12-Month-Old Schedule With Two Naps

The 12-month-old sample day, hour by hour

Caregivers: parent, nanny, then partner. The 8 activities named in the day are picked from the library for 12 months by energy and setting.

Sleep budget at 12 months

Awake windows for a 12-month-old

The longest stretch awake is 4 h (last nap to bedtime), the shortest 2 h 45 min. This is the first month of the range, so there is no earlier sample to compare.

Movement minutes per caregiver at 12 months

WHO: at least 180 minutes of varied activity a day. Split by awake time the goals total 185 minutes; the outdoor stretches (Playground Copycat Watch, Squat-and-Collect Bucket Walk and Cleanup Song Bucket Drop) cover 255.

Caregiver split: parent, nanny, then partner

One parent covers the morning through lunch and the start of the nap, a nanny takes the afternoon from the end of the nap, and a partner handles dinner, bath and bedtime. 2 handoffs at 12 months:

• 1:00 pm, Parent to Nanny: the child has been awake 2 h 15 min, with 1 h 15 min to go until the nap.
• 5:00 pm, Nanny to Partner: the child has been awake 1 h 45 min, with 2 h 15 min to go until bedtime; dinner is at 5:15 pm, so say what was already eaten.

How 12 months differs from 13 months

The 8 activities in this 12-month day

Active picks sit in the outdoor stretches, calm ones before sleep and a self-care skill at the main meals.

• 7:45 am, parent: Playground Copycat Watch

  Active and outdoors: the core of the 7:45-9:00 am stretch. Choose a spot near, not inside, a group of toddlers and sit down at your child's level. Point out one thing another child is doing: "Look, she's kicking the ball." Put your own ball or bucket within reach and wait; do not ask your child to copy. Words to model: look, too, same. Watch for: watches another child for several seconds. Safety: Stay within arm's reach on climbing equipment and keep your child off structures built for older children.

• 10:45 am, parent: Bubble Squat-and-Pop

  Active, a new domain for the day (gross motor). Blow a few bubbles low, aimed at the floor in front of the child. Squat down beside them and pop one with a finger: "Down... pop!" Stand up together and say "Up!" Words to model: bubble, pop, down, up. Watch for: squats and stands back up without putting a hand on the floor. Safety: Keep the bubble bottle in your hand: the solution is not for drinking and stings eyes.

• 11:30 am, parent: Blanket Picnic Finger Lunch

  A mealtime skill practiced during lunch. Spread the blanket in the shade and sit your child in the middle of it. Lift the containers out of the tote one at a time, naming each: "Cheese. Pasta." Open one container, set it in front of your child and wait for them to reach in. Words to model: picnic, open, all gone. Watch for: stays seated on the blanket while eating. Safety: Eating stays seated: if your child stands up to explore, the food waits on the blanket until they sit again.

• 12:00 pm, parent: Squat-and-Collect Bucket Walk

  Active and fine outside: the core of the 12:00-1:30 pm stretch. Scatter the balls a few steps apart and set the bucket in the middle. Walk to one, squat, pick it up and drop it in: "Ball in!" Point to the next ball, then wait and let the child go for it. Words to model: pick up, in, one more. Watch for: squats and stands without holding on. Safety: Every item must be too big to fit through a toilet-paper tube; check balls for torn covers or loose stuffing.

• 1:30 pm, nanny: Ice Tray Snack Picking

  Calm, so it settles the room before the 2:15 pm nap. Seat your child in the high chair or at the table and put one piece of food in each of a few compartments. Pick one piece out yourself and name it: "Banana. Mmm." Slide the tray over and wait while your child pokes, rakes or pinches. Words to model: more, all gone, in. Watch for: uses thumb and pointer finger instead of the whole hand. Safety: Keep your child seated and watched by an adult for the whole snack.

• 3:45 pm, nanny: Cleanup Song Bucket Drop

  Active and fine outside: the core of the 3:45-5:15 pm stretch. Put the bucket in the middle of the play area and start the same short cleanup song you always use. Pick up one toy, walk it to the bucket and drop it in: "In it goes!" Point to a toy near your child and pause. Words to model: in, clean up, all clean. Watch for: carries a toy to the bucket after you point. Safety: Use a light bucket with no rope or cord handle, and keep it empty of anything but toys.

• 5:15 pm, partner: Two-Hands Open Cup Sip

  A mealtime skill practiced during dinner. At a seated meal, pour about two tablespoons of water into the small open cup. Hold your own cup with both hands and take a slow sip so your child sees the tilt. Set their cup on the table in front of them and wait. Words to model: cup, sip, down. Watch for: lifts the cup to the mouth with both hands. Safety: Drinks happen seated and supervised; take the cup away if your child walks off with it.

• 5:45 pm, partner: Pull the Blanket, Reach the Toy

  Calm, a new domain for the day (cognitive). Sit your child at one edge of a small blanket spread flat on the floor. Put a favorite toy on the far end, out of arm's reach, while they watch. Wait. Let them reach, lean or crawl toward it first. Words to model: pull, closer, on the blanket. Watch for: pulls the blanket instead of reaching straight for the toy. Safety: Never play this with tablecloths or anything holding hot, heavy or breakable items; the 'pull to get it' idea can carry over to the dinner table.

Plan the rest of 12 months