I often hear the phrase “It’s biologically normal for your baby / toddler to wake frequently at night”. But what does this actually mean?
Do we need to help them back to sleep each time they wake? Or can it be “biologically normal” for your baby / toddler to sleep through the night as well? Let’s have a look….
The term “biologically normal sleep” refers to the sleep patterns and behaviour's that are developmentally age appropriate for babies and young children, taking into account their physiological and psychological needs. There are a 5 key points to understand when it comes to night sleep:
1. Age and readiness - In the newborn stage, sleep is often fairly disorganised with shorter sleep cycles and babies can vary in their readiness to sleep for longer stretches. A baby that is over 4 months old is neurologically capable to link sleep cycles / sleep longer stretches.
2. Sleep Cycles - Just like adults, babies and toddlers experience sleep cycles and it's common for them to briefly wake up between cycles. As adults, we may roll over / reposition ourselves without even realising it or remembering it in the morning. When babies and toddlers come to the end of a sleep cycle, they may reposition themselves ie. roll over, sit up / lay down, cry out and depending how they originally fell asleep, they may need help resettling, or they'll just fall back to sleep themselves. This is completely normal for night sleep.
3. Sleep Associations - How did your baby / toddler initially fall asleep? If they were assisted i.e. breast / bottle fed, rocked, laying down with them etc, they will need these same conditions to fall back to sleep when they wake at night. This can often take longer in the second half of the night. If your baby / toddler has been able to go from awake – drowsy – asleep without parental assistance, they are much more likely to sleep longer stretches overnight as when they come out of a sleep cycle / wake up, they’ll see they’re still in the same safe, comfortable place where they originally fell asleep. (p.s. there is nothing wrong with feeding / rocking to sleep if this is working for you / you are happy to do so!)
4. Sleep environment - Factors such as room temperature, safety and comfort of bedding, noise levels, a dark room free from distractions can all contribute to better sleep quality. By the time a baby is able to roll, they often like the freedom that being in a cot can offer (no more room in a bassinet!), it's also a great time to move them into a sleep sack where they can't get caught up in any blankets. White noise playing throughout the nap / night is also helpful to block out other house hold / street noise.
5. Physical milestones - such as rolling over, sitting up, crawling, pulling to stand can also disrupt sleep patterns. Ensure they get plenty of floor time / practice during their awake time to practice these new skills so they’re not so inclined to practice them at nap / bedtime.
So, it’s very clear that your baby / toddler waking overnight is biologically normal – it can be normal for them to wake and resettle themselves back to sleep and normal for them to wake and be assisted back to sleep.
Night waking is a normal part of the sleep journey for babies / toddlers and it’s only a problem if a family identifies it as being one or if the frequency of night wakes is no longer working for them, but it’s not something that has to be addressed. You get to care and respond to your child however best resonates with you :)))
If you are needing some support and guidance around your baby / child waking less, we can have this happening within a week, just give me a call to tell me what’s happening and we’ll be able to book in a 1-1 consult either at your home or over a video call.
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