Sample schedules for 16-18 month old pretoddlers using the Babywise method. Know what milestones to expect and how to shift the schedule for your young toddler.
16-18 months old are the last few months of your little one being in the “pretoddler” age range. Remember this is a transitional period between baby and toddler.
This post tells you all about what to expect with your 12-15 month old Babywise pretoddler. I will walk you through what to expect during these months, share what my kids did during this month, and share sample schedules from other Babywise families from this month.
Get all of the info you need about a 16-18 month old schedule. Find out how many feedings your pretoddler should have, how many ounces a day your little one needs, what to do during wake time, how many naps a day a pretoddler should have, how long night sleep should be, along with discipline tips.
Overview for 16-18 Months Old
Here is what to expect with your pretoddler in these months.
Eat
Your pretoddler will have 3-4 liquid feedings a day with three solid meals a day. You might also have a snack.
You should be having some milk or dairy in your day. You want 16-30 ounces a day (talk to you child’s doctor). If your pretoddler just does not like to drink milk, don’t stress out! This post will help you Adding Milk/Dairy to the Diet.
If you are breastfeeding, you might need to keep four liquid feedings to maintain your milk supply. If you are not breastfeeding, your little one might be able to move to 3 liquid feedings a day, but there is no rush for this. If you pretoddler still needs that fourth liquid feeding each day, go for it.
You want to be moving to having your pretoddler eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner with the family if possible. See this: How to Align Baby’s Meal Times with Family’s Meal Times
You will find that your kiddo refuses favorite foods a lot and can even seem picky. This is all very normal for a pretoddler, so don’t let it stress you out! You want to make effort to prevent your kiddo from becoming really picky, but being picky at times is normal behavior.
You might consider moving your toddler into a booster seat at the dinner table, but it is totally fine to keep the high chair, also.
Wake (Playtime)
During playtime, you will want tomake sure you have independent playtime. If you have moved to one nap a day, you might find yourself struggling how to fill that time that used to be nap. I have an entire post for you on this: How To Fill Toddler’s Time When Transitioning to One Nap
If you are looking for some toy ideas check out 26 Best Toys for PreToddler: 12-18 Months.
Sleep
A 16-18 month old will likely move ot one nap a day if they have not yet. Some do not drop to one nap a day until 18 months old, so if your toddler isn’t ready yet, do not force it. If your toddler is ready to drop the morning nap, see my Dropping the Morning Nap Full Guide.
>>>Read: One Nap Schedules Perfect for Your Toddler
Remember that it is important to time naps correctly for pretoddlers just like is was for your baby. Pay attention to what time is best for nap time.
The range of sleep for night time is typically still 10-13 hours long. It is good to aim for 12 hours and adjust from there depending on your toddler’s needs.
Discipline
Pretoddlers love to test boundaries and will need a lot of correction. They can be very emotional and have lots of tantrums. They cannot communicate as well as they want to. They can understand more than they can share, and this can lead to tantrums out of pure frustration. See these opsts for help:
16-18 Month Old Schedule Basics
Pre-Toddlers in the 16-18 month old range should have this with their schedule:
- Typically 3 liquid feedings, but you might have a fourth
- 3 Solid feedings
- A snack if needed/desired
- 1-2 naps per day
- 10-13 hours of sleep at night
- Independent Playtime for about 60 minutes, once per day
Milestones to Watch For
Here are milestones you want to watch for and give your toddler time to do during the day. Your toddler can’t meet certain milestones unless there is time to work on them. For example, a 16 month old can typicaly scribble, but if they never have time to work on that, it will not happen. Read Structuring a Pretoddler’s Day: 15-18 Months Old for ideas on how to set up your kiddo’s day to get the stimuation she needs.
Also, not every milestone will for sure happen in a given month. Some kids are head of what is typical in certain areas and behind in other areas. If you have concerns, it is always smart to talk to your toddler’s doctor.
16 Months Old
- Scribble
- Speak at least 3 words
- Dump objects
- Kick a ball
- Brush own teeth with help
- Be wary of strangers
- Prefer one parent over the other
17 Months Old
- Speak at least 3 words
- Drink from a cup
- Build a “tower” of two blocks
- Walk up the stairs
- Remove clothes
- Throw a ball
- Pretend play with things like dolls
18 Months Old
- Point to a desired object
- Run
- Use a spoon or fork (but it probably will be messy, and they will probably still use fingers, also)
- Point to a body part
- Follow 2-step instructions
- Increase the number of words used
Babywise 16-18 Month Old Sample Schedules and Routines
Here are the sample schedules of what we did in this age range.
16 Months Old
McKenna
We were waking up later at the time because nights tended to be later at the moment.
8:45-9:00–wake and eat breakfast. Music time. Bath. Go for a walk.
10:45-11:00–nap
1:00–wake and eat lunch. Independent play.
2:45-3:00–nap
5:00-5:30–wake and eat dinner. Various activities.
8:00-8:30–bed
See her full summary here McKenna Pre-Toddler Summary: 16 Months Old and here McKenna Pre-Toddler Summary: 16.5 Months Old
Brinley
8:15–wake up. Eat breakfast (fruit, cereal, and milk)
Get ready. Clean with mom.
10:30 Independent Playtime.
11:30 Play
12:00 Lunch.
Play with McKenna.
1:00–Nap starts
4:00-4:30–wake up. Snack. Play.
5:15–Dinner
7:30–Sippy of milk, then bedtime. In bed by 8:00.
See her full summary here: Brinley Pre-Toddler Summary: 16 Months Old and here Brinley Pre-Toddler Summary: 16.5 Months Old
17 Months Old
Brayden
7:15: eat breakfast (milk included)
11:30: eat lunch (milk included)
1:00: nap
4:00: wake
5:30ish: Dinner (milk included)
7:00: drink milk (I would give him whatever milk he hadn’t had for the day to equal 24 ounces)
7:30: in bed
Kaitlyn
Kaitlyn still took 2 naps a day. She was getting closer to dropping that nap, but was not quite ready. Here is her schedule:
7:30: wake up and eat breakfast. This usually consists of milk, fruit, yogurt, and some dry cereal.
9:45: nap
11:30: wake up and eat lunch. This includes whatever Brayden and I are eating.
2:00: nap
4:00-4:30: wake up
5/5:30: dinner with the family. She eats whatever we are eating.
Random: a couple of days a week, she will ask for more milk between dinner and bedtime. I give it to her when she asks for it, but I no longer offer a 4th liquid feeding.
7:45: in bed
McKenna – 17 Months Old
This was the end of our summer schedule. Now the real world will come back to us and we will be more structured.
8:45-9:00–wake and eat breakfast. Music time. Bath. Go for a walk.
10:45-11:00–nap
1:00–wake and eat lunch. Independent play.
2:45-3:00–nap
5:00-5:30–wake and eat dinner. Various activities.
8:00-8:30–bed
See her full summary here McKenna Pre-Toddler Summary: 17 Months Old
Brinley
8:15–wake up. Eat breakfast (fruit, cereal, and milk)
Get ready. Clean with mom.
10:30 Independent Playtime.
11:30 Play
12:00 Lunch.
Play with McKenna.
1:00–Nap starts
4:00-4:30–wake up. Snack. Play.
5:15–Dinner
7:30–Sippy of milk, then bedtime. In bed by 8:00.
See her full summary here Brinley Pre-Toddler Summary: 17 Months Old and here Brinley Pre-Toddler Summary (17.5 Months Old)
McKenna – 17.5 Months Old
Our schedule was more structured with summer ending:
8:15–breakfast
9:00–bath/get ready
9:30–go for a walk
10:00–learning time
10:30–sibling playtime
11:00–nap
12:30–lunch
1:00–blanket time
1:30–independent play
2:30–“help” me with chores
3:00–nap
5:00–wake. Dinner. Free play and family time
8:00–in bed by this time. Sometimes sooner.
See her summary from this schedule here McKenna Pre-Toddler Summary: 17.5 Months Old
18 Months Old
McKenna
8:15–breakfast
9:00–bath/get ready
9:30–go for a walk
10:00–learning time
10:30–sibling playtime
11:00–nap
12:30–lunch
1:00–blanket time
1:30–independent play
2:30–“help” me with chores
3:00–nap
5:00–wake. Dinner. Free play and family time
8:00–in bed by this time. Sometimes sooner
See her full summary here McKenna Pre-Toddler Summary: 18 Months Old
Brinley
8:15–wake up. Eat breakfast (fruit, cereal, and milk)
Get ready. Clean with mom.
10:00 Independent Playtime.
11:30 Play
12:00 Lunch. Play with McKenna.
1:00–Nap starts
4:00-4:30–wake up. Snack. Play.
5:15–Dinner
7:30–Sippy of milk, then bedtime. In bed by 8:00.
See her full summary here Brinley Pre-Toddler Summary {18 Months Old}
Reader Sample Schedules for 16-18 Months Old
Here are some sample schedules from readers for 16-18 months old.
16 Months Old
Schedule 1
7:30am wake, cuddle/tv time
8:00am breakfast
8:20am diaper change, free play
8:50am mom time
9:15am room time (working on extending length)
9:45am mom time
10:00am morning nap
11:00am wake, lunch
11:30am family time
12:00pm learning time (usually something like coloring or playdough)
12:30pm outdoor play
1:15pm afternoon nap
2:45 wake, snack
3:30 errands/pool
5:00 family time
5:30-6:00 dinner
6:30 family time/walk/park
7:30 bath/ bedtime routine
8:00 bed
Schedule 2
6:30-7:00- wake
If wakes before 6:30, she is left in bed until 6:45 (7:00 if still happy).
7:00-7:10 – free play with toys in living room; loves this chance to roam, and “rediscover” her toys
7:15-7:45 – breakfast
milk, oatmeal with PB/yogurt; toast; applesauce; pancakes; fruit; bran cereal; low-fat/low sugar banana bread
7:45-8:00 – play
8:00-8:15 – diaper and dressed
8:30-10:00 – walk outside in stroller/errands
10:00-10:30 – independent play time
10:45-11:15 – read/check mail/play
11:15-11:45 – lunch
cheese, fruit, cheese toast, leftovers, milk
12:00-12:30 – read, diaper change, play outside
12:30-3:00 – nap
varies depending on day (sometimes 1-4, sometimes 12:30-3:30, sometimes shorter); generally at least a 2-hr nap
3:15 – milk
3:30-4:45 – walk in stroller outside
5:00-5:15 – play during supper prep
5:30-6:00 – supper
6:00 – outside play with Mommy/Daddy; cleanup etc.,
6:25 – bath
6:30-6:45 – jammies, milk, teethbrushing, book
7:00 – bed
(sometimes as early as 6:30 if teething/overtired etc.,)thesieberts said…16 month old – Boy7:30-8am – Wake, cuddles & cartoons
8am – Breakfast
8:30-9am – Play in bedroom
9-10:30am – Free play, read, play in the backyard, help mom vaccuum :), etc.
10:30am – Snack
11am – 1/1:30pm – Nap
1:30pm – Lunch
2-5pm – Run errands or activity like going for a walk, go to the pool, park, play date, etc.
5-6pm – Free play while Mom cooks dinner
6pm – Dinner (and Daddy gets home – yay!)
7:30pm – Bath & bedtime routine
8pm – Bedtime
Schedule 3
7am wake, milk
7:30 breakfast
8 run in jogging stroller
9 nap if we’re home
10:30 snack errands, playdates
12 lunch
1pm nap
3pm snack
3:30 mommy play time
4pm independent play
4:30 sibling play
5:30pm dinner
6:30 bath
7pm bed
Schedule 4
7:00-7:30 wake and play in crib till daddy comes in around 7:30. 7 oz. milk in bed with mommy while she is waking up.
7:30 Play while mommy gets ready
8:30 Breakfast- usually yogurt with added fruit puree, cheerios, fruit
Certain days we go to the gym, dance class, a friends house, or mommy is picking up the house.
11:00 Lunch
11:30 Nap
2:00-2:30 Wake up
Half hour or so after she wakes she eats a snack. I was giving it right away but she stopped taking it, so I waited a bit till she woke up more.
2:30 Snack (cheese, cheerios, fruit, rice cake, some combo of these)
Mondays and Wednesdays we do swim lessons in the pm. Other days we run out to get her out of the house in a cool environment during the summer. Too hot outside at this time of day.
5:00-5:30 Dinner
6:20 Bath
6:35 Bottle, books, brush teeth, sing songs and cuddle, pray
7:00 Down
After writing this out and looking over her schedule, I see there are a lot of open gaps with too much playtime in there. I think she really needs a lot more structure than I’m giving her.
Schedule 5
8:30-9:15 Breakfast Waketime
11:45-12:00 Lunch Waketime Nap
4:00-4:30 Snack Waketime
6:00-6:30 Dinner Waketime
7:45-8:00 Bedtime
Around 15 1/2 months, he officially dropped the morning nap. His afternoon nap begins at 1:00 and lasts until 4:00-4:30. His night sleep falls anywhere in the range of 12-13.5 hours, but 13 hours is the average.
Schedule 6
7 DWT
7:30/8 Breakfast
8:30-9:30 Independent Play Time
11 Lunch
11:30-2:30 Nap
3 Snack
5/5:30 Dinner
6ish Bath
6:30/7 Bed (Depending on length of nap)
17 Months Old
Schedule 1
7:00-7:30am Waketime
8:00am Breakfast
8:30am Independent playtime in room
9:15am Playtime with mom/also helping with laundry!
10:00am Snack
10:15am TV time
10:30am outside/playgroup/library/errands (depending on the day!)
11:30am learning activity (if we’re at home)
12:00pm lunch
1:00pm-4:00pm nap
4:00pm playtime with mom
4:45pm free playtime
5:30pm dinner
6:00pm free playtime with mom & dad
7:00pm bathtime, reading
8:00pm bedtime
Schedule 2
(He drinks 4-8 ounces of milk with each meal. So far he has not seemed to need a snack.)
7:00 – Wake up, eat breakfast
7:40 – Individual play time
8:40 (mon, wed, fri) – walk outside
8:40 (tue, thu, sat) – structured playtime
9:40 – nap time
11:00 – wake up, read books with mom
11:30 – play with dad while mom fixes lunch
12:00 – lunch
12:30 – blanket time
1:00 – free playtime
1:45 – naptime
4:00 – wake up, run errands or go see friends and family
5:30ish – dinner
6:00 – family time
6:40 – bath time, pjs, read a book
7:00 – bedtime
Schedule 3
6:30 or 7am wake up
7:00 breakfast, morning prayer, independent playtime (30-45 min), free playtime
9:15-10:30 nap 2-3 days of the week or sometime in the morning we will go to storytime, playgroup, the park, or church. Still in the process of dropping this nap. Free play or activities with mom after nap/morning activity.
11:30 or 12pm lunch
1pm song, story, nap
3:30-4:30 wake up, time with mom, free playtime
5:00 play with Dad while Mom makes dinner
5:30 Dinner then family time
7:15 Put PJs on, sing song, read scriptures, say prayers, milk, and then in bed by 7:45
Schedule 4
7 wake, milk, dress
7:45 breakfast
8 free play inside
8:30 play outside
9 milk, then rest time / room time / possible 15-20 min nap
9:45-10 up and out, free play or play outside
11:15 lunch
11:45 free play
12:20 milk, nap
12:30 usually asleep
2:30 wakes, plays quietly
3:00 out of crib, play outside
4:30 movie time or play inside
5:00 movie time over
5:15 dinner
5:45 free play
6:10 bath
6:20 milk, brush teeth, stories, bed
Schedule 5
8:30 Wake Up, Change Diaper, Breakfast and watch Sesame Street
9:30 Swimming/Play!
11:00 Lunch
11:30 Bath
12:00 Bottle and Nap
4:00 Wake Up, Change Diaper, Eat SnackPlay!
6:30 Dinner
7:45 Get ready for bed
8:00 Bottle and BedSleep through the night.
Schedule 6
7AM DWT
9:30/45AM – Nap time (takes at least 30 minutes to fall asleep)
11AM – Wake Him
2:00PM – Nap time (takes 30 minutes to 1 hour to fall asleep)
4:30PM – Wake Him
8:00PM – BedtimeI think we almost ready to transition to ONE NAP!
Schedule 7
7-7:15 Wake
7:30 Sippy Cup of milk/breakfast
8-11:00 Walk, IPT occasionally, Free play
11-11:30 Lunch w/sippy cup of milk
11:30-12:15 Clean up, read books
12:15-2:30/3:00 Nap
3:00 Snack w/sippy cup of water
3:30-5:30 Play, outings
6:00 Dinner w/sippy cup of milk
6:30-7 Bath and Books
In bed by 7:15
18 Months Old
Schedule 1
7:30/8am – Wake; 6 oz milk and breakfast
Get dressed, brush teeth
Free Play
Roomtime (still working on) – Not going so well right now – can only do about 5 minutes
Structured activity (10 minutes or so)
Outside time
Free Play
11am -Lunch + 6 oz milk
12 – Nap – to 2/3
3pm – Snack + 6 oz milk
Roomtime – 5 minutes (see above)
Outside or Errands
Free play or errands
5:30 – Supper
6:30 – Bedtime routine
7pm – Bed
Schedule 2
8:15 Wake up, change clothes and nappy
8:30 Breakfast
9:00-10:00 Free and structured playtime, playtime with mom
10:00-10:20 Blanket time (working on upping the length)
10:30 Play outside/take a walk/play group with friends
11:30 Lunch
12:00-1:00 Free playtime and playtime with mom (reading books)
1:00-3:30 Nap
3:30-4:30 Snack, structured playtime
4:30 Movie
5:00 Dinner
6:00 Playtime with dad
7:00 Bedtime routine including bath
7:30 Lights out
Schedule 3
(This is our summer schedule, all play/learning is moveable, but these times stay the same.)
7:00 a.m. – wake
7:30 a.m. – breakfast
9:30 a.m. – snack
11:30 a.m. – lunch
12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. – nap
2:15 p.m. – snack
6:00 p.m. – dinner
7:30 p.m. – bath, snack (if needed) bed (in bed by 8:00 p.m.)
Schedule 4
8:30 or 9:00 – wake up and eat breakfast
9:30 – 10:45 or 11:00 – independent play in room in pack-n-play
11:00 – chores with Mama. Usually she “helps” me unload the dishwasher and we feed the dog together.
11:30 – free play with Mama. Usually reading books or blowing bubbles.
12:00 – pick up toys and get ready for lunch
12:15 – eat lunch
12:45 – 1:00 – change diaper, naptime routine
1:00 – 4:30 – naptime4:30 – 5:00 – snack time (we eat a pretty late dinner)
5:00 – 6:00 or 6:15 – structured play. Sometimes in the high chair. She will color or play with a whiteboard and dry erase maker (don’t worry, they’re non-toxic.) Sometimes we do puzzles. It really varies and depends on what I need to finish for dinner prep. My husband comes home during this hour, too, so she plays with him when he gets home.
6:15 – 6:45 – dinner.
6:45 – 7:10 – bathtime
7:10 – 7:30 – play with Daddy. Wind down for the night. Bedtime routine
7:30 – bedtime
Schedule 5
Wake 7-7.15am
Breakfast – 7.30am
Indoor play/outside time on a walk til noonish
Lunch – 12.00
Nap- 12.45-3.30
Occasional snack at 3.30
Dinner- 6pm
Bath- 6.50pm
Read books, sleep – 7.30pm
Schedule 6
My daughter is 18 months old and what I consider to be a high sleep needs child! We tried, unsuccessfully dropping the morning nap this month and it just isn’t happening yet. 🙂
7am wake time, breakfast
7:30am chores, sibling play
9-10:30am nap
10:30am snack
11am independent playtime
12:30 lunch
1-3:30 pm nap
3:30 snack
4pm outdoor play
5pm screen time
5:30 pm dinner
6:30 bath
7pm bedtime
Schedule 7
6.30-7 wakes up and plays in crib until he hears daddys alarm at 7.
7.00 get up, nappy change, get dressed, play in sisters room while we get her dressed
7.30 breakfast
8.00 free play with older sister and mummy
8.30 Has his milk in highchair, then clean teeth and wash face, do hair
8.45 Go to nursery 3 mornings a week or if at home read books with mummy
9.00 Tv time or free play
9.20 Small snack
9.30 Various activities – walk outside, park, playdate,errands, music class, library
11.30 Lunch/ free play
12.00 milk /nappy change
12.30 nap
3.30 awake/ milk/ read books with mummy
4.00 free play/ or music time with mummy/ or sibling play in room
4.30 outside activity- kick ball etc or table activity in highchair
5.00-free play
5.20 Dinner
5.45 Read books in highchair – I set timer for 9 mins and he is happy to do this
6.00 Tidy house together and then watch christian childrens dvd 25 min/ or daddy time if home/or bath
6.30 bedtime routine
7.00 in bed I would like to do independent playtime with him also. That is my goal for the next few months. Not sure on a time yet though.
Schedule 8
7:00ish Begins waking up in crib
7:30 Read books/drink milk in room
7:45 Breakfast
7:45-8:30 Independent play time, coloring, play-doh
8:30-10 YMCA (Mom works out while baby is in kid’s place)*Small snack at
9:3010-11:30 Run errands, Pool, or story time
11:45 Lunch then play with mom
1:00-3:30 Nap
3:30 Snack
3:30-5:00 Varies…Music class, run errands, play outside, park
5:00 Independent play or short TV time while mom cooks
6:00 Dinner as a family
6:30 Go for a walk, play with dad
7:00 Bath
7:30 Bed
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