FALSE STARTS IN THE BABY SLEEP WORLD
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In the world of baby's and sleep there are so many different phases and obstacles to overcome. It's a part of parenthood that they seem to have left out of the handbook: "Hello, my name's Dana and I am a self-proclaimed mastermind at figuring out what the hell is going on with my baby's sleep today. How are you?".
The topic on today's blog is 'False Starts', what are they, why do they happen and what you can do to fix them. Thankfully you're not alone with this one as many parents come across them at least once in their parenting journey and it's usually just a simple fix. But if you've tired it all and they're still not easing off, then it might be better to enlist the help of a sleep consultant to get to the bottom of why the false starts are occurring.
What are False Starts in baby's?
False starts usually occur in the first hour of night sleep where your child will wake and be difficult to resettle or will wake and be happy to stay awake for another awake time. To put simply, it's a disruption to their circadian rhythm.
Why do they occur and how to fix them?
The disruption to your little cubs' first sleep cycle of the night is almost always due to a baby who hasn't had enough day sleep or on the other hand has had too much day sleep.
In order to fall asleep and stay asleep, we need their sleep pressure to be on our side. It needs to be high enough that they settle easily and quickly but not too high that they conk out the moment their head hits the mattress (typical overtired sign). How to fix: If you suspect your baby is overtired at night, bring their bedtime back 30 minutes or until you find the sweet spot and work on extending their naps to compliment their night sleep.
Likewise, if your baby is having more than the average amount of day sleep, then they simply won't have enough sleep pressure at bedtime to sleep soundly. So you can't expect them to sleep well overnight. How to fix: Working on a predictable nap routine and not letting them oversleep will help ten-fold.
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There are also some other factors to consider that could be causing your little cubs' false start and these are
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Discomfort: Some babies are more sensitive to certain fabric materials, tight clothing, tags rubbing them or their sleep environment.
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Environmental aspects: Take a look at the temperature of their room and the TOG rating of their sleeping bag/suit. Are they too hot or too cold? Is there external noises waking them. I always tell my clients a room temperature between 18-19 degrees is comfortable. However, always be sure to follow your own child's preferences as some run hotter or cooler than other babies and depends on the sleeping bag/ suit they are dressed in.
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Routine or lack-of: Sometime all it takes is a routine adjustment to fix a false start like extending/decreasing awake time or nap lengths/timings but if you are a go-with-the-flow type of parent, you might benefit from giving some stability to your child with a predictable nap and bedtime routine (where ever you chose to give them), as your baby may be treating bedtime as just another nap.
Need a bit more information or personalised support?
If you're struggling with your baby's sleep, need help with some routine adjustments or help figuring out what's happening. I have a range of services to suit any preference or commitment. From 1:1 support packages to just a sleep plan or one-off phone call. Whatever it is, I've got you covered! Check them out here
Love Dana x