Your baby is 9 months old, sitting up, maybe crawling or pulling to stand, and suddenly bedtime comes with tears the moment you walk out of the room. If you’ve searched 9 month old sleep schedule, you probably want two things: a day that works on 2 naps, and an idea of why nights got harder just when things seemed settled. Short answer: most 9-month-olds do well on 2 naps with about 3 to 3.5 hours awake between sleeps, and a lot of the new night waking at this age has to do with new skills and with your baby noticing when you leave. Below you’ll find sample days for 6, 7 and 8 a.m. wake-ups, a night-waking guide and the signs that mean it’s worth calling your pediatrician.
This page is part of our baby sleep schedule by age guide. One month back: the 8 month old sleep schedule and the 7 month old sleep schedule.
Quick answer: 9 month old sleep schedule
- Total sleep: the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends 12 to 16 hours of sleep in 24 hours for babies 4 to 12 months old, including naps. The CDC repeats the same range in its 9-month milestone tips.
- Naps: most 9-month-olds take 2 naps, one in the morning and one in the early afternoon. A third nap usually fades out around now, but a short catnap on a rough day is fine.
- Wake windows: about 3 to 3.5 hours is a common rough guide, sometimes closer to 4 hours before bedtime. Wake windows are not an official AAP measure, so your baby’s tired signs come first.
- What’s new: the CDC’s 9-month checklist includes getting into a sitting position alone, being shy or clingy with strangers and reacting when you leave. Each of these can show up at bedtime.
- Night waking: waking and then resettling after a few minutes can be normal at this age (AAP). Crying the moment you leave is often linked to separation anxiety, which the AAP says can disrupt sleep in the second half of the first year.
- Safety: on the back to start every sleep, on a firm, flat surface, with nothing soft in the crib (AAP).
What’s different at 9 months
Nine months is one of the ages the CDC uses for its milestone checklists, so this is a good month to look at the whole picture, not only at sleep. These are the CDC milestones most likely to change how your baby goes to sleep and wakes up.
| CDC milestone by 9 months | How it can show up at sleep time | What can help |
|---|---|---|
| Gets to a sitting position by herself | Your baby sits up in the crib as soon as you lay them down | Lay them down once, calmly. Practice sitting and lying back down during floor play. |
| Reacts when you leave (looks, reaches for you or cries) | Crying as soon as you walk out, more calls for you in the night | A short, clear goodbye every time instead of sneaking out. The CDC and AAP both suggest this. |
| Is shy, clingy or fearful around strangers | A new babysitter or a visit from relatives makes bedtime harder | Let a new sitter arrive before bedtime so your baby can get used to them (AAP). |
| Looks for objects when they drop out of sight | Your baby knows you still exist when you leave, and may call for you | Peek-a-boo and “be right back” games in the daytime |
| Uses fingers to “rake” food toward himself | More meals in the day can shift when your baby is hungry | Offer meals after waking up, not right before a nap |
Crawling and pulling to stand are not on the CDC’s 9-month checklist, but many babies start around now. If yours is practicing standing in the crib, see the night-waking guide below. For the rest of this month’s development, read our 9-month milestones guide.
Sample 9 month old sleep schedules (6, 7 and 8 a.m. wake-ups)
Parents often ask what a 9-month-old’s day looks like for their own wake-up time. Here is the same 2-nap day at three different start times. These are examples, not rules. Nap lengths of about 1 to 1.5 hours are common, but many babies nap shorter or longer.
| What happens | 6 a.m. wake-up | 7 a.m. wake-up | 8 a.m. wake-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wake up, milk feed, diaper change | 6:00 a.m. | 7:00 a.m. | 8:00 a.m. |
| Breakfast and floor play | 7:00 a.m. | 8:00 a.m. | 9:00 a.m. |
| Nap 1 (after about 3 hours awake) | 9:00 to 10:15 a.m. | 10:00 to 11:15 a.m. | 11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. |
| Milk feed, lunch, play, time outside | 10:15 a.m. | 11:15 a.m. | 12:15 p.m. |
| Nap 2 (after about 3 to 3.5 hours awake) | 1:30 to 2:45 p.m. | 2:30 to 3:45 p.m. | 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. |
| Milk feed, play, dinner | 2:45 to 5:30 p.m. | 3:45 to 6:30 p.m. | 4:45 to 7:30 p.m. |
| Bedtime routine starts | 5:45 p.m. | 6:45 p.m. | 7:45 p.m. |
| Asleep (after about 3.5 hours awake) | about 6:15 p.m. | about 7:15 p.m. | about 8:15 p.m. |
An early bedtime on the 6 a.m. day can feel strange, but it often fits a baby who wakes early. If you’d like a later wake-up, move bedtime and both naps later by 15 minutes every few days. Our guide to a baby who wakes up at 5am covers very early mornings.
Should my 9 month old still take 3 naps?
Some 9-month-olds still need a short third nap, especially if the first two naps are short. If your baby falls apart in the late afternoon, a 20- to 30-minute catnap is fine. Signs that 2 naps may work better: your baby fights the third nap for a week or more, or bedtime keeps getting pushed late because of it.
Meals and milk in the day
By this age many babies eat solid foods at set times as well as having breast milk or formula. How much and how often varies a lot from baby to baby. Our baby feeding schedule by age and the month-by-month guide to solid foods have the details.
Wake windows for a 9 month old
| Part of the day | Common rough guide | Signs it may be too short | Signs it may be too long |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wake-up to nap 1 | About 3 hours | Your baby chats and plays through the start of the nap | Rubbing eyes and fussing well before nap time |
| Nap 1 to nap 2 | About 3 to 3.5 hours | A long time to fall asleep, then a short nap | A quick crash, then a short nap |
| Nap 2 to bedtime | About 3.5 to 4 hours | Bedtime turns into playtime | A meltdown at dinner, more night waking |
These ranges come from common practice, not from the AAP. Watch your baby more than the clock. Our guide to baby cues shows the tired signs to look for.
Why is my 9 month old waking up at night? A quick guide
Parents type all kinds of versions of this question: waking up crying unless held, waking up to play, waking up hungry. Find the line that matches your nights, pick one thing to change and give it about a week before you change something else.
| What your nights look like | A common reason at this age | One thing to try |
|---|---|---|
| Crying as soon as you leave, calm again when you come back | Separation anxiety. The AAP says it can cause many nights of disrupted sleep in the second half of the first year. | Keep the same short goodbye. A brief check-in is fine. Your baby may need reassurance several nights in a row before it passes (AAP). |
| Waking at night to play, babble or practice standing | New skills your baby wants to practice | Plenty of floor time to sit, crawl and pull up during the day. At night, keep the room dark and visits short and boring. |
| Standing at the crib rail and crying because they can’t get down | Pulling up is new, but sitting back down isn’t yet | Practice bending knees and sitting down from standing during play. At night, lay them down once, then give them a moment. |
| Waking at the same time every night and only settling with a feed | A feed may have become part of how your baby falls back asleep, or your baby may be hungry | Ask your pediatrician whether your baby still needs a night feed. If you feed, keep it calm and quiet (AAP). |
| Only falling back asleep when held or rocked | Your baby has learned to fall asleep that way | The AAP suggests putting babies to bed drowsy but awake. See baby won’t sleep without being held. |
| Waking up screaming and hard to calm | Many possible reasons, from a bad dream to feeling unwell | See baby wakes up screaming, and check for fever or ear pain |
| A few rough nights with drooling or chewing | Possibly teething | See teething symptoms and safe remedies |
Some parents call these weeks the 9 month sleep regression. “Regression” is not a medical term, and it usually settles as your baby gets used to a new skill. Our guide to sleep regressions at 4, 6 and 8 months and why babies wake up at night go deeper.
How much should a 9 month old sleep?
| Sleep | Typical at 9 months | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Total in 24 hours | 12 to 16 hours, including naps | AAP recommendation for 4 to 12 months, repeated by the CDC |
| Naps a day | Usually 2 | Common pattern, not an official measure |
| Wake windows | About 3 to 4 hours | Rough guide, not an official measure |
| Night feeds | Some babies still feed at night, others don’t | Varies. Ask your pediatrician what fits your baby. |
A baby who is mostly content when awake, eats well and is growing as expected is usually getting enough sleep, even at the lower end of the range.
Helping your 9 month old settle
- Keep the same routine every night. The CDC notes that babies do better when they know what to expect, and that consistent sleep times make it easier. Our baby bedtime routine guide has a simple version.
- Say goodbye, don’t sneak out. The AAP advises letting your child know in a matter-of-fact way when you leave, even if it’s only to another room.
- Put your baby down drowsy but awake. The AAP says this helps babies learn to fall asleep on their own.
- Make daytime busy and nighttime dull. Lots of movement, play and daylight in the day. At night, keep feeds and diaper changes calm, dim and quiet (AAP).
- Thinking about sleep training? Compare the approaches in our sleep training methods guide and talk to your pediatrician first.
- Holidays and trips coming up? Our baby travel sleep tips help you keep the routine away from home.
Safe sleep at 9 months
- Place your baby on their back for every sleep. If they roll over on their own, the AAP says you don’t need to turn them back, as long as the crib is bare.
- Keep the crib bare: no blankets, pillows, bumpers or stuffed toys (AAP). A wearable blanket keeps your baby warm on cold nights. See our sleep sack TOG chart and how to dress a baby for sleep in winter.
- Once your baby can sit up or pull to stand, set the mattress at the height your crib’s instructions give for that stage.
- Take out any hanging crib toys. The AAP advises removing them once a baby can push up on hands and knees, or by 5 months.
Our full safe sleep practices guide covers the rest.
When to talk to your doctor
- Your baby is unusually sleepy, hard to wake or too sleepy to eat.
- You notice loud snoring, gasping or pauses in breathing during sleep.
- Night waking comes with fever, pulling at the ears, poor eating, fewer wet diapers or slow weight gain.
- Your baby has lost skills they used to have, or doesn’t yet do most of the things on the CDC’s 9-month checklist. The CDC advises talking to your child’s doctor if you’re concerned, and not waiting.
- You’d like advice on night feeds or sleep training.
- You feel exhausted or low and it’s hard to cope. Your pediatrician can help or point you to support.
- Call 911 if your baby stops breathing, turns blue or gray, or can’t be woken.
Frequently asked questions
How many naps should a 9 month old take?
Most take 2. Some still need a short third catnap on days when the first two naps are short. There’s no official age for dropping to 2 naps, so follow your baby’s days rather than the calendar.
What time should a 9 month old go to bed?
There’s no official bedtime. Many families find a bedtime about 3.5 to 4 hours after the end of the second nap works well, which often lands somewhere between 6 and 8 p.m. depending on the wake-up time. See the sample days above.
Why does my 9 month old wake up crying unless held?
At this age it’s often separation anxiety, or a habit of falling asleep while being held. Comforting your baby is fine. A short, predictable goodbye and putting your baby down drowsy but awake can help over time. If the crying comes with fever or signs of pain, call your pediatrician.
My 9 month old wakes up at night to play. What should I do?
Keep the room dark and your visits short and quiet, and give your baby lots of chances to practice new skills during the day. Also check the wake windows: a nap that runs late can leave your baby not tired enough at bedtime.
Is there a 9 month sleep regression?
Many families notice a few harder weeks around 8 to 10 months as babies sit up, crawl, pull to stand and react more when a parent leaves. It isn’t a medical diagnosis, and it usually settles as the new skill becomes routine.
Is it OK for my 9 month old to sleep on their stomach?
Always place your baby on their back to start. If they roll onto their tummy on their own, the AAP says you can leave them that way, as long as there’s nothing soft in the crib.
Can a 9 month old drop to 1 nap?
That would be early for most babies. Many keep 2 naps until after their first birthday. If the second nap is falling apart, look at the wake windows and the length of the morning nap first, and ask your pediatrician if you’re unsure.
Browse more sleep guides on our baby sleep page.
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Sources
- HealthyChildren.org (AAP): Healthy Sleep Habits: How Many Hours Does Your Child Need?
- HealthyChildren.org (AAP): Getting Your Baby to Sleep
- HealthyChildren.org (AAP): Separation Anxiety and Sleeping
- HealthyChildren.org (AAP): How to Keep Your Sleeping Baby Safe
- HealthyChildren.org (AAP): How to Buy Safe Toys
- CDC: Important Milestones: Your Baby By Nine Months
This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for medical advice. If you’re worried about your baby, call your pediatrician, or 911 in an emergency.