What to Expect at 18 months with your toddler

overview of what to expect at 18 months with your baby

Welcome to toddlerhood! A time when choice & boundaries have never been more important in your little one’s life. Leave them feeling empowered starting with sleep to help them love the routine and accept sleep in a positive way! 

Developmental milestones at 18 months of age

Your baby is VERY mobile and will start to explore everything they can walk, run, and climb on!

• Walking/climbing
• Running
• Language explosion
• Thrives off of routine and predictability
• Demonstrates understanding of sequence and what comes next
• Pretend play begins! 
• Separation anxiety 
• Baby proof everything once baby is on the move-Get our FREE Baby Proofing Checklist HERE!

sleep at 18 months of age

Toddlers continue to thrive on a 12-13 hour daily schedule. Babies are naturally early risers between 6-8 AM. Bedtime should fall between 6-8 PM.

Overnight sleep at 18 months:

• 11-14 hours of sleep per 24 hours
• 10-12 hours overnight
• 1.5-3 hours of daytime sleep

Naps at 18 months: 

• 1 nap schedule
• Longer wake window in the morning and shorter in the afternoon
• Nap should not exceed 3 hours

If your baby is still waking frequently overnight, struggling with naps in the crib, or needs lots of assistance from you to settle then it’s time to work on independent sleep. The Well Rested Course includes a customizable step-by-step plan to help your baby fall asleep independently, wean overnight feeds (both breast and bottle), and sleep 11-12 hours overnight.

feeding at 18 months of age

• 3 meals and 2 snacks per day recommended
• Milk offered at meals in straw cups, not before sleep! 
• Picky eating common
• Continue to offer a variety of foods at every meal even when your toddler refuses to eat them
• It can take 20-30 exposures to accept a new food
• Offer solids before breastfeeding
• This includes breakfast before a breastfeed

Common challenges at 18 months of age

• Can come on fast & furious
• Nap refusal
• New overnight wakings
• Resisting sleep 
• Very vocal! Crying, screaming & protesting are very common

support and achievable goals

We will help develop a predictable sleep routine for both bedtime and naps as well as ensure your toddler is on an age appropriate schedule to meet the following goals: 

• Falling asleep independently- remove parental presence that may be increased due to separation anxiety
• Sleeping 11-12 hours with minimal wakings
• Sleep in the crib overnight and naps

What resources do you have to help me through this time?

If you’re facing multiple wake ups, short naps, and sleep resistance, I have a class for you. The 4-24 Month Well Rested Collection will walk you step-by-step through a completely customizable sleep training experience. In just a few weeks, your baby will be getting 11-12 hours of independent night sleep, AND you’ll have a plan to navigate any future regressions or bumps in your journey. I’ll also help you set up a daytime routine and nap schedule that fits your family’s lifestyle and values. And you’ll get age-specific guidance to meet your baby right where he or she is developmentally at every stage from now until your baby turns 2.

Want daily personalized support? We have 1:1 sleep coaching programs to help! We work with your family for 2 weeks to help your baby with both overnight sleep and nap challenges. You don’t have to navigate your sleep journey alone with our Ultimate Sleep Plan.

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