The last week or so has been a rough one here. Mackenzie has begun waking up in the middle of the night usually around 3:30am) and then doesn’t want to go back to sleep for a few hours. This is something quite new for us because Mack has always been a really good sleeper. She started sleeping from 9pm until 9am when she was just a couple months old and we’ve had rare occasions during growth spurts or teething times when she would wake up and want to nurse a little, but nothing that has lasted quite this long. Most of the time she would eat and then fall right back asleep. But now, because she has all this new mobility, she almost never falls asleep in our bed. I do miss those days when she was tired enough to just fall asleep while nursing. But I know it’s better that she has gotten herself out of this phase naturally because it will make her sleeping routine easier in the long run.
Most 9 month olds need about 14 hours of sleep a day, 3 hours of which will probably be during the day in the form of 2 naps. At about 12 months of age, babies will start sleeping about 15 minutes less a day. They’ll grab a little over 11 hours at night but shorten those 2 nap times to only 2.5 hours of sleep during the day. Starting at 18 months, nap time will be only once a day for about 2 hours and 13.5 hours of sleep will be sufficient for your little one. At age two, the nap shortens to 2 hours with 11 hours at night and finally at 3, nap will last 1.5 hours with 10.5 hours nighttime sleep. Because not all babies are the same, some may sleep up to 2 hours more or less than these figures.
Here are a few things that may trigger a good sleeper to start having restless nights. I’ve also discussed a few ways to overcome the issue and help comfort baby so everyone can get back to bed. I’m no expert so if you’re having real trouble and just can’t figure out the problem there could be something else wrong. In that case, don’t hesitate to contact your pediatrician.
- Teething — The emergence of new teeth can be very stressful and painful for babies. If you believe teething is the culprit, you may want to give your little one some infant Tylenol or rub a bit of Orajel where the teeth are breaking through to help soothe the pain. Many believe that amber necklaces are very helpful with relieving teething pain, too. Baby would wear it all the time, not just in times of discomfort, to keep the pain under control. Mackenzie has been wearing one since she was 6 months old and she usually seems to have very little pain or discomfort when new teeth start coming through. One can be certain that it works but it doesn’t seem to be making it worse so we’ll just let her keep wearing it. Plus it looks very cute and goes with everything!
- Growth spurts — There is no set time when growth spurts will come but you’ll probably notice baby is more hungry than usual, she gets tired quickly, she may be more irritable and clothes that fit one day are no longer big enough the next. Baby may wake up late at night wanting to eat again and there is nothing wrong with this. Just keep the feeding short and try to get her back to bed immediately after. Before baby goes to bed, try to feed her something heavy like a baby cereal just for night time feedings which will fill her up.
- Baby is too warm or too cold — Because children shouldn’t use a blanket until they’re about 2 years old, you’ll need to adjust clothing layers accordingly as seasons change. Although a room may be fairly warm when baby goes to bed, the temperature can drop drastically overnight during the winter and he may start feeling a chill. Kids also kick off their socks and manage to get off other clothing without you realizing it so this can also attribute to his discomfort. That doesn’t mean overdo it, though. Overheating a baby can be just as much of an issue and kids generally do not need to wear much more clothing than adults. Just add an extra, larger set of pajamas that would simulate a blanket.
- A wet diaper — Would you like laying in a soiled diaper for hours on end? They get moist and cold, which is plenty of motivation for a baby to wake up and stay uncomfortable until his diaper is changed. If you have a night light over the changing table, you may even be able to accomplish this without making the room too bright.
- The excitement of being able to crawl, stand, sit on her own, cruise — If your baby wakes for just a few seconds and realizes they could be partying in their instead of sleeping, she’s probably going to try it. This too shall pass so once your little one has gotten past some of the excitement and started to focus on other developments, she’ll be able to go back to sleep even if she wakes up from a dream where she was climbing mountains.
- Street noise and other things that go bump in the night — If baby is used to a noisy or quiet environment while sleeping, a change in the noise level could cause baby to wake up or have trouble getting to sleep. Or a particularly offensive noise could startle baby and cause him to wake up (sirens, dog barking, etc). To help Mackenzie go to sleep we use the lullaby from her baby monitor which lasts about 10 minutes. But you may want to try something that plays longer like a CD of classical music or Jack Johnson from your iPod. Some experimentation may be needed to find something your baby really likes but these gentle sounds in his room will help block out the offensive ones outside.
- The room is too dark or too light — Sometimes babies changes their needs when it comes to the darkness of a room and when things are altered without their permission, they don’t like it. If the nursery is pitch black, your baby may be getting scared of the dark so try installing a night light. Are naps during the day time becoming more difficult because the sun is streaming in? Get some light blocking curtains or blinds.
Whichever problem your child may be having, you always want to remain quiet, keep the lights as low as possible and maintain a peaceful, sleepy mood if possible. Developing a solid nighttime routine for your baby can be very helpful and encourages your child to wind down for the evening on her own. Once a routine is established, baby will notice the steps occurring and realize that it will soon be time to go to sleep for the evening. Steps of the routine may include dinner, a bath, reading a book and finally tucking her in. This routine may not work for everyone, especially if your child is fearful of baths or wants to toss the book away, but find something which does work for you instead like singing or baby massage. To encourage sleeping you can also use lavender bath gel or a lavender room spray in baby’s room to help make her calmer. Lavender massage oil is also available.
If your child has been a good sleeper in the past and gets off the routine for a few days, it’s not a big deal. But try to keep a watchful eye on when a growth spurt is ending or teething is past so you can try to stop the comforting actions before baby gets completely off his sleep routine. When she wakes up crying, give her a few minutes to check if she will fall asleep again on her own or is just having a bad dream. If the crying persists, then you can go about trying to find what woke her up and figure out how to get her back to sleep quickly.
Also remember that an overtired baby does not sleep better and often will wake up more frequently at night or take shorter naps. Encourage naps as soon as your little one starts rubbing his eyes, pulling on his ear, gets fussy or is yawning. Rock him a short while until he is on the verge of sleep, play a lullaby or sing, then tuck him in to fall asleep on his own. Children must learn to fall asleep on their own and go back to sleep after something has disturbed them, just like adults.
