 PM | Feed (upon waking) |
| 2:00 PM | Early Afternoon Nap (often 30-45 minutes) |
| 3:00 PM | Feed |
| 4:30 PM | Catnap (~30-45 minutes; can be “on the go”) |
| 5:30 PM | Snack Feed (if necessary) |
| 6:00 PM | Start Your Bedtime Routine |
| 6:15 PM | Feed |
| 6:30 PM | Bedtime (goal to be asleep by this time) |
+ possibly 1-2 night feedings
5 Month Old Schedule With 2-hour Wake Windows
This sleep schedule works well for babies who can stay awake for 2 hours between sleep periods and possibly not as sensitive to becoming overtired:
| 5 Month Old 4-Nap Sleep Schedule With Feedings Every 3 Hours | |
|---|---|
| Time | Activity |
| 6:30 AM | Wake and Milk |
| 7:30 AM | Solids (if your pediatrician has directed you to start this young) |
| 8:30 AM | Morning Nap (at least 1 hour) |
| 9:30 AM | Feed (upon waking; no need to wake baby up!) |
| 11:30 AM | Late Morning Nap (often 45-60 minutes) |
| 12:30 PM | Feed (upon waking) |
| 2:30 PM | Early Afternoon Nap (often 30-45 minutes on a 4-nap schedule) |
| 3:30 PM | Feed |
| 4:30 PM | Catnap (~30 minutes; can be “on the go”) |
| 6:00 PM | Start Your Bedtime Routine |
| 6:15 PM | Feed |
| 6:30 PM | Bedtime (goal to be asleep by this time) |
+ possibly 1-2 night feedings
5 Month Old Schedule With Longer Wake Windows
This schedule works best for babies who can stay awake for 2 to 2.5 hours between naps and are taking 3 naps rather than 4 naps:
| 5 Month Old 3-Nap Sleep Schedule With Feedings – Milk and Solids | |
|---|---|
| Time | Activity |
| 6:30 AM | Wake |
| 7:00 AM | Milk (you may want to delay this so the nap isn’t shortened by a feeding) |
| 7:30 AM | Solids (IF your pediatrician has directed you to start this young) |
| 8:30 AM | Morning Nap (at least 1 hour) |
| 10:00 AM | Feed (upon waking; no need to wake baby up!) |
| 12:00 PM | Midday Nap (at least 1 hour) |
| 1:00 PM | Feed (upon waking) |
| 3:30 PM | Afternoon Nap (~30-45 minutes) |
| 4:00 PM | Feed (upon waking) |
| 6:00 PM | Start Your Bedtime Routine |
| 6:15 PM | Feed |
| 6:30 PM | Bedtime (goal to be asleep by this time) |
+ possibly 1-2 night feedings
Pinnable 5 Month Old Sleep Schedule
Need an image to pin? Here’s a typical 5 month old sleep schedule with milk feedings based on 15 years of experience with thousands of other babies! 
What To Do If Your Baby Transitioned to Two Naps
If your baby is able to stay up longer between naps or has transitioned to two naps, and is not as sensitive to overtiredness, you may want to take a look at our 6 month schedule, and modify your schedule above to more closely match the 6 month schedule.
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. I take all of that into consideration when making my sample schedules. Lastly, 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 during the 4 month sleep regression.
Looking for more sample 5-month old 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!
We have over 40 sample schedules for all ages in our e-Book, VIP Articles To Check Out:
- Custom Schedule Maker including sleep and feeds (for VIP members only)
- Mastering Naps and Schedules (VIP Members Area digital e-Book)
- “Ask the Author” with a Sleep Consultant (for VIP members only)
- 4 Month Baby Sleep Coaching Case Study (VIP Members Area case study)
- How To Put Your Baby On A Schedule (VIP Members Area audio course)
