7 reasons your child isn’t sleeping
After working on sleep with hundreds of families over the past few years...here are the most common reasons I see for inadequate sleep in young children. Whats adequate? 17-20 hrs a day for newborns, 14-17 hrs a day for infants, and 12-14 hrs a day for toddlers. If your child isn’t getting that amount of sleep…keep reading!
7 Reasons Your Child Isn’t Sleeping:
1 - They’re under 12 pounds: if under 12 pounds, they can’t yet get all of their nutritional needs met during the daytime, and will need to feed in the night. However, they should fall back to sleep quickly after feeding and should sleep most of the day. Generally, babies over 6-8 weeks should only need 1 night feed, and babies under 8 weeks should need a max of 2. If this is not the case for your baby, I can help!
2- They’re too tired: When a child has unnecessary night feedings/wakings or is awake too long for their age, they will produce cortisol, which causes them to become wired, and they will fight sleep even though they’re truly tired. I can help you get out of the overtired cycle!
3 - They’re not tired enough: Often when a child gets too much daytime sleep, they’re not tired enough to sleep through the night, and you can see difficulty falling asleep, night wakings, or early morning wakings. I can help you determine your child’s unique daytime and nighttime sleep needs as it is different for each child.
4 - They’re not eating enough during the day: When a child “snacks” during the day as opposed to eating full meals, they’re often never full enough to sustain the longer stretches of daytime and nighttime sleep they need. Common causes are: feeds that are too close together (less than 3-4 hrs apart), distracted feeds or sleeping during feeds.
5 - Their daily routine is inconsistent: Our circadian rhythms cannot regulate if we eat and sleep at vastly different times each day. Our bodies crave consistency and regularity. I can help you design a daily routine for your child that meets their unique needs and fits with the lifestyle of your entire family.
6 - Their daily routine is not age-appropriate: A child’s sleep needs change as they get older, and they begin to need more nighttime sleep, less daytime sleep, less feeds, and longer periods of time awake during the day. Changing sleep needs are often the culprits of what we refer to as “sleep regressions”. I can teach you how to adjust your child’s routine as they get older, to prevent regressions and maintain healthy sleep habits for years to come!
7 - They’re not falling asleep independently: When a child is not given the opportunity to practice their natural ability to put themselves to sleep without intervention, they develop a habit of wanting someone or something else to put them to sleep. Although they don’t need this, they come to expect it and want it each time they wake between sleep cycles (every 2-3 hrs in the night and 30-40 mins into naps) and will cry if they don’t get it. Common sleep crutches are: feeding to sleep, rocking to sleep, contact-sleeping, motion, pacifiers, etc. The good news is that babies are biologically designed to meet their own sleep needs without intervention. I can teach you how to support them in this!
These are NOT the reasons why your child isn’t sleeping:
They don’t need sleep or aren’t a “good sleeper”
They feel traumatized and neglected when sleeping alone
They aren’t capable of putting themselves to sleep
They’re in a “regression”
They need to eat multiple times a night
They’re EBF
They have reflux/colic/gas