Your baby is about to turn one. They pull up on everything, cruise along the sofa, maybe take a wobbly first step, and suddenly they’re also standing in the crib at 2 a.m. and refusing their afternoon nap. The 12 month sleep regression (some parents call it the 1 year sleep regression) is usually a short, bumpy phase that comes with a lot of growing up at once. It’s part of our baby sleep guide by age.
First, a quick safety check for a newly mobile baby: crib mattress at its lowest setting, nothing in or near the crib to climb on, and an empty crib until the first birthday. Our safe sleep checklist covers the details.
Is there a 12 month sleep regression?
Many parents notice one, though “sleep regression” is a popular term, not a medical diagnosis. Cleveland Clinic pediatricians point out that research hasn’t shown regressions arriving like clockwork at specific ages; they tend to coincide with developmental milestones instead. Around the first birthday, several of those milestones land together, so a wobble in sleep is common and normal.
If you’re still in the thick of an earlier phase, our 8–10 month sleep regression guide explains how crawling, standing and separation anxiety first start to affect sleep.
Signs of the 12 month sleep regression
- Waking at night again after weeks or months of longer stretches
- Pulling up to stand in the crib and crying because they can’t get back down
- Fighting or skipping the second nap, then melting down before dinner
- Taking longer to fall asleep at bedtime
- Crying when you leave the room, or wanting only one parent
- Early waking, often after a short nap day
What causes the 12 month sleep regression?
Three drivers often overlap around the first birthday:
| Driver | What it looks like | What the sources say |
|---|---|---|
| Standing, cruising, first steps | Practicing in the crib, standing up and calling for help | Most children pull up to stand and walk holding furniture by 1 year, and take a few steps alone by 15 months (CDC, 1 year; CDC, 15 months) |
| Separation anxiety | Crying at goodbyes, waking and calling for a parent | Begins in the second half of the first year, can last several months and usually fades around age 2 (AAP) |
| Nap protests | Refusing the second nap, then an overtired evening | Young toddlers may still take two naps; most drop to one by 18 months (Nemours KidsHealth) |
Teething, colds and travel can pile on top. None of these is a sign that something is wrong with your baby’s sleep. They’re signs of a busy, developing brain and body.
How long does the 12 month sleep regression last?
Usually not long. Cleveland Clinic pediatricians say sleep regressions typically last a week or two before children get back on track. There’s little research on the first-birthday phase specifically, so treat that as a rough guide rather than a promise.
What tends to stretch it out is changing lots of things at once: a new nap schedule, new sleep props or bringing your child into your bed. The more predictable bedtime stays, the faster things usually settle.
Is my 12 month old ready for one nap?
Probably not yet, even if they’re refusing a nap right now. Nemours KidsHealth notes that young toddlers may still take two naps but most drop down to one nap a day by 18 months, and Cleveland Clinic says some children make the switch between 18 and 24 months. So most children move to one nap somewhere between about 12 and 18 months, and some a little later. A few refused naps around the first birthday are often just part of the regression.
| What you see | Often a passing phase | Possibly ready for one nap |
|---|---|---|
| Second nap | Refused now and then, for a few days | Refused most days for two weeks or more |
| Mood | Cranky and clingy by late afternoon | Happy and coping well until a midday nap |
| Bedtime | Overtired, harder to settle | Takes a long time to fall asleep after two naps |
| Night sleep | More wakings since naps got short | Steady, despite skipping a nap |
If it’s a phase: keep offering both naps at the usual times for a couple of weeks. A quiet rest in a dim room still helps on days the nap doesn’t happen, and an earlier bedtime covers the gap.
If your child seems ready: move the morning nap later in small steps until it lands around midday, and bring bedtime a little earlier while they adjust. Our 18 month sleep regression guide covers the full two-to-one nap switch.
Across the whole day, the AASM consensus endorsed by the AAP recommends 11 to 14 hours of sleep per 24 hours for children aged 1 to 2, naps included. That’s a range, not a target.
How to help your 1 year old sleep through it
Practice new skills by day
If your baby stands up and can’t get back down, teach it in daylight. Help them stand at the sofa, then gently bend their knees so they sit. Plenty of floor time and cruising practice takes the novelty out of the crib. At night, calmly lay them down once or twice, then let them practice.
Keep the crib safe for a climber
The AAP advises setting the crib mattress at its lowest position before your child learns to stand, and moving to another bed once your child is 35 inches (89 cm) tall or the side rail is below about three-quarters of their height. Until the first birthday, keep the crib empty: the AAP’s safe-sleep recommendations (back to sleep, firm flat surface, no pillows, blankets, toys or bumpers) apply to babies up to 1 year.
Keep the routine identical
The AAP recommends making bedtime the same time every night, and sorting out water, a night light and the door position before lights out so they can’t become reasons to call you back. A short routine like bath, pajamas, one book, a cuddle, sound on, lights out works well. Our toddler bedtime routine has step-by-step ideas.
Make goodbyes predictable
For separation anxiety, the AAP suggests telling your child matter-of-factly when you’re leaving rather than sneaking out, and taking a loving, consistent approach. Use the same comfort phrase every night, such as “I love you. You’re safe. See you in the morning.” Short, warm phrases like these are the idea behind our positive affirmations for babies.
Keep night visits brief and boring
The AAP advises against going back in every time your child calls out once you know they’re safe and comfortable, because they’ll learn to expect it. If you do go in, keep the lights off, your voice low and your words the same. Avoid starting new habits you don’t want to keep, like bringing your child into your bed.
Use a familiar sound cue
A steady sound at the same point in the routine can be a calm signal that sleep is coming. Keep it around 50 dB or lower, with the phone or machine about 2 m (7 ft) from the crib, never in it. Here’s more on how loud white noise should be.
Real previews from the app. Play them softly.
In Baby Mantra, you can mix up to three of 27 soothing sounds, add softly spoken affirmations, and set a sleep timer that fades out after 15 minutes to 2 hours, or plays all night at a low volume. Bedtime reminders help you start the wind-down at the same time each evening, which matters more than ever during a regression.
Your voice, on repeat
When your toddler wants only you, a familiar voice can be part of the routine. With Baby Mantra you can record your own lullaby or a short goodnight message and play it softly inside the mix. Recordings stay on your phone, and the free version includes one. It’s a comfort cue, not a fix, and works best alongside a consistent routine.
What comes after the 12 month regression?
Once walking clicks and naps settle, many families get a calmer stretch. The next common bump comes around 18 months, with growing independence, a burst of new words and, for many toddlers, the real move to one nap.
Sources
- CDC. Important Milestones: Your Baby By One Year.
- CDC. Important Milestones: Your Child By Fifteen Months.
- HealthyChildren.org (AAP). Separation Anxiety and Sleeping.
- HealthyChildren.org (AAP). Toddler Bedtime Trouble: 7 Tips for Parents.
- HealthyChildren.org (AAP). Make Baby’s Room Safe: Parent Checklist.
- HealthyChildren.org (AAP). How to Keep Your Sleeping Baby Safe: AAP Policy Explained.
- Nemours KidsHealth. Naps.
- Cleveland Clinic. Infant Sleep Regression: What Parents Need To Know.
- Cleveland Clinic. 4 Signs Your Child Is Ready To Stop Napping.
- Paruthi S, Brooks LJ, D’Ambrosio C, et al. Recommended Amount of Sleep for Pediatric Populations: A Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2016.
