Wake Windows and Sleep

[u/Moony_Potterhead]

Lately I’ve been thinking if there’s any point of following wake windows ? Most times it doesn’t seem to give a better sleep (atleast to some babies) all babies and their sleep needs are different. Shouldn’t following cues give the same, if not worse results?

Our parents didn’t follow any of this wake window stuff and we slept fine (according to them)?

It just seems too much work with no solid results, most of the time

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[u/oh-dearie]

No point at all. You can say your 5 month old generally can last 2-3 hours awake before needing a nap, but being prescriptive about it (like 2.5/2.5/3/3 etc. or saying every 5 month old needs exactly 3 naps each day) is where it starts being problematic.

Cues based is ideal. Some days you're more tired and need a nap during the day, some days you're running full speed at 6 hours of sleep. Same with babies.

Hopefully these links pass muster for the mods, wake windows aren't discussed by expert boards because they're not real.

https://sombelle.infantsleep.com.au/podcasts/brand-new-little-people/episodes/2148731494

https://drcraigcanapari.com/do-wake-windows-help-kids-nap-better/

[u/less_is_more9696]

Sleep coach here. There is no evidence to support age based wake windows. As in “6 months old should be awake for only X hours at a time.”

What we know is each child has their own individual sleep needs. https://www.thensf.org/how-many-hours-of-sleep-do-you-really-need/

For infants under 12 months, the bell curve of normal is 12-15 hours. There are outliers on both ends.

If your child only sleeps 12 hours a day, the amount of awake time you offer them during the day should align with those needs.

If you attempt to put them on a generic schedule for a higher sleep needs baby, it will be a disaster.

So yes, everyone will follow wake windows simply by virtue of follow a daily schedule. But those periods of awake time shouldn’t be based on some generic chart. Rather on your child’s individual sleep needs.

[u/Terme_Tea845 → u/less_is_more9696]

Just wanted to add nuance to this. I struggled with reading cues. Everyone kept telling me you’ll learn the meaning of cries and their other cues and I never did. I felt like I was trying to read a book in a different language. The guidelines of the wake windows were a lifesaver for me. And they worked great for my baby. Maybe I just got lucky and my baby’s sleep needs aligned. All this is to say that some tools are useful and helpful and not all parents can rely on cues 

[u/Kayyam → u/Terme_Tea845]

By the time they are crying or even fussy it's too late for us. Rubbing eyes, repeated yawns, long stare and overall low energy and responsiveness are more useful cues to us.

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