A 1-year-old needs 11 to 14 hours of total sleep per day, including naps. That range, endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, covers the full 24-hour period. Most of that sleep happens at night, with the remainder split across one or two daytime naps.
Nighttime and Daytime Sleep Breakdown
At 12 months, most toddlers sleep roughly 10 to 12 hours overnight and get another 2.5 to 3 hours of sleep during the day. Wake windows between sleep periods are typically 3 to 4 hours, which helps set the rhythm of the day.
A common schedule looks like this: a first nap about 3 hours after waking, lasting 2 to 3 hours, followed by a second shorter nap about 3.5 hours later, lasting around an hour. Not every 1-year-old fits this pattern neatly, though. Some have already started consolidating into a single longer midday nap, while others still rely on two shorter ones.
When Two Naps Become One
The shift from two naps to one is one of the biggest sleep transitions in the first two years, and it often begins around or shortly after the first birthday. It doesn’t happen overnight. Most toddlers go through a messy in-between phase that can last several weeks.
Signs your child is ready to drop a nap include consistently resisting the second nap, skipping naps entirely, or taking naps that are suddenly much shorter than usual. Some toddlers start waking unusually early in the morning or lying awake for long stretches in the middle of the night. If your child regularly gets less than 10 hours of nighttime sleep on a two-nap schedule, moving to one nap often helps lengthen that overnight stretch.
There’s no need to rush this transition. If your toddler is still taking two naps happily and sleeping well at night, that schedule is working fine.
Why Sleep Falls Apart Around 12 Months
Many parents notice their previously good sleeper starts struggling right around the first birthday. This 12-month sleep regression is real and usually tied to a burst of developmental change. At this age, toddlers are learning to stand, cruise along furniture, or take first steps. Their communication skills are expanding. Their emotional world is getting more complex.
All of that brain and body growth can make it harder for a child to settle down at bedtime or stay asleep through the night. Separation anxiety often intensifies around this age too. A toddler who used to go into the crib without fuss may suddenly protest or cry when a parent leaves the room. This is a normal and healthy sign of emotional development, even though it’s exhausting to manage at 2 a.m.
Teething and Sleep Disruption
Teething is another major sleep disruptor at this age. Research suggests more than 80% of infants and toddlers experience sleep disturbances during teething. The good news is that the worst of it is brief. Symptoms like drooling, irritability, and poor sleep typically start about four days before a tooth breaks through and fade within three days after, so any single tooth usually causes about a week of rough nights.
If teething pain is keeping your child awake, gentle gum pressure can help. Massaging the gums with a clean finger or offering a solid teething ring before bed gives your toddler something to work against. A pacifier can also provide relief during the night. For especially painful eruptions, a dose of pain reliever before bedtime can help your child fall asleep and stay asleep. The medication is usually only needed for a day or two while the gums are most swollen. Once the tooth pushes through, the discomfort drops off.
Night Wakings at This Age
Brief night wakings are normal for 1-year-olds. Most toddlers stir between sleep cycles several times a night, and many can resettle on their own without fully waking. When they do wake fully, common triggers include teething pain, separation anxiety, dreams, cold room temperatures, or noise.
Screen exposure close to bedtime can also contribute. The light from phones and tablets suppresses the signals that help your child’s brain wind down, making it harder to fall asleep initially and easier to wake during the night.
Safe Sleep Setup After 12 Months
The AAP’s safe sleep guidelines, which recommend keeping pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, and loose bedding out of the crib, apply through the first year of life. That means at exactly 12 months, many of these restrictions are beginning to lift, but there’s no reason to rush adding soft items. A firm mattress with a fitted sheet remains the safest sleep surface, and most toddlers sleep perfectly well without a pillow or blanket for months beyond their first birthday.
If you do introduce a small blanket or lovey after age 1, keep the crib otherwise clear. Bumper pads, pillow-like toys, and thick comforters still pose entrapment and suffocation risks for a child this size.
What “Enough Sleep” Actually Looks Like
The 11-to-14-hour range is a guideline, not a prescription. Some healthy 1-year-olds genuinely need closer to 11 hours, while others thrive on 14. The better measure is how your child functions during the day. A well-rested toddler wakes up in a reasonably good mood, can play and engage without constant meltdowns, and doesn’t fall asleep at odd times outside their regular nap windows.
If your child consistently falls below 11 hours despite having enough opportunity to sleep, or if they seem chronically overtired, cranky, or difficult to wake in the morning, it’s worth looking at the schedule. Sometimes an earlier bedtime, a quieter wind-down routine, or adjusting nap timing is all it takes to reclaim that missing sleep.