How to Figure Out Why Your Baby Isn’t Sleeping
Help is at hand! Sleep expert Emma Purdue helps you figure out why your baby may not be sleeping
5 min read
Baby – Expert Article by Emma Purdue
How to Figure Out Why Your Baby Isn’t Sleeping
Ok let’s get right to it. Why is your baby not sleeping..?
Is your little one having lots of catnaps?
If your little one is cat napping chances are it’s because of one of these 3 reasons, or maybe all 3!
Overtired – overtired babies tend to wake after 45 minutes crying and therefore need your help to get back to sleep.
Under tired – if your baby isn’t awake long enough, then they might also wake up and be unable to go back to sleep after one sleep cycle. Check out the free routine you can download below. If you don’t have any success once you try our routines, then check out our consults, let us solve your cat napping for you.
Unable to self-settle – If your baby is not yet able to self-settle, then chances are they wake up and as a result need your help to go back to sleep. Check out the e-guide below if you are ready to teach your little one to self-settle.
Or, is your baby not settling for naps at all?
Is your little one still not settling for their naps? Are you having to rock them, or hold them or walk them to sleep? These are all normal ways to get our newborns to sleep, but after 3-4 months we can start to back these off and slowly teach our little ones to settle themselves more independently. We can try rocking less, holding less or walking less, or we can try some sleep training if we want this process to go a little faster.
Teaching your baby to settle themselves for naps has a big list of advantages!
- Your baby can settle to sleep faster independently.
- They can re-settle themselves after 45 minutes and take longer naps.
- Plus your little one will also be able to put themselves back to sleep at night when they wake up if they are not hungry.
- And your little one will be able to go back to sleep when they wake at 5am, on their own.
- Not to mention your baby will easily settle into a predictable routine, and your days will be a lot less stressful!
You can begin working on these self-settling strategies for your little one as soon as you are ready. Try our e-guide below for a gentle way to do this, or work with a sleep consultant.
Is your baby still waking in the night?
Is your little one waking numerous times at night? While this can be 100% normal for newborns as they are hungry and need frequent feeds, once your baby is out of this stage we can expect 1-2 wake ups until 6 months.
If you are experiencing more than this, and wondering if anything can be done then the answer is yes. Some things which will help your baby sleep better at night are:
- A consistent bedtime routine has been proven to help your baby sleep better at night, and cry less.
- Ensuring your baby is not going to bed overtired, download our free nap routines for your little one above and see if some extra day sleep helps with your nights.
- Teaching your baby to settle themselves will make a huge difference to the way your baby sleeps at night. Those who are rocked, fed, dummied or held to sleep tend to wake after a short period looking for these activities to put them back to sleep.
- Introduce some positive sleep associations such as white noise, sleeping bags, and most noteworthy lovies. These will help improve how much your little one sleeps at night.
A Good Night's Sleep For You & Your Baby
Free Phone Consultation With A Sleep Consultant
Me and my team of Sleep Consultants have been where you are. You don’t need to continue to struggle with your baby’s sleep. We can help with home visits, phone, and email support. Request a free 15-minute phone consultation and let’s have a chat to see how we can help you
Expert Profile: Emma Purdue
Educator, Mentor and Sleep Expert
Emma is a mother of three and founder of Baby Sleep Consultant Ltd, helping thousands of babies in New Zealand and Australia to rest peacefully. Emma has written for many baby and parenthood magazines and is indisputably considered an international expert on sleep.
