Babies need a lot of sleep to grow well and develop, and they will let you know when they’re tired. But what causes your baby to be over-tired? There are several factors contributing to your baby’s over-tiredness.
What does it mean when your child is overtired?
You’ve probably noticed that the more tired your baby is, the harder it is to get them to sleep.
This is because when they are overtired they will release this second wind of stimulating energy and it prevents them from falling asleep and staying asleep easily. Not to worry though, it’s a problem you can help them with.
Overtiredness happens if your baby has been awake for too long and isn’t getting enough sleep, or if he or she has had an unusually stressful or exciting day.
The signs of being overtired include:
- Babies who are too fussy, irritable, and hard to calm down
- Babies who are having trouble falling asleep and seem to be fighting sleep
- Babies who wake up in the middle of the night more often than usual
Factor contributing to your baby’s over-tiredness
Over-tiredness is actually caused by several factors, including:
- Over stimulation
- Being awake for too long
- Broken sleep
- Short naps
- Early wakings
Tips for getting overtired baby to bed
Getting your overtired baby to bed can be a challenge—but we’ve got some tips that can help!
- Establish a consistent and relaxing bedtime routine.
- Make sure your child is getting enough sleep including regular naps.
- Watch wake windows eg a 6 months old baby can be awake for 2 hours or so before they need to go to bed
- Honestly tiredness is a normal part of being a baby. You can’t control everything, and that’s okay. All you can do as a parent is try your best to prevent over-tiredness from happening by understanding what factors contribute to it, and promoting good sleep habits. Early bedtime is your best friend when your baby is super overtired.
If you have been struggling for the longest time about your baby’s sleep and wondering what can you do to help your child and would like to find out more, book a FREE discovery call with us and we can talk through your situation and suggest a personalised sleep solution for you.
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