Are you overlooking these sleep cues?

Oct 11

When I was a new mom, every day was a learning experience. Whether I was googling the answer to a question, taking advice from pediatricians, or learning through trial and error, each passing day resulted in new knowledge about how to care for my baby. Of all the topics, I was most focused on how to get this darn baby to sleep! It turned out that reading sleep cues was critically important to making sure we could all catch some z’s. Now that my firstborn is a toddler, I still use sleep cues to help ensure he goes down at the right time!

When most people think of a tired baby, they may think of a sweet little yawn followed by nuzzling into mom or dad to take a nap. In reality, a tired baby can take on many forms. Parents know that a tired baby is often not a sweet little bundle but more often a fussy ball of emotion. Learning to read sleep cues can help parents avoid the overtired phase that leads to dramatic outbursts. I have found that there are three phases babies go through as they approach the need for sleep.

Phase 1 - The Slow Climb

During this phase babies are beginning the slow climb towards needing sleep. This is an important time for caregivers to recognize that baby is getting tired, as it’s time to transition to a quiet activity before sleep. This is not a “drop everything” stage, but instead begin to remove the baby from an overly stimulating environment (loud noises, bright lights, lots of people, etc.). This would be a good time to transition to the nursery and start the nap time/bedtime routine.

Signs baby is beginning the “Slow Climb” may include:

Decreased activity (moving/looking around less, slowing down)
Decreased emotion (smiling or cooing less)
Glazed look (reduced eye contact or tracking; may stare off into space)

Note that these signs are pretty subtle, so it’s important that the caregiver be watching carefully in order to identify them.

Phase 2 - Sleepy Time

During this phase babies are ready for sleep. Ideally you were able to recognize that baby was in Phase 1, so by Phase 2. you have transitioned them to their sleep space. If that is the case, babies typically enter the Sleepy Time phase during their naptime/bedtime routine. When they start showing the following signs, you know it’s time to put them in their bassinet/crib...

Signs baby is ready for “Sleepy Time” may include:

Yawning
Rubbing eyes
Rooting or asking for breast or bottle (for babies who are typically fed to sleep)
Slowly sucking hands or pacifier (vigorous sucking would indicate hunger rather than tiredness)

Notice that “typical” tired signs such as yawning or rubbing eyes often mean that baby needs to sleep NOW. So if you are out and about and notice these signs, it’s time to pack up and head out. If you are home and notice these signs, definitely head to the nursery for a quick (but still important!) calm down routine to help them transition to the sleep space. If you throw a baby in their crib/bassinet with minimal transition, it may stress them out and make sleeping difficult.

Phase 3 - Past Their Prime

Also known as the “Overtired” phase, this is when baby has been pushed past their prime/ideal wake window. Maybe you were out of the house and purposely kept baby up so they wouldn’t fall asleep in the car, maybe you had company over and lost track of time, or maybe you were distracted and didn’t catch the earlier signs. If that’s the case, don’t stress! Every parent has been there. If anything it will make you more cognizant of sleep cues for their next sleep session. In the meantime, you may have to deal with some non ideal behavior. When this happens, bring baby to their sleep space and use dim lights and/or calm music and your regular calm down routine to help transition. Oftentimes doing a quick calm down routine (which would be necessary if you caught them in Phase 2) doesn’t allow an overtired baby enough time to truly calm down.

Signs baby has been pushed “Past Their Prime” may include:

Crying/overly emotional (seen in toddlers as tantrums; a newborn may be inconsolable)
Hiccuping (mostly for newborns; a sign of overstimulation)
Hyperactivity (babies may be wide eyed and looking everywhere; toddlers may be running around yelling)
Overly hungry (their body needs to refuel and food is one way to do that when sleep isn’t happening)

As you can see, reading sleep cues can help parents determine how soon their baby needs to sleep. These are general guidelines that apply to many babies, but all children are different. Caregivers will quickly learn what certain behaviors mean for their little one, but being aware of the different stages can help minimize the chances of an overtired baby. Ironically, as I’m writing this, my newborn has transitioned from a glazed expression (Phase 1) to yawning (Phase 2). Looks like it’s time for sleep!