Bedtime routine by age: 6, 7, 10, 14 and 16 months

Bedtime routine by month: the table

One row per age, all for a 7:00 am wake-up. Sleep hours are per 24 hours and include naps; naps are per day. The awake stretch (h = hours) is our arithmetic: the hours left awake in the day, split evenly between the gaps around the naps. Tap an age to set the builder for it.

Sleep / 24 h: AASM 2016, endorsed by the AAP (NSF 2015: 12–15 h at 4–11 months, 11–14 h at 1–2 years) · naps a day: KidsHealth, American Thoracic Society · awake stretch: our arithmetic with the sample's nap count · lights-out: the builder above, 7:00 am wake-up, example nap totals · as of October 26, 2026

6 month old bedtime routine

A 6 month old's bedtime routine takes about 27 minutes: fresh diaper and pajamas, last feed, wipe gums or brush teeth, short board book, song and cuddle, then into the crib drowsy, on the back. Lights-out is 7:45 pm for a 7:00 am wake-up. That fits 12–16 h of sleep a day with 2–3 naps (about 3 h in the sample), and the lights-out window runs 5:45 pm – 9:45 pm.

Six months is usually the last month on three naps, so the evening comes after a short late-afternoon nap and the awake stretch before bed is the shortest on this page. If that third nap runs late, keep lights-out where it is and shorten the nap instead. If solids have started, they belong at supper, well before the routine; the milk feed stays in the routine, before teeth, and the toothbrush (or a soft cloth over the gums) is the last thing in the mouth, as the AAP advises.

Make this routine with your child's wake-up time →

7 month old bedtime routine

A 7 month old's bedtime routine takes about 27 minutes: fresh diaper and pajamas, last feed, wipe gums or brush teeth, short board book, song and cuddle, then into the crib drowsy, on the back. Lights-out is 7:15 pm for a 7:00 am wake-up. That fits 12–16 h of sleep a day with 2–3 naps (about 2 h 30 min in the sample), and the lights-out window runs 5:15 pm – 9:15 pm.

Seven months is a common time to move from three naps to two. On two-nap days the afternoon awake stretch gets long, so the routine is the same steps as at 6 months but they start a little earlier when the second nap was early. On days your baby still takes a third catnap, the table's 6-month row is the closer match. Keep the order identical either way: the order is the signal, not the clock.

Make this routine with your child's wake-up time →

10 month old bedtime routine

A 10 month old's bedtime routine takes about 27 minutes: fresh diaper and pajamas, last feed, wipe gums or brush teeth, short board book, song and cuddle, then into the crib drowsy, on the back. Lights-out is 7:15 pm for a 7:00 am wake-up. That fits 12–16 h of sleep a day with 2 naps (about 2 h 30 min in the sample), and the lights-out window runs 5:15 pm – 9:15 pm.

By 9 to 12 months most babies have settled into two naps a day, according to the American Thoracic Society. Many 10 month olds also pull up to stand in the crib and protest being left, so the last two steps matter most: the same book and the same song, then into the crib awake enough to notice it, and a short, boring goodnight. The AAP's advice to put babies down drowsy rather than asleep applies here as much as at 4 months.

Make this routine with your child's wake-up time →

14 month old bedtime routine

A 14 month old's bedtime routine takes about 38 minutes: bath, pajamas, brush teeth, one or two books, song and cuddle, then lights out. Lights-out is 8:15 pm for a 7:00 am wake-up. That fits 11–14 h of sleep a day with 1–2 naps (about 2 h in the sample), and the lights-out window runs 6:45 pm – 9:45 pm.

At 12 months the recommended range drops from 12–16 to 11–14 hours, and the middle of the range falls by 1.5 hours. With the same 7:00 am wake-up that moves the sample lights-out later, to about 8:15 pm. If your toddler still sleeps toward the top of the range, use the early end of the lights-out window under the builder instead. Many 14 month olds are between two naps and one; on one-nap days, bring lights-out forward rather than letting the afternoon run long. The routine itself grows: a bath, pajamas, teeth, one or two books and a song.

Make this routine with your child's wake-up time →

16 month old bedtime routine

A 16 month old's bedtime routine takes about 38 minutes: bath, pajamas, brush teeth, one or two books, song and cuddle, then lights out. Lights-out is 8:15 pm for a 7:00 am wake-up. That fits 11–14 h of sleep a day with 1 nap (about 2 h in the sample), and the lights-out window runs 6:45 pm – 9:45 pm.

Most toddlers are on one nap by 18 months (KidsHealth), and many make the switch around 15 to 16 months. One midday nap leaves a long afternoon, the longest awake stretch on this page, so a calm last hour helps: screens off, then the same bath, book and song in the same order. Agree the number of books before the first one; a toddler who gets to choose which book, but not how many, has less to argue about.

Make this routine with your child's wake-up time →

Why the routine barely changes from 6 to 16 months

What changes across these months is the day, not the evening. Naps drop from three to two to one, and the hours of sleep a child needs go down a little at 12 months. The bedtime routine stays short and in the same order, which is what the evidence supports.

The clearest trial is Mindell and colleagues' study of 405 mothers of children aged 7 to 36 months. Its infant arm was 7 to 18 months, which covers every age on this page except 6 months. For two weeks the families ran a bath, a massage and a quiet activity such as a lullaby, with lights out within 30 minutes of the bath ending. Compared with families who kept their usual evenings, the children took less time to fall asleep and woke less in the night, by their mothers' reports. The study was paid for by the maker of the products used and measured sleep by questionnaire, so treat it as encouraging rather than final.

That is why each row in the table uses the same steps for its age band and moves only the clock. The lights-out time comes from the AASM range for the age, minus the day's naps, minus 15 minutes to fall asleep, so a short-nap day moves bedtime earlier.

How to use the table with your own child

Start from the wake-up you actually get. Every row assumes 7:00 am. If your baby wakes at 6:00 am, set that in the builder and the lights-out moves an hour earlier; the steps keep their order.

Count the naps you actually got. The nap totals in the table are examples. A day with a short nap means less sleep banked, so the builder puts lights-out earlier. Two weeks in the sleep diary show what your child's real totals are.

Use the window, not just the number. The lights-out time is the middle of the recommended range. The window under the builder runs from the time that fills the top of the range to the latest that still reaches the bottom of it. Most children settle somewhere inside it.

Keep the room and the safety rules the same. Under 12 months every sleep is on the back, in an empty crib on a firm, flat surface. For the hours behind each band, see infant sleep needs and toddler sleep needs.

Questions parents ask about routines by month

What is a good bedtime routine for a 10 month old?

A 27-minute routine in the same order every night: fresh diaper and pajamas, the last milk feed, brush the first teeth, a short board book, one song, then into the crib drowsy and on the back. With a 7:00 am wake-up and about 2.5 hours of naps, lights-out lands at 7:15 pm.

What time should a 6 or 7 month old go to bed?

Count back from the wake-up. With a 7:00 am wake-up, the middle of the 12–16 hour AASM range minus the day's naps puts lights-out at 7:45 pm after 3 hours of naps and at 7:15 pm after 2.5 hours. Shorter naps mean an earlier bedtime.

How many naps does a 14 or 16 month old take?

Usually one or two. Young toddlers may still take two naps, but most drop to one nap a day by 18 months (KidsHealth); the American Thoracic Society puts the single long afternoon nap at 15–24 months.

How long should a 16 month old be awake before bed?

On one nap, roughly 5 to 6.5 hours on average per awake stretch. That is our arithmetic: the 10 to 13 hours a toddler is awake each day (24 hours minus the AASM 11–14), split between the morning and the afternoon. A tired toddler before that is a reason to move lights-out earlier.

Do I need a different routine for every month?

No. The steps stay the same within an age band and only the clock moves with naps and wake-up time. The routine gets a bath and a second book once a child is a toddler.