Why does my baby keep waking up in the night?
As a sleep expert, I get asked all the time why I think a baby is waking up in the night, especially when it happens repeatedly.
When your baby wakes up crying, it can be difficult to tell whether they’re hungry, tired, have a wet diaper, or something else altogether. And how do you respond when you don’t necessarily know what the problem is? It can be hard to know.
The truth is…there are a few reasons why your baby could be waking up in the night.
1. Hunger
Up until about the six-month mark, some babies need at least one nighttime feed. Their tummies are small, breastmilk and formula digest fairly quickly, and most haven’t started solid food yet. So, some babies may genuinely be hungry for at least one feed a night until they’re six months of age.
2. Overtired
If your baby’s going to bed too late, too much sleep pressure builds up, and they become overtired. And when a baby’s overtired, their brain starts producing more cortisol, which gives them a surge of energy. This can make it tough for them to fall asleep at bedtime and can also cause a full wake up at the end of a sleep cycle.
3. Not Tired Enough
If your baby’s going to bed too early, they may not have enough sleep pressure built up to keep them sleeping straight through until morning. And now they’re awake and active in the middle of the night until that sleep pressure builds back up.
4. Baby Has Help Falling Asleep
A baby that has a lot of help falling asleep at bedtime is also likely going to need help getting back to sleep in the middle of the night. The most common strategies that parents use to get their babies to sleep is by nursing, bottle-feeding, or rocking.
Sure, it might work well to feed or rock your baby to sleep at bedtime. And maybe you even manage to get her into the crib and she stays asleep. The problem is that at some time in the night, your baby’s going to have a naturally occurring wake up (as we all do), and she’s not going to know how to get back to sleep without being fed or rocked. So, the feeding or the rocking has become a sleep prop.
If this sounds familiar, I want you to know that you’re not alone. A lot of babies have developed a dependency on feeding or rocking in order to fall asleep. And a lot of loving parents, like you, are searching for a way to get their baby falling asleep independently without leaving them to “cry it out.”
The good news is that your baby can learn the skills for falling asleep peacefully and sleeping through the night. And your family will finally get the rest you need and deserve.
Schedule a free 15-minute call with me to learn how I can help you teach your little one the skills for sleeping well.