Quick Answer: How many naps should an 11-month-old take?
Most 11-month-old babies take two naps per day, totaling about 2 to 3 hours of daytime sleep. Wake windows typically span 3 to 3.5 hours. While some babies are ready to transition to a single 2-hour afternoon nap, this shift usually finishes closer to 12 months.
1. What a Typical 11-Month-Old Sleep Schedule Looks Like
Many pediatric sleep resources suggest an 11-month-old typically needs somewhere in the range of 13 to 14 hours of total sleep per 24 hours, though individual needs vary. Many babies split this into a longer night stretch and two short daytime naps, though individual variation is common.
Many babies are solidly on two naps with wake windows in the 3-hour range at 10 months. The one-nap transition often wraps up sometime around 12 to 18 months, though timing varies. Eleven months serves as the unpredictable hinge between those two very distinct developmental stages.
The AASM guidelines recommend 12 to 16 total hours of sleep in 24 hours for infants 4 to 12 months — check the AASM website for the most current version of these recommendations.
A commonly cited range is 13–14 hours total, split across night sleep and two naps, though individual needs vary.
Wake windows for many babies tend to span roughly 3 to 3.5 hours early in the day, though this varies considerably by baby. On a two-nap schedule, some babies do well being awake about 2.5 hours before the first nap, around 3 hours before the second, and about 4 hours before bedtime — though these are general guidelines, not universal rules.
Clock-watching is the enemy here — wake windows are behavioral cues, not alarms.
Your baby's circadian rhythm heavily influences these times. In my practice, the families who struggle most with this transition are the ones who drop nap 2 on a Tuesday after one bad nap Monday.
2. Sample 11-Month-Old Schedules: Two Naps vs. One Nap
Both two-nap and one-nap days happen frequently at 11 months. The ultimate goal involves matching the daily nap schedule to your child's current physical readiness levels.
Here is a sample two-nap day anchored to a 6:30 AM morning wake-up.
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 6:30 AM | Wake up and morning milk |
| 7:30 AM | Breakfast of solid foods |
| 9:30 AM | Nap 1 (approx. 1 hour) |
| 11:30 AM | Lunch and midday play |
| 1:30 PM | Nap 2 (approx. 1 hour) |
| 5:30 PM | Dinner and evening routine |
| 7:00 PM | Bedtime |
Here is a sample one-nap day for the same 6:30 AM wake time.
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 6:30 AM | Wake up and morning milk |
| 7:30 AM | Breakfast of solid foods |
| 12:00 PM | Single consolidated sleep (approx. 2 hours) |
| 3:00 PM | Afternoon snack and play |
| 5:30 PM | Dinner and evening routine |
| 6:30 PM | Earlier bedtime to prevent overtiredness |
We've put together [printable 11-month sleep schedules] that you can fill in with your baby's actual wake time.
3. Daycare Sleep Coordination and Dropping the Night Feed
Daycare alignment often frustrates parents. Communicate wake window targets to your caregiver rather than demanding strict clock times.
Provide written instructions to cap the second nap at 45 minutes. Ask them to text you the wake time.
Night weaning often happens around this age, though timing varies by baby and family. If you want to drop the feed, use a three-step gradual reduction method.
First, reduce the bottle by one ounce or nursing time by two minutes every other night. Second, offer alternative comfort like back-patting when they wake.
You can eliminate the feed entirely once the remaining volume becomes completely negligible for your baby.
4. Is Your 11-Month-Old Ready to Drop to One Nap?
In my experience working with families through this transition, a gradual approach consistently outperforms a cold-turkey drop.
Three weeks of consistent nap 2 refusal is a strong signal — but only when you've ruled out illness, travel disruption, or an active [11-month sleep regression].
A few bad nap days don't count.
Week 1: Push Nap 1 thirty minutes later. Cap Nap 2 at 30 minutes. Week 2: Push Nap 1 to 10:30 AM. Week 3: Single nap at 11:30 AM. Move bedtime to 6:30 PM. Week 4: Shift bedtime back toward 7 PM as the single nap lengthens.
What happens when the transition goes badly? If the transition fails spectacularly, revert to two naps for three days to clear the sleep debt before trying again.
Alternatively, offer a 20-minute bridge nap in the car to take the edge off.
5. Fixing Early Morning Wake-Ups and the 11-Month Sleep Regression
The regression section below is the one most parents bookmark.
What many parents observe is that the 11-month regression often coincides with significant cognitive development. Rapid myelination is happening as your baby simultaneously learns to pull to stand, cruise furniture, and process the first fragments of language.
Separation anxiety can also intensify during this period, as developing object permanence is associated with a growing awareness of a caregiver's absence — though the timing and intensity vary from baby to baby.
Regressions end. Duration varies widely from baby to baby, though many parents find they pass within a matter of weeks.
Early morning wake-ups between 5 and 6 AM stem from three primary culprits. Overtiredness requires moving bedtime earlier.
Undertiredness means you must cap nap 2 to build sufficient sleep pressure for the night.
Short naps usually involve a sleep cycle intruder. This happens when a baby surfaces after 45 minutes and cannot link to the next cycle. Give them ten minutes to resettle first.
Bedtime battles usually indicate overtiredness or schedule drift. Always recalibrate your wake windows before changing the evening bedtime routine for your baby.
Establishing independent sleep associations now may help reduce night waking if you haven't started any formal sleep training methods yet.
If you're tracking overnight wakeups during this phase, the tool I actually use is below.
Tools I Use: BabyRadar (sponsored) BabyRadar is a baby monitor app. Features and pricing may change — check the developer's current listings for the most up-to-date details. - Free tier: cry-notify alerts + event lookbacks - Pro (pricing may vary; check current rates): live video, audio playback, 90-day cloud photo storage Works on an iPhone you already own — no hardware to buy.
6. When to Call Your Pediatrician
Call your pediatrician if your baby stops gaining weight, wakes gasping, or exhibits chronic snoring. These signal medical causes — not schedule problems.
If your baby has snored for more than two weeks, discuss this with your pediatrician, as it can be a sign of underlying issues that affect sleep.
7. Frequently Asked Questions
How many naps should an 11-month-old take? Most 11-month-old babies take two naps per day, totaling about two to three hours of daytime sleep. Follow their cues, as some are ready to transition to a single consolidated afternoon nap. This transition timing varies, with many babies completing it sometime between 12 and 18 months.
Is it normal for an 11-month-old to wake up at night? Occasional waking happens at 11 months. Multiple long wakings usually signal a schedule issue rather than genuine hunger, assuming your baby is growing well. Establishing independent sleep associations helps reduce these nighttime interruptions significantly.
How long should 11-month-old naps be? Many babies do well with naps lasting somewhere between 45 and 90 minutes, though the right length varies by child. Check those wake windows if naps consistently fall short. A 45-minute intruder usually means your baby cannot link sleep cycles yet.