Swaddle
Usual age
11-13 months
Often lasts
Weeks
Is it a problem?
Normal
Signs of the 12 month sleep regression
- Refusing the morning or afternoon nap
- Playing or chatting in the crib for most of the nap
- Early wake-ups or a later bedtime
- More night wakings from being overtired
Why it happens
Around the first birthday, babies are busy learning to walk, wave, point and say first words. Wake windows also grow, so naps that fit at 10 months can start to feel too early.
The trap is dropping to one nap too soon. Most children move to one nap between 13 and 18 months. A baby who is pushed onto one nap at 12 months often ends up overtired, which can bring more night wakings and early mornings.
What helps
- Stretch wake windows by 15-30 minutes. At 12 months most babies manage 3 to 4 hours.
- Cap the morning nap at about 1 to 1.5 hours to protect the afternoon nap.
- Keep offering both naps for about two weeks. Many nap strikes pass on their own.
- Use an earlier bedtime on days a nap is skipped.
- Move to one nap only if they refuse one of the two naps almost every day for two weeks while still sleeping well at night. See nap transitions.
How long does it last?
A nap strike often lasts 1 to 2 weeks. If it keeps going past two weeks and your child is well rested, it may be a real transition.
When to call your pediatrician
A sleep regression is a normal phase. Call your pediatrician if poor sleep comes with fever, breathing that seems hard or noisy, snoring with pauses, vomiting, a rash, ear pulling with fussiness, fewer wet diapers or poor feeding, or if your baby just seems unwell or unlike themselves. Trust your instincts.
Want the whole day mapped out? See the 12 month old sleep schedule.