Why is my baby waking at night?
Ah the age-old question that keep most parents awake in the middle of the night (even if its not their baby that’s waking them)
WHY are they waking?
Let me help you figure it out. Use this as a checklist to help rule out all the different causes of night wakes (hint: there are quite a few), to help you and your baby get more sleep. This isn’t in any specific order, but go through each one point by point
1. They’re overtired – if your baby is having short naps, or their awake period before bed is too long, they’re likely overtired. Get my free guide on awake times and day sleep requirements here.
2. They need more sleep pressure – the opposite to the above point. If your baby is getting too much day sleep, or is ready to make a nap transition, they simply won’t have enough sleep pressure to keep them asleep
3. They’re cold – this one is particularly common after 3am, especially if there are multiple wake ups.
4. It’s the end of a sleep cycle – did you know that ALL humans wake overnight when their sleep cycle ends? For babies, this is between 2-4 hours. If they can self-settle, give them a chance to put themselves back to sleep.
5. They’re dependant on you to go to sleep – this might in the form of feeding, patting, rocking or some other means. For many babies who are dependant on their mum/dad to fall asleep, they will continue to search for that same input each time they enter night sleep overnight.
6. They’re seeking connection with you – yes, this is a thing! As our babies go through different developmental stages, sometimes all they need is some reassurance from you that everything is ok.
7. They’re uncomfortable in some way – think about hot vs cold, teething pain or fevers/illness. They could also have wind pain or reflux. If they’re waking very frequently consider seeing your health professional.
8. Its’ developmental – babies LOVE to practice all of their newly acquired skills in their sleep so if they’re trying to figure out rolling, crawling, sitting, cruising or walking – this is likely affecting their sleep
9. They’re hungry – this one was left for last, as it’s the most obvious. The number of night feeds your baby will need will very much depend on their age as well as their consumption of solids (once 6 months), but if it has been several hours since their last feed, hunger could be it.
Now that you’ve gone through the list, if you’re STILL confused, why not consider a consultation to help guide you and your little one to get more well-deserved sleep.
Head to this link for my services, and don’t forget to grab your FREE guide here