2 year old sleep schedule: wake windows, naps and night sleep

A wake window is the awake time between one sleep and the next, measured from the moment your baby wakes to the moment they fall asleep again. At this age it usually runs 5 hr 30 min to 6 hr. Start watching for sleepy signs at the lower end rather than waiting for the upper end: staring, losing interest in play and jerky movements almost always arrive before the yawn.

A workable day at two years is: wake for the day, feed, then a wake window of about 5 hr 30 min to 6 hr before each nap, aiming for 1 to 2 hours of daytime sleep in 1 naps, and a bedtime roughly one wake window after the last nap ends. Overnight, expect 11 hours.

Every chart on the internet, including this one, describes an average. The number that actually helps you is your own baby's average awake time before a good nap, and it takes about two weeks of logs to see it. A short nap after a long window usually means overtired, not undertired.

Nap resistance is common but most two year olds still genuinely need the nap. If sleep changes suddenly and stays changed for more than two weeks, or your baby seems in pain or is not gaining weight, that is a conversation for your doctor rather than a schedule problem.

Try the calculator

Work out the next nap from the time your baby woke up with the wake window calculator, or read baby sleep patterns by age for the full picture. This page is general information, not medical advice.

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