How Long Should a 15 Month Old Nap? Your Nap Guide
Nap time for a 14 or 15 month old is still very important in your daily routine. Naps are important for physical and mental growth and wellbeing. Napping helps prevent overstimulation
a 2018 study by Horvath and Plunket had the following findings:
- Finds naps help with memory, learning, and emotional regulation
- Highlights importance of continuing naps as toddlers transition to 1 nap per day
A well-rested toddler is a happy toddler. A tired toddler is a cranky toddler.
How Much Total Sleep Does a 14 to 15 Month Old Need Per Day?
A sleep research collaboration from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and pediatric sleep experts, made the following recommendations:
Expert recommendations for total sleep (14-15 hours, including naps)
- Recommends that 14-15 month olds get 12-15 hours of total sleep per 24 hours (including both nighttime and nap sleep)
- This total is usally teased out to 11-12 hours of nighttime sleep and 2 to 3 hours of naps
- They recognized that sleep needs can vary between individual children
- The panel also noted that insufficient sleep in this age group is associated with increased injuries, emotional lability, and difficulties with focused attention
- Sleep needs can vary between individual children
Why Naps Are Important at 14 and 15 Months
Daytime naps allow toddlers to recharge, impacts development, prevents overtiredness. When skipping this naps or transitioning to 1 nap too soon, many parents of toddlers find they end up having very early bedtimes but also night wakings.
Ideal Nap Length for a 15 Month Old
- If your little one is still on 2 naps they may nap 30-45 minutes in the morning and then have 1.5 to 2 hour afternoon nap.
- Generally when toddlers drop down to 1 nap this nap is 2-3 hours in length
- If on 1 or 2 naps, the total daily amount of nap is similar.
- Most kids are on 1 nap by 15 to 16 months of age.
- Within a few months this 1 nap may recede to 2 hours in length
- Generally 1.5 hours of naptime is not enough sleep for the average toddler
How Does The Transition To 1 Nap Occur?
For specifics on transitioning down to 1 nap, you can read this blog post for more details. In general, what happens is the morning nap shortens up or is skipped and the afternoon or second nap becomes earlier and longer, starting around 11:30 or 12 pm.
Typical Nap Schedule for a 15 Month Old
A solid nap routine is important. This is the time to cue your toddler that sleep is coming and have some closure time with a caregiver. The routines ease the separation that is about to happen. If your child is having some separation anxiety you might spend more time in your nap or consistent bedtime routine.
2-Nap Schedule
Here's what's most important. That your toddler's first wake window of the day is around 3.5 hours. And then the next awake window before nap 2 and bedtime is 4 hours. Your toddler needs that time for their sleep pressure to rise to be able to fall asleep easily.
6:30 am Wake up
Awake window of 3.5 hours
10:00-10:45 am Nap - 45 minutes
Awake window of 3.5 - 4 hours
2:30 pm Nap 2 - 1 hour nap or more
4:00 pm Wake up
7:45 pm Asleep for the night
In this 2 nap toddler sleep schedule your child is getting about 2:15 hours of nap time and 10:45 of overnight sleep for a total amount of sleep of 13 hours of total 24 hour sleep which meets the recommendations of professional medical advice listed above.
Common Reasons This 2 Nap Schedule Might Not Work For You
This might not work for you if your 1st nap starts later than 10:30 am. Because of the cascade effect this can push your 2nd nap start later than 3 pm, which can make the nap a challenge. Another reason this might not work for you is that the 3:45 awake window is too short for your little one at the end of the day and needs the full 4 hours. This is pushing your bedtime later. Possibly too late as the nap then is cutting into overall night time sleep amounts. Some sites suggest a range of 10-12 hours of night time sleep, but I feel that with 10 hours, say 8 pm to 6 am, those toddlers are still tired on waking up for the day. Either of these is a good indication that it's time to try moving to a single nap for the day to help mee your child's age-appropriate sleep schedule.
What Does a 1 Nap Day Schedule Look Like?
To achieve one longer nap instead of two short naps, you'll need to have a longer awake window before that 1 nap. When you first go down to 1 nap, this will be around 5.5 hours from waking for the day, but no earlier than 11:30 am, to make the schedule work.
Your awake time after nap to bedtime will be somewhere between 4 and 5 hours to be asleep.
As your baby gets used to this timing, you may be able to then stretch 5.5 hours to 6 hours and by the time your toddler is 24 months this will likely be 6.5 hours before a 1 pm nap.
Signs Your 15 Month Old Needs More Daytime Sleep
- You start to experience more middle of the night waking
- Your child has more tantrums or seems more sensitive during the daytime
- You experience new early morning wake ups where they wake up crying
Tips for Getting Your 15 Month Old to Nap
Your toddler is growing exponentially cognitively. You'll notice new skills appearing and many people describe a "15-month sleep regression." Anytime you hear "regression" think growth and distraction. Your child is learning new things and possibly getting first year molars. Both of those events can cause sleep problems for parents in the form of a distracted little person who does not want to sleep.
- Keep your consistent naptime and bedtime routines
- Adjust the timing some text
- You may pivot back and forth between 2 naps and 1 nap schedules depending on when your child woke up for the day.
- If they wake up before 6:15 am, you might consider 2 naps that day.
- If they wake up after 6:15 am, you might aim for 1 long nap.
- If your child has never been a great sleeper you might consider "sleep training" to help them be more independent
- Log your child's sleep timing for a few days to notice trends and make adaptations
Conclusion:
- Many kids are transitioning down to 1 nap around 15 months of age
- Nap transitions can take 1-2 weeks to consistently be on a new sleep schedule
- Encourage parents to observe child's sleep needs and adjust as needed within recommended guidelines
- The good news is that once you're on 1 nap consistently, you'll be on that nap until close to 3 years of age when your child will drop the nap completely.
- You can read more about moving to no nap on this blog post
Ever wonder how much sleep your baby needs and when? Worried you're not getting nap hours in? Download my free sleep timing and quantity chart and see how much sleep they should be getting for their age.
Ever wonder how much sleep your baby needs and when? Worried you're not getting nap hours in? Download my free sleep timing and quantity chart and see how much sleep they should be getting for their age.
Read Next:
- The Most Popular Sleep Training Techniques
- The Toddler 2-1 Nap Transition
- 5 Tips to Set Up Your Nursery to Help Your Baby Sleep
