How to tell if your baby is sleeping too much.
Let’s be honest, knowing when your child should sleep, how much your child should sleep and all of the other things that go into sleep can be one of the more challenging aspects of motherhood. Just think about it, a simple google search can give you so much conflicting information, sometimes leaving parents more overwhelmed and confused than they were before they decided to open the computer!
As a sleep consultant, typically when families reach out to me, they are concerned that their baby or toddler is not sleeping enough, but did you know that sleep challenges can also result from your child sleeping too much?
I know it sounds backwards, but hear me out! Did you know too much daytime sleep (or too much nighttime sleep) can potentially lead to sleep issues for your little one? This is due to the fact that too much daytime sleep can “steal” from nighttime sleep and vice versa!
So if your child has previously been a champion napper or nighttime sleeper, but you have recently been noticing some disturbances in their sleep, here are four signs that too much sleep could be the cause!
Their number of naps is no longer age appropriate
Here at My Sweet Sleeper we believe that every child is different and every child has different needs, but we also provide parents with general recommended ranges and totals to help guide them when figuring out their child’s sleep.
With that being said, if your child is taking too many naps throughout the day, this could lead to more night wakings as that daytime sleep is “stealing” from nighttime sleep. If that is the case, it may be time to drop a nap!
Your baby is waking more at night
Did you previously have a rockstar night sleeper and you are recently experiencing your child waking more at night? While this could be for many different reasons, too much daytime sleep could be the cause!
Young infants need about 12-15 hours of sleep per day (including naps) and if your little one is getting more than the recommended daytime totals for sleep, it could be the cause!
Your baby is waking early for the day
There isn’t much worse than laying in bed and hearing your little one awake and ready for the day at 5am, am I right? An early morning waking is when your child wakes up between 4-6am. If this is happening to you consistently recently, and you have ruled out all other factors, your child may be getting too much daytime sleep and they have fulfilled their 24 hours sleep needs by 5am and are ready to get up for the day!
Try adjusting their nap schedule if this is the case!
Bedtime is being pushed too late
Your baby’s bedtime can be determined by two things: what time your child wakes up from their last nap, and their age. If your child is waking up from their last nap later in the evening, this can cause bedtime to be pushed past the recommended range.
You can find recommended bedtimes and awake windows in our other articles, but by about four months, your baby should be generally following a 12-hour cycle, so 6am-6pm, 7am-7pm, or 8am-8pm (keeping in mind this will vary). If your child does not seem tired at bedtime or their bedtime is being pushed past 8:30pm (with the exception of newborns) your child may be getting too much day sleep.
As always, when you begin to notice shifts in your child’s sleep, it is always important not to panic. It can be very easy to jump to extending awake windows or dropping a nap, but you want to see a consistent trend (at least 10-14 days) before you make any major changes to your child’s schedule. Stay consistent with healthy sleep foundations and if you are still having issues, it may be time to make an adjustment to their schedule!
If you get to a point where you are not sure exactly what you need to do to get back on track, you can always reach out to us for help! Our goal here at My Sweet Sleeper is to support you and guide you along the way. Feel free to work 1:1 with one of our expert sleep consultants to help walk you through the process step by step or our 4-12 month sleep course or toddler course are wonderful options as well!
Related articles:
How to move your toddlers bedtime earlier.