Signs your baby may be tired
Lull in movement or activity
Movements slower
Less vocal and is quieter
Sucking is weaker or is slower and disinterested
Baby is calmer
Baby appears less interested in surroundings
Eyes are less focused
Eyelids droop
Yawning
Keys to helping your baby sleep
Helping your baby to sleep before baby becomes overtired is the key to great sleep for you and your baby, now and in future months, as overtiredness is a leading cause of nighttime wakening and sleep problems in children of all ages. The key is to tune in to your baby’s cues and recognize your baby’s tired signs, because an overtired baby finds it harder to get to sleep and stay asleep. When your baby begins to show signs of being tired, you have a 10 to15 minute window of opportunity in which baby will fall asleep easily. Eventually, you’ll be able to anticipate when your baby might begin to become tired, so you can start baby’s sleep ritual or routine before tiredness hits. Babies up to 6 weeks old usually have an awake window of between 1 to 1.5 hours, and at 6 to12 weeks, this increases from 1.5 to 1.75 hours. N.B. This time period is from when your baby wakes to when baby is fully asleep again, so things like feeding, playing and bath time should all fall into this time.
My Checklist:
I’m aware of how long my baby been has been awake (see awake windows above)
My baby is showing one or more tired signs
I have checked my baby’s nappy and made sure baby is not hungry
If my baby is tired, I will begin to help my baby to sleep using hands on settling
HELP! I missed the tired signs and my baby is overtired and grumpy
If I ticked yes in the box directly above, I will not despair but instead, I’ll do whatever works to settle my baby to sleep and try again next time
I have patience, perseverance, and LOVE and I am a great mum
