Signs of an overtired baby

An overtired baby has a harder time falling and staying asleep. Find out how to know if your baby is overtired and what you can do to get your baby to sleep.

Getting a baby to sleep under the best of circumstances can be tricky, but when your little one is overtired, it can be even more difficult. That’s because overtired babies have a harder time settling down for sleep, sleep only intermittently and wake up more often throughout the night.

What to look out for

Overtired babies have a hard time settling down for sleep. They wake up more often during the night and this means they sleep less and less well. It becomes an exhausting cycle and sleep training an overtired baby is extremely difficult.

Sometimes there are obvious signs that your baby is overtired. Here are some of the more subtle signs to look out for:

  • Your baby has a hard time settling down for sleep
  • Your baby takes brief catnaps not full-blown naps
  • Your baby doesn’t get a lot of sleep at night
  • Your baby is very fussy or cranky
  • Your baby seems unable to deal with pain or frustration
  • Older babies are prone to more meltdowns
  • Your baby falls asleep in the high chair while eating or when s/he’s placed in the stroller, even if it’s not naptime and at random times during the day.

How much sleep does your baby need?

This is how much sleep a baby needs by age:

  • At 1 month old your baby should get 14 to 17 hours of sleep during the day. This is usually eight to nine hours at night with the balance as naps during the day.
  • A 2-month-old baby needs to get a total of 12 to 16 hours of sleep a day, with most of it happening at night and four to eight hours in daytime naps.
  • At 3 months your baby should get nine to 10 hours of sleep at night and a few one-and-a-half to two-hour naps during the day.
  • By 4 months your baby’s daytime naps should total three or four hours and nighttime sleep should be between 10 and 11 hours.
  • When approaching 6 months your baby should be sleeping between nine and 11 hours at night with two long naps during the day.

Preventing overtiredness

It’s easy to read these tips and more difficult to practice them. Hopefully, this will help you to prevent your baby from getting overtired.

  • Watch for sleep cues such as eye rubbing, ear or hair pulling, crankiness and yawning. Put your baby down for a nap or bedtime as soon as you see these signs of being tired.
  • Try to stick to a consistent bedtime routine at night and cultivate similar habits before naps. This will help your baby recognise the transition from awake time to sleep time.
  • Stop overstimulating about half an hour before your baby’s sleep times. End playtime and move to a quiet area.

Getting an overtired baby to sleep

These are some strategies to try:

  • Learn your baby’s sleep patterns. This depends on age, but try to get your baby down before his/her usual bedtime. Also, take note of your baby’s “wake windows” – the amount of time they can handle being awake. New-borns are generally only wide awake for a few minutes every hour and at three months babies should be able to stay awake for about two hours. Keep in mind that every baby is different.
  • Even if your baby seems reluctant to sleep, go through your normal bedtime routine to signal it’s time for sleeping.
  • If your baby is younger than eight weeks old, try swaddling and a dark, silent room.

Once your baby’s sleep routine is back on track you can consider sleep training.

Baby’s best sleep

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