18-Month-Old Schedule With One Nap

The 18-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 18 months by energy and setting.

Sleep budget at 18 months

Awake windows for an 18-month-old

The longest stretch awake is 5 h 30 min (wake-up to nap), the shortest 5 h. The longest window is the same length as in the 17-month sample.

Movement minutes per caregiver at 18 months

WHO: at least 180 minutes of varied activity a day. Split by awake time the goals total 185 minutes; the outdoor stretches (Bubble Chase on the Grass and Nature Tote Treasure Walk) cover 180.

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 18 months:

• 1:00 pm, Parent to Nanny: the child is asleep (nap 12:30-2:30 pm), so nanny starts with 1 h 30 min of nap left; note when it started and how settling went.
• 5:00 pm, Nanny to Partner: the child has been awake 2 h 30 min, with 2 h 30 min to go until bedtime; dinner is at 5:30 pm, so say what was already eaten.

Fitting the 18-month checkup into this day

How 18 months differs from 17 and 19 months

The 8 activities in this 18-month day

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

• 8:00 am, parent: Bubble Chase on the Grass

  Active and outdoors: the core of the 8:00-9:30 am stretch. It is also in the 15-month sample day; if the basic version is easy by 18 months, change one thing: blow the bubbles farther away so each run is longer. Watch for: stops without falling over. Words to model: chase, stop, more bubbles. Safety: Choose a fenced or traffic-free area and check the grass for holes, sticks and litter first.

• 9:30 am, parent: Taped-Down First Scribbles

  Calm, a new domain for the day (fine motor). Tape all four corners of a large sheet to the table or floor. Make two or three slow marks yourself and say "Zig, zag" or "Dot, dot." Offer one crayon and wait; any tap, drag or dot counts. Words to model: line, dot, round and round. Watch for: holds the crayon in a fist and makes a mark on purpose. Safety: Use washable, non-toxic jumbo crayons labelled for this age, and stay beside your child.

• 10:00 am, parent: Sock Puppet Hello

  Calm, a new domain for the day (language). Slip a clean sock over your hand and hide it behind your back. Bring the puppet out slowly, wave it and say "Hi!" Stop and wait, with the puppet looking at your child. Words to model: Hi!, bye-bye, your turn. Watch for: waves at the puppet, with or without a model. Safety: Keep the sock on your hand rather than letting it become a mouthing toy, and skip socks with pompoms, buttons or loose decorations.

• 11:45 am, parent: Cheers! Open-Cup Clink

  A mealtime skill practiced during lunch. It is also in the 17-month sample day; if the basic version is easy by 18 months, change one thing: stop pointing to the tape circle and let them find it. Watch for: sips and sets the cup down without tipping it. Words to model: sip, down, my turn. Safety: Everyone stays seated while drinking.

• 3:00 pm, nanny: Nature Tote Treasure Walk

  Active and outdoors: the core of the 3:00-4:30 pm stretch. It is also in the 13-month, 14-month, 16-month and 17-month sample days; if the basic version is easy by 18 months, change one thing: at home, ask "Where's the pinecone?" and wait for them to pick it out of the pile. Watch for: picks a named find out of the pile. Words to model: leaf, pinecone, in the bag. Safety: Stay within arm's reach near roads, water and slopes.

• 4:30 pm, nanny: Blanket Wave Teddy Bounce

  Active, a new domain for the day (creativity & pretend). Put teddy in the middle of a light blanket and each hold one side. Sing "Wave it up, wave it down, teddy bounces all around" while you lift and lower your edge. Stop suddenly, hold still and say "Stop!" Words to model: up, down, stop. Watch for: holds the edge and moves it up and down. Safety: Never wrap the blanket around your child or wave it over their face.

• 5:30 pm, partner: Stir the Pot Like Me

  A mealtime skill practiced during dinner. It is also in the 16-month sample day; if the basic version is easy by 18 months, change one thing: do an action without saying its name and wait to see whether they copy. Watch for: copies an action you did earlier without a new model. Words to model: hot, lid on, yummy. Safety: Use blocks or toy food too big to fit through a toilet-paper tube, never dry pasta, beans or rice.

• 6:00 pm, partner: Two-Basket Copy Playdate

  Calm, a new domain for the day (social-emotional). Put the same three large blocks in each of two identical containers and set them an arm's length apart. Seat each child in front of their own container, with the adults behind them rather than between. Watch quietly; when one child takes a block out, name it: "Your friend took a block out." Words to model: same, out, in. Watch for: looks at the other child's container or hands. Safety: Use blocks bigger than a toilet-paper-tube opening and containers without sharp edges or small snap-off parts.

Plan the rest of 18 months