Signs of an Overtired Baby

Wake windows, nap times, schedules, and routines- we put all of them in place to prevent an overtired baby. This blog post will teach you what the term overtired means as well as the signs of an overtired baby. Once you know them, you will be able to determine if you need to make any adjustments to your baby's daily sleep habits.

What does it mean when we say a baby is overtired? In short, this means that a baby has been awake too long or has not had enough sleep, which triggers a stress response. So even though you know your baby is exhausted and needs sleep, their stress response causes them to fight it and makes settling down to sleep very difficult.

If your baby is not getting enough sleep each day, they will constantly be working off of a sleep deficit. This can be difficult to manage day by day. The following are some signs that might indicate your baby is overtired:

• Your baby is more fussy than usual

• Your baby is taking short cat-naps instead of longer, fuller naps

• Your baby cannot make it the full length of their age-appropriate wake window

• Yawning

• You are having a difficult time calming your baby down

• Your baby is more clingy than usual

If you are unsure of your child’s daily sleep needs including the typical number of naps, the total amount of daytime sleep, the total amount of daily sleep, wake windows, and how long you should limit each nap, download your free master sleep chart here.

If you need help with how to extend short naps, you can check out my blog post about it here.

If you find yourself with an overtired baby, help them get to sleep to try and catch up on some of that sleep deficit. Be sure to be mindful of wake windows in between each sleep. Keep an eye on the total amount of sleep your child is getting each day and try to keep them on track as best as you can.