Why is my child waking up at night?
What’s the deal with night time wakings?
When talking about night wakings, I always like to start with the fact that it is very normal for babies to wake up overnight. For our babies, waking overnight is a protective factor. Newborns especially need to wake frequently for feedings. Some babies will need night feedings throughout the first year and beyond, and that is okay.
But, if your child has started waking up more overnight, then there may be something going on that is contributing to these wake ups.
Reaching new milestones
This is commonly referred to as a sleep regression. When your little one is working on new skills, this can often impact their sleep and lead to more night time wakings. Making sure they have lots and lots of opportunities to practice during the day can help. Also, remembering that when they have mastered their new skill the sleep interruptions should also decrease.
They are ready to drop a nap.
If your child is getting too much day sleep, they aren’t going to be able to sleep as much at night and this can cause them to wake up during the night. You can check out this post with more information about how much sleep your child needs and also this post all about naps for more information on how many naps are recommended based on age.
The timing of bedtime needs to be adjusted.
Your little one could be waking up because bedtime is either too early or too late. If bedtime is too early, then they won’t have enough sleep pressure so they could be treating it as another nap and waking up ready to go for a few more hours. If bedtime is too late, they could be going into sleep overtired which can also lead to disrupted sleep. Being overtired can make it hard to fall asleep and stay asleep. This post has information that can help you figure out what bedtime would work best for your child.
They are hungry or need something.
Going back to the beginning, babies often wake up because they are hungry or there may be something else they need. From diaper changes, to being too hot or too cold, needing something will cause your baby to wake up. Hopefully, once you respond to whatever it is they need, they will be able to get right back to sleep.
Illness
Most of us don’t sleep as well when we don’t feel good and this is often true for our little ones, too. There could also be other medical factors contributing to wake ups, so it can also be good to check with your pediatrician if you have concerns. Especially if your little one is snoring or breathing with their mouth open. When your child is sick, I don’t worry about being super strict with sleep. Your child might need more cuddles or more help falling asleep, and that is okay! I think most of us like a little extra comfort when we aren’t feeling well.
Something environmental is disrupting their sleep
Is there light peeking in somewhere? This could even be from a streetlight or headlights of cars driving by. Is there noise in the home or noise outside? I’ve also found that if the sound machine is on a timer and shuts off during the night that this can cause children to wake up. Making sure that everything in the environment is best set up to promote sleep can be helpful. We recently shared this post about setting your child’s room along with other tips to help get better sleep.
How to handle night time wakings?
If you know your baby is due to eat, then you are going to feed them and get them right back to bed. Same for if they have a dirty diaper. If they are waking up and not needing anything specific, I generally recommend taking a moment to wait and listen. If baby is just fussing or crying softly, you don’t necessarily need to do anything. If baby is escalating or hysterically crying, I would go in and soothe them first in the crib and then pick them up if needed.
If you want more guidance on how to handle the night time wakings, setting up a consultation would be a great place to start and I can walk you through step-by-step along with personalized suggestions based on your situation.
Questions? Leave them in the comments!
