What is Overtiredness and How Can You Avoid It For Your Baby?
Any parent of a baby or toddler will have heard of the term ‘overtiredness’, which gets blamed for a variety of sleep disturbances such as early rising or night wakings.
What is ‘overtiredness’ and does it even exist?
On the one hand, yes its true that babies can become grouchy, disinterested, fidgety, cry, or appear to be fighting sleep if they’ve been awake for too long. Little ones can struggle to regulate their own emotions and behaviour, so may need us to step in to support them with calming down before they drift off to sleep.
However, if your baby does end up being super tired, it doesn’t mean they won’t be able to settle for sleep and stay asleep. There is no evidence or research that suggests ‘overtiredness’ as a culprit for baby or toddler sleep disturbances.
The right schedule for your baby
Rather than worrying about whether your baby might be overtired, instead look out for their sleep cues, for example eye rubbing, looking away from you, appearing disinterested. Over time you will learn your baby’s sleep cues and can start to build a schedule around your little one’s tolerance for staying awake between each nap.
If you try to put your baby down too early for sleep this can also cause them to fight sleep, as your baby will protest about being asked to sleep when they’re not tired enough. That’s why it’s a good idea to keep a look out for those sleepy cues and start your relaxing pre-nap routine as soon as you see them.
In summary
Yes it is possible for your baby to get super tired and dysregulated (which some call ‘overtired’) which may need some intervention from parent to settle them, but this ‘overtiredness’ doesn’t mean your baby won’t be able to settle for sleep at all, or stay asleep all night. If you’re keeping an eye on your baby’s tired signs between naps, this will help you understand how much time they can comfortably stay awake, and give you a better chance of success for longer naps and bedtimes.
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