Why does my baby wake overnight?
This is one of the most common questions I get asked. I wish I had a quick answer. There is many reasons your little one might wake overnight. Below is some information on some of the reasons your little one might wake overnight.
Hunger
Especially if you have a newborn it is likely you are woken overnight because your bub is hungry. It is normal for babies to feed overnight. There is many factors that come into it including age, weight and solids.
Room Temperature
Another reason your little one may wake is if your bub is too warm or too cold. It can be hard to know how warm or cold your little one especially in those in between days. Using a TOGed sleeping bag is great way to help your baby stay warm in winter and to ensure they are not to hot in summer. Check out the sleeping bags in our shop.
Dummy
When a little one has a dummy they may be waking because they have lost their dummy. If your bub is over 7-8 months can you teach them to replace their won dummy. When they are around 12-16 weeks it may be a good time to ditch the dummy. If your bub is under 7-8 months and you would like to keep the dummy you will need to get up during the night to replace it for them. A good tip is to have a supply of dummies you grab from to replace the dummy rather than searching for the lost one.
Milestones
If your child is learning a new development milestone it may cause them to wake during the night. They may wake to practice their new skill as it is developing. If your bub wakes during the night and they are happy or not upset leave them to settle themselves back to sleep.
Overtired
If your bub is overtired it can cause them to wake overnight and it can also cause early morning wake ups. When your little one is overtired their hormones can make it difficult to stay asleep.
Too Much Sleep
So if you bub has had too much day sleep it can cause them to have extended night waking. If they have not built up enough sleep debt which can cause night waking. It can be a very fine line between getting to much or not enough sleep.
Sleep Association
A sleep association is something your little one need to settle to sleep. This can include rocking, patting, sleeping bags, feeding, white noise, dummy and the list goes on. If it is an association that your child needs you to do for them then if they wake overnight they will need you to help them to resettle back to sleep.
Teething
We all know Teething can be painful for our bubs, and if they are teething it can cause them to wake during the night. Yet if your little one isn’t showing pain or discomfort from teething during the day it most likely isn’t affecting them at night.
Illness and Pain
If your little one is unwell they may wake due to discomfort overnight. When your bub is unwell they will often need extra support and cuddles.
Pain and discomfort can cause your little one to wake during the night. This includes tummy pain from digestive activity, wind or reflux. You may need to offer your little one some comfort.
These are a few of many reasons your little one may wake overnight. If you need help with your little ones overnight waking contact me here.