It’s certainly one of the most agonizing aspects of parenting. And even if you didn’t sleep during pregnancy you could find yourself climbing the walls when the baby doesn’t sleep during the first few weeks. Unfortunately, it’s normal. But if you are hitting the point where the baby is just not sleeping at all a few months or even a year down the line, it’s worth looking at these main reasons.
The Baby Doesn’t Have A Good Routine
This is something you have to address. The most important components of a happy and healthy baby is a routine. Some babies can struggle between day and night and if you’re wondering how to fix your baby’s day/night confusion there are plenty of guides but it’s important to have something in place. We’ve got to remember that there is so much research out there that points towards routine as being the main pointer of a happy baby that we’ve got to address this first. If you don’t think there is any semblance of routine the first thing you need to do is note when the baby is going down for naps. It may very well be the fact that they are napping at points during the day when you’d like them to sleep at night. There are apps that can give you pointers. It may very well be that they’ve already got a routine but you’re trying to force a different routine on to them.
The Baby Is Overtired
Many parents think that if they keep their baby awake during the day they will sleep at night. This is not the case! If a baby doesn’t sleep during the day they won’t sleep much in the night at all! If they are overtired they will be grumpier and not sleep! In order to prevent this, you’ve got to implement a schedule. But you also need to find sleep cues. If your baby is overtired it’s about putting signals in place to say to them it’s time to go to sleep. Much like we need routines before going to bed if you can start to put signals in place this can give them the cue. At this point, it is about experimenting. It’s about finding the things that can make the baby tired. It could be a feed or it could be about additional stimulation. Take the opportunity over the course of a week to note what can make the baby want to go to sleep. Some parents talk about the benefits of white noise or products like Ewan The Dream Sheep which can become a sleep prop.
They Have A Sleep Prop
It could be a toy or it could be the fact that you need to rock them to sleep or cuddle on you. They need that comfort. And if a baby has a sleep prop the important thing to do is to phase these out. If they have a toy this can be dangerous, especially as it’s recommended you don’t have a toy in the cot until after they turn one. But if they can’t go to sleep unless they are laying on you it’s partially about persistence. If they need cuddles on you in order to go back to sleep but then you put them down and they wake right away it can take a long time to phase this out. But if you don’t start to phase it out by slowly breaking the link, they will continue to rely on you. The crucial thing is to do it slowly. If they can lie in their cot for 10 seconds knowing you are there it’s about extending that period of time. Some parents feel that they can’t break any links because they worry about the baby crying. This is one of the things we have to get over. It could help to take inspiration from the French model of parenting. If they put a baby down, they will wait 5 minutes to see if the baby settles themselves off to sleep. Some parents can’t bear their child crying for 20 seconds. It’s as much about challenging your own ideas of parenthood as it is about helping the baby to sleep.
They Are Hungry
If your baby is older than 5 months and they’re not on solids it’s likely that they will wake a lot during the night. When you start to give them more food it’s about making sure they have the right nutrients. If you are breastfeeding them, because milk is so easily digested, it’s important to top this up with solids as well. If they are waking so much and are completely inconsolable until you give them a milk feed this could be the sign that they need more sustenance. In the hours leading up to bedtime, you’ve got to make sure that the baby is eating plenty and feeling full. At the same time if they snack too much and aren’t getting enough milk this could cause problems with sleep.
They Are Going Through A Growth Spurt
They may have slept well for months but now it’s almost as if there was a switch flipped in them. If they are having a growth spurt or a developmental leap or any change, this can have an impact on their sleep. At this point, it’s beneficial to have an app that shows you when their leaps are going to happen. Babies have sleep regressions during the first year and this coupled with problems like teething can cause so many issues with their sleep that you may very well have had a bad run of it. If they slept okay before it may very well be a case that they are going through leap after leap with teething problems in between which means that you need to give them as much comfort as possible. Unfortunately, it’s a case of riding it out!
When the baby doesn’t sleep it can have such an impact on your life. But it’s crucial to address these overriding issues first. Don’t forget, it won’t be forever!
