WHAT TO DO ABOUT FALSE STARTS AT BEDTIME?!

What to do about false starts?! The situation where you put your baby down for bed and then they promptly wake up 20-30 minutes later. So frustrating! Especially if you worked hard to get them down in the first place. This situation has 3 main causes which I’ll explain:

1. Discomfort. Teething, gas, reflux, too warm or too cold, etc. These can be fairly easy to remedy by talking to your pediatrician. As for temperature, a general rule is that the room should be between 68-72 degrees F. and your baby should be dressed in no more than one extra layer than what you are comfortable in.

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2. Lack of Sleep Pressure. Our sleep drive is our bodies natural urge to sleep as we spend time awake, exert ourselves physically, heal from sickness or injury, or experience exciting or stressful situations. Babies develop so quickly that their sleep drive builds up much more quickly than adults. As they get older, that sleep pressure starts to slow down and they require more time awake in between. If your baby takes a long time to fall asleep and they have been active and happy in the time leading up, then low sleep pressure may be the cause. It may be time to either drop a nap or change the placement of their naps, so they have more time awake in between allowing that sleep pressure to buildup appropriately before bed!

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3. Overtiredness. It can be really tricky to figure out which you are dealing with- under or overtiredness as the “symptoms” can look similar!  Overtiredness causes cortisol secretion at a time when we don’t want it! It causes baby to get energetic making it difficult for them to fall asleep.  Or they could be losing their minds. In this case, you would want to move bedtime earlier by20-30 minutes. This may take some trial and error to figure out what you are dealing with, but it is probably safer to assume overtiredness first.  Or you can use my handy scheduling chart to help you determine what the appropriate wake window is for your child’s age. Message me and I’ll send it to you!

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