What are the signs of an overtired baby?

Common signs include fussiness that escalates, difficulty settling, becoming wired or frantic rather than drowsy, rubbing eyes, yawning turning to crying, and short broken naps. Catching the earlier tired cues avoids getting there.

Why is an overtired baby harder to settle?

Staying awake too long can leave a baby overstimulated and wound up, so instead of drifting off they fight sleep and then wake more easily. Offering sleep before that point makes settling much easier.

How do I stop my baby getting overtired?

Watch tired cues and keep to age-appropriate wake windows, offering the nap or bedtime while the baby is calm and drowsy rather than waiting for obvious exhaustion. For twins, keeping both on matched windows helps you get ahead of it for both.

What is overtiredness? A plain-language definition

Overtiredness

In short

Overtiredness is what happens when a baby is kept awake past the point where they could settle easily. Instead of getting sleepier they become wired and harder to settle, wake more and nap poorly. The fix is prevention: watch tired cues and wake windows so you offer sleep before the window closes. With twins it is doubly important, because two overtired babies at once is far harder than two who went down on time.

Overtiredness is the state a baby reaches when they have been awake longer than they can comfortably manage. Counterintuitively, an overtired baby does not become easy to put down; they become wired, fussy and much harder to settle, and their sleep after tends to be short and broken.

It is one of the main reasons a nap or bedtime falls apart. Once a baby is past the window where they could drift off, sleep becomes a fight.

The whole game is prevention. Watch your baby's tired cues and keep to sensible wake windows so you offer sleep while they are calm and drowsy. With twins this matters twice over, because settling two overtired babies at the same time is one of the hardest jobs there is, and it is largely avoidable.

Frequently asked questions

What are the signs of an overtired baby?: Common signs include fussiness that escalates, difficulty settling, becoming wired or frantic rather than drowsy, rubbing eyes, yawning turning to crying, and short broken naps. Catching the earlier tired cues avoids getting there.
Why is an overtired baby harder to settle?: Staying awake too long can leave a baby overstimulated and wound up, so instead of drifting off they fight sleep and then wake more easily. Offering sleep before that point makes settling much easier.
How do I stop my baby getting overtired?: Watch tired cues and keep to age-appropriate wake windows, offering the nap or bedtime while the baby is calm and drowsy rather than waiting for obvious exhaustion. For twins, keeping both on matched windows helps you get ahead of it for both.

Overtiredness

Frequently asked questions

Sources

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