Our baby was the perfect sleeper, and after a few months my partner had set up the perfect routine. Baby used to go to sleep at the same time every night with the minimum of fuss and sleep through. Now she takes hours to go to sleep and will only scream if we put her down in the cot.
Our baby boy was never the best sleeper, but once we got him to sleep he would not wake up until morning. Now he has got into the habit of waking up in the middle of the night for a few hours. Why has he started waking up at this time? He won’t go back to sleep for a few hours and seems very alert at this time
Do either of these stories sound familiar to you? Stories like these certainly seem to be a common experience about many parents I speak to – and our own experiences have been similar!
The first few months of baby’s sleep routine can be a bit of a write off, but you’ve probably eventually got a great sleep routine sorted out – and now, six months later or more, baby seems to be throwing it all out the window!
So don’t panic – the fact that baby no longer sticks to the night routine doesn’t mean all is lost – it is most likely a phase.
Here’s how to survive when baby just doesn’t want to sleep like they used to anymore.
Be flexible – baby has broken routine, probably for some good reason or another, so don’t make things worse by trying to ignore this and pretend all is well. At the same time you won’t want to throw the routine out entirely – but be flexible and listen to your baby. If they are nearing or recently achieved the one-year-old mark, chances are they are much better at giving you cues as to what they want
Don’t give up hope – it’s very likely this will be a phase, but it could take a few weeks to pass. In the meantime don’t despair and be supportive to your partner. Try to work it out that you both take some of the sleepless sessions or crying before bedtime. Remember it will be a shock to both of your systems to be woken in the night again if you’ve been getting used to a reasonably full night sleep
Talk to people – it’s likely friends and acquaintances are going through something very similar, so talk to people about their baby’s sleep routine. It makes it so much easier to know you are not the only one who’s baby has forgotten how to sleep through the night – and they might even have some useful suggestions on how to get baby back into a good sleep routine
Possible causes for baby’s night routine upset:
Teething – watch out for those all too telling red cheeks. There are several homeopathic powders you can give baby to calm them and reduce the stomach upset associated with teething, if you don’t want to end up giving them paracetamol every night
Growing pains – you’ll remember growing pains when you were a teenager, imagine what it’s like when you’re growing as fast as a one year old
Illness – do watch out for anything else unusual with baby that might indicate they are unwell. Remember if you are unsure and baby doesn’t seem their usual self, you can always see a doctor
These discomforts are easily ignored during the day when you’re having fun, but when baby is alone in a cot at night they may become quite distracting and might make it hard for baby to sleep.
Most important thing is to realise it will pass – to some extent you will need to go with the flow, help your baby feel more comfortable, maybe let them stay up a little later than usual until they are tired and hopefully they will be better in a few weeks.
