Toddler Wake Windows 12–24 Months: How Long Between Naps and Bedtime
Wake windows get less talked about once a baby becomes a toddler, which is unfortunate, because this is when they change the most. Between one and two years the gap a child can comfortably manage roughly doubles — and the two-to-one nap transition sits right in the middle of it, quietly wrecking bedtimes for a couple of months.
The short answer: at 12 months expect about 3–4 hours between sleeps on two naps. At 15 months, 3.5–4.5 hours, often mid-transition. At 18 months, 5–5.5 hours on a single midday nap. By 24 months, 5.5–6 hours. The morning window is always the shortest and the one before bed the longest.
Toddler wake windows by age
| Age | Naps | Wake window | Daytime sleep | Typical night |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 months | 2 | 3h – 4h | 2h – 3h | 11–12 hours |
| 13–14 months | 2 (wobbling) | 3h 15m – 4h | 2h – 2h 30m | 11–12 hours |
| 15 months | 1–2 (transition) | 3h 30m – 4h 30m | 2h – 2h 30m | 11–12 hours |
| 16–17 months | 1 | 4h 30m – 5h | 1h 30m – 2h 30m | 11–12 hours |
| 18 months | 1 | 5h – 5h 30m | 1h 30m – 2h | 11–12 hours |
| 21 months | 1 | 5h 15m – 5h 45m | 1h 15m – 2h | 11–12 hours |
| 24 months | 1 | 5h 30m – 6h | 1h – 2h | 11–12 hours |
Total sleep across 24 hours stays fairly steady through this whole period — around 12 to 14 hours. What changes is the distribution: less in the day, more consolidated at night. For the earlier stages, the full wake windows by age chart covers newborn through to toddler in one place.
The two-to-one nap transition
Most toddlers drop to one nap somewhere between 13 and 18 months, with 15 months the commonest. It is rarely clean. The usual pattern is weeks of alternating: some days two naps work, some days the morning nap kills the afternoon one, and some days one nap isn't quite enough and bedtime becomes a demolition.
Signs the transition is actually starting, rather than a one-off bad week:
- The morning nap gets longer while the afternoon nap shrinks or disappears.
- Your toddler chats or plays through the afternoon nap several days running.
- Bedtime is drifting later because the afternoon nap ends too late.
- Early morning waking appears from nowhere.
The workable approach is to push the morning nap later in 15-minute steps over a couple of weeks until it lands around 11.30am–12.30pm and becomes the only nap. Expect to need a very early bedtime — 6pm is fine and helpful — on the days it doesn't work. Our guide to dropping to one nap covers the transition step by step.
One thing worth knowing: during the transition the wake window before bed will sometimes be longer than the chart suggests, simply because the single nap ended at 2pm and bedtime is at 7. That's normal, and an earlier bedtime is the right fix rather than a late catnap.
Why 18 months is the hard one
Search volume spikes at 18 months for a reason. Several things collide:
- The wake window is now long. Five hours awake before bed is a lot of stamina to ask for, and the margin for a late nap is thin.
- The 18-month sleep regression. Separation anxiety peaks, molars arrive, and language is exploding — all of which show up at bedtime.
- Testing has started. An 18 month old who stands up in the cot and shouts is not overtired; they are 18 months old. Our toddler sleep regressions guide covers telling the difference.
Before assuming the wake windows are wrong at this age, check the nap didn't run past about 3pm and that bedtime isn't creeping later. Those two things explain most 18-month bedtime battles.
A sample day at 18 months
| Time | What's happening |
|---|---|
| 6.45–7.00am | Wake |
| 12.15pm | Nap (aim 1.5–2 hours) |
| 2.00pm | Wake from nap |
| 6.30pm | Start the bedtime routine |
| 7.00–7.15pm | Asleep |
That's a 5h 15m window in the morning and 5 hours in the evening. If the nap ends at 3pm instead of 2pm, bedtime needs to move later or the night gets worse — which is why capping the nap is often more useful than extending it. The bedtime routine by age guide covers what the evening should look like at this stage.
When wake windows stop being the answer
Worth being honest: past about 18 months, timing explains less than it did. A twelve-week-old who won't settle is usually overtired. An eighteen-month-old who won't settle might be overtired, or might be teething, or missing you, or delighted to have discovered that standing up gets a reaction.
Use wake windows to make sure the day is broadly right — nap not too late, bedtime not too far after it — and then stop adjusting. Toddler sleep responds better to a consistent routine and a predictable response than to fine-tuning the clock. If sleep changes suddenly and stays changed for more than a few weeks, or you're worried about snoring, breathing or daytime tiredness, that's a health visitor or GP conversation.
Spotting your own toddler's pattern
Charts describe averages; your toddler is a specific child. A fortnight of logging nap start, nap end and bedtime usually reveals the actual rule — that naps ending after 2.45pm always produce a 45-minute bedtime battle, say. That's more useful than any published range. CubTrack's free tier logs sleep and predicts the next likely window from your own data, which during a nap transition is considerably more accurate than a generic chart.
Related reading
- Wake windows by age — the full UK chart
- When do babies drop to one nap?
- Toddler sleep regressions explained
- Baby and toddler bedtime routines by age
- Toddler tantrums and the terrible twos
Frequently asked questions
What are wake windows for an 18 month old?
Around 5 to 5.5 hours either side of a single midday nap. A typical day is wake at 7am, nap around 12.15pm for 1.5–2 hours, then bed at 7pm. If the nap runs later than about 3pm, bedtime usually needs to shift later too.
What are wake windows for a 15 month old?
Between 3.5 and 4.5 hours, though 15 months is the commonest age for the two-to-one nap transition, so it varies day to day. On a two-nap day expect nearer 3.5 hours; on a one-nap day nearer 5, with an early bedtime to compensate.
How long should a 1 year old be awake between naps?
About 3 to 4 hours at 12 months, on two naps totalling 2–3 hours of daytime sleep. The morning window is usually the shortest of the day.
My toddler fights the afternoon nap — is it time to drop it?
Possibly, if it's happening most days for two weeks or more and the morning nap is getting longer. One bad week isn't a transition — teething, illness and holidays all cause the same symptom. Push the morning nap later gradually rather than dropping the afternoon one outright.
Should a 2 year old still nap?
Most do, usually 1 to 2 hours in the early afternoon, and most keep napping until somewhere between 3 and 4. If the nap has started pushing bedtime past 8pm, cap it at an hour rather than dropping it entirely.
