1 Year Old Sleep Schedule (with Naps and Bedtime)

In A Nutshell:

There is a lot of range in a 1 year old sleep schedule. Your 1 year old needs about 13.5 to 14.5 hours of sleep over a 24-hour period. That breaks down to about 11 to 11.5 hours of night time sleep and about 2.5 to 3 hours of daytime sleep.

Many toddlers are ready to transition to one nap at some point after their first birthday. The average age this transition happens is between 13 and 18 months of age.

Keep reading to see sample 1 year old sleep schedules and get tips on making the one nap transition.

Seeing your little one cross the threshold from baby to toddlerhood is thrilling and rewarding!

You may find yourself missing the squishy little new baby phase, but it’s also so fun to celebrate this toddler transition. You’ve come a long way in that first year!

All those hours you put in to feeding, nurturing, and teaching your baby have finally started to pay off. Your hard work is manifesting as some seriously cool milestones for your 1-year-old!

Maybe your little one is getting mobile, cruising around furniture, or even taking steps. Or perhaps they’ve been focusing on their verbal skills and have started sounding out some words to communicate their needs.

Whatever it is that your toddler’s busy brain is focused on, one thing is for certain: your days look very different from how they used to with a newborn.

As amazing as it is to watch your baby thrive and grow, these new toddler developments could also mean a change-up in the sleep schedule you’ve grown accustomed to.

To help you better, download my free sleep calculator to see when naptime and bedtime should be based on your baby’s age. Click here to grab it, it’ll be super helpful.

What is A Good Schedule for A 1-Year-Old?

At this age, your 1-year-old’s daily schedule is going to be mainly determined by how many naps they’re still taking.

There’s a fairly common 12-month sleep regression, as well as separation anxiety that kicks in, which can really have you starting to question whether your toddler’s schedule needs a major overhaul.

Sleep regressions are usually brought on by your baby meeting developmental milestones. Sometimes night wakings, short naps, or bedtime battles can occur from sleep regressions.

And here’s a hint for making it through any sleep regression right around the first birthday: it may not be time to drop that second nap just yet! Your new toddler will be better suited to transition to one nap between 13-18 months.

If your baby only naps 30 minutes or so, troubleshoot why you’re experiencing sleep problems before changing the schedule and give them tons of time during the day to practice their new skills, so they can kick that regression.

Setting a Predictable 1-Year-Old Daily Schedule

It’s a good idea to follow a daily routine with your baby. As a certified sleep consultant, I’ve seen proof again and again that babies and toddlers thrive on a consistent bedtime routine and a predictable schedule.

Having a set schedule helps everyone know what to expect throughout the day. Knowing a general framework for how the day should be structured also allows for some flexibility and stretching the schedule when needed.

As your new toddler continues to grow, push boundaries, and test limits, a predictable schedule is especially important. If you need sample baby sleep schedules for every age, I have them for you!

All of the big changes in your 1-year-old’s life—namely their new cognitive developments and skills—can leave them feeling a bit out of control or overstimulated. A predictable schedule is reassuring, and provides a soft place to land for their busy bodies and brains.

How Long Should a 1-Year-Old Be Awake Between Naps?

Again, the answer to this question will depend on whether you have successfully transitioned your toddler from two naps to one. If you have a fresh 12-month-old who still naps two times per day, their schedule will likely change over the next couple of months.

Your toddler’s wake windows will likely transition again between 13 and 18 months old.

If your 12-month old schedule still includes two naps, they will be awake 2.5-3.5 hours between naps.

Once you’ve transitioned to one nap over the following months, their wake window will be more like 4 to 5 hours.

What Time Should a 1-Year-Old Go to Bed?

For your 1-year-old’s sleep schedule, I typically recommend that you aim for a bedtime that’s about 12 to 13 hours after they wake up.

Your 1-year old needs approximately 3 to 4 hours of awake time between when they wake up from their last nap and bedtime to ensure they have enough sleep pressure.

If you notice that it’s taking a long time for your toddler to fall asleep at bedtime, take a look at how much wake time they have between their last nap of the day and going down to bed at night. You want to make sure they aren’t getting too much sleep in the afternoon.

It might be time to shorten the last nap of the day or push back bedtime if you’re on a two-nap schedule and your 1-year-old is awake for less than 3 hours before you put them down to bed for the night. If the bedtime battles continue, it could be time to transition from two daytime naps to one.

Remember: if you’ve already transitioned to just one nap a day, you’ll want to make sure that bedtime is scheduled for 4 to 5 hours after your 1-year-old wakes up from their daily nap.

How Many Naps Should A 1 Year Old Take?

Most babies will transition to one nap between 13 and 18 months old. If your 1 year old is on the younger side, he’ll likely still need two naps until he shows signs of being ready to drop that second nap. Slightly older one year olds may be only taking one nap at this point.

Is 12 Months Too Early for One Nap?

While 12 months is on the early side for one nap, it’s not unheard of. I have helped babies make the one nap transition as early as 12 months.

If your baby is 12 months old, sleeps about 12 hours at night, and is showing you the signs that they’re ready to drop the nap, then it’s okay. Just make sure you’ve ruled out a sleep regression before making the transition.

Even when babies transition to one nap, they get the same amount of sleep. It’s just consolidated into one longer nap midday.

I’ve included a sample schedule for one nap below as well.

Sample 1-Year-Old Sleep Schedule on Two Naps

During the first six months, I like to follow an EASY baby schedule to structure the day. If you’ve established independent sleep habits with your baby, following EASY isn’t nearly as essential once your baby is around 1 year old.

Check out the following sample schedule and feel free to re-work it based on when your toddler normally wakes up in the morning. This is for a toddler who hasn’t transitioned to one nap yet.

7:00 am: Wake up and nurse/bottle

8:00 am: Solids/Breakfast

10:00-11:00 am: Morning nap

11:00 am: Nurse/Bottle

12:00 pm: Solids/Lunch

2:30–4:00 pm: Afternoon nap

4:00: Nurse/Bottle

5:30 pm: Solids/Dinner

7:15/7:30 pm: Start baby’s bedtime routine and nurse or bottle

7:45/8:00 pm: Bedtime

Sample 1-Year-Old Sleep Schedule on One Nap

Here’s a sample 1-year-old schedule for a baby who may need a little less sleep and has made the transition from two naps to one. This daily schedule gives you more time to go out and do a fun activity in the morning and then come home for a nap and break in the middle of the day.

7:00 am: Wake up and nurse/bottle

8:00 am: Solids/Breakfast

11:30 am: Solids/Lunch

12:00–3:00 pm: Nap

3:00 pm: Snack

5:30 pm: Solids/Dinner

6:30 pm: Start bedtime routine

7:00 pm: Bedtime

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