Five reasons your baby is waking so much at night
You finally have your baby down for the night, only to have them wake two hours later, then two hours after that, leaving you exhausted and desperate to know what is causing these frequent night wakings. Sound familiar?
Depending on your baby’s age, a certain number of night wakings can be developmentally normal. But what if your baby is old enough to sleep longer stretches and still isn’t? This can be a frustrating and difficult task for parents to try and figure out, especially if you’re tired!
But these tips from an expert can help. Let’s look deeper into five reasons why your baby could be waking so frequently overnight:
1. Sleep environment isn’t conducive for sleep
Where a baby sleeps and the environment in which they are sleeping plays a large role in the quality of sleep they have. When setting up your baby’s room, take as neutral of an approach as possible with minimal distractions to prevent stimulation. You also want to ensure that the temperature in your baby’s room is between 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit. Being too cold or too hot can cause night wakings and early risings. Using white noise is also important to help drown out any outside noise at night and/or in the early morning hours.
Remember also that consistency in your baby’s sleep environment is crucial. If you are currently co-sleeping or your baby isn’t sleeping in their crib for the majority of night sleep, this can send confusing messages to your baby.
2. Awake windows and/or sleep schedule is off
It is important for a baby’s development and growth to follow awake windows or a sleep schedule. It is our role as parents to ensure that we are offering naps and bedtime at the times that align with our baby’s optimal sleep window. Their optimal sleep window can be found in a range of awake windows depending on your baby’s age. More often than not, multiple night wakings are due to a baby that is overtired. When a baby is overtired, it becomes more difficult for them to fall asleep and stay asleep. See our article on “How to Follow Your Baby’s Awake Windows For Better Sleep.” Remember that these are guidelines and every baby’s sleep needs are different, which is why it is so important that parents pay close attention to their baby’s sleep cues and troubleshoot (within the recommended range) what works best for their baby.
3. Your baby isn’t getting full feeds (or is snacking too much)
While itty bitty newborns (0-6 weeks) might feed on-demand throughout the day and night, once your baby hits about 7 or 8 weeks they can begin to follow a more regulated feeding schedule. If a baby continues to snack throughout the day instead of getting full feeds, they can grow accustomed to getting their calories in this manner and their metabolism adapts to this schedule, leading to more night wakings due to hunger. Additionally, your baby could also be waking frequently overnight if you are using feeding as a soothing method for every night waking. Our recommendation for the first year is to aim for full feeds (4-5.5 ounces) every three hours during the day, which will help your baby wake less frequently at night.
4. Baby does not know how to self-soothe & connect sleep cycles
Newborns (0-3 months) need and rely on their caregivers to help them self-regulate and self-soothe. Do not be afraid in the newborn stage to go to your baby within 5 minutes if crying becomes hysterical. We don’t want newborns to cry for long periods of time. However, when your child reaches 4 months (16 weeks), if your baby has shown you signs of self-soothing, you can begin to use soothing methods to sleep teach/train and help your baby learn to connect sleep cycles independently. See our article “Five Steps to Teach Your Baby How to Self-Soothe.”
5. Baby is experiencing a developmental milestone
Within the first couple years of your baby’s life, they will experience many developmental milestones. Most milestones within the first two years of your baby’s life are considered progressions, as they are moving forward in their development. Babies are typically learning a new skill or going through a transition, and those changes can interfere with sleep. Providing your baby plenty of time to practice certain skills outside of nap or bedtime can help with night wakings. See our article “Five Milestones that May Affect Your Baby’s Sleep” for more information on how to handle those milestones.
By addressing each of these areas separately, your baby will already be on their way to better night sleep! If you are needing further guidance, check out our newborn & 4-12 month courses, or book a one-on-one consultation to get additional support.
