Baby sleep schedule at 12 months: two naps, wake windows and what changes at one year
Lulla TeamPublished Updated
At 12 months the daily total steps down to 11 to 14 hours. Night sleep holds at 10 to 12 hours, so the reduction comes out of the day, and 2 naps still cover the rest. Wake windows run 3 to 4 hours. Your baby is a year old, and the daily total drops for the first time since 4 months.
The first birthday is also when several safe-sleep restrictions lift. From 12 months a small blanket or a comfort object can go in the crib, and cow's milk becomes an option alongside solid food. None of that is urgent — check with your pediatrician about what suits your child before changing anything.
See the full wake-window table, from newborn to 2 years→How many naps by age — the full table→When your newborn won't sleep: what to check, in order→Sleep regression by age — the full table→
Does this 12 months schedule match your day?
Lulla times the naps and tells you when the wake window is closing, so you do not have to keep count in your head.
Twelve months is not a nap transition. Two naps is still the norm, and it usually stays that way until somewhere between 13 and 15 months. What does change is the pull of everything else: walking, words, and a strong preference for being wherever you are. Naps get resisted not because they're unnecessary but because they interrupt something more interesting.
If your baby still takes a bottle to fall asleep, the first birthday is a sensible moment to move it earlier in the routine, before teeth brushing rather than after. Milk pooling around teeth overnight is a dental issue rather than a sleep one, and shifting the order is easier now than it will be in six months. Your pediatrician or dentist can tell you what is right for your child.
A sample day
The day below shows a 12-month-old on 2 naps, with wake windows of 3 to 4 hours. It is a guide, not a rule — most one-year-olds have one long nap and one short one, and which is which varies from baby to baby.
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 7:00 | Wake-up and first feed |
| 10:00 | Nap 1 · approx. 75 min |
| 14:30 | Nap 2 · approx. 90 min |
| 19:30 | Bedtime routine and lights out |
A sample day to give you a rough idea — every baby is different. Adjust the times to your child's sleep cues, and talk to your pediatrician about anything that worries you.
Your baby's sleep schedule, by age
One table with everything that matters: total sleep per 24h, wake windows and number of naps, from newborn to age 3. Total sleep follows the National Sleep Foundation recommendations.
Tips for this age
- Keep offering both naps; skipping one at 12 months is usually resistance rather than readiness, and the transition can wait a few months.
- If you add a lovey or small blanket now that your baby is one, keep it small and breathable and leave the rest of the crib bare.
- Move any bedtime bottle earlier in the routine, so that teeth are brushed afterward.
- A year of habits is hard to hold in your head, and Lulla's daily summary shows at a glance whether the total is landing in the 11 to 14 hour range.
- Bring any sleep questions to the 12-month check-up; it is the natural moment to ask about night feeds, milk and the crib setup.
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Common questions
Track your baby's sleep with Lulla
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Keep reading
- Baby tiredness signs: how to read them before the crying starts
- How to build the perfect sleep routine for your baby
- How much do newborns sleep? What's normal by age and when it's too much
Sources
Total sleep per 24 hours follows the National Sleep Foundation's ranges (2015); at 3 months we smooth the step between two of them to 13 to 16 hours. Night sleep, wake windows and the number of naps are Lulla's own reference points, not recommendations from the organizations below. This information is educational and does not replace advice from your pediatrician.
- Hirshkowitz M, Whiton K, Albert SM, Alessi C, Bruni O, DonCarlos L, et al. National Sleep Foundation’s sleep time duration recommendations: methodology and results summary. Sleep Health. 2015;1(1):40–43.
- American Academy of Pediatrics — Safe Sleep
- NHS — Helping your baby to sleep
- World Health Organization — Guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5 years of age