Most babies wake up at night, in fact, adults do too, the problem is that many don't have the ability to go back to sleep. Do you want to know why your baby wakes up at night? We'll tell you in this post!
Doesn't differentiate between day and night
Until approximately 3-4 months, babies don't differentiate well between day and night, and it's important that we help them distinguish it. To do this, it's usually good to get them used to sleeping naps with the normal household noise during the day and taking them to a dark, quiet room at night.
The Moro reflex or startle reflex
Surely you've seen your baby wake up startled and stretch their arms. Well, that's called the Moro reflex or startle reflex, and it's very common until 4 months. Generally, babies find it hard to go back to sleep, so swaddling or rocking them is a good solution to avoid these awakenings, and for that, nothing beats our sleeping bags!
Wakes up at night because they fall asleep with external aids
If, at the moment the baby wakes up, they are offered help to sleep, they will demand it every time they wake up. This awakening is the most difficult to work on because many times due to tiredness or desperation we try to get them to sleep using any technique (holding them, breastfeeding, rocking them in the stroller, singing a song...). Therefore, it is important to teach healthy sleep habits from the beginning.
Is hungry
Many times we don't know if they wake up because they are hungry or for another reason. If your baby wakes up hysterical, it is likely that they woke up because they are scared or confused, not because of hunger: little ones who fall asleep in arms sometimes wake up disoriented.
Wakes up according to their daytime feeding schedule
If your little marmot eats every 3 hours during the day, they might do the same at night, especially if they are less than 3 months old. On the other hand, if they fell asleep while eating and wake up, it's likely they need the help of a bottle or breast to go back to sleep. Therefore, it's advisable to try to keep them awake during their daytime feeds.
Your baby wakes up because they are in a developmental stage
When they start to develop new abilities like rolling over, sitting up, and talking, they tend to be more restless and have more difficulty sleeping. Don't worry! It's something temporary, and if you maintain good sleep habits, everything will return to normal.
What did you think of this post? Did it help you identify the reasons why your baby wakes up at night? Let us know in the comments!
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