Why won’t my baby sleep? Why won’t my baby sleep at night anymore? Why won’t my baby nap?
As a Mum of four and a blogger that helps busy Mums make their lives easier, these are questions that I get all the time.
In this post and in the video below, I am going to share with you the 2 main reasons why your baby won’t sleep, then tell you what you can do to help.
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Here’s the truth
Most babies sleep plenty and usually get as much sleep as they require. The problems come when this sleep is only in the car, in their parent’s arms, in their pram, while being fed. Basically, they one sleep when you can’t. The result? One tired Mummy.
And it’s important to remember
Tiny newborn babies are not designed to sleep all night. Sorry. Their tummies are tiny and they simply can’t go all night without feeding, they need to feed to thrive.
But there is good news!
Although tiny babies are just not built for sleeping 12 hours without feeding, chances are, they are capable of sleeping for far longer stretches at night than they are currently. This means that you could be getting far more sleep than you are currently getting. Let’s look at the 2 main reasons that babies are not sleeping enough at night.
Reason Number 1
Your baby is sleeping too much in the day.
Think about it; there is only a certain amount of sleep that we all need. Even babies who need far more sleep than adults, do not need to sleep 24 hours a day. There are many things during the day that can cause babies to fall asleep; car rides, pram rides and even feeds and cuddles. These things can mean that your baby is sleeping way too much in the day and is wide awake and ready to party at night.
The Solution
By structuring your baby’s daytime routine, allowing them to have enough sleep to avoid them being overtired, but not so much sleep that they are awake all night, you have a better chance of a night’s sleep.
I have put together a printable download of the exact sleep routine that I used for my babies and you can grab it below. The routine caters for babies of different ages and stages of development. Click the button below for more help and information about implementing the routine.
Reason Number 2
Your baby’s night time feeds are snacks, not meals.
Does this sound familiar;
Your baby wakes for a feed at night. You are exhausted. You feed baby who dozes off at the boob after a few minutes. You place baby back in the cot next to you, relived that you can close your eyes again. You drift off. Several minutes pass. Baby cries again wanting a feed. You look at the clock and realise that it has not even been an hour since the last feed. You are so tired that you want to cry. You feed baby for a few minutes before baby falls asleep again and you also go back to sleep. The process repeats all night. By the morning you feel like the walking dead.
The problem with this cycle is that your baby is not falling asleep because they are full, they are falling asleep simply because they are tired. Feeding is very tiring when you are so tiny.
The Solution
When your baby wakes for a feed, wake yourself up a little, you won’t be going back to sleep for 20-30 minutes. It sounds brutal, I know, you’re beside yourself tired! But stick with me, it’ll be worth it. Turn on an episode of something on Netflix to keep you awake while you feed and try to enjoy this time feeding and cuddling your baby.
When your baby inevitably dozes off a few minutes later, do not go back to sleep. “Why?” I hear you cry, “I’m exhausted”.
The reason is simple; your baby is not full, they are just tired. So instead of going back to sleep too, gently wake your baby to continue the feed. Change their nappy, take off a layer of clothing, wipe their face with a warm cloth, just wake them enough to continue the feed.
Keep doing this until they have been actively feeding for around 20 minutes. Then, and only then, can you be assured that they have had a full enough feed to carry them through a number of consecutive hours of sleep.
Yes, you may have been awake for longer feeding, but this method will mean that over the course of a few nights, your baby will begin to sleep for longer stretches. You know what? That means you will too.
Join the conversation
Click on the Instagram grid photo below and let me know how you are finding your baby’s sleep.
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