Does it sometimes seem like your baby is having all-night parties and didn't invite you? While adults make a distinction between day and evening activities, to little ones, it’s all kind of a blur.
During your baby’s first few months, no one in your family is likely to be getting much sleep, especially at night. Newborns have tiny tummies and need to eat every two to four hours, so unless you have someone else on feeding duty, you’re up, too.
Later on, frequent night wakings can be caused by anything from a growth spurt to teething pain to memories of an especially fun day. Simply put, night wakings are part of life with a baby and nothing to worry about, though there’s plenty you can do to keep them brief and less frequent.
Why does my baby wake up crying overnight?
It’s one thing when your baby wakes up in the middle of the night gurgling, cooing and playing with her toes. It’s another when she seems to be in distress.
Newborns cry often. While not all cries are signs of discomfort, your baby could be dealing with temporary sleep disruptors like illness, teething, separation anxiety or other age-appropriate fears.
Most sobbing sessions are unrelated to urgent needs, and may even help baby calm down and get to sleep. If your older baby cries overnight after a stretch of sleeping through the night without fussing, learning to decode the hidden messages in those sounds will help you decide what to do.
Here's why an older baby might be waking up overnight:
Teething
Teething pain can occur anytime your baby breaks new teeth — from as early as 3 months to up to a year or older — and while most babies cope with the discomfort well, some are so bothered by teething that it interrupts their sleep.
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If this is happening with your baby, confirm your suspicions with your pediatrician, and ask about when to offer pain relievers like infant acetaminophen.[1]
Schedule changes
While you don’t have to have every minute accounted for, babies do best with a consistent schedule and bedtime routine. Having a regular routine and sleeping enough overnight and during naps can help your baby stay alert for the things that require attention, such as a visit from Grandma and Grandpa, and be ready to fall and stay asleep at night.
Major changes to the normal schedule can make your baby overtired, and lead to night wakings or trouble falling asleep.
New milestones
Being a baby is all about learning new tricks. During the first year, she’ll learn to roll over, sit up, clap, wave, kick, cruise around like a little turtle and eventually, pull up to a standing position and toddle across the room.
What do these milestones have to do with sleep? Everything. Your baby isn’t just learning new skills, she’s also eager to practice them, even during the middle of the night.
She’s also being stimulated and storing loads of new information each day. All that brain overload is a good thing, but it makes it hard to settle down and may cause night wakings.
Separation anxiety
Somewhere around 8 months, you may notice your little one seems extra clingy. She may not want to go to the sitter or might howl when you leave the room, even for a minute. This baby separation anxiety stage can also cause sleep disruptions when she wakes up overnight and notices you’re not there.[2]
While there’s not much you can do to keep your baby from waking up in the middle of the night, you might try a version of sleep training to calm her down and help her self-soothe so that she can get back to sleep on her own, unassisted by you.
Sleep regression
Many babies go through a sleep regression when they're 4 months old but there can also be a 6-month sleep regression, an 8-month sleep regression and even a 12-month sleep regression.
If your older baby is waking up overnight again all of a sudden and it turns out to be a sleep regression, you may need to try sleep training (or try it again) to get her back on track.
Hunger
Be selective about when and how often you feed your cranky little one back to sleep. If she's still younger and at the stage where she needs nighttime feedings, then an overnight snack may be just the thing to settle her down.
But for many older babies who no longer need nighttime feedings, it’s a reward you don't want to get into the habit of offering because it can lead to more frequent night wakings. The exception may be if your baby is going through a growth spurt. Ask your pediatrician how to handle those so that she's getting enough to eat during the day.
If your baby is just gurgling and cooing at night, don’t rush in. She doesn’t necessarily need a snack, and if you leave her alone for a bit she’ll probably fall back asleep on her own.
Note: This watch-and-wait approach doesn’t apply to newborns, who need to eat more frequently. Breastfed babies should nurse every two to three hours, and bottle-fed babies every three to four hours, so don't expect them to sleep for long no matter what time it is.
Ear infections
The pain of ear infections or earaches (caused by wax or other factors) can wake your baby in the night. The reason: Lying down changes pressure in the ear, causing the pain to worsen at night or during naps.
While you’re managing the infection or ear pain with medication prescribed by the doctor, ask your pediatrician about other ways to relieve the pain.
What do I do if my baby wakes up in the middle of the night?
While what to do will depend on what’s causing the night waking, there are definitely do's and don’ts for soothing a baby back to sleep.
Do check for lights and noise first
Some babies wake up to stimuli that are barely noticeable to you (but fascinating to them), like the sound of a far-off siren or a light left on in the hallway. A white noise machine or blackout shades can help minimize those distractions.
Do make sure she doesn't need a diaper change and isn't sick or in pain
A baby with a dirty diaper, or one who's not feeling well or has hurt herself will wake up overnight fussing, so checking for all those possibilities is a good idea.[3]
Don't go rushing in to scoop her up
If your little one is fussy but not in any distress, resist the urge to pick her up. Instead, try giving her a gentle pat until she calms down, but stop just before sleep comes so she learns to nod off on her own. A pacifier can also help.
Don't assume she's hungry if she's gotten enough to eat during the day
If your older baby has been sleeping through the night without eating for a while, starting the habit of feeding her overnight again to soothe her back to dreamland isn't a good idea and will be hard to break. But if she's a bit younger and really still does need to eat overnight, then a feeding session might be in order.
How can I prevent night wakings?
Whether your little night owl is hooting because she's teething, clamoring for a little 1 a.m. comfort or just wants to practice a new skill, here are a few more strategies you can use to minimize wake-up calls.
Develop a good bedtime routine
Start gearing up for nighttime about 30 to 45 minutes before you'd like your baby to fall asleep. Give her a bath or infant massage (lotion with lavender or chamomile will help her feel sleepy) and read her a bedtime story before putting her down.
Feed her plenty during the day
Make sure your baby finishes her last feeding before she goes to sleep and that she's eating enough during those daytime feedings. For younger babies, a dream feed right before you go to sleep may help.
Be a little boring
Don't give your baby the idea that nighttime is playtime. Dim the lights, nix the bubbly conversations and limit the sing-songs to soft lullabies. And unless her diaper is dirty, leave it on until morning — even a diaper change can be too much activity until your baby grows out of night waking.
Don’t skip naps
It might seem like a good idea to curb daytime dozing for a baby who wakes up in the middle of the night. But this tactic can backfire. While naps help counteract sleep deficit at night, they’re still important for maintaining your routine and supporting your baby’s overall health.
Babies aren’t born knowing how to put themselves to sleep when they’re tired or how to wake up when they’re well-rested. This is something she has to learn. Frequent night wakings and other sleep disruptions are all completely normal, and, like everything else, will change as she grows.
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