Baby partying at midnight? Read this!

Is your baby waking up wide awake in the middle of the night? Waking to feed or need a diaper change is one thing, but when your baby is waking only to be up for an hour or longer ready to play, what do you do?

Believe it or not, it is actually extremely common for both babies and toddlers to wake during the night for prolonged periods of time and want to interact with their surroundings and other people. To start with solving the problem, we have to look at what could be causing it.

At Sleep Shop, we are experts at helping New York City moms get their babies’ sleep health on track. Read our tips to get your baby or toddler on the path to sleeping through the night for good!

Reason 1: Your Child is Overtired

While it may make sense that if your baby is exhausted they will sleep more, putting them to bed late or when they are overtired can actually mess with their circadian rhythm and cause them to wake in the middle of the night. If your baby wakes in a lighter stage of sleep it is easy for them to stay awake and start interacting with things that might be in their nearby vicinity.

Unfortunately, it can take a while for your baby to get back to a stage of tiredness and deep sleep once they have reached this state of wakefulness which is why it is important to be consistent with…

Reason 2: Routine

You may have heard of the importance of developing a sleep routine for your child, but if you are struggling with a waking baby or toddler, it is more important than ever to stick to a bedtime routine every night. This can involve a bath, a bedtime story, quiet time, and a specific time that you put your child down to go to bed. Try to stay as close to the routine as possible every night to build habits with your child.

A routine can also help you to identify other triggering factors that could be contributing to your baby’s nighttime wakings.

Reason 3: Discomfort or Nightmares

Just like adults, there are uncomfortable things that can wake your child up during the night that make it difficult to fall back into a restful state. For infants, a wet or soiled diaper or being hungry is enough to be upsetting to completely disrupt their Zzzs. Other things like your baby being too hot or cold, swaddled too tightly, or wearing pajamas that don’t fit can cause them to wake. Try to make sure that your baby is as comfortable as possible before putting him or her to sleep.

Nightmares/terrors typically do not start until children are a bit older, around 18 months. Once your child starts developing fears, such as a fear of the dark, they can begin to have dreams associated with such fears that can make sleep scary. If this is the case, talk to your child about what is scaring them and see what you can do to make their sleep environment more comfortable.