Drowsy but awake-what does it mean and should I do it with my baby?
If your baby is right around that four-month mark, you may have noticed that things have suddenly changed–like your darling sleeping baby waking up every single time you try to transfer them to the bassinet! If this is happening you may have searched for ways to get them to sleep without holding for the entire nap, or spending the entire hour playing pick up put down.
Right around this point is when we start seeing a lot of parents book a consultation or package with us as they desperately search for ways to put their baby down. This is also the time that parents may start to read (or hear) the term “drowsy but awake”, something that a lot of consultants recommend to parents.
At this age, babies become more aware of their surroundings and it’s just not as easy to put them down already asleep. This is when putting your baby down somewhat awake can be helpful.
Drowsy but awake-when is it helpful?
While putting your baby down awake, but in a sleepy state can be helpful, putting your baby down “drowsy” could actually be problematic. Reason being, that if your baby is in a drowsy state, they are likely in the first stage of sleep which is a very light stage. In this stage babies can be startled easily so they may actually wake up when transferred to the crib. However, putting your baby down more awake can oftentimes help prevent the dreaded arms to crib transfer.
There are two main situations when it is beneficial to put your baby down awake, rather than already asleep.
Although putting a baby down awake takes an initial learning period for both of you, in the end it can be much more successful than trying to transfer an older sleeping baby from your arms into their crib if they wake every time they are set down. Remember, the older a baby gets, the more aware they are of their surroundings and the harder it is for them to stay sleeping during transfers.
Practicing putting your baby down awake, can be helpful if they are a sensitive sleeper. Have you ever noticed your baby just can’t settle in your arms? If this is the case, it may be because your baby is actually overstimulated by the constant attempt to be “put to sleep” and needs more space to get their wiggles out! This is another situation in which putting your baby down awake can potentially be a better option.
Five tips to practicing this with your baby:
Have an appropriate sleep environment.
A baby’s sleep environment should always be dark (even for naps!) and quiet (except for white noise). It should also be consistent - as in, bedtime and naptime should be in the same location, if possible (still follow the 80/20 rule). Having a good sleep environment is an important piece of promoting healthy sleep for your little.
Follow a bedtime and naptime routine.
This routine can be as simple as dimming the lights, turning on the white noise, doing a diaper change, and singing a song or reading a short book. By doing something consistent and calm, you are showing your baby that it is time to sleep. Make sure that this routine is gradual, rather than sudden, which could cause your baby to panic rather than calm down.
Find what soothes your baby
If you are trying to practice putting your baby down awake, it doesn’t mean you have to stop soothing your baby or helping them to sleep. If your baby responds well to rocking, nursing, bouncing, etc. those are all great ways to help your baby calm down and become sleepy. For example, if your baby responds well to rocking, great! You can still rock them during your routine, just try to set your baby down before they fall completely asleep.
Follow appropriate awake windows and look for sleepy cues.
Make sure you are following appropriate awake windows for your baby's age. For example, a 4-month-old should not be awake longer than 1.5-2 hours. By keeping your baby up for too long, you run the risk of them becoming overtired and unable to calmly fall asleep.
It also helps to look for sleepy cues, such as eye rubbing or yawning, but the thing to remember with these is that sometimes babies show these sleepy cues when they are already overtired, so in many cases, you want to try and beat these cues by starting the routine before you see them.
Pause before responding.
When you first put your baby down awake, they may cry or fuss, as this is something they are not used to. We we never recommend a cry-it-out method, we do encourage you to pause and wait before responding and picking your baby up just to observe and see what they do. Many times babies need a few minutes of fussing before falling asleep especially if your baby is a sensitive sleeper and picking them up or interacting with them too much could actually stimulate them more.
If their cries are not hysterical or escalating, you could try to give your baby at least 5 minutes. This also applies to short naps and night wakings. For an attached sleeper on the other hand, you may need to be more involved but note that we always recommend soothing in the crib first before picking them up, in order to avoid a lot of stimulation from pick up put down.
If you are practicing putting your baby down awake, these five steps will help you greatly in that process! Remember that plenty of babies who are put down completely asleep can still sleep through the night and take great naps so if what you are doing is working for you, do not stress about this! Putting your baby down awake is certainly not a requirement and doesn’t work for all babies.
If you find that you need more personalized tips or troubleshooting if things don't seem to be working, feel free to reach out to us for a free discovery call where we can recommend what product or package is best for you!
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Five steps to teach your baby how to self-soothe.
What type of sleeper is your child?
Tips to survive teaching your little one how to self-soothe.
