Sleep Associations
A sleep association is something that you rely on to fall asleep. Some common sleep associations are being rocked, fed, bounced or held to sleep. Also a pillow, a sleeping bag, white noise, a dummy, a favourite comfort item (teddy, blanket, lovey). A sleep association can be both a blessing and a curse as you will see from the scenarios below. If your child has a strong sleep association- then the conditions you create at the beginning of the night when they fall asleep need to be re-created during the night in order for them to go back to sleep when they wake.
To help demonstrate what I mean, imagine…..
Scenario One: you place your baby calm and ready to sleep, but awake, in their cot. They have their sleeping bag on and are holding their comfort toy. When they wake, they look or feel around for their comfort toy, find it and go back to sleep. No need for you to help them!
(Newborns are the exception, they don’t yet have the ability to fall asleep without our assistance)
Scenario Two: your baby falls asleep being rocked in your arms. When they wake they find themselves in a motionless cot and you are nowhere to be seen- ahhh!
Hunger
Young babies still need to feed overnight, they cannot take in enough milk to sustain them until morning. By 9 months, if there are no underlying medical or feeding issues, your child should be able to sleep through the night without needing a feed. Older babies and toddlers can wake during the night if they are low in certain nutrients, or if they have a drop in blood sugar levels during the night. A varied diet, high in protein, low GI carbohydrates, iron and magnesium is very important for sleep.
Timing and Length of Naps
If you follow an age appropriate routine your child should be tired enough to sleep but not overtired by bedtime. If your child is having too much sleep during the day they will not be tired enough to stay asleep overnight. If their naps are taken at the wrong times of the day, this too can cause overnight wake ups. Newborns require 3-4 naps a day minimum, 3 naps a day until about 8 months, 2 naps until 15-18 months, 1 nap until about 2 1/2 to 3 years.
A Late Bedtime
Your child may be going to bed overtired. When we become overtired our bodies are flooded with hormones like adrenalin and cortisol to keep us awake. You may notice your child gets a “second wind” or becomes a bit “hyperactive” in the evening. This is a sign that they are overtired and will have difficulty staying asleep. The ideal bedtime for children aged 3 months to 5 years is between 6 and 7pm.
Stop and Listen
You may hear your child make a noise- a little sound or short cry during the night. Are you responding too quickly? We all wake several times overnight. Mostly we don’t remember, we just roll over or adjust our pillow and go back to sleep. Try hitting the pause button briefly before you go in to your child. They may surprise you and just go back off to sleep.
These are the most common reasons that I see for over night wakings.
There are of course more than 5 reasons why your child may be waking overnight- diagnosing the root of sleep issues is both a science and an art! Book in a free chat with me if you would like more assistance with overnight wake ups.
As with all advice I offer, I encourage everyone to do what is right for their own family and what fits with their own unique parenting style. If you are struggling with your current situation, please get in touch.