Baby sleep is far from an exact science. Even at one year old, significant differences can still be observed between children, whether it comes to the number of naps and nighttime awakenings or the hours of bedtime and wake-up time. This is also an age where children go through important developmental stages, which can disrupt their sleep. "What is generally observed at this age is that sleep needs decrease, particularly during the day, and wakeful periods increase. This is normal and positive," explains Caroline Decré, a child health specialist and sleep expert. At one year old, a baby generally sleeps between 11 and 14 hours per 24 hours, including naps. However, there is a great variability from one child to another: some sleep 16 hours, others only 9. Caroline Decré, however, emphasizes the importance of detaching from these charts and norms and observing one's child. "These are guidelines, but it is mainly the observation that matters," she explains. A baby may, for example, only take two 30-minute naps during the day but fall asleep easily and wake up without crying. In this case, there is no need to worry, even if on paper it might seem like he is not sleeping enough. At one year old, naps are far from being a thing of the past! However, their number and duration evolve. Between 9 months and one year, there is a transition from three to two naps. "The nap that is skipped is generally the one in the late afternoon, which is logical given that the child's wakefulness capacity increases," observes the specialist. "The child is now capable of having a wakeful period of 3 to 5 hours before bedtime," she adds. However, if the baby wakes up from his last nap at 3 p.m., he may need to be put to bed around 7 p.m. and naturally wake up around 6 a.m. the next morning. There is therefore a period where some children wake up very early simply because their rhythm is evolving. At the age of one year, a baby sleeps between 9 and 12 hours at night. Some babies sleep very little during the day but have good 12-hour nights. Others maintain long naps and sleep a bit less at night. As for nighttime awakenings, they are still perfectly normal at this age. "This depends a lot on the daytime rhythm but also on the feeding method. A breastfed baby can still nurse 2 to 4 times per night without it being pathological," recalls Caroline Decré. She specifies that about 50 percent of children still regularly show nighttime awakenings and do not have eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. The others wake up between sleep cycles as well, but like adults, they fall back asleep without asking for anything.