A 1-year-old needs 11 to 14 hours of total sleep every 24 hours. That typically breaks down to 10 to 12 hours at night and 1 to 2 hours of daytime napping. Most 12-month-olds are still taking two naps a day, though many will transition to one nap by 18 to 24 months.
How Nighttime and Nap Sleep Break Down
The bulk of your 1-year-old’s sleep happens at night. A child this age generally sleeps 10 to 12 hours overnight, with the remaining 1 to 2 hours coming from one or two daytime naps. At 12 months, most children still nap twice: once in the morning and once in the early afternoon, each lasting roughly 1 to 1.5 hours.
A typical schedule for a 12-month-old looks something like this: wake around 6:15 a.m., first nap about 3 hours later (around 9:15 to 10:45 a.m.), second nap about 3 to 3.5 hours after the first nap ends (around 2:15 to 3:30 p.m.), and bedtime roughly 3.5 to 4 hours after the second nap ends (around 7:15 to 7:30 p.m.). These times shift depending on your child’s natural wake time, but the spacing between sleep periods matters more than the clock. Keeping wake windows consistent helps your child fall asleep more easily and stay asleep longer.
Why These Hours Matter for Growth
Sleep is not just rest for a 1-year-old. It’s when the body does some of its most important work. Growth hormone is primarily released during deep sleep, driving cell division and the protein synthesis that builds bone, muscle, and tissue. Children who consistently fall short on sleep may not get enough time in those deep sleep stages.
Sleep also plays a direct role in language development. Studies have shown that children who nap after being exposed to new words remember them better, whether tested 1.5 hours later, 24 hours later, or even a full week later. At 12 months, your child is in the early stages of understanding and producing language, and naps appear to help lock in new vocabulary. Language-rich bedtime routines at this age, like reading together before sleep, have been linked to fewer sleep problems at 18 months and longer sleep duration through the second year of life.
The 12-Month Sleep Regression
If your 1-year-old was sleeping well and suddenly isn’t, you’re likely dealing with the 12-month sleep regression. This is a temporary disruption that typically lasts a few weeks. Several things converge around this age to throw sleep off track: your child is more physically active and can become overstimulated, separation anxiety peaks as social awareness grows, and teething pain can make settling down harder. Some children also resist naps or bedtime as they adjust to new schedules or sleep training.
The regression can look like fighting naps, waking more at night, or taking much longer to fall asleep. It sometimes tempts parents to drop a nap early, but most 12-month-olds still need two naps. The transition to one nap generally happens closer to 18 to 24 months.
When Your Child Is Ready to Drop a Nap
Several factors influence when a child moves from two naps to one, including their maturity, nighttime sleep habits, physical development, and whether they attend childcare. Rather than picking an age and switching, watch your child’s behavior. Signs they may be ready include consistently resisting the second nap, taking very long to fall asleep for one of the two naps, or having a nap push bedtime so late that nighttime sleep suffers. If these patterns last for two weeks or more, rather than just a few off days, your child is probably ready. Most children make this shift between 14 and 18 months, though some hold on to two naps until closer to age 2.
Signs Your 1-Year-Old Isn’t Getting Enough Sleep
Sleep deprivation in toddlers doesn’t always look like what you’d expect. A tired adult gets sluggish, but a tired 1-year-old often gets wired. Watch for crankiness, irritability, aggression, big emotional swings, or hyperactivity that seems out of proportion. Difficulty focusing on toys or activities during the day is another red flag. These behaviors can become a cycle: an overtired child has a harder time falling asleep, which leads to even less sleep and more difficult behavior the next day.
If your child consistently falls below 11 hours of total sleep, or if daytime behavior suggests they’re running on empty, adjusting bedtime earlier by even 15 to 30 minutes can make a noticeable difference. Small shifts in schedule tend to work better than dramatic changes, since a child’s internal clock adjusts gradually.