One moment your bundle of joy is just that-a joyful baby and the next moment, he is flailing his arms and kicking you as if he does not even want to be cuddled. Oops, you may have missed the signs that he is sleepy. So now how to get an overtired baby to sleep? This is particularly helpful advise especially when the parent is exhausted and needs to get some zzz's too.
How Long Should Baby Stay Awake?
Here is the rule of thumb for baby's sleep schedule:
- From birth to 4 months, babies waking time should be 45-60 minutes max.
- From 4 to 6 months, babies can stay awake for 1 to 2 hours.
- From 6 months to 1 year, baby's waking period can extend to 2-3 hours.
- From 12 to 18 months, they can be awake for 3-4 hours.
- From 18 months to 2 years, a baby can handle 4 to 6 hours of being awake.
ALSO READ : 4 Top Tips to Improve Sleep During Pregnancy
How Do You Know a Baby is Overtired?
Dr. Rebecca Kempton, a Pediatric Sleep specialist revealed that a baby that stays awake for longer than their bodies can tolerate will become overtired, Dr Brown's Baby revealed. Now when a baby is overtired, the body responds by releasing hormones that contribute to stress, including cortisol that keeps the baby alert and awake. When a baby becomes overtired, it becomes more difficult for them to fall and stay asleep.
Signs to Watch Out for that Tell Parents Baby is Sleepy
It is not just when your baby starts to yawn that parents will know the baby is sleepy. There are subtle signs that show a baby is sleepy, which baby sleep expert Megan Faure explains. To avoid overtiredness, Faure advises parents to spot the signs when it happens and get your baby to sleep.
First Phase of Overtiredness
Initially, the baby will start to employ strategies to remain alert like rubbing their eyes or ears, Made for Mums revealed. The baby may also try to turn away from stimulation, signaling the parent that it is time to stop reading, teaching, or stimulating their minds with music, and start to tune in to their sleepiness.
Other more subtle signs of tiredness before they reach overtiredness include rubbing their eyes, pulling their ears, zoning out, being less engaged, and being extra clingy to their caregiver.
Second Phase of Overtiredness
When the parents ignore the first signals, the baby will start to self-soothe. These may include sucking their thumb or searching for a blankie or dummy to comfort them.
Third Phase of Overtiredness
Some days the parents have too much on their plate to notice the baby's signals, so then the third phase may commence. The baby's body will be clearer in signaling the parent of an overtired baby with sneezing, a slight blueness around the mouth, hiccups, quick breaths, and sweaty palms.
Last Phase of Overtiredness
Now you know you have an overtly tired newborn when the baby appears in pain, back arching, unexplained crying, and pulling legs up. For older babies, their exhaustion will have the crying, fighting sleep, and not wanting to feed. These are signs they are showing the classic flight, fright and fight response to stress hormones released in their body.
ALSO READ : Reminder to Parents: Knowing the Risks of Having Bad Sleeping Habits is Very Important, According to Experts
Can a Parent Sabotage Their Baby's Sleep?
When parents wait too long and miss the signals that the baby needs to be put down to sleep, this can create sleep problems. Another issue is when the caregiver provides too much rocking, bouncing, or holding-aka sleep crutches that make it difficult for baby to learn self-soothing to fall and stay asleep.
How to Avoid Baby Become Overtired?
Dr. Kempton stressed the importance of watching out for baby's signs. It is best not to wait out until the baby is exhausted, rather showing signs of sleepiness but still awake. Their eyes should still be open but they show signs of tiredness. From this time, do not provide too much stimulation.
How to Help an Overtired Baby to Sleep?
It can be difficult to help an overtired baby to sleep without first making them calm and induce drowsiness. You can try swaddling, which even if the tired baby fights, she will eventually calm down and fall asleep. However, stop swaddling once the baby learns to roll.
It also helps to feed the baby if it is feeding time. Do not feed all the way to sleep. Gently rocking the baby then putting the down when they are drowsy yet awake can also help. Aside from watching for signs of sleepiness, it is wise to pare baby down to a sleep routine so that baby learns cues when it is time to get ready for sleep. When the baby is overtired, shorten the bedtime routine. Also, ensure they have a sleep-conducive room with white noise.
How to Calm Overtired Baby When Parents are Stressed Out?
When the baby appears inconsolable and the parents are stretched thin, it is wise to remind oneself of their love for their little one. It is often enough to have this experience for parents to start baby on a consistent sleep routine and learn to recognized signs of tiredness. Remember, all these are part of the learning process for the parents as well as the baby. It takes patience, time, and consistency to ensure the parents do not have to go through consoling an overtired baby again. Baby gets more and better sleep and so do the parents.
