11 Month Old Sleep Schedule In A Nutshell:
An 11-month old sleep schedule includes two naps, totaling about 2.5 to 3 hours of daytime sleep and about 11–12 hours of night time sleep.
Your 11-month old’s sleep schedule won’t change much from their 10-month old sleep schedule but as they get closer to 13 months, they may be ready to start the one nap transition.
Can you believe you almost have a one year old? It’s pretty rewarding to sit back and reflect on this first year, and realize how far both of you have come.
Hopefully you’ve been enjoying some more relaxed days as your confidence as a parent builds and you get to know your baby’s emerging personality.
At 11 months old, your baby has probably been trucking along on a pretty consistent daily routine for a couple months now. How great is that?
Even better, you probably won’t need to make any big changes to the schedule again this month. However, there’s a chance you’ll run into a sleep regression or you’ll need to tweak awake times slightly as you head towards baby’s first birthday.
Let’s talk about how to optimize your 11 month old’s sleep schedule.
What Time Should an 11 Month Old Go To Bed?
When you’re setting a baby sleep schedule at this age, they typically need between 11 to 12 hours of sleep each night.
In that case, I recommend that you set your baby down to sleep at night 12 to 13 hours after they wake up for the day. That gives them the opportunity to fall asleep independently and still get the rest they need at night.
For example, if your baby consistently wakes up around 7:00 am each day, aim for a bed time between 7:00-8:00 pm.
How Many Naps Should an 11 Month Old Take?
Most 11 month olds still need two naps, a morning nap and an afternoon nap, totaling between 2.5 to 3 hours of daytime sleep.
You may need to shorten their naps a bit, if baby is waking up too early, waking in the middle of the night, or having false starts at bedtime.
At this age, your baby likely isn’t able to string together enough daytime sleep hours over the course of just one nap. They’ll get there soon enough as the transition to one nap usually happens between 13 and 18 months.
11 Month Old Wake Windows
Wake windows are the amount of time your baby can stay awake before they need to sleep again.
I recommend you try to keep your 11 month old wake windows between 3 to 3.5 hours.
If your baby doesn’t get enough awake time during the day, they won’t build up enough sleep pressure to help them fall asleep for naps or at bedtime.
On the flip side, too much awake time during the day can translate to an overtired baby.
At this age, your baby’s wake window will start when you get them out of the crib. The wake window ends when you set them down again for a nap or bedtime.
For your 11 month old, that means it’ll be between 3 to 3.5 hours between when they wake up in the morning and their first nap of the day.
Sample 11 Month Old Sleep Schedule
Here’s an example of an 11 month old sleep schedule that uses the appropriate wake windows and number of naps:
7:00 am — Wake for the day + nurse or bottle
8:00 am — Solids/Breakfast
10:00 to 11:15 am — Nap 1
11:15 am — Nurse or bottle
12:15 pm — Solids/Lunch
2:15 pm — Small nurse or bottle if needed
2:45 to 4:00 pm — Nap 2
4:00 pm — Nurse or bottle
5:00 pm — Solids/Dinner
7:00 pm — Nurse or bottle + Start bedtime routine
7:30 pm — Bedtime
Get More Help With the Baby Sleep Schedule Binder
If you need more information on how to help establish your baby’s sleep schedule based on their age, I’ve got a great resource for you.
The Baby Sleep Schedule Binder includes easy-to-follow wake window guides broken down by age. It even has sample daily schedules for babies all the way to 4 years old.
Get all the help you need for your 11 month old sleep schedule by checking out the Baby Sleep Schedule Binder today.
Is 11 Months Too Early for One Nap?
Since your 11 month old still needs between 2.5 to 3 hours of sleep each day and has a max wake window of around 3.5 hours, this age is typically too early to transition to just one nap.
The transition to one nap typically takes place between 13 to 18 months old. Try not to rush it!
The thing is, babies are pretty good about showing us signs that they are ready for more awake time during the day.
Unfortunately, this age can be tricky because it’s possible to mistake a developmentally appropriate sleep regression for signs that your baby is ready to drop a nap. Don’t be fooled—it’s not quite time for that transition yet.
When your baby is fighting going down for sleep or waking up too early, those can be signs that they are ready for more awake time during the day. However, those are also symptoms of a sleep regression.
Instead of dropping a nap altogether in response to your baby fighting sleep, try adding 15 or 30 minutes to one or two of their wake windows instead.
Is There A Sleep Regression at 11 Months?
The short answer is yes, there can be an 11 month sleep regression.
Anytime your baby is learning new physical or cognitive skills, they can experience a sleep regression.
Around this age this is most commonly known as the 12-month sleep regression, but it can also hit around 11 months, or even as a 10 month old sleep regression.
Each regression is typically caused by the same thing: your baby’s brain is growing and they are learning new skills and meeting new milestones! When your baby reaches those new milestones can vary.
If your baby is learning new skills like cruising along furniture, pulling themself to stand, getting ready to take their first steps, or already walking, then their sleep could be impacted.
The best thing you can do for your baby in the face of a sleep regression is to stick to their routine and give them plenty of time during the day to practice their new skills and milestones.
Why Is My 11 Month Old Waking Up at Night?
It’s possible that your 11 month old’s sleep problems are being caused by a sleep regression, but there could also be other factors at play.
One factor could be that your baby’s wake windows need to be increased slightly to build up more sleep pressure before bed time.
If your baby builds up enough sleep pressure before bed time, they will not only have an easier time falling asleep, but they are more likely to stay asleep through the night.
At this age, incremental changes to your 11 month old’s sleep schedule is the way to go. You can start by increasing wake windows 15 to 30 minutes and see if that helps your baby sleep through the night.
Make the changes gradually (over 3 to 5 days), and then stick with those changes for at least 5 days before making any more tweaks.
Another thing to pay attention to at this age is baby’s nutrition before bedtime. Make sure they are getting plenty to eat and going to bed with a full tummy, and also be sure to avoid solid foods that have a high sugar content.
Lastly, remain consistent. Be consistent with your baby’s bedtime routine and try not to introduce any unhelpful sleep associations in the face of sleep setbacks.
Sleep Training Your 11 Month Old
If you’re still struggling after increasing wake windows, following a set sleep schedule, and working through a sleep regression, you can use a sleep training method to help your baby self soothe.
Since a lot of families choose to begin sleep training as early as 4 months old, you may have already used a sleep training method with your baby that worked in the past.
If that’s the case, you can always revisit that sleep training method in the face of a sleep regression.
But if you’ve never tried sleep training before, it isn’t too late to start.
Overall, my biggest tip for sleep training your 11 month old is to stay calm and consistent, because that’s what will help you see good and long-lasting results.
If you want a step-by-step walkthrough of everything that goes into sleep training and how to get results, check out the Baby D.R.E.A.M. System.
My blog is full of things to help you celebrate motherhood including baby nursery ideas, sleep schedules and sleep tips, fun printables, baby registry must-haves, and so much more.
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