14 Month Old Sleep Schedule: The 2-to-1 Nap Transition, Windows and Bedtime

Fourteen months is the age where the two-nap day starts to feel like a fight. Your toddler is walking or nearly there, testing every limit, and suddenly the morning nap that used to be automatic becomes a 20-minute battle in the crib. Most parents searching for a 14 month old sleep schedule are wrestling with the same question: is it time to drop a nap, or is something else going on?

Here is the honest answer. At fourteen months, the 2-to-1 nap transition is squarely on the table for a lot of toddlers, but the timing is genuinely individual. Some babies are ready right now, some will not be ready for another two or three months, and the messy middle can look a lot like a regression when it is really just a schedule that has outgrown itself.

This guide covers how much sleep a fourteen month old needs, how to read the signs of the 2-to-1 nap transition, sample days for both a transitional two-nap schedule and a settled one-nap schedule, and how to protect night sleep while your toddler makes the switch.

At a Glance: 14 Month Sleep Expectations

At fourteen months, most toddlers sleep 11 to 14 total hours per day: roughly 10 to 12 hours overnight plus 1.5 to 3 hours of daytime sleep across either two shorter naps or one long midday nap. Bedtime typically falls between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m., and it often needs to move earlier while your toddler is dropping to one nap.

Some perspective from Betteroo’s State of Baby Sleep survey: in the 13 to 18 month band, 53.5% of toddlers still wake three or more times a night (n=5,002). Night waking has come down from its 7-to-9-month peak, but it is far from over. If your fourteen month old still wakes at night, you are squarely in the majority.

How Much Should a 14 Month Old Sleep?

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends 11 to 14 hours per 24 hours for toddlers aged 1 to 2 years, naps included ¹. Most fourteen month olds land comfortably in that range, and reference studies of childhood sleep show wide, healthy variation around those averages ².

Sleep Type	Typical Range at 14 Months
Total Sleep	11–14 hours
Night Sleep	10–12 hours
Naps	1–2 per day (1.5–3 hours total)
Wake Windows	3–4 hrs (2 naps) / 5–5.5 hrs (1 nap)

The big variable in any 14 month sleep schedule is the nap count. Plenty of fourteen month olds are still thriving on two naps, and plenty are ready for one. Neither is right or wrong. What matters is that total daytime sleep stays in the 1.5 to 3 hour range and the night stays protected. For a wider view of how the day stretches from here, our baby sleep schedule by age guide maps every stage.

The 2-to-1 Nap Transition: The Main Event at 14 Months

The single biggest sleep story at fourteen months is the move from two naps to one. It usually unfolds somewhere between 14 and 18 months, so fourteen months sits right at the front edge. The transition is rarely clean. Most toddlers give ambiguous signals for weeks before they truly settle onto one nap.

Signs your toddler may be ready to drop to one nap:

• Fighting the morning nap. They chat, stand, or play in the crib for 20 to 40 minutes instead of settling. This is the most common first signal.
• Refusing the afternoon nap. If the morning nap goes fine, the second nap simply will not happen, and bedtime creeps too late as a result.
• Early morning wakes or split nights. Too much daytime sleep spread across two naps can steal from the night.
• Short naps on both ends. Two 30-to-40-minute naps that never consolidate often mean the drive for daytime sleep no longer fits two windows.

One rough week is not proof. Look for the pattern to hold for about two weeks before you commit. Our dedicated 2-to-1 nap transition guide walks through the decision in detail, and the wake windows guide explains how to stretch the day as you go.

How to make the switch: the bridge weeks

You do not flip a switch from two naps to one overnight. The bridge is the hard part. The usual approach is to gradually push the single nap later, aiming for roughly 12:00 to 12:30 p.m., while accepting that some days will still need a second short nap or a rescue.

• Push the nap later slowly. Move the morning nap 15 to 30 minutes later every few days until it lands near midday and becomes the one long nap.
• Keep a flexible two-nap fallback. On days the single nap comes early or runs short, a brief late-afternoon catnap or car nap can save bedtime from being a disaster.
• Bring bedtime earlier during the transition. This is the most important move. An overtired toddler on a brand-new one-nap day needs an earlier bedtime, sometimes as early as 6:00 to 6:30 p.m., to avoid a fragmented night.
• Expect two or three uneven weeks. The wake window before the nap will feel long, and your toddler may be cranky before lunch. This settles as their stamina catches up.

Sample 14 Month Old Sleep Schedules (Examples, Not Rules)

Transitional day (still on 2 naps): best while your toddler is showing early signs but not consistently refusing a nap.

• 6:45 a.m. – Wake
• 10:00–10:45 a.m. – Nap 1 (short)
• 2:30–3:30 p.m. – Nap 2
• 7:00 p.m. – Bedtime

Settled day (on 1 nap): once the single midday nap holds for about two weeks.

• 6:45 a.m. – Wake
• 12:15–2:15 p.m. – Nap (1.5–3 hours)
• 7:00–7:30 p.m. – Bedtime

Notice the shape of the one-nap day: a wake window of about 5 to 5.5 hours before the nap, then another 5 to 5.5 hours until bedtime. That is a long stretch for a new one-napper, which is exactly why an earlier bedtime is your safety valve. If the nap ends before 3:00 p.m. or runs short, move bedtime up rather than letting your toddler run on fumes into the evening.

Protecting Night Sleep During the Transition

The most common mistake during the 2-to-1 switch is letting the night pay for the day. When daytime sleep gets shaky, overtiredness builds, and an overtired toddler wakes more at night, not less. A few guardrails:

• Hold total daytime sleep to a ceiling. Aim for 1.5 to 3 hours. Much more than that on a one-nap day can push bedtime late and thin out the night.
• Cap a very long nap if the night is suffering. If a three-plus hour nap is coming with early wakes or long night wakings, gently wake your toddler by the 2.5 to 3 hour mark.
• Guard the bedtime routine. A consistent wind-down is one of the most evidence-backed sleep tools you have, and it matters even more when the schedule is in flux ³.
• Keep night responses calm and brief. Fourteen months brings a wave of independence and separation feelings. Reassure, keep it boring, and let your toddler settle.

Helping Your 14 Month Old Sleep Better

A few high-leverage moves at this age:

• Do not rush the transition. If your toddler is still napping twice without a fight, there is no prize for dropping early. Many fourteen month olds hold two naps for weeks more.
• Watch the wake window before the nap. On one nap, a 5 to 5.5 hour morning window is the sweet spot. Too short and the nap comes too early; too long and you get an overtired, hard-to-settle toddler.
• Use an earlier bedtime freely. Think of bedtime as elastic during the transition. It flexes earlier on hard days and drifts back to 7:00 to 7:30 p.m. once things settle.
• Keep the room dark and boring. Longer wake windows mean more alert, social evenings. Blackout blinds and steady white noise still earn their keep.
• Give independence daytime outlets. Walking, climbing, and asserting will happen at bedtime unless they get rehearsed all day. Busy days make for calmer nights.

If your toddler still relies on you to fall asleep, fourteen months is a very workable age for gentle change. Toddlers this age respond quickly to consistency, and research shows a nightly bedtime routine alone meaningfully reduces night wakings ³. The neighboring 13 month old sleep schedule and 15 month old sleep schedule guides show how the picture shifts on either side of this window.

When to Talk to a Pediatrician

Reach out if your toddler consistently sleeps well under 11 total hours, snores or has breathing pauses, wakes screaming inconsolably most nights, or if you have concerns about feeding, growth, or development. And keep the crib mattress at its lowest setting and the sleep space bare now that climbing is in play, in line with AAP safe sleep guidance ⁴.

14 Month Old Sleep Schedule FAQ

A Grounding Takeaway

Fourteen month old sleep is mostly a story about one big transition. The 2-to-1 nap switch is coming, but it does not have to be rushed, and it will not be tidy. Watch for a two-week pattern before you commit, push the nap toward midday, lean on an earlier bedtime while your toddler builds stamina, and protect the night by keeping daytime sleep in a sensible range. The bumpy weeks pass, and a single long midday nap becomes one of the easiest rhythms of the whole first two years.

Next up: the 15 month old sleep schedule and a look back at the 13 month old sleep schedule, or zoom out with the full baby sleep schedule by age guide.