Toddler sleep: one nap, bedtime, and the crib

Work it out for your family: Baby sleep schedule by age. Today's wake windows, naps and bedtime for your baby's age, and what changes next.

The short answer

• 11 to 14 hours in 24, naps included, from 1 to 2 years [1].
• Two naps become one, usually somewhere between 12 and 18 months, sometimes later. Most toddlers are on one nap by 18 months [2][3].
• A calm, regular bedtime routine is the AAP’s main tip [4].
• Night waking for a parent is normal. Separation anxiety usually fades around the second birthday [5].
• Keep the crib until your toddler climbs out or reaches 35 inches tall [6][7].
• Snoring often, gasping or pauses in breathing: tell your pediatrician [8][9].

Most of toddler sleep is a slow handover from the baby schedule to a one-nap day. It rarely goes in a straight line.

Your toddler has opinions about bedtime now. So does everyone on the internet.

How much sleep

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends 11 to 14 hours in 24 hours for children 1 to 2 years old, naps included. The AAP endorses that range [1].

What that looks like in practice, from a long-running Swiss study [3]:

At 24 months, those children averaged 11.5 hours at night and 1.8 hours of daytime sleep. Most nappers (2nd to 98th percentile) slept 0.7 to 2.9 hours in the day [3]. Averages are not targets.

From two naps to one

The timing varies more than the charts suggest.

• Most toddlers drop to one nap a day by 18 months [2]. The Swiss study found the big shift from two naps to one at 18 months [3].
• Some go later. Yale pediatric sleep physician Craig Canapari says toddlers usually drop the morning nap between 18 and 24 months [10].
• Pooled research averages about 1.2 naps a day between 1 and 2 years, with a wide range [11].
• Nearly all still nap. In the Swiss study, 96% of children napped at 18 months and 87% at 24 months [3].

At the first birthday, most babies are still napping twice a day [12]. The switch is rarely clean. Canapari notes nap counts can bounce from one day to the next, and he can’t predict when a child’s transitions will come. His advice for nap strikes: don’t panic, and watch for sleepy signs such as yawning and eye rubbing [12]. If your child gives up daytime naps, KidsHealth suggests an earlier bedtime [2].

A bedtime routine

The AAP’s tips for toddlers who resist bed [4]:

• Keep it quiet. A story, quiet music or a bath. Rough play right before bed can wind a toddler up.
• Keep it consistent. Same bedtime every night.
• Cover needs first. A drink of water, a night light, the door open a crack: sort it before lights out.
• A comfort object is fine. The AAP says it’s OK for a toddler to sleep with a teddy bear, special blanket or favorite toy. Check it has no choking hazards such as buttons or loose ribbons.

If bedtime still involves a bottle, see our guide to milk and cups. The AAP advises against a bottle at bedtime or naptime [13].

Night waking and separation anxiety

On average, toddlers wake less at night than babies do. Pooled data put it at about 0.7 wakings a night between 1 and 2 years, the lowest of the first two years [11]. Your toddler may not have read the data.

Separation anxiety starts in the second half of the first year. It can bring many nights of disrupted sleep. Your toddler may wake and cry for you, often for one parent in particular. It usually fades around the second birthday [5]. The AAP recommends a loving, consistent approach. Until it passes, your child may need reassurance several times a night, night after night [5].

Learning to walk, often around 12 to 15 months, can bring a patch of night waking that settles once the skill is mastered [10].

Families handle night waking in different ways. This guide doesn’t push a method. For the evidence on the “12-month” and “18-month” regressions, which is thin, see our sleep regressions guide.

The crib: keep it until they climb out

The AAP doesn’t set an age for leaving the crib. It uses two signals:

• Climbing out. Once your toddler can climb out of the crib, it may be time for a “big kid” bed [6].
• Height. Move your child to another bed at 35 inches (89 cm) tall, or when the side rail is less than three-quarters of their height, about nipple level [7]. Federal crib rules have required a warning to the same effect since the 1970s: a child more than 35 inches tall belongs in a youth or regular bed [14].

Until then, keep the crib mattress at its lowest position. The AAP says to lower it before your child learns to stand [7]. Crib bumpers are banned in the US [15].

Toddler bed safety

When the move comes, the AAP suggests [6]:

• No bed yet? Put the crib mattress on the floor while you wait.
• Clear the room of furniture and large toys your toddler could fall against.
• Gate the bedroom door and the top of the stairs.
• Stop dresser climbing. Anchor dressers so they can’t tip. Use childproof latches on drawers, or tape them shut so they can’t become steps.
• Keep the bed away from windows [7].

Bunk beds can wait. The AAP says no child under 6 should sleep on a top bunk [16].

Blankets and pillows

Under 1: the rule is firm. Nothing in the sleep space but a fitted sheet: no pillows, blankets, bumpers or stuffed toys [17].

After the first birthday, the AAP’s line is softer. In its words, “Research has not shown us when it’s 100% safe to have these objects in the crib; however, most experts agree that these objects pose little risk to healthy babies after 12 months of age” [18]. It also says a special blanket or teddy bear is fine for a toddler [4].

The AAP doesn’t name an age at which a pillow becomes safe or useful. If your toddler has a health condition or you’re unsure, ask your pediatrician.

When to talk to your pediatrician

• Snoring often, or loud breathing with short pauses: tell your pediatrician right away [8][9].
• Choking or gasping during sleep: can be a sign of enlarged tonsils or adenoid, and of sleep apnea. Tell your pediatrician [8][9].
• Drowsy or low on energy when awake despite enough sleep, with breathing trouble at night: call your pediatrician [9].
• Severe trouble breathing: call 911 [9].
• Daytime sleepiness, trouble paying attention or behavior problems can also be signs of sleep apnea [8].
• Breathing stops for more than 20 seconds, or skin turns pale, bluish or grayish: call 911 [8].
• Trouble adjusting that lasts more than a week or two after a clock change [19], or sleep that’s wearing down the whole family: ask.

Sources

1. Paruthi S, et al., “Recommended Amount of Sleep for Pediatric Populations: A Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine,” Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine 2016;12(6):785–786. doi.org, and HealthyChildren.org (AAP), “Healthy Sleep Habits: How Many Hours Does Your Child Need?” healthychildren.org
2. KidsHealth (Nemours), “Naps.” kidshealth.org
3. Iglowstein I, et al., “Sleep duration from infancy to adolescence: reference values and generational trends,” Pediatrics 2003;111(2):302–307. doi.org
4. HealthyChildren.org (AAP), “Toddler Won’t Go to Sleep? 7 Tips to Help End Bedtime Battles” (updated October 2026). healthychildren.org
5. HealthyChildren.org (AAP), “Separation Anxiety & Sleeping Trouble in Young Children.” healthychildren.org
6. HealthyChildren.org (AAP), “Big Kid Beds: When to Switch From a Crib,” by Rachel Y. Moon, MD. healthychildren.org
7. HealthyChildren.org (AAP), “Make Baby’s Room Safe: Parent Checklist.” healthychildren.org
8. HealthyChildren.org (AAP), “Sleep Apnea in Children: Detection & Treatment.” healthychildren.org
9. HealthyChildren.org (AAP), “Tonsillitis: Symptoms & Treatment.” healthychildren.org
10. Canapari C, “A Comprehensive Guide to Sleep Regressions” (Yale pediatric sleep physician; November 2025, updated May 2026). drcraigcanapari.com
11. Galland BC, et al., “Normal sleep patterns in infants and children: a systematic review of observational studies,” Sleep Medicine Reviews 2012;16(3):213–222. doi.org
12. Canapari C, “Wake Windows.” drcraigcanapari.com
13. HealthyChildren.org (AAP), “Your Toddler Only Wants Milk? How to Ease a Milk Dependency Habit,” by Barton Schmitt, MD. healthychildren.org
14. US Consumer Product Safety Commission, “CPSC Sets Crib Safety Standards” (the 1973 federal crib rule; cpsc.gov shows a 2011 date). cpsc.gov
15. US Consumer Product Safety Commission, “Safe Sleep for Babies Act: Business Guidance.” cpsc.gov
16. HealthyChildren.org (AAP), “Bunk Beds: Safety Information for Parents.” healthychildren.org
17. American Academy of Pediatrics, “Safe Sleep.” aap.org
18. HealthyChildren.org (AAP), “Preventing SIDS” (updated April 2026). healthychildren.org
19. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, “5 ways to help kids adjust to daylight saving time.” chop.edu

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