Baby (0-12 months) tired signs: when to know to put them to bed?

So everyone gets tired right? We have many different ways we show that we are tired. From yawning, zoning out, talking more, lack of coordination….. But when you look at your baby you wonder why are they still awake and hyperactive? Hence today’s topic…

There are two stages of tired signs: the less obvious which is the ones you should be picking up on first to prevent baby being overtired; and the most obvious which is the ones majority of parents, caregivers, etc notice first. Unfortunately by this stage your baby/ is clearly overtired. For babies: the obvious tired signs include:

*crying
*grizzly
*happy/cranky/happy/cranky
*hysterical
If your baby comes to this stage they are OVERTIRED! Do you notice when your baby is overtired it is harder and longer to settle your baby to sleep? Or have some of you being fortunate for your baby to fall asleep straight away? Are your sleep techniques helping in this instance? The least obvious tired signs include:
*red eyebrows
*clenched fists
*fists in mouth (could be hunger as well)
*laying still on floor
*rubbing eyes
*scratching face
*clingy
*latching problems on the mothers breast
*fussy with bottle feeding
*staring blankly If you see in your baby 1-3 of the above early warning signs guess what? Put your baby to sleep….

Wrapping your baby in the first 4 months of life research shows will enable babies to sleep better and more securely. Have you noticed if your baby is not wrapped they startle and wake up in between their sleeping cycles? Do they start to cry and need you to resettle them? Is it more difficult to resettle then to settle ? Give wrapping a go….with various techniques and wraps on offer one or two should work for your baby.

I’ve heard on many occasions “my baby doesn’t like to be wrapped….” Or; “my baby is like a Houdini gets out of wraps”, while this may seem the case it is normal for babies to want to wriggle out of wraps, however you may also notice if baby cat naps during the day and night they are not receiving adequate sleep, therefore become more irritable as a result wriggle and wriggle until they get themselves out.

You may disagree with this theory which is fine… Everyone has their own opinions and life experiences no two babies and families are the same. Observation is the key… If you haven’t done so by now take a look and see if you can see any of the early warning signs, perhaps write down in a journal records such as: how long has my baby’s awake time been when I saw his or her early tired signs? Could be 10-20-40 minutes after… A routine would then be able to be formed based on the observation of tired signs. Through routine you will know when feed play and sleep would occur. In the meantime happy reading everyone 🙂

Director- Counsellor/early childhood sleep/settling specialist

Live and Learn Therapy

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