Yes, a sleep regression around 12 months is common, though not every baby experiences one. Around their first birthday, some children who were sleeping well suddenly start fighting bedtime, waking overnight, or refusing naps. This can happen regardless of how well your child was sleeping before.
Sleep development in infants is highly variable. While a 12-month regression affects many children, others see their sleep stay the same or even improve at this age. If your one-year-old’s sleep has suddenly fallen apart, here’s what’s likely going on and what you can do about it.
Why Sleep Falls Apart at 12 Months
The first birthday coincides with a burst of physical and cognitive development. Many babies are pulling to stand, cruising along furniture, or taking their first steps. Some are starting to say their first words. This flood of new skills is exciting for their brains, and that excitement doesn’t shut off at bedtime. A baby who just figured out how to stand in the crib may practice that skill at 2 a.m. instead of sleeping.
Separation anxiety also peaks during this window. It typically begins in the second half of a baby’s first year and can last for several months, often not fading until around the second birthday. During this stage, a child may wake several times at night and cry anxiously for a parent, sometimes expressing a strong preference for one parent over the other. At bedtime, this can look like intense protesting when you leave the room or difficulty settling without your presence.
How Long It Typically Lasts
Most sleep regressions, including the 12-month one, run their course in two to six weeks. The disruption feels longer than it is, partly because broken sleep distorts your sense of time and partly because it can overlap with other changes like teething or illness. If your child’s sleep is still significantly disrupted after six weeks, something else may be contributing, whether that’s a schedule issue, a nap transition happening too early, or a habit that formed during the regression.
The Nap Trap: Don’t Drop to One Nap Yet
One of the most common things parents do during the 12-month regression is assume their baby is ready to go from two naps to one. It makes sense on the surface: your baby is refusing a nap, so maybe they don’t need it anymore. But for most babies, 12 months is too early for that transition.
Most children aren’t genuinely ready to drop to one nap until at least 13 months, and many aren’t ready until 15 or even 18 months. The nap struggles you’re seeing at 12 months are more likely a sign of the developmental upheaval happening at this age, not a signal that your child’s sleep needs have permanently changed.
Signs your child is actually ready for one nap include:
- They’re at least 13 months old
- They consistently have trouble falling asleep at nap time or bedtime
- They regularly protest or refuse one of their naps
- Naps are getting noticeably shorter
- Fitting two naps into the day requires pushing bedtime too late
- Night wakings or early morning wakings have become frequent
The key word is “consistently.” You want to see these signs for at least one to two weeks straight before making the switch. A few bad nap days during a regression is not the same as a child who has genuinely outgrown their second nap. Dropping a nap too early often backfires, creating an overtired baby whose sleep gets even worse.
How Much Sleep Your One-Year-Old Needs
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 12 to 16 hours of total sleep (including naps) for babies 4 to 12 months old. Once your child turns one, the recommendation shifts slightly to 11 to 14 hours total. That range is wide because kids vary. Most 12-month-olds land somewhere around 13 to 14 hours, split between nighttime sleep and two daytime naps.
During a regression, your child’s total sleep may dip below their usual amount. That’s normal in the short term. The goal isn’t to force every lost minute back into the schedule but to keep offering consistent opportunities for sleep so the pattern can recover on its own.
What Actually Helps
The single most useful thing you can do during the 12-month regression is keep your routines consistent. It’s tempting to introduce new sleep props or habits to get through the rough nights, like bringing your baby into your bed or rocking them to sleep when they used to fall asleep independently. These choices are completely valid if they work for your family, but know that habits formed during a regression tend to stick around after the regression ends.
If your baby is standing in the crib and can’t figure out how to get back down, help them down calmly without turning it into playtime. Practice sitting down from standing during the day so they build the skill outside of sleep situations. For bedtime protests driven by separation anxiety, a brief and boring check-in can reassure your child you’re still nearby without creating a cycle of escalating attention.
Keep the two-nap schedule. Even if your baby fights the second nap for a few days, continue offering it. A short nap is better than no nap at this age, and skipping it almost always leads to a harder bedtime. If the second nap truly doesn’t happen, move bedtime earlier by 30 to 45 minutes to prevent a buildup of overtiredness.
Is It Really a Regression or Something Else?
Not every sleep disruption at 12 months is a developmental regression. Ear infections are common at this age and can cause pain that worsens when lying down. Teething, especially the first molars, can also disrupt sleep. If your child seems to be in pain, is pulling at their ears, has a fever, or is unusually fussy during the day (not just at sleep times), something physical may be going on.
Schedule problems can also mimic a regression. A baby who is getting too much daytime sleep, or whose nap timing has drifted so that bedtime is too early or too late, can start waking at night or fighting sleep. If the disruption drags on well past the typical regression window, it’s worth looking at the overall schedule rather than waiting for a regression to “end” on its own.