Why Is Your Child Waking Through The Night?

10/19/2016

Waking frequently during the night is one of the most common sleep concerns parents have about their child’s sleep. While sleeping in short stints is common and natural to all babies, especially those under 4 months of age, you may be wondering why your older baby or toddler continues to wake.

There are many reasons why children continue to wake during the night and I’ve listed those that most families can relate to. Go through the list below and find out how you can work on improving the issues that are causing your child to wake up.

Hunger/Thirst – Does your child eat well during the day? Ensure your baby is getting plenty of breast milk/formula (if under a year old) so he/she isn’t trying to make up for it at night. One to two feedings during the night is still normal at this stage, but check with your doctor if you’re considering night weaning. For older children, offer a bedtime snack to help curb any cravings if your child is waking up saying he/she is hungry.

Dirty Diaper – Many babies will wake up because of a dirty diaper, but once past the early infancy stage, you shouldn’t need to worry too much about this. If you are up for a night feeding and you notice a dirty diaper, go ahead and change it quietly and with as little light as possible.

Illness/Fever – During times of illness, especially for younger babies who breathe from their nose or if a fever is present, follow your doctors advice on any pain relievers or medications your child can take (depending on age) and go to your child as needed during the night. This is not a time to be encouraging them to sleep through the night, as they need extra comfort and cuddles to help them through. Promote sleep/rest as best you can throughout the day as this will help with their recovery. You can resume any sleep training/guidance once your child is feeling better.

Undiagnosed allergies or physical issues – If you suspect any undiagnosed medical issue that could be impacting your child’s sleep, check with your doctor for the best course of action. Sometimes things come up during my consultations with families that may indicate a possible issue, which is why in such cases I always seek approval or advice from a doctor just to be sure.

Temperature – If your child is shivering to get warm or sweating to keep cool, this can definitely impact their ability to get a good nights rest. A safe and comfortable temperature for sleeping can be anywhere around 18 – 22 degrees Celsius. A sleeper or pajamas with a sleep sac or blanket should be plenty to keep them cozy with this room temperature.

Too much light coming into the bedroom – Keep lights dim as bedtime approaches to help with the production of melatonin – the sleep hormone. If you are still feeding baby at night, use as little light as possible.

Not getting to bed at the right time – This will depend on your child’s age, but for some babies and toddlers, this could be as early as 5:30pm. Follow their sleep cues and don’t keep them up later in the hopes of them sleeping in. Sleep begets sleep – the more rested your child is, the better he/she will sleep!

Not napping well during the day - It’s important to help children sleep in line with their natural circadian rhythm to get the most restful and restorative sleep possible. For babies still taking three naps a day, these times are usually around 9am, and 12pm (+ a third cat nap in the afternoon). As children drop naps, the midday nap should approach 12:30-1pm. Additionally, in order for naps to be truly restful and restorative, they need to be at least 1 hour in length. Use the ‘Hour Rule’ for morning and midday naps. This means your child stays in his/her bed for at least one hour, sleeping or not! This allows them the opportunity to fall back to sleep, and eventually link cycles and sleep for a longer period all at once.

Play detective and rule out which issues are not impacting your child’s sleep and start working on those you have control over.

Happy Sleeping!

Ashley

Ashley Cooley is a Health Promotion Specialist, Childbirth Educator, and Child Sleep Consultant with Citadel Sleep Consulting. She lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia with her husband and two toddler girls. She’s passionate about sharing her real life experiences and certified knowledge to help families sleep better.