How much sleep does a 13-month-old need during the nap transition?

Eleven to 14 hours a day, with 10 to 12 hours at night and 1 to 2 naps, and wake windows of 3 to 4 hours. On the harder transition days the daily total dips a little, and the fix is an earlier bedtime rather than a longer nap. Consistently far below the range for weeks, or a toddler who never seems rested, is worth mentioning to your pediatrician.

When do toddlers drop to one nap?

Most commonly between 13 and 15 months, though anywhere from 12 to 18 months is within normal. The trigger is usually the morning nap: it gets refused, or it pushes the afternoon nap so late that bedtime becomes impossible. Very few children switch cleanly — several weeks of alternating between one nap and two is the standard experience.

What are the signs my toddler is ready for one nap?

The pattern matters more than any single day. Look for the morning nap being consistently refused or taking a long time to start, the afternoon nap disappearing because the morning one ended late, or your toddler skipping a nap and still being cheerful until bedtime. If these show up most days for two or three weeks, the transition has begun.

How do I make the switch to one nap?

Slowly. Push the morning nap later by 15 to 30 minutes every few days until it sits around the middle of the day, then let it lengthen. In the meantime, use an earlier bedtime on the days when the single nap comes out short. Expect four to eight weeks of unevenness, and let your toddler take two naps on the days that clearly need them.

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Baby sleep schedule at 13 months: the move from two naps to one

At 13 months your child needs 11 to 14 hours of sleep a day, with 10 to 12 hours at night and 1 to 2 naps. Wake windows stay at 3 to 4 hours. The nap range is the story of this month: the transition from two naps to one usually starts somewhere around here.

The switch isn't a decision you make on a Monday. Most toddlers spend weeks moving back and forth — two naps on a day that started early, one long midday nap on a day that did not — and the household that plans for both versions has an easier time than the one that commits.

11–14 h

Total sleep / 24 h

10–12 h

Night sleep

1–2

Naps per day

3 h–4 h

Wake window

The signs that the 2-to-1 transition has begun: the morning nap gets refused or takes forever to start, the afternoon nap collapses because the morning one ran late, or your toddler happily skips a nap and still makes it to bedtime in one piece. One of those, once, is just a day. Several of them, most weeks, is a transition.

Go gradually. The usual approach is to push the morning nap later by 15 to 30 minutes every few days until it lands in the middle of the day, then let it grow in length. Expect an in-between period where the single nap is too short to carry the afternoon, and use an earlier bedtime as the bridge. There's no reason to rush — most children take four to eight weeks to settle into one nap.

A sample day

The sample below is a 2-nap day, still the more common shape at 13 months, with wake windows of 3 to 4 hours. The spacing is what to copy, not the clock: on one-nap days, everything after lunch moves earlier, bedtime included.

Time	What happens
7:00	Wake-up and first feed
10:15	Nap 1 · approx. 75 min
14:45	Nap 2 · approx. 90 min
19:45	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.

Does this 13 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.

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Tips for this age

Log which days ran on one nap and which on two — in Lulla or on paper — because the transition is only visible as a pattern across two or three weeks.
Move the morning nap later in small steps of 15 to 30 minutes rather than dropping it outright.
On one-nap days, bring bedtime forward by half an hour; the night is what covers the missing daytime sleep.
Keep lunch early on one-nap days, so your toddler is not trying to fall asleep hungry or mid-meal.
If your toddler seems exhausted for weeks on end, or the transition comes with other changes that worry you, check in with your pediatrician.

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Common questions

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Sources

The figures on this page follow the guidance of these organizations. This information is educational and does not replace advice from your pediatrician.