When To Wake A Sleeping Baby
Did you click on this blog post just because you’re sure that the title must have been a typo?
“Never ever wake a sleeping baby, Becca! Everyone knows this!”
But it was not a typo! (Though I know I’m far from above those, so please forgive any you see on my pages. I’m just a tired mama trying to run a business to help other tired mamas.)
There are indeed instances where you can and very much should wake a sleeping baby. I want to talk about those today because nobody likes to wake a sleeping baby, but it can really help you and them get much better sleep! Keep reading for some of the top scenarios where you should wake your sleeping baby up…
It is time for a feed
This is especially important in really little babies. We want to be prioritizing feeds and feeding times to be sure that they are getting all of the calories they’re needing for their little growing bodies. Waking them to make sure they get those calories will actually help with their sleep! A full belly will always help baby sleep better. Once your baby is a little older and is in a good spot on their growth curve, you can be a little more flexible on waking them for feeds, but still make sure they’re getting all of their feeds in spread out throughout the day. If you have questions about their feeding schedule or how many calories they need to be taking in, be sure and talk to your pediatrician.
Bedtime has become a battle
Bedtime can become a battle for a number of reasons, and one reason can be that their last wake window before bed isn’t long enough. In this case, you’d want to cap their last nap to avoid this issue. Wake windows are always important to pay attention to, but this last wake window before bed is especially important. Everyone knows that an overtired child at bedtime can make for a really rough night, but an undertired child that has not been awake for long enough when bedtime rolls around can be just as tough! So be sure when you’re planning out your day, that you prioritize that last wake window before bedtime.
Your child has reached their needed daytime sleep
Daytime sleep is SO important! I always say that sleep begets sleep. Getting your baby enough daytime sleep helps nighttime sleep so much, but we don’t want your little getting too much daytime sleep. If they are getting too much of their sleep needs in for a 24 hour period during the day, this can make nighttimes a challenge. If you notice your little one awake, happy, and ready to party for a while in the middle of the night, this can be a sign that they are getting too much daytime sleep. So pay attention to how much daytime sleep is appropriate for their age, and start capping their naps if they’re going much over that amount. Each age has a range of how much sleep they need overall and during the day. Make sure your little one is staying under the maximum amount. If they are under the maximum amount and still having a little party at 2am consistently, they may be over what their personal amount of needed daytime sleep is, and you can try cutting it down to see if that helps. We have recommendations based on ages that are pretty standard, but every baby is unique. Your baby needs the amount of sleep that is right for them.
A nap has gone longer than two hours
In general, I like to cap naps at two hours. If a nap goes longer than two hours, go ahead and wake baby up to keep them on a good daytime schedule. There are some exceptions to this, of course. First, this only applies to babies on two or more naps. If your little one has dropped to one nap, they can go for about three hours at naptime. If your baby is sick or teething, they may need more sleep than usual, and this could be an appropriate time to let your baby sleep a little longer. Another reason to let baby go past two hours is if they have had a rare hard day of sleep. If your baby is having consistent challenges with overnight or daytime sleep, then we want to focus on getting them on a good schedule and cap naps at 2 hours. However, if they just had an off day or two and need to make up some sleep, you could let their nap go a little long.
It is morning wake up time
I am a big fan of the consistent morning wake up time for babies and toddlers. Most of the schedules I write have little ones waking up consistently at 7am daily, though I always customize my plans to the unique needs of the different families that I work with, so this can be adjusted as needed! The point of the consistent wake up time is that it sets the tone for the whole day for your little one. Consistency is so helpful to children when it comes to sleep, as well as most other areas of their life! Consistently waking them up at 7am gets your routine and schedule off to a good start and helps their little bodies get into a rhythm.
Have I convinced you that it is okay to wake a sleeping baby yet? I hope so! Send us a message if you want to chat more about finding a good rhythm for your baby and if you need some more convincing that it really truly is okay to wake a sleeping baby sometimes.
~Becca