11 Month Old Sleep Schedule: Sample Timings, Nap Transitions & Bedtime Tips (2026)

If your 11-month-old is suddenly waking more at night, fighting naps, or refusing to settle the way they used to - you're not imagining it, and you're definitely not alone. This age brings a wave of exciting development: pulling up to stand, cruising along furniture, babbling in longer strings. All of that brain and body work can genuinely shake up sleep, even for babies who were sleeping beautifully before.

This guide gives you a CPS-aligned sample schedule, explains how wake windows work at 11 months, and answers the big nap-transition question honestly. Everything here is grounded in Canadian Paediatric Society guidance and peer-reviewed research - so you can feel confident in the plan you build.

How Much Sleep Does an 11-Month-Old Need?

Most 11-month-olds need around 13.5 hours of total sleep per day, split across a longer night stretch and two daytime naps. The Canadian Paediatric Society puts the average for babies 6-12 months at about 14 hours daily, while the AASM (Paruthi et al., 2016) recommends 12-16 hours for infants in this age range. Your baby's number might sit slightly above or below that - both are fine.

Sample 11-Month-Old Sleep Schedule

This sample schedule is a starting point, not a strict script. The key is to shift the whole schedule together - if your baby wakes earlier or later than 6:30 AM, move every time forward or back by the same amount. Nap times and bedtime should move together, not independently.

← Explore your 10-month-old's sleep patterns

Sample 11-Month-Old Daily Schedule (based on a 6:30 AM wake - shift all times proportionally for your baby's natural wake time):

Wake Windows at 11 Months: How Long Should Your Baby Stay Awake?

At 11 months, most babies handle 3-3.75 hours awake between each sleep period, according to Huckleberry Care (Dr. Alan Salem, M.D., F.A.A.P.). The morning window is the shortest - closer to 3 hours. The evening window, from the end of nap 2 to bedtime, is the longest at around 3.75 hours. That longer stretch before bed helps build enough sleep pressure for a solid overnight stretch.

Wake windows that are too short often lead to catnaps (30-45 min) and early morning waking. Wake windows that are too long lead to overtiredness - and overtired babies often fight sleep harder, not less. Both directions cause problems, which is why fine-tuning the window by 15-30 minutes can make a surprising difference.

How Many Naps Does an 11-Month-Old Need?

Most 11-month-olds still need two naps per day, each at least 60 minutes. The daytime sleep goal at this age is 2-3 hours total across both naps, according to Huckleberry Care (Dr. Alan Salem, M.D., F.A.A.P.). Naps shorter than 45 minutes - sometimes called catnaps - don't deliver enough restorative sleep and often leave babies overtired by evening.

It's easy to read nap resistance as a sign your baby is ready to drop a nap. Most of the time, that's not what's happening. Nap resistance at 11 months is much more likely to reflect an off wake window, a developmental disruption, or a schedule that's drifted slightly. Dropping a nap too early is one of the most common causes of chronic overtiredness in the second year.

If nap 2 is becoming a battle, check whether nap 1 ran too long. A nap 1 that stretches past 90 minutes can eat into nap 2 drive. Try capping nap 1 at 75-80 minutes before adjusting anything else. When you're ready to plan ahead, see your 12-month-old's sleep patterns.

Is My 11-Month-Old Ready to Drop to 1 Nap?

Almost certainly not yet - and the data is clear on this. A ParentData survey of 14,919 children (Emily Oster, 2023) found that at 10-12 months, a very large share of babies are still on two naps. The average age for the 2-to-1 nap transition is around 15 months, with most babies making the switch somewhere between 13 and 18 months (Huckleberry Care / Dr. Alan Salem, M.D., F.A.A.P.).

A 2022 systematic review (Galland et al.) confirmed that the dramatic reduction in polyphasic sleep - meaning two or more naps per day - happens between 12 and 18 months. Fewer than 2.5% of babies stop napping entirely before age two. So if your 11-month-old is fighting a nap, a schedule tweak is almost always the right first move - not dropping a nap.

Signs your 11-month-old is NOT ready to drop to 1 nap:

• Falls asleep easily (or at least settles) at both nap times most days
• Gets fussy or glassy-eyed before nap 2 - showing they still need it
• Second nap refusal has only started in the last 1-2 weeks
• Wakes early in the morning (often a sign of overtiredness, not readiness)

How to Build a Bedtime Routine That Works

A consistent bedtime routine is one of the most well-researched tools in infant sleep. A review of 10,085 children across 14 countries found that babies with a regular nightly routine had earlier bedtimes, fell asleep faster, slept longer, and woke less often (Mindell & Williamson, Sleep Medicine Reviews, 2017). The relationship was dose-dependent: the more consistently parents applied the routine, the bigger the sleep benefits.

A separate randomised controlled trial of 405 infants aged 7-36 months showed measurable improvements in sleep consolidation within just three weeks of starting a structured routine (Mindell et al., 2009). Three weeks. That's how quickly a new routine can start working.

A simple 20-30 minute bedtime routine for an 11-month-old:

1. Warm bath (5-7 min, optional but helpful) - the body temperature drop after a warm bath naturally promotes drowsiness
2. Pyjamas and sleep sack - putting on sleep clothes becomes a physical cue that night is starting
3. Last feed of the day - offer before the final wind-down so sleep isn't directly associated with feeding
4. One or two books in a dim room - quiet reading winds down stimulation; it's one of the strongest sleep associations at this age
5. Short song or white noise on, lights out - end the routine the same way every night; put your baby down drowsy but awake if possible

Is There an 11-Month Sleep Regression?

There isn't a clinically defined "11-month sleep regression" the way there is at 4 months. But many parents notice a real rough patch around this time - and there's a genuine reason for it. At 11 months, most babies are in the middle of a major gross motor leap: pulling up to stand, cruising, and often taking their first steps. That learning doesn't stop when the lights go out.

Separation anxiety also tends to peak around 9-12 months. Night wakings at this age are very often about connection, not hunger or pain. Most babies settle within a few minutes once they know you're there. Consistency in your response - whatever your approach - matters more than the specific method.

Most developmental disruptions at 11 months resolve within two to three weeks once a motor skill is consolidated. Hold your routine steady, avoid introducing new sleep associations during the disruption, and things usually level off on their own.