12 Month / 1 Year Old Toddler Sleep & Feeding Schedule

This article outlines the average 12-month-old / 1-year-old toddler schedule, including feedings, solids, naps, and night sleep.

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1 year old sleep / 12 month old’s sleep

At this age, almost all 12 month olds can sleep through the night, without a feeding, and take two naps for a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours per day plus 10-12 hours at night. A small percentage of 1-year-olds transition to one nap this early, but since the average is 15-18 months old, we recommend you stick to 2 naps unless your toddler is resisting one of their naps at least 4 times a week. My eldest son, who inspired babysleepsite.com did seem to transition to one nap one week before his first birthday, but I later found out I should have kept two naps.

Many toddlers this age get very overtired and sleep can spiral out of control when we transition to one nap too soon, so I typically recommend keeping two naps as long as possible. My younger son seemed to start to transition to one nap around the same time just like his older brother, but since I knew better the second time around, he went back to two naps within a week or two and continued taking two naps until 15 or 16 months. If your 1-year-old is in daycare, he or she may be required to move to one nap a day in the toddler room. We work with many families in this situation and most toddlers will do just fine after a 2-3-week transition, however, others will struggle a lot with it this young.

Naps

Your 1-year-old should be taking 2 naps per day for a total of 2-3 hours per day plus 10-12 hours at night. Wake windows at this age are usually 3-4 hours throughout the day until they transition to a 13 month old sleep schedule. If you’re having trouble with naps, you might be interested in helping your baby nap and reading the 5 signs to see before switching to one nap.

What About Night Feedings?

Although many babies or toddlers can go all night without a single feeding, in my experience, some families choose to keep one feeding after 4 or 5 a.m. and sleep later than not feed and get an early wake-up time. I would need to know your specific situation to make a recommendation, but just recognize that all babies are different. By this age, I would not expect more than one feeding, typically, if any at all. I would recommend at least an attempt at night-weaning because it can be a chicken and egg problem. It’s hard to encourage more eating during the day when he is eating at night. And it’s hard to discourage eating at night when he isn’t eating more during the day.

All toddlers vary, but here are some approximate schedules you can use to make your own for your unique situation. I believe that milk or formula should be the primary nutrition for the first year and solids come secondary. But now that your toddler is over a year old, you may want to consider moving toward milk being a beverage with a meal rather than a separate event, if you haven’t already.

Below are the amounts of solid food we recommend. The amount of food at 12 months is very similar to 11 months. Your toddler may be eating more. He is likely running around a lot more and becoming more and more mobile.

Average Milk and Food Per Day for a 1 Year Old

Amounts per day:

At least 3 nursing sessions per day or 24-32 ounces formula or up to 16-20 oz of milk
6-8 oz of water
2 servings (1 serving = 1-2 Tablespoons dry) cereal
1-2 servings grain (1 serving = 1/2 slice bread, 2 crackers, 1/2 cup Cheerios, or 1/2 cup whole grain pasta)
2 servings fruit (1 serving = 3-4 Tablespoons)
2-3 servings vegetable (1 serving = 3-4 Tablespoons)
2-3 servings protein (1 serving = 1-2 Tablespoons)

You may also be interested in: Homemade Baby Food Recipes for 10 to 12 Month Olds and: Best Foods to Promote Better Sleep

The first schedule is what I call a “staggered” approach if you decide to keep milk separate from your meals:

Sample 12 month old / 1 year old sleep and feeding schedules

Sample Schedule 1

7:00 – Wake and Milk
8:30 – Breakfast
10:00 – Snack (e.g. fruit, cheese, etc.) plus Milk
10:00/10:30 – Morning Nap (at least 1 hour)
12:30 – Lunch
2:30 – Snack / Milk
3:00/3:30 – Afternoon Nap (at least 1 hour)
4:30 – Snack (e.g. fruit, cheese, etc.) plus Milk
6:00 – Dinner
7:00/7:30 – Begin bedtime routine
7:30/8:00 – Milk and Bedtime (goal to be asleep at this time)

If you prefer to combine milk and meals together, here is another approach to your 1-year-old’s schedule:

Sample Schedule 2

7:00 – Wake
7:30 – Breakfast with Milk
10:00 – Snack (e.g. fruit, cheese, etc.)
10:00/10:30 – Morning Nap (at least 1 hour)
12:00 – Lunch with Milk
2:30 – Snack (e.g. fruit, cheese, etc.)
3:00/3:30 – Afternoon Nap (at least 1 hour)
4:30 – Snack (e.g. fruit, cheese, etc.)
6:00 – Dinner with Milk
7:00/7:30 – Begin bedtime routine
7:30/8:00 – Milk (optional) and Bedtime (goal to be asleep at this time)

More tips: When giving any feedings during your bedtime routine, be careful not to create sleep associations. We saw this become important at 4 months old. We see the worst sleep during the 8 month sleep regression when your baby is oftentimes sitting and standing up.

Looking for more sample 1-year-old schedules?

We have over 40 sample schedules for all ages in our e-Book, Mastering Naps and Schedules. Banish naptime battles and regain control of your day (and your sanity) starting today!

You Might Also Like:

Why Not All 12-Month Olds Transition To One Nap
Toddler Sleep Regressions Explained
Day-by-Day Nap Training Plan (VIP Members Area article)
Transitioning Your Toddler to Daycare or Preschool (VIP Members Area audio course)
17-Month Old Toddler Sleep Coaching Case Study (VIP Members Area case study)

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