Eleven months sits in the shadow of the first birthday, and it often comes with a curveball: a baby who suddenly fights the morning nap, stands at the crib rail yelling, or wakes at 5:30 a.m. ready to party. Parents searching for an 11 month old sleep schedule are usually asking one question underneath it all: is my baby ready to drop a nap, or is this just a phase?
Almost always, it is just a phase. The vast majority of eleven month olds still need two naps, and the nap-fighting at this age is driven by development (standing, cruising, first words brewing, separation feelings) rather than a genuine schedule change. Dropping to one nap now usually backfires into an overtired mess.
Here is what sleep typically looks like at eleven months, a sample day, what our data says about night waking as the first birthday approaches, and how to tell a true nap transition from a false alarm.
Table of Contents
At a Glance: 11 Month Sleep Expectations
At eleven months, most babies sleep 12 to 15 total hours per day: about 10 to 12 hours overnight and 2 to 3 hours across 2 naps. Wake windows stretch to 3 to 4 hours, and bedtime usually falls between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m.
And if nights are still interrupted: in Betteroo’s State of Baby Sleep survey, 60.5% of babies aged 10 to 12 months wake three or more times a night (n=5,002). Fragmented sleep near the first birthday is common, even though almost nobody at the playground admits it.
How Much Should an 11 Month Old Sleep?
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends 12 to 16 hours per 24 hours for infants aged 4 to 12 months 1. Longitudinal reference data shows most babies this age averaging around 13 to 14 hours, with a wide healthy spread 2.
Sleep Type
Typical Range at 11 Months
Total Sleep
12–15 hours
Night Sleep
10–12 hours
Naps
2 per day (2–3 hours total)
Wake Windows
3–4 hours
A Sample 11 Month Old Sleep Schedule (An Example, Not a Rule)
7:00 a.m. – Wake
9:45–10:45 a.m. – Nap 1
2:30–4:00 p.m. – Nap 2
7:45 p.m. – Bedtime
The morning wake window keeps stretching at this age, often closing in on 3 hours. If your baby fights the morning nap, push it 15 minutes later every few days rather than dropping it. Capping the morning nap around an hour protects the afternoon nap, which in turn protects bedtime.
A baby tracker app earns its keep at this age, because the difference between a phase and a true transition usually only shows up across two or three weeks of data, not in any single chaotic day. Our wake windows by age guide has the full progression to compare against.
Is My 11 Month Old Ready for One Nap?
Probably not yet. In our State of Baby Sleep data, 65% of babies aged 7 to 11 months are on two naps, and the shift to one nap clusters well after the first birthday (65% of 12 to 23 month olds are on a single nap, but that average is pulled by the older end of the range). Most babies transition between 13 and 18 months.
Signs of a true transition, sustained for two or more weeks: consistently refusing one nap while staying happy until bedtime, a morning nap that pushes the afternoon nap past 4 p.m., or early morning waking that tracks with too much daytime sleep. One cranky week after a cold or a developmental leap does not count. When the time really comes, the move shares a lot of mechanics with the 12 month old sleep schedule territory we cover next in this series.
Why Is My 11 Month Old Waking at Night Again?
Separation protest. Peak separation awareness makes the moment of being left at bedtime, and the discovery that you are gone at 2 a.m., genuinely harder.
Standing and cruising rehearsal. The crib is a practice space. Babies who cannot yet sit back down from standing will call for help until that skill clicks.
Overtiredness from nap-fighting. Short or skipped naps reliably produce more night waking, not less. Research following infants through the first year shows waking itself is universal; the variable is whether babies resettle or signal 3.
Habit drift. If a rough patch introduced rocking or feeding back to sleep every waking, the disruption can outlast its original cause.
From Betteroo’s State of Baby Sleep
Fewer than 1 in 10 babies fall asleep on their own in our survey: 63% are fed to sleep and 60% rocked. There is nothing wrong with either, but if night wakings are frequent at 11 months, how your baby falls asleep at bedtime is usually the first lever to look at. Explore the full data →
A consistent bedtime routine remains the most evidence-backed foundation: in controlled research, a predictable nightly routine alone reduced night wakings and shortened settling time 4. If you want to build independent settling on top of that, eleven months is a responsive age; see common sleep training methods for the main approaches.
When to Talk to a Pediatrician
Check in if your baby regularly sleeps under 12 total hours, snores loudly or pauses breathing, seems exhausted despite adequate sleep time, or if night waking comes with fever, ear-pulling, or feeding changes. Keep following AAP safe sleep guidance: crib mattress at the lowest setting, nothing in the sleep space your baby could use to climb 5.
11 Month Old Sleep Schedule FAQ
What are wake windows for an 11 month old?
Roughly 3 to 4 hours. A common shape: about 3 hours before the morning nap, 3.5 hours midday, and close to 4 hours before bedtime. If your baby fights the morning nap, lengthen that first window gradually instead of dropping the nap.
How many naps should an 11 month old take?
Two naps for nearly all babies this age, totaling 2 to 3 hours. The one-nap transition typically happens between 13 and 18 months. Dropping to one nap at 11 months usually creates overtiredness and more night waking.
Is there an 11 month sleep regression?
Some families hit a rough patch around 11 to 12 months, usually a combination of nap refusal, separation feelings, and standing practice. It passes. Keep offering both naps and hold your routine steady; most disruptions resolve within two to three weeks.
Why does my 11 month old wake up at 5 a.m.?
Common culprits: a too-early bedtime after short naps, a morning nap acting as a continuation of night sleep, or light and noise at dawn. Try capping the morning nap, nudging it later, and making the room genuinely dark.
How much should an 11 month old sleep at night?
About 10 to 12 hours. Many babies this age can sleep through without feeds, but in Betteroo’s survey 60.5% of 10 to 12 month olds still wake three or more times a night, so interrupted nights remain very common.
Nap-fighting? Early waking? 11 months is a tricky one
Get a personalized sleep plan built around your baby’s age, temperament, and your family’s needs.
Eleven months rewards patience over reinvention. The two-nap schedule still fits; it is your baby that is temporarily too busy for it. Protect both naps, stretch the morning window slowly, keep bedtime predictable, and resist the urge to overhaul a schedule that served you well two weeks ago. The first birthday brings its own changes soon enough.
Paruthi, S., et al. (2016). Recommended Amount of Sleep for Pediatric Populations: A Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 12(6), 785–786. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4877308/
Iglowstein, I., Jenni, O.G., Molinari, L., & Largo, R.H. (2003). Sleep duration from infancy to adolescence: Reference values and generational trends. Pediatrics, 111(2), 302–307. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12563055/
Burnham, M.M., Goodlin-Jones, B.L., Gaylor, E.E., & Anders, T.F. (2002). Nighttime sleep-wake patterns and self-soothing from birth to one year of age. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 43(6), 713–725. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12236608/
Mindell, J.A., Telofski, L.S., Wiegand, B., & Kurtz, E.S. (2009). A Nightly Bedtime Routine: Impact on Sleep in Young Children and Maternal Mood. Sleep, 32(5), 599–606. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19480226/
American Academy of Pediatrics. (2022). Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Updated 2022 Recommendations for Reducing Infant Deaths in the Sleep Environment. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35726558/
