Sleepless nights with your new baby can seem endless. As your baby gets older, progressing to sleeping through the night can seem forever out of reach. It can be hard to tell the difference between sleep challenges due to development and an overtired baby.

While the majority of infants develop an established, hormonally-driven circadian rhythm by the time they are 12 weeks old, some babies take longer. As a result, these infants aren’t getting good quality sleep. When a baby is physically fatigued from lack of sleep, the body’s stress-response system is activated. Stress hormones are released into your baby’s bloodstream, making it even more difficult for your baby to settle down and fall asleep. This can produce a vicious circle until the pattern is broken.

How do I know if my baby is overtired?

Naps briefly instead of taking full naps
Difficulty settling down or falling asleep
Falling asleep when it is not naptime, such as in the stroller or the high chair
Frequently waking up during the night
Low tolerance for frustration or discomfort, frequent meltdowns

Nap Cues

If your baby rubs their eyes, pulls their ears, or yawns, they are likely almost ready for a nap. He or she may also show sleepiness by becoming quieter or staring off into space. When you see these cues, it’s time to put your baby down for a nap. Putting your child down for a nap while they are still awake helps them to learn to fall asleep on their own.

Skipping naps or keeping your baby up later in an effort to make them sleep longer at night rarely has good results. When your little one becomes overtired, the release of stress hormones will simply cause them to have a harder time relaxing and falling asleep. They will also be likely to wake frequently and not get good sleep, starting an overtired baby cycle.

Bedtime Cues

Babies thrive on routine. It’s important to maintain a regular bedtime. Your baby will learn to recognize cues from their environment that it is time to sleep, such as having a warm bath, turning down the lights, or listening to a lullaby. Following a bedtime routine every night helps your baby learn what to expect and respond accordingly.

How to help your overtired baby sleep

Does your baby seem stuck in an overtired cycle? ‏Lowering your child’s cortisol levels will help. Cortisol is the hormone responsible for keeping people awake and alert to potential or actual threats. The following methods may help your baby to relax:

Gentle swaying or rocking
‏Singing lullabies softly or playing music at a low volume
‏‏‏Dimming the lights‏
‏‏Playing white noise from a machine or on your cell phone

It’s common for parents to use feeding as a regular tactic to encourage sleep. It can be successful because sucking and being held are both relaxing for a baby. However, your baby may learn to connect feeding and falling asleep. There is a danger that the longer you use this practice, the stronger this association can become, leading to problems later. For this reason, it is recommended that parents use this tactic as little as possible, if at all.

How Important is Good Sleep for Your Baby?

Babies develop quickly, both physically and mentally. Long-term sleep problems can have a profound effect on your child later in life, so it is important to correct sleeping problems as quickly as you can. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, quality sleep correlates with improved attention, learning, memory, emotional regulation, and general mental and physical health.

More than 25% of children experience sleeping issues in the first six months of life according to recent studies. If you have made every effort to help your child sleep better, but he or she is still having problems, call Dr. Leung for an appointment. Your baby may be experiencing a sleep regression stage or going through a developmental leap, but an exam will help Dr. Leung rule out any other possible issues or causes for sleep problems.

Is Your Baby Overtired?