An 11-month-old needs about 13 to 14 hours of total sleep per day, split between nighttime sleep and daytime naps. Most babies this age sleep 10 to 12 hours at night and get another 2.5 to 3 hours during the day across two naps.
Nighttime Sleep at 11 Months
Most 11-month-olds sleep 10 to 12 hours overnight, though that doesn’t always mean 10 to 12 uninterrupted hours. Many babies this age sleep in stretches of six to eight hours before briefly waking. Some resettle on their own, others need a quick check-in.
Whether your baby still needs a nighttime feed depends partly on how they’re fed. Formula-fed babies over six months are unlikely to wake from genuine hunger, since formula digests slowly enough to sustain them through the night. For breastfed babies, the picture is a bit more nuanced. Most experts consider 12 months a reasonable time to begin night weaning for healthy breastfed children, since by that age most kids are getting enough nutrition during the day. At 11 months, you’re right on the edge of that window, so a single overnight feed may still be part of your routine, and that’s normal.
How Daytime Naps Should Look
Two naps per day is standard at 11 months. Each nap typically lasts 1 to 1.5 hours, adding up to roughly 2.5 to 3 hours of total daytime sleep. A common pattern is a morning nap around 9 or 9:30 a.m. and an afternoon nap around 1:30 or 2 p.m., though exact timing varies based on when your baby wakes for the day.
Between sleep periods, your baby can comfortably handle 3 to 4 hours of awake time. These wake windows tend to get slightly longer as the day goes on, so the stretch before the afternoon nap and before bedtime is usually the longest.
The Nap Transition Question
Around 11 months, some babies start fighting the morning nap. They’ll play in the crib, babble, or just refuse to settle. This can look like they’re ready to drop to one nap, but for most babies, it’s too early. The typical age for transitioning from two naps to one is 13 to 18 months. Even at 12 months, one nap is usually premature.
What’s really happening is often a temporary phase. Your baby’s growing independence and excitement about new skills (pulling up, cruising, babbling more) can make them resist sleep even when they need it. If you drop the nap too soon, you’ll likely end up with an overtired baby who sleeps worse at night, not better. Stick with two naps and adjust the timing if needed.
One exception: if your baby is in daycare, many programs move children to one nap as early as 11 months for scheduling reasons. If that’s your situation, it’s fine. You can compensate with an earlier bedtime on daycare days to make sure total sleep stays in the right range.
Why Sleep Falls Apart Around This Age
The weeks around 11 to 12 months are a common time for sleep disruptions, sometimes called a sleep regression. This isn’t a sign that something is wrong. It’s driven by a burst of development happening all at once: your baby is likely learning to stand or walk with support, understanding more words, showing stronger emotional reactions, and becoming more aware of separation from you. All of that mental and physical activity can make it harder for them to wind down.
Increased physical activity during the day also means more restlessness at night. A baby who just figured out how to pull to standing may practice the skill at 2 a.m. in the crib, not because they’re fully awake, but because their brain is wired to rehearse new movements even during lighter sleep stages. These regressions typically resolve within two to four weeks without any major changes to your routine.
Spotting Overtiredness Before It Spirals
The tricky thing about overtired babies is that they don’t just get sleepier. They get wired. When a baby stays awake past their sleep window, their body releases stress hormones that actually make it harder to fall asleep. Instead of a drowsy baby who drifts off easily, you get one who’s fussy, clingy, and fighting sleep harder than ever.
The early signs of tiredness are your best friends here. Watch for:
- Facial cues: yawning, droopy eyelids, furrowed brows, staring blankly into the distance
- Body language: rubbing eyes, pulling on ears, clenching fists, arching their back
- Behavior shifts: sudden fussiness, increased clinginess, or sucking on fingers more than usual
Once you see these signals, you have a narrow window to start the nap or bedtime routine before overtiredness kicks in. If your baby is crying louder and more frantically than usual, sweating more, or seeming simultaneously exhausted and hyper, they’ve crossed into overtired territory. At that point, getting them to sleep takes longer and the sleep they get is often shorter and less restorative. Tracking your baby’s wake windows (3 to 4 hours at this age) helps you stay ahead of the curve rather than relying solely on tired cues, which can be subtle.
Sample Schedule for an 11-Month-Old
Every baby is different, but a realistic day might look something like this:
- 6:30 a.m.: Wake up
- 9:30 a.m.: First nap (1 to 1.5 hours)
- 2:00 p.m.: Second nap (1 to 1.5 hours)
- 7:00 p.m.: Bedtime
The key numbers to keep in mind: 2.5 to 3 hours of total nap time, 3 to 4 hours of awake time between sleep periods, and 10 to 12 hours of overnight sleep. If your baby is consistently getting 13 to 14 hours total and seems well-rested (alert and happy during wake windows, not constantly fussy), you’re in good shape regardless of whether the exact timing matches any schedule template.