The Baby Sleep Book: How to help your baby to sleep and have a restful night. Martha Sears

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       Three to four years. Finally by this stage most children’s sleep patterns become like those of adults. By four years, many children no longer nap during the day, yet still need eleven to twelve hours of sleep at night.

why babies wake up

      Understanding all the things that can go on in that little body and mind when you put her down to sleep at night may help you understand why babies wake up so often, develop some creative tips to help her sleep, and above all sympathize with your baby. Here are the main reasons why babies awaken frequently.

      1. They’re babies! As discussed in detail on page babies have shorter sleep cycles. Every hour or so as they pass from the state of deep sleep into light sleep, they go through a vulnerable period for night waking. If they sense any upset or discomfort during this vulnerable period, they cry for assistance. For safety’s sake, babies’ sleep patterns have easy arousability, which means that if anything threatens their well-being (such as SIDS) they wake up more easily than do adults. Exhausting as it may be to their caregivers, these are survival and developmental reasons why babies are prone to night waking.

      2. They’re hungry. Tiny babies have tiny tummies and fast metabolisms. They can’t go as long without food as adults can. And breastmilk moves through baby’s stomach faster than formula. Many infants don’t start clustering their day feedings and dropping night feedings for at least six months, and most breastfeeding babies continue to need a night feeding for sometime thereafter. While some books may say infants don’t need night feedings after a certain age, try telling that to a baby with an empty tummy.

      3. They’re thirsty. If your baby was used to feeding several times at night, or getting a bottle or two, but has now learned to sleep without this (thankfully!), he may start to feel the lack of fluids at night. This becomes truer during the toddler and preschool years. If you find your child is waking up and feeling thirsty, have a handy trainer cup or water bottle nearby that your child can drink from before he fully wakes up. Also be sure to provide a good size drink of water before bedtime (unless, of course, you are potty training at night).

      Doctor Bob’s third child used to wake up between 18 months and 2 years asking for water (even though he was still breastfeeding). He wouldn’t even open his eyes. He’d just lie there asking for water, and when we gave him a drink, he’d fall right back to sleep.

      4. They’re growing. Growth hormone levels are much higher during sleep. Thus, the saying, “he seemed to outgrow his baby clothes overnight”. Growth hormone also stimulates hunger. Waking to feed frequently is the baby’s way of making sure he has enough fuel to do the growing. Babies typically will experience growth spurts around three weeks, six weeks, three months, and six months. During these stretches your baby will go on feeding marathons day and night. Don’t worry. If your baby is generally a good sleeper, things should go back to normal within a few days. If your baby has been a night waker all along, then you probably won’t even notice the difference. Growth spurts are just another way that Mother Nature robs us of sleep (when we say “us”, what we really mean is you mums out there, and you dads who are noble enough to share the nighttime duty.)