They're growing and developing!

Your tiny baby, this little thing that's spent 9 months growing in the cosiness of a womb, is far from done yet! So much growing is on the way, as is evident by the fact you (and I) are not babies anymore!

Your baby's brain is working so hard all the time and sleep is when a lot of information is consolidated... It's also when your baby therefore may find it hard, one finishing one sleep cycle, or entering a lighter stage of sleep, to drift back off. Suddenly, they are more conscious and aware and they decide now is the time to practice that skill they've been working on!

I came back to a client today, whose little one is 2.5 months old, and I noticed she has started putting her hand, very intentionally, to her mouth and sucking on it! What a skill! That's hand-eye... or hand-mouth... coordination at its finest! So, of course she'll take advantage of waking after 40 minutes, to practice that for 15... and then need a snack!

She's smiling more and reacting as I sing to her. Her brain is a busy bee and, as we all know as adults, when our brains are busy it can have an impact on sleep.

So just remember, when your little one's sleep seems to dip and dive here, there and everywhere, or when they're suddenly snacking more between micro-naps, it's time to start looking for a new skill or behaviour to emerge. This bit won't be forever - more consolidated sleep will return at some point... well, until the next skills workshop begins for your baby! It's all fun and games in Babyville and it's all part of the process... What will come next I wonder?

Sleep physically changes for your baby sometime between 3 and 6 months

It's often (wrongly) referred to as a sleep 'regression' when it is in fact the most major progression in your little one's sleep evolution they'll ever go through. As newborns in the first few months, they're sleeping 50/50 in REM/Quiet sleep. This then evolves into the more complex, multi-stage sleep we all do as adults with light stages that we pass through as we 'fall' asleep joining the party. This is when sleep can be thrown in the air a little as your baby has to adjust to this unknown lighter stage of drifting to sleep that they're not used to. This can often result in waking more between cycles instead of seemlessly transitioning from one to another as newborns will for hours on end. This stage will pass and, in the meantime, you can support them through it!

The internal or external environment is disturbing their sleep (and they're dependent on you to help!)

I was thinking about what has been waking me up in the night recently:

I needed a wee...I'm not great at drinking water in the day and then often my body informs me of how thirsty I am by the eve and I drink lots before bed....then inevitably wake for a wee.

My flatmate or my partners flatmate have got home after I've gone to sleep and I've briefly woken and taken a bit of time to settle.

Sometimes I kick the covers off in my sleep and if the fan - situated near that end of the bed, then blows air at my toes, I've woken and adjusted...I've been known to move the fan in the middle of the night when this happens.

Conversely...I get too hot at the moment with these unusually warm temperatures....so then wake slightly too warm and not quite able to get comfortable (especially balancing that with not getting cold toes from the fan).

Both my room and my partners room at his flat don't have the best curtain/blinds situation so the early morning light greets me in the early hours and I often wake...check the time and then, try and roll over and go back to sleep...if this happens in the weekday of when I have plans in the morning or an alarm is set...I often struggle to resettle as I'm then more alert and aware of there not being much time left to sleep. 

So...you see, i, a 28-year old independently functioning adult wake for many reasons and either successfully or unsuccessfully resolve the reason for my wake up and resettle.

Babies and toddlers can't do these things for themselves and often need assistance!

Why do you wake in the night?