22 Month Old Sleep Schedule: Naps, Wake Windows and Bedtime

Twenty-two months is a threshold age. Your toddler is barreling toward two, and their sleep is starting to feel the pull of that milestone. Parents searching for a 22 month old sleep schedule are usually wrestling with one of three shifts: a single nap that suddenly runs shorter than it used to, a bedtime that stretches longer and longer with requests for water and one more book, or a wave of big feelings that turns a calm evening into a standoff.

The reassuring part: by 22 months, most toddlers have a stable, predictable sleep structure. One solid midday nap and a consolidated night are the norm, and the wobbles at this age are almost always developmental. The 2-year sleep regression is on the horizon, and what looks like a broken schedule is usually your toddler’s growing independence testing the edges of a framework that still works.

This 22 month sleep schedule guide covers how much sleep a 22 month old needs, a sample one-nap day, what tends to shift as the second birthday approaches, and how to hold your ground through bedtime stalling without turning every night into a battle.

At a Glance: 22 Month Sleep Expectations

At 22 months, most toddlers sleep 11 to 14 total hours per day: roughly 10 to 12 hours overnight plus 1.5 to 3 hours in a single midday nap. Wake windows run 5.5 to 6 hours, and bedtime typically falls between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m.

For broader context, Betteroo’s State of Baby Sleep survey of tens of thousands of parents shows that night waking peaks in the middle of the first year and declines steadily into toddlerhood. By this age, most toddlers who wake at night do so far less often than they did as babies. If your 22 month old still surfaces occasionally, you are in very ordinary company.

How Much Should a 22 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 22 month olds land squarely in that range, and reference studies show wide, healthy variation around those averages ².

Sleep Type	Typical Range at 22 Months
Total Sleep	11–14 hours
Night Sleep	10–12 hours
Naps	1 per day (1.5–3 hours)
Wake Windows	5.5–6 hours

The single midday nap is firmly established by now. The 2-to-1 nap transition happens months earlier, usually between 14 and 18 months, so by 22 months a one-nap day is standard. What you may notice instead is that the nap itself begins to shorten for some toddlers, drifting from a reliable two hours toward the lower end of the range. That is normal, and it does not mean the nap is on its way out.

A Sample 22 Month Old Sleep Schedule (An Example, Not a Rule)

• 7:00 a.m. – Wake
• 12:30–2:30 p.m. – Nap
• 8:00 p.m. – Bedtime

Notice the shape of the day: a long morning wake window (about 5.5 hours) leading into a midday nap, then another 5.5 hours between waking and bedtime. This is a big change from the shorter, tightly stacked windows of babyhood. If the nap runs short, resist the urge to push bedtime late. Moving bedtime slightly earlier protects the night and keeps your toddler from tipping into overtired territory, which at this age tends to make bedtime harder, not easier.

A bedtime between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m. is where most families with toddlers this age settle. A consistent bedtime anchored by a predictable, unhurried routine is one of the most evidence-backed sleep tools you have, and it matters even more now that your toddler can negotiate ³.

Why 22 Month Old Sleep Gets Bumpy

If sleep has wobbled lately, the cause is almost always development rather than a real problem with the schedule:

• The 2-year regression looms. The disruption many parents associate with turning two often begins early. Vivid imagination and the first stirrings of separation worry can resurface around this age.
• The nap starts to shorten. Some toddlers begin trimming their nap, which nudges the afternoon wake window longer and makes the run to bedtime harder to manage.
• Bedtime stalling arrives. Your toddler now has the language and the will to delay. Requests for water, another story, a specific stuffed animal, or one more trip to the potty are classic tactics at 22 months.
• Big feelings run high. Emotions are enormous and vocabulary is still catching up. Overtired evenings can spill into tears or a refusal to lie down that has more to do with feelings than with sleep itself.

Whatever the trigger, the pattern is the same: a temporary disruption layered over an otherwise solid schedule. Our 2-year sleep regression guide walks through what to expect as the second birthday nears, and the 21 month old sleep schedule covers the weeks just before this one.

Helping Your 22 Month Old Sleep Better

A few high-leverage moves at this age:

• Front-load the stalling. Build the water sip, the last book, and the final potty trip into the routine itself. When the delay tactics are already accounted for, there is less to negotiate once the lights go out.
• Keep the routine short and identical. Three or four steps in the same order every night give your toddler a predictable off-ramp. Ending with the same phrase and the same exit signals that the day is done.
• Guard the nap without forcing it out. A shorter nap is normal. Protect a consistent window rather than dropping the nap, which most toddlers are not ready for until well past two.
• Watch the wake windows, not just the clock. With 5.5 to 6 hours between sleeps now, small mistimings add up. Our wake windows guide shows how the toddler day is spaced.
• Name the big feelings. A calm, brief acknowledgment (“You wish you could keep playing, and it is time for sleep”) helps far more than a long debate.

Consistency is your best tool right now. Toddlers this age push hardest against a boundary that sometimes moves, and they settle fastest when the answer is the same every night. Research shows a steady bedtime routine alone meaningfully reduces night wakings ³.

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 daytime mood suggests chronic short sleep. And keep the sleep space safe: with climbing now a real skill, confirm the crib mattress is at its lowest setting and the room is free of hazards, in line with AAP safe sleep guidance ⁴.

22 Month Old Sleep Schedule FAQ

A Grounding Takeaway

Twenty-two month old sleep is mostly a story of a good schedule meeting a rapidly growing mind. The framework of one nap and a consolidated night is not the problem; the stalling, the big feelings, and the early rumbles of the 2-year regression are your toddler practicing independence. Hold the one-nap frame, front-load the delay tactics, keep responses calm and consistent, and the bumps smooth out well before the birthday candles.

Next up: the 24 month old sleep schedule as your toddler reaches two, or zoom out with the full baby sleep schedule by age guide.