What is a Sleep Regression?

During a sleep regression that lasts an average of 3 to 6 weeks, a baby or toddler who was sleeping fine suddenly starts waking at night, taking short naps, and/or skipping naps for no apparent reason. Typically, these time periods start without warning and leave parents exhausted and confused. The good news is that it means your baby is developing properly and if you handle them properly, they don’t have to last forever. Sleep regressions happen around 4 months old, 6 months old, 8 to 10 months old, 11-12 months, 15 months, 18 months, and 2 years old.

You may also be interested in:

• Sleep Regressions: Ages and Everything You Need to Know
• Sleep Regression or Growth Spurt? Or, Both?

15 Month Sleep Regression: How Is It Different?

Most sleep regressions happen during developmental milestones. However, the 15-month sleep regression isn’t a change in how a baby sleeps like the 4-month sleep regresson. And, although some toddlers start walking around this age, it’s not as much tied to developmental milestones as the 8-10 month sleep regression.

At 15 months old, this regression typically occurs because your toddler is likely changing their schedule. This is especially true if they’ve already been walking for a while. My older son started walking around 11 months old, for example. When a toddler first starts walking, it can be exhausting. But, once they’re up and running (literally!), their schedule often changes.

How to Get Through the 15 Month Sleep Regression

If your toddler is struggling with the 15-month sleep regression, there are a few ways to get through it. Here are my tips:

• Increase Wake Windows – If you’re still using a typical 12-month old schedule, consider increasing your baby’s wake windows to 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Although it might feel like there’s not much different month-to-month, schedules can change quickly. Check out our toddler schedules by month here. Also, keep in mind if your toddler is still taking two naps, nighttime sleep could decrease down to 10 to 10 1/2 hours. But, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad schedule. You might simply need to shift it forward by an hour or so.
• Increase Solid Food – Active toddlers who are also growing at lightning speeds have very fast metabolisms. I know many of us worry about healthy weights for our children but keep in mind that it can feel like your toddler is eating more than you are on a regular basis! Be sure to offer three solid meals plus 2-3 snacks AND 16-20 oz of milk a day. Your toddler will indicate when they are done with their meal by signaling or refusing to eat. Toddlers also tend to graze a lot. You’d be surprised how often we figure out a toddler is hungry at night and that’s why they are waking up!
• Promote Independent Play – Separation anxiety has peaks and valleys throughout childhood so if your toddler is exhibiting uneasiness, be sure to promote independent play throughout the day. If you are only separating from your toddler at night, this can have negative consequences. Try leaving the room during the day for short durations so you can show them you always come back.
• Transition to One Nap – If your toddler is already awake 3 1/2 to 4 hours between naps and waking frequently at night or for a long period of time in the middle of the night, it might be time to transition to one nap altogether. Transitioning from two naps to one nap can be bumpy but within 2-3 weeks, your toddler should be sleeping much better at night.

Can I Do Sleep Training?

What about sleep training? Keep in mind that sleep training is NOT the answer to every sleep problem! There are many reasons babies and toddlers wake up at night. If you do sleep training such as Ferber or Cry It Out, you run the risk of having long periods of crying without success.

However, if your baby or toddler has always been a troubled sleeper, adding sleep training into the above-mentioned tips can help your child sleep through the night.

You May Also Be Interested In…

• Gentle Sleep Training + 5 Strategies
• The Ferber Method Explained: Age, Separation Anxiety, Is It Harmful?, and Example Session
• 11 Cry-It-Out Do’s and Don’ts
• 5 Ways to Help Your Child Sleep Through the Night

The post 15 Month Sleep Regression: Why It Happens and How to Get Through It appeared first on The Baby Sleep Site - Baby / Toddler Sleep Consultants.

Baby Very Fussy at 3 Months From a Growth Spurt

Growth spurts are common throughout the first year. They tend to occur around 7-10 days old, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks (or 3 months), 4 months, 6 months, 8 1/2 months, 10 1/2 months, and 12 1/2 months old. Of course, every baby grows and develops on their unique timeline so you can’t expect them to start and end at the exact age but these are the average ages.

During a growth spurt, your baby is likely to be fussy for one major reason: hunger! Babies going through growth spurts typically get hungry very often to the point you feel like you are feeding them all day and night!

Babies going through a growth spurt also sleep a lot. They tend to get tired very quickly, take longer naps, and go to bed earlier.

Growth spurts last around 3-4 days to a week and once they are over, your baby’s fussiness should lessen.

You May Also Be Interested In…

• 15 Newborn Baby Sleep and Feeding Tips
• Baby Feeding Chart – How Many Ounces By Age

Sleep Regression and Developmental Leap

If your baby is very fussy at 3 months old and it comes on suddenly, they could also be going through a developmental leap. At 3 months old, many babies are becoming smoother with their physical movements and become more active. They might start rolling in one direction, from back to front, or from front to back. These developmental milestones can make your baby fussy.

In addition, this is a common age for babies to start breaking out of the swaddle. It’s a common time to stop swaddling.

During many developmental milestones, babies go through a sleep regression. During a sleep regression, your baby is likely waking frequently at night and taking short naps. The sleep regression around this time is the 4-month sleep regression. Some babies start this regression at 3 months old and the 4-month sleep regression lasts 3 to 4 weeks at its peak.

You May Also Be Interested In…

• Wonder Weeks Chart
• 3 Month Old Baby Sleep Guide
• Meet Caitlin Who Successfully Sleep Trained Her 3 Month Old

Illness Leads to Very Fussy Babies at 3 Months

When you have a newborn, you typically keep visitors to a minimum to make sure no one unknowingly gives your baby a cold. However, eventually, you want more visitors and to get out of the house. So, a common reason for babies to be very fussy at 3 months is due to illness. It’s typically a cold though almost all children get RSV at least once in their first two years. My son got RSV within the first 3 months of his life, too.

In addition to viruses, if your baby is very fussy, you might consider if they have GERD or Infant Reflux. Taking a trip to the doctor might be in order as this is a very common condition diagnosed, now. And, if your baby is on medication, we have found that sometimes the dosage needs to be adjusted around this age. Babies grow very fast these first few months!

Also, if your baby has experienced colic, this is a common age for it to end. However, some babies don’t stop until closer to 4 months old.

What about teething?

Generally, teething doesn’t start until after 5 months old even if your baby is drooling. This is NOT as likely causing your baby’s fussiness.

You May Also Be Interested In…

• Helping Your Baby With Reflux (GERD) Sleep Better
• How to Handle Teething and Sleep Training

3 Tips to Get Through This Fussy Period

Assuming you’ve ruled out any health issues with your baby’s doctor, there are ways to get through this frustrating stage with your 3-month-old:

Feed Your Baby

This might seem like a no-brainer but we see some parents who are very rigid with their baby’s schedule. For example, those following 12 Hours by 12 Weeks will feed their baby only every 4 hours. During a growth spurt, though, that can lead to very long days of fussiness! In addition, in some cases, sometimes you will get short naps if your baby’s next meal is landing during the middle of a nap.

Consider increasing the size of your baby’s feedings in addition to feeding more often during a growth spurt. Or, it could be time to start solid foods with your doctor’s permission. Some doctors will add solid foods earlier if the baby has a big appetite. Generally, we try to wait until 6 months old so it depends on the baby.

Shorten Wake Windows

When your baby is growing and developing rapidly, they might get tired more quickly than they did a few weeks ago. Consider shortening the wake windows before naps and bedtime. The proper 3-month old schedule can do wonders for a fussy baby!

Wear Your Baby and Go for Walks

When babies are going through developmental leaps and/or illnesses, they often feel a bit more apprehensive about the world around them. They want to be close to you and sometimes distracted. Going for a walk with your baby in a carrier can be a great way to give them both!

Whether your baby is 3 months, 6 months, or 10 months old, they are going through a lot this first year. Hang in there and know that these stages pass quickly. As the saying goes, the days are long but the years are short.

The post Why Baby is Very Fussy at 3 Months: 3 Reasons and 3 Tips appeared first on The Baby Sleep Site - Baby / Toddler Sleep Consultants.

In This Article

Introduction to the 7 Steps to Get Your Newborn to Sleep at Night
1: Set an Appropriate Schedule and Bedtime
2: Follow a Bedtime Routine
3: Dress Your Baby Appropriately
4: Check the Sleeping Environment
5. Soothe Baby to Sleep or Teach Baby to Self-Soothe
6. Consider a Dream Feed
7. Set Realistic Expectations
Where to Find More Sleep Tips

Introduction

The old adage “sleep like a baby” implies that babies simply come out sleeping. But, that couldn’t be further from the truth! In the early days, many newborns often have day / night confusion where they are awake all night and sleep all day. That’s the opposite of what we want and why new parents are overly exhausted.

While day/night confusion will usually resolve in a few weeks, some babies will continue to wake up a lot at night. Newborns often need to eat every 2-3 hours at night so that’s one of the primary reasons babies wake at night. Babies often wake at night due to other reasons, too, though.

This article will tell you how to get your newborn to sleep at night in 7 steps.

1. Set an Appropriate Schedule and Bedtime

In my 10+ years as a sleep consultant, one of the biggest mistakes we see parents make is in setting the schedule. Most people think that the more tired you are, the easier it is to sleep. But, this is simply not true, unfortunately.

In fact, the more overtired you are, the more difficult it is to fall asleep and stay asleep.

This is because our bodies release hormones to fight fatigue and give us a “second wind.” Once we get to this point, we might feel wired and can’t settle down. This is true for babies, too, only they get overtired much quicker than adults!

It is very important to look for your baby’s sleepy cues and use appropriate wake windows. If you keep baby awake too long, you are likely to hear your baby cry and wake more.

2. Follow a Bedtime Routine

A bedtime routine is simply a set of steps you follow in a certain order so your baby knows sleep is coming soon. Since the routine is the same every time, this helps them get sleepy easier. While most babies benefit from this structure, some babies seem to need it. Your baby’s temperament will dictate how easy or hard some things are. For less adaptable babies, a consistent routine helps keep things running more smoothly.

For more information, make sure you read through our newborn bedtime routine tips.

3. Dress Your Baby Appropriately

One way how to get a newborn to sleep is to make sure they are comfortable. If your baby’s moro reflex is still strong, it will be best to swaddle your newborn. If your baby is no longer swaddled, you will likely use a sleep sack.

For some babies, especially those who are more sensitive, may benefit from a weighted sleep sack. These are especially useful when your baby could benefit from being swaddled but it’s no longer safe or they don’t like it.

Underneath the swaddle or sleep sack, you don’t want to add too many layers such that your baby overheats. Our body temperature should be cooler to get the best sleep and overheating has been linked to an increased SIDS risk. So, you might have a diaper and a onesie or sleeper underneath. You probably don’t need a onesie, sleeper, AND a sleep sack or swaddle, though, unless it’s very cold where you are.

4. Check the Sleeping Environment

Your baby’s sleeping environment can make a big difference as to whether it will be easy or hard to stay asleep. A few things to make sure your sleep environment has:

• Darkened Room – Don’t let the sunlight wake your baby prematurely and, likewise, make sure any night lights aren’t too bright!
• White Noise – Mimic the sounds of the room by playing white noise for at least 20-30 minutes or through the night. The volume should be about the sound of a running shower.
• Room Temperature – Your baby’s room should be 68 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit (or 20 to 21 degrees Celsius). Again, overheating is a SIDS risk and, in addition, we simply sleep better in cooler temperatures. This is why parents in Nordic countries have their babies nap outside!
• Crib Toys – Some families also use mobiles or other crib toys. These can help soothe baby to sleep by playing lullabies or giving baby something to look at as they drift off.

As with many things, every baby has different preferences so you will want to set up your baby’s sleep environment in a way that works for you and for them. You might need to experiment.

5. Soothe Baby to Sleep or Teach Baby to Self-Soothe

Once you’ve set up your baby for success by following Steps 1 through 4, it’s time to have your baby fall asleep. Depending on the age of your baby and/or your situation, you will either soothe your baby all the way to sleep or teach your baby to self-soothe to sleep.

If you have a newborn, you might be interested in the SNOO Smart Bassinet. It has a built-in swaddle and white noise. In addition, it will start rocking when it detects the baby starts crying.

Other ways of soothing babies to sleep include the following:

• Feeding baby to sleep
• Rocking baby to sleep
• Bouncing baby to sleep
• Co-sleeping
• Patting
• Holding baby on your chest or in your arms

Obviously, all babies have different preferences for what is soothing to them. Finding the “right” way for your baby typically comes with experimentation and time. However, over time, these soothing methods can become sleep problems. Once your baby starts having more distinct sleep cycles, you may find you are soothing your baby back to sleep every 1-2 hours all night.

If your baby is waking up all night, you might want to try helping your baby learn to self-soothe to sleep. When we teach a baby to self-soothe, we put them down awake after their bedtime routine and let them fall asleep the rest of the way. If they can do this, this means they are more likely to fall BACK to sleep on their own between sleep cycles.

The main challenge with babies self-soothing is that they often cry when you put them down especially after the 4 month sleep regression. That’s why some babies will only sleep on your chest. This can be difficult and why many parents choose to do gentle sleep coaching or traditional sleep training such as The Ferber Method, eventually.

6. Consider a Dream Feed

Although my son was not one of them, some babies are actually “good” sleepers but they simply need a feeding at night until they are older. For these babies, a dream feed can be a great solution! With a dream feed, essentially you are giving your baby a feeding right before YOU go to bed usually around 10 to 11 PM. Click the link earlier in this paragraph for more tips on implementing a dream feed.

7. Set Realistic Expectations

When you are researching how to get your newborn to sleep, you will find some people have stories where their baby started sleeping through the night in two or three nights. Or, there are books like 12 Hours By 12 Weeks which is supposed to help you get your baby sleeping through the night by 12 weeks old. While this can happen, there is a multitude of factors that will determine when your baby will sleep through the night.

Every baby is different and here are the things that influence when your baby will sleep at night in my experience:

• Age
• Temperament
• Medical issues such as reflux
• Breastfeeding or Formula-Feeding
• Big or Small Feedings (so stomach size)
• Sleep Regressions
• Growth spurts
• Teething

How to Get Newborn to Sleep: More Sleep Tips for Your Newborn

In the past 10+ years, we’ve written over 300 blog posts to help your baby sleep. Here are a few more resources you might be interested in:

• Can You Teach Baby to Sleep Through Noise?
• How to Gently Transition From Co-Sleeping
• Sleep Training Newborns: How To and When
• Sleep Regressions: Ages and Everything You Need to Know to Handle Them
• 5 Ways to Help Your Child Sleep Through the Night
• 5 Reasons Your Newborn Is Crying

The post How to Get Your Newborn to Sleep at Night: 7 Steps appeared first on The Baby Sleep Site - Baby / Toddler Sleep Consultants.

What Is the 4-Month Sleep Regression?

The 4-month sleep regression marks the time when your baby stops sleeping like a newborn and starts sleeping more like an adult. Newborns spend a lot of time in deep sleep which is why they can sleep through so much in those early days. Once they go through this period of development, they change their sleep cycles which means they are sometimes only in light sleep and will wake more easily. So, the 4-month sleep regression is only the name we give this period of development. Do all babies go through the 4-month sleep regression? Yes, all babies go through this change and there isn’t a way to stop it. It’s actually a good sign your baby is developing appropriately!

You May Be Interested In…

• Sleep Regressions: Ages and Everything You Need To Know to Handle Them
• Sample Scheudles With Feedings (for Breastfeeding and Formula-Feeding Babies)
• Wake Windows By Age Chart: Help Your Baby Sleep Better
• Baby Crying in Sleep – What Does It Mean and How Should You Handle It?

Signs

The most common signs of the 4-month sleep regression usually include one or more of the following:

• Waking a lot at night (even when they used to sleep in long stretches) – waking every 1-2 hours at night is common.
• Taking short naps of 20-30 minutes, sometimes 45 minutes.
• Can’t be put down awake (or even asleep sometimes!) Baby wants to sleep only in your arms or a carrier/sling.
• Irritability and Fussiness (though that can be simply due to sleep deprivation!)
• Needing to be put back to sleep the same way each time (e.g. rocking or feeding back to sleep).

You May Be Interested In…

• How to Handle When Your Baby Only Wants to Sleep in Arms or On Chest
• 5 Reasons a Baby Won’t Nap
• Why Babies Wake Up Screaming or Crying Hysterically

How Long Does 4 Month Sleep Regression Last?

The 4-month sleep regression starts around 3 to 4 months old and lasts around 3-4 weeks at its peak. But since it’s a permanent change to how your baby sleeps, it doesn’t ever “end” in a traditional sense. Some babies will begin (or go back) sleeping fine again. But, others will continue to wake up frequently at night and take short naps. Over the past 10+ years, I’ve gotten phone calls or e-mails from parents of 4-month olds, 6-month olds, 10-month olds, 12-month olds, or 18-month olds with virtually the same exact sleep problems: frequent night-waking and/or short naps.

You May Be Interested In…

• 5 Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night (FREE e-Book)
• Baby Won’t Nap In Crib? 5 Tips to Get Baby to Nap in the Crib
• The 6-Month Sleep Regression Myth

How to Shorten This Regression

The only way to “end” the sleep problems this regression causes is to help your baby sleep better with their new sleep cycles. If you don’t want this regression to last months when it can last just a few weeks, you need to help your baby learn to put sleep cycles together.

Linking sleep cycles sounds simple enough when you’re an adult but for babies, it can be difficult. The most common reasons babies struggle moving into the next sleep cycle is due to hunger and sleep associations. A sleep association is a way in which your baby falls asleep. Because this is how they fall asleep, this is how they expect to fall BACK to sleep. Examples of sleep associations include rocking, feeding, bouncing, sucking on a pacifier, and driving in a car.

So, the key to shortening the 4-month sleep regression is simply to have your baby fall asleep the same way they will need to put themselves back to sleep. We typically do this by teaching babies to self-soothe with gentle sleep training. There are many methods to do sleep training or sleep coaching. The key is to find the one that works best for your baby’s temperament and personality. Please poke around and read through our many blog posts about this topic and more!

You May Be Interested In…

• 4 Month Sleep Regression: Ultimate Guide + 20 Tips to Fix It
• Sleep Training a Baby: 5 Methods Explained
• Baby Temperament Series: Learn More About Your Baby
• Dream Feeds: What Are They, Age to Try Them, and How

The post How Long Does the 4 Month Sleep Regression Last? And, How to Shorten It appeared first on The Baby Sleep Site - Baby / Toddler Sleep Consultants.

What Is Baby Insomnia or a Split Night?

Insomnia is usually defined as the inability to sleep when you are actively trying to sleep. This could mean that it’s hard to fall asleep, hard to stay asleep, awake for long periods at night, or wake up too early in the morning.

Baby insomnia is the same but sometimes occurs when there is a mismatch between how much sleep a parent thinks their baby needs and how much sleep their baby actually needs.

When a parent comes to us with a case of baby insomnia, it usually means the baby is awake for long periods in the middle of the night (2+ hours) and can’t go back to sleep. When a baby is taking too long to fall asleep at night or waking up too early, we don’t typically call that “insomnia.” Same for a toddler stalling.

In most cases, if your baby is awake at night but happy and not crying, this is a good indication they have insomnia.

If your baby is crying when they are alone but awake and happy when you’re holding them, that can also be insomnia for a social child. After all, tossing and turning alone isn’t fun for anyone when you can’t sleep!

This is often called a “split night” because your baby might sleep a long stretch at the beginning of the night, wake up for 1-3 hours, then finish their nighttime sleep. They are “splitting” the night into two long fragments.

What About When Baby Falls Asleep In Your Arms But Wakes Up When Put Down?

If your baby is falling asleep in your arms but waking up when you put them in their crib, we would NOT consider that insomnia. If your baby will only sleep in your arms or on your chest, this is usually a case of sleep associations not insomnia.

Why Is Insomnia Bad?

The reason this is an issue is it’s not as restorative for your baby’s sleep, in general, and can cause problems with their schedule. It can also cause your child not to get enough sleep in a 24-hour period. And, just like adults, they can feel tired during the day.

So, why does insomnia happen in babies?

Top 5 Reasons for Baby Insomnia

There are 5 primary reasons for long night-waking in children:

• Developmental Milestones and Sleep Regressions – The most notable reason your baby might wake up for long periods at night is that they are working on a new skill or developmental milestone. When our minds are very busy, we have trouble sleeping (obviously). For adults, it’s often due to something about which we’re stressed or worried. For babies, it might be a new skill they’re learning. During some developmental periods, you’ll also notice a sleep regression, a period of time when your baby starts waking a lot for no apparent reason.
• Scheduling Problems – Besides developmental leaps, a scheduling problem is the most common reason for insomnia. But, it can be complicated how to fix it which I will explain below.
• Medication Side Effects – Although it’s rarer, there are occasionally children on medications that have a side effect of insomnia.
• Allergies and Milk Intolerance – In a small number of cases, milk intolerance is to blame for sleeplessness and other allergies.
• Sensory Processing Disorder – Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) can also cause insomnia in babies and toddlers. This was the case for one of my clients with a 2-year-old at the time. He would wake up for 1 to 3 hours every single night. In the end, a weighted blanket was the only thing that helped. SPD makes it difficult for children to process information from their senses and then respond appropriately. Typically, one or more senses over- or under-react so it isn’t difficult to see how that could impact sleep.

You May Also Be Interested In…

• Wonder Weeks Chart: How They Affect Sleep
• Toddler Waking Too Early
• Food Allergies and Sensitivities: An Overview

What About Teething and Illness?

Teething and illness can both cause discomfort and thus, sleeplessness. However, this is typically short-lived. And, by the time you are wondering if your baby has insomnia, it’s usually over. Therefore, I didn’t include them in the list. Babies get teeth on and off for 2+ years. If they have night-waking related to teething, it’s usually when the tooth is cutting through the gums and then it’s over. That typically takes 3-5 days per tooth. In some cases, they might get two at the same time or back-to-back but even then, it will typically last two weeks or less of sleeplessness (with some nights being better than others.) Insomnia typically lasts several weeks or months.

Ways to Fix Your Baby’s Insomnia

For the purposes of this article, we will be sharing how to fix insomnia when it’s a scheduling problem. For any potential medical or development issues, please see your medical provider.

If your baby has had insomnia for weeks or months, you probably want to fix it. I say “probably” because in some cases, a split night isn’t the worst thing in the world. If your baby is happy and thriving, it may be a phase they go through until they are ready for their next schedule, for example. If it’s keeping you up at night, consider changing your own sleep environment to combat it rather than changing theirs.

However, if your baby seems exhausted during the day and/or is not thriving, you should definitely address the issue. But, how do you fix insomnia?

If it’s due to a sleep regression, you typically need to ride it out. Although there are sleep regressions at various ages, we find that insomnia occurs most during the 8 to 10-month sleep regression and during the 18-month sleep regression in our experience. During other sleep regressions, we notice frequent night-waking but not necessarily long periods of non-sleeping.

When insomnia is due to a scheduling problem, thankfully, there are things you can do to fix it! Unfortunately, it can be one of the most challenging sleep problems to fix. Here are a few tips:

• Too Much Daytime Sleep – This is probably the easiest scheduling problem to solve. If your baby is older than 6 months old and napping longer than 2 1/2 to 3 hours during the day, we typically need to reduce the amount of daytime sleep. Note: You don’t have to reduce it if there isn’t insomnia. This is only if it’s causing an issue at night. When your baby is sleeping too much during the day, they might not be sleepy enough at night to stay asleep. They might fall asleep fine at bedtime (or not), but they simply can’t stay asleep.
• Bedtime Is Too Early – You might know about wake windows so you put the baby to bed at night after their appropriate wake window. Great! Only sometimes this can cause split nights. For example, your baby naps from 2 to 3 PM and can stay awake 3 hours. So, you put them to bed at 6:00 PM. Unfortunately, this can cause split nights because while early bedtimes are good, your baby’s internal clock might be set for “nighttime sleep” from 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM, for example. If their bedtime is too early, they treat bedtime more like a long nap than bedtime. This happens to adults, too. We see this to happen to babies most when they are transitioning from two naps to one nap
• Too Long In Bed Problem – Similar to bedtime being too early, another issue is what Dr. Ferber calls the “Too Long In Bed Problem.” Essentially, you have your baby in bed for more hours than they are capable of sleeping. If this is the case, you need to try to have your baby in bed for just the right amount of hours. The worst thing you can do in a case like this is let your baby “sleep in!” The amount of sleep in a 24-hour period will stay relatively constant. If your baby needs 13 hours of sleep a day, naps for 3 hours, and is in bed for 12 hours, they will likely be awake for two hours in that 12-hour period whether it’s at the beginning, the end (early waking), or in the middle (split nights.) To fix this issue, “squeeze” the sleep together by setting an appropriate schedule with only the number of hours of sleep your baby needs.
• Overtiredness – Overtiredness can be terrible for your baby’s sleep but usually, it causes frequent night-waking, not insomnia. In some cases, though, it can cause insomnia. Our bodies release hormones (cortisol) to fight fatigue and give us a “second wind.” If we go to bed overtired, we might wake up restless and unable to sleep. In my experience, babies who have insomnia due to this reason are fussier at night than for the above reasons. They are quite miserably tired.

Conclusion

As I mentioned, insomnia is one of the most challenging sleep problems we face as parents and as sleep consultants. Although it should feel simple to put your baby to sleep when they’re tired, there is a bit of an art form to it. When we work directly with families, we typically keep a sleep log while fine-tuning the schedule so we can accurately see the primary cause of insomnia. If you try to solve the wrong problem, you can make sleep even worse! Give a few things a try for 2-3 days and then make more adjustments. If you get stuck, feel free to reach out to us!

You May Also Be Interested In…

• How to Manage Your Baby or Toddler’s Nap Transitions
• Baby and Toddler Bedtimes By Age
• Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems by Dr. Richard Ferber

References:
https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/te7831
https://familydoctor.org/condition/sensory-processing-disorder-spd/
Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems by Dr. Richard Ferber

The post Baby Insomnia or Split Night: Why It Happens and How to Fix appeared first on The Baby Sleep Site - Baby / Toddler Sleep Consultants.

Why Won’t Baby Nap in the Crib?

There are usually a few reasons a baby won’t nap in their crib. Here are the top reasons:

Baby Only Sleeps in Arms

Many babies only want to sleep in your arms or chest. They were in your womb for many months and want to mimic that same safe environment. This is why babies love swaddling!

Baby Likes Movement

If your baby likes to be rocked to sleep or in a carrier, they may prefer to be moving when they sleep. Once you get them to sleep and lay them in the crib, they are no longer moving and can’t seem to stay asleep!

Baby Doesn’t Like to Sleep on Their Back

Your baby may not like sleeping flat on their back. Instead, your baby might prefer stomach sleeping or side sleeping. However, that’s not considered safe! You should always try to put your baby on their back to sleep, if possible. Be sure to follow all of the safe sleep tips.

Baby Takes a Short Nap Then Wakes Up

Your baby may sleep in the crib for a little while but then wakes up after a short nap! This is extremely common and usually, related to how they’ve gone to sleep in the first place. They don’t know how to go into the next sleep cycle without your help. We call these sleep associations

You May Also Be Interested In…

• 7 Common Napping Mistakes – Are you doing them?
• 7 Reasons Your Baby Won’t Nap
• How to Handle Baby Standing in the Crib

When to Start Naps in the Crib

When you have a newborn, typically, you’d have your baby nap in the common area so you can tend to them quickly. This is true especially if you’re still recovering from delivery. As your baby becomes more aware of the world, though, naps in the common area can be disruptive.

Therefore, it’s a good idea to start naps in the crib around 8-12 weeks old to 6 months old. It’s often easier to work on naps in the crib before they can sit up and/or stand up.

If your baby is older than this, it’s never too late to try to get them to nap in the crib! However, it often gets significantly harder at 18 months old or older.

How to Get Baby to Nap in the Crib – 5 Tips

Getting your baby to nap in the crib will take effort but since your baby will nap until 3 to 4 years old, on average, the effort is WELL worth it!

I work with parents a lot who don’t mind holding the baby the first few weeks or even the first few months. But, once your baby gets heavier, the newness of having a new baby wears off a bit, you have more to do around the house, your baby becomes mobile, etc. it becomes very difficult to sit for long periods of time holding the baby. And, every mama could use a break sometimes!

Don’t feel bad if you want your baby to nap in the crib. In most cases, it will pay off for both of you! They will be more rested and you will have a little time to do chores, work, or take a break.

Here are 5 tips to get baby to nap in the crib:

1. Spend Awake Time in the Crib

I know you want your baby to sleep in the crib but we have to start somewhere. First, get your baby used to the crib during awake playtime. You don’t want the crib to be a “foreign” place. In fact, you want it to be a comforting, welcoming place!

You can consider a crib mobile but consider some are meant to stimulate and some are meant to soothe. Be sure to buy the right kind of mobile to promote sleep and napping!

Also, be mindful that too much downtime in the crib can have the opposite problem. Your baby might equate the crib with playtime or, worse, cause insomnia or difficulty sleeping.

I recommend you spend around 8-10 minutes of awake time in the crib at least 2-3 times a day when you’re first starting out. Once your baby is napping in the crib, it is not usually necessary to continue doing playtime in the crib. But, of course, it doesn’t hurt either!

If your baby cries when placed in the crib, start with just 1-2 minutes at a time and work your way up. Be sure to interact with your baby by playing peek-a-boo, singing upbeat children’s songs, and just being silly sometimes!

2. Consider Swaddling

I can’t tell you how many parents come to me and say they are swaddling their baby at night but not during the day. They are worried about confusing the baby between day and night sleep. And, this is a reasonable worry! Newborns do have day / night confusion for several weeks until it’s sorted out.

However, once it is sorted out, your baby generally can’t confuse day and night even if they tried! Our circadian rhythms (aka internal clocks) handle all of that.

So, if your baby is younger than 6 months old, consider swaddling your baby for a bit longer even at nap time and especially if they still have a strong moro reflex.

3. Put Baby in the Crib Asleep

Another “baby step” (pun intended) you can try is putting your baby in the crib already asleep. If you are rocking or feeding your baby to sleep, for example, do so, and then wait approximately 10 minutes until you can lift their arm and it drops down like a log. No resistance or your baby “catching it.”

Once they are asleep, put them down gently into the crib, feet touching first and at an angle, so you don’t activate the feeling of falling. Once laid down, put a hand on them gently to make sure they stay asleep. If necessary, pat or rub them gently while shushing to keep them asleep.

4. Create a Nap Sleep Routine

Most people create a bedtime routine fairly early but don’t think about creating a routine for naptime. But, a nap routine can prepare your baby for sleep just as it does at night!

Nap sleep routines, however, should not be very long. They are usually approximately 5-10 minutes long, possibly a little longer if your baby’s schedule is set to have a feeding before naps rather than a more customary eat-play-sleep routine.

Your nap routine can be simple. Here is an example:

1. Go to the nursery and close the blinds/curtains.
2. Change your baby’s diaper (if applicable.)
3. Read 1 or 2 board books.
4. Turn on the white noise and turn off the light.
5. Hum or sing while swaying or rocking for 3-5 minutes.
6. Lay your baby down in the crib.

If your baby cries when being put in the crib, we’ll work on that in a step below, don’t worry!

5. Start Sleep Training

If you put your baby all the way to sleep, put them in the crib, and they take great naps, there’s nothing you need to change!

However, if your baby wakes up as soon as you put them down to sleep and/or takes a short nap, then you typically need to change the end of the routine and put baby down AWAKE. Again, this is due to sleep associations that I mentioned above. If your baby needs your help to fall asleep, they will struggle to go BACK to sleep without help. That can lead to short naps or skipping naps altogether.

If your baby cries when put in the crib awake, I know this can be troubling. Change can be hard for all of us and we don’t blame them! But, just like all people, we can adapt to a new way of doing something with enough time and practice.

When your baby is crying, your intuition is to fix it right away. Understandable!

Even if your baby is unhappy about changing your routine of putting them down awake, you can help them see this as their new “normal” in no time.

Nap training generally takes approximately 2 weeks of sleep training to accomplish with the first 4-5 days usually being the hardest. Once your baby has a few successful naps in the crib, they will see it’s not as bad as they thought!

Keep in mind that people often equate “sleep training” with “cry it out” but that couldn’t be further from the truth. There are gentle ways to teach your baby to sleep on their own (see below). It just takes some time and effort on your part.

Consistency is key as with any new habit you’re trying to make. We have hundreds of articles on this site about getting better sleep for your baby. If you’re ready to bypass a bunch more reading, consider buying Mastering Naps & Schedules with over 40 sample schedules for your little one. Or, feel free to continue reading more about naps on our blog.

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• When to Stop Swaddling and 3 Easier Ways to Transition
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• Gentle Sleep Training + 5 Strategies

The post Baby Won’t Nap in Crib? 5 Tips to Get Baby to Nap in the Crib and When appeared first on The Baby Sleep Site - Baby / Toddler Sleep Consultants.

What is a Sleep Cycle?

It might seem like we adults simply fall asleep and then wake up in the morning. But, in reality, we go through different stages of sleep. In one “sleep cycle,” we go through four stages:

• Stage 1 is Non-REM sleep and some call it “twilight sleep.” If someone disturbs you during this stage, you might not even feel like you fell asleep and it’s quite easy to wake up. We typically only spend a few minutes in this stage.
• Stage 2 is also Non-REM and where we spend about half of our sleep. It is when our body temperature drops, our muscles begin to relax, and our eye movement stops.
• Stage 3 is also Non-REM and deep sleep. Consequently, it is difficult to wake someone up during this stage. We typically spend the most time in deep sleep in the first half of the night.
• Stage 4 is REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep and when most vivid dreams occur. REM sleep is considered “active” sleep when you might see limbs twitching whereas Non-REM sleep is considered “quiet sleep” when we look more peaceful. Even though we are dreaming, our muscles are paralyzed so we don’t act out those dreams. As the night progresses, we spend less time in Stage 3 and more time in Stage 4.

Although all people go through all of these stages of sleep, each night is different for each person. No two nights are the same nor do two people sleep the same. The amount of time you spend in each stage will vary throughout the night and change from night-to-night.

Babies also go through these stages but sleep cycles are different depending on age and are shorter.

How Are Sleep Cycles Different in Babies?

As you know, newborns typically sleep a lot, up to 16-18 hours a day. Newborns go immediately into REM sleep once they fall asleep and spend approximately 50% of their time in REM sleep. Therefore, it is why many newborns can sleep through noise. Since they spend 50% in REM and 50% in Non-REM deep sleep, it is often difficult to wake them. Because newborns are not going through the same four sleep cycles above, they typically sleep better and we get the old adage “sleeping like a baby.”

In reality, it should have been “sleeping like a newborn” because as your newborn grows, they start to sleep more like an adult. Babies begin to go into Non-REM sleep first and they go through the same four stages of sleep. This development begins around 3-4 months old and often leads to the 4 month sleep regression. It is between sleep cycles that a baby will have trouble staying asleep.

Because we are in deep sleep much of the time in the first half of the night, this often leads to babies sleeping through the night for 5-hour stretches fairly early. However, for the remainder of the night, they are cycling through the different stages and that’s where we start to see babies waking frequently at night.

How Long are Sleep Cycles in Babies?

While adult sleep cycles are usually around 90 minutes, babies have shorter sleep cycles. Baby sleep cycles are usually 40-50 minutes and vary by time of day and each night. This is often why babies take short naps. Catnapping is one of the most common complaints among new parents who visit this site.

Since children spend 1-2 hours in deep sleep, if your baby is waking at night, you might find they wake every 1-2 hours all night. This was the case for my son who inspired this website.

Also, we frequently hear from parents that their baby wakes even more frequently as we approach early morning. This is, again, because we spend a lot of time in deep sleep in the first part of the night. Therefore, 4:00 to 6:00 a.m. is often the most challenging for many families. A baby waking too early is one of the most common and difficult sleep problems to solve! Children who wake up after Stage 3 in the early morning are likely waking up crying whereas babies who enter Stage 4 before waking for the day wake up happy and refreshed.

Baby Sleep Cycles By Age Chart

Please Note: This chart has been developed based on research, anecdotal experience as a sleep consultant, and extrapolating that a child’s sleep cycle is around 40 minutes at 3 months old and extends to approximately 90 minutes by 5 years old.

When Do Baby Sleep Cycles Lengthen?

Your child’s sleep cycles will gradually lengthen from 40-50 minutes to 90 minutes by the time they are around 5 years old.

How Many Sleep Cycles Should a Baby Have?

Most babies need 10-12 hours of sleep so that would equal approximately 12-14 sleep cycles each night. At nap time, they typically have 1-3 sleep cycles depending on age and the time of day.

When Do Babies Connect Sleep Cycles for Naps?

At nap time, there are a variety of reasons that babies don’t connect sleep cycles. Between 2-3 months old, most babies take short naps to spread out their daytime sleep over more periods during the day since they can’t stay awake long. As your baby approaches 4 months, 5 months, and 6 months old, they will start to connect sleep cycles for naps and take at least two 1+ hour long naps.

When Baby Wakes After Their First Sleep Cycle

If your baby is waking up after their first sleep cycle, this likely means they have a scheduling problem. Review their sleep schedule for their age to make sure you aren’t keeping them awake too long before their nap or bedtime.

If your baby is waking up happy after a 40-minute nap, this might mean they feel refreshed and they need to be awake longer before their nap.

How to Connect Sleep Cycles

To help your baby connect sleep cycles, you will want to teach your baby to fall asleep on their own first and foremost. Be sure to review all of the most common napping mistakes to help your baby take longer naps.

If your baby is waking at night, be sure to learn ways to help your baby sleep through the night.

References:
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/baby-sleep/baby-sleep-cycle
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/stages-of-sleep
https://raisingchildren.net.au/babies/sleep/understanding-sleep/sleep-2-12-months
Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems by Richard Ferber

The post Baby Sleep Cycles By Age Chart appeared first on The Baby Sleep Site - Baby / Toddler Sleep Consultants.

Can You Sleep Train a Newborn?

Yes, you can sleep train your newborn as long as we keep realistic expectations and have an age-appropriate approach!

While many parents expect to lose sleep right after they have a baby, not many can truly grasp how exhausted they will feel until it happens. While you might not be the best sleeper before you have a baby, it’s entirely different when another person is disrupting your sleep cycles multiple times a night. This is different than your own brain waking up periodically to change positions or go to the restroom, for example.

In the first few weeks, your newborn baby will need to eat and get a diaper change around the clock. Therefore, your newborn sleep and feeding schedule will be very repetitive. The days will begin to blur together until your baby starts staying awake more during the day which starts around weeks 4 to 6, on average. This is also the age when we start to see their first smile. 🙂

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When To Start Sleep Training Newborns

By 4-8 weeks old, many newborns can start doing longer stretches of sleep. However, not all of them do and newborns stop sleeping for a variety of reasons.

If your baby is waking up a lot at night, you might start to consider sleep training. However, many experts will tell you to avoid sleep training until 4-6 months old.

However, if sleep is not manageable, you are feeling depressed, you have more than one child, or you feel unsafe caring for your newborn in any way, then you might have to start sleep training early.

In my many years of experience, it’s usually best to wait until at least 8 weeks old to start sleep training your newborn. You will want to wait until after the 6 week sleep regression and growth spurt if you can. Your baby may turn a corner on their own by then. If not, you can consider starting sleep training if your daily life is not manageable. In the end, your baby will be better off with a better-functioning parent!

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What About Newborn Twins?

When you have twins, life is often doubly exhausting so some twin parents do find they need to do certain things earlier than other parents. We often need to put twins and multiples on the same schedule early, for example. Having two babies the same age on different schedules can lead to quick burnout and exhaustion!

For this reason, many parents of twins do practice putting their babies down drowsy, but awake from birth. It certainly doesn’t hurt to try even if you have a singleton. But, parents of twins may find they have to leave one or more baby fussing a little more than they’d like simply because they only have so many hands! Therefore, sleep training newborn twins can start earlier than 8 weeks by happenstance.

You May Also Be Interested In…

• 7 Must-Read Twin Sleep Tips
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The Best Sleep Training Method for Newborns

Because newborns have limited abilities to self-soothe, it’s important that we have realistic expectations. Most newborns will still need to eat at night, for example. Depending on the age of your baby, they might need to eat every 2-3 hours at night until they are 6-12 weeks old at which time they might start to do at least one 5-8-hour stretch (the technical definition of “sleeping through the night.”

But, even though your newborn likely needs to eat at night, it doesn’t mean you can’t start sleep training. We do sleep training with babies all the time while also keeping night feedings!

So, what is the best sleep training method for newborns?

There are a variety of sleep training methods but for newborns, I prefer a gentler approach. That would include either Fading and/or Pick-Up/Put-Down. And, you can combine the two methods to have a hands-on gentle sleep coaching approach.

Using a gentle approach is helpful so you can test the waters and gradually help your baby gain the skills they need for self-soothing. When you “rip off the band-aid” this can be very stressful and, often, doesn’t work. It is important to focus on health, bonding, and feeding in the early days so you don’t want to do something that might inadvertently disrupt that. Sleep training too harshly too early can possibly lead to skipped feedings and a lot of crying, and we don’t want that if we can avoid that.

Having a newborn leads to a lot of questions, I know. Hopefully, this article has helped you determine if it’s time to start sleep training your newborn. If not, please reach out to us anytime!

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The post Sleep Training Newborns: How To and When appeared first on The Baby Sleep Site - Baby / Toddler Sleep Consultants.

What is a Wake Window?

A “wake window” is the amount of time your baby is awake between sleep periods, either their next nap or bedtime. I count a wake window from when the time the baby wakes up to the next time they fall asleep. Even if you don’t get your baby up for 15 minutes, I recommend you use the time they actually woke up to set your next sleep period.

For example, if your baby wakes up at 7:00 AM and has a wake window of two hours, they should be asleep BY 9:00 AM.

Why Do Wake Windows Matter?

Have you ever been so tired that you can’t sleep? You feel restless and on edge. This is because our bodies release hormones to fight fatigue and give us a “second wind.”

Babies go through the same thing and when they are awake too long, they can’t fall asleep, cry, or seem to fight sleep. Or, they fall asleep but wake up a lot because they can’t seem to get settled. Many times, babies will wake up and cry a lot for several hours, and then they might get into a deeper sleep.

If babies aren’t awake long enough, they may take short naps. Although short naps are more commonly caused by a baby being overtired by being awake too long, there are some babies who take short naps due to under-tiredness.

Getting your baby’s wake windows correct will usually help your baby nap longer, sleep better at night, and not wake up too early in the morning.

Newborn Wake Windows

Newborns can’t stay awake for long periods of time so they have short wake windows. Your newborn’s schedule should reflect very short awake periods in the beginning. Most of the time, newborns will only be awake long enough to eat and get a diaper change before you need to put them back to sleep. Therefore, a newborn’s wake window is often just 45-60 minutes.

Newborns are taking in a lot of information and so much is new to them. Life in the outside world is very stimulating and they are also growing very quickly so they need a lot of sleep. The most notable thing about newborns, in the beginning, is that they often have days and nights confused. But, don’t worry! Your newborn will sort out their days and nights within a couple of weeks. As your baby reaches 6-8 weeks old, they can begin to stay awake for 1-2 hours at a time.

Are Wake Windows The Same All Day?

Have you noticed your baby seems really sleepy first thing in the morning but then stays awake longer later in the day? If so, you’re not alone and it’s actually very common!

Although it’s counter-intuitive, the first wake window is often one of the shortest of the day. This seems backward since they just slept all night, right? However, babies often get sleepy again soon in the morning and have longer awake periods later in the day.

In addition, many babies have their shortest wake window first thing in the morning and again right before bed. For example, a 4-month-old might stay awake 90 minutes before the first nap, then stay awake 2 hours before the other naps, and then 90 minutes before bedtime. Since the last nap of the day is often a catnap, consider it a short “bridge” to bedtime.

On the other hand, if your baby is very consistent and stays awake a consistent amount of time throughout the day, that’s also normal. A 6-month-old might stay awake two hours before each sleep period all day. If this is the case, consider yourself lucky that you have a predictable routine. It’s also normal!

All babies are different so it’s okay and even encouraged, to customize your baby’s schedule to follow their natural pattern.

Wake Windows Chart – From Newborn to 5 Years Old

Babies go through many changes throughout the first few years especially when it comes to sleep. There are a number of sleep regressions and schedule changes. Be sure to download one of our free e-Books to help your baby sleep better.

As far as how long your baby should be awake, here is a chart with wake windows by age. However, be sure to use the overtired signs to determine if they are too long for your unique baby.

Average Wake Windows By Age

I hope this chart has helped you decide on the wake windows that are best for your baby or toddler. If you need any help, please feel free to contact us today!

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• Baby Nap Chart: How Many and How Long?
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• Best Age for Sleep Training Baby
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