Avoiding Overtiredness
In the baby world we always hear: overtired, under-tired, too much sleep, too little sleep, wake windows, ideal wake time, bedtime routine, consistency….the list goes on.
Avoiding overtiredness is something that’s crucial however. For a child, overtiredness can result in hyperactivity, disorganization, an inability to focus, and parents can often describe their child as “bouncing off the walls” or “catching a second wind.”
So how do we avoid that when our children are chronic short-nappers? Or maybe your child wakes at 5am to start their day… then what?
Firstly, I want you to imagine that you’re exhausted. You are super ready to sleep, but you’re sitting in the middle seat of a jam-packed airplane. You have your neck pillow (thank goodness), but you mistakingly wore jeans and you know that your feet are sweaty in your shoes, so you don’t dare take those off. You reach into your bag to grab your headphones, realizing quickly that you left them on the counter at home. RATS. Thankfully you’re tired enough that you can still ease into sleep, albeit uncomfortable. But, just as you can sense your body getting heavy and your eyes are starting to lose that burning sensation, your window neighbour nudges you to wake up and let them out to pee. You get out of your seat, just to have them nudge you a second time as they try to get back into their spot. The stewardess then wakes you to ask if you want a pop and some stale pretzels. Finally, the pilot won’t stop alerting the cabin of turbulence, the seat belt sign, and information about descent. YOU. ARE. IRRITATED. Not only are you exhausted, but now you are way too overstimulated. People are touching you, talking to you, the temperature isn’t quite right, and you wish you could just lay down instead of sit upright in a squishy seat. Finally, you cut your losses, take off your neck pillow, pull out your book and your trail mix, and call the much-needed nap-time, quits.
Sounds horrible, right? But probably all too familiar with those of you who have traveled by airplane.
That terrible flight is exactly how our children feel when they are overtired. They are basically BEGGING to go to sleep, but sometimes we won’t allow it.
Some of the common signs of overtiredness are:
Overly Cranky
Overly Sensitive
Crying without Reason
Outbursts of Anger
Lack of Participation
So - how do we avoid that?
We want to ensure that we are always following a proper wake-window schedule for our children. What a wake window schedule is, is quite literally a guide that helps us navigate when their next rest period should be. For example, a baby on a 2 nap schedule will likely have an awake time of 2.5, 3, 3.5. These numbers account for the hours in between rest periods.
This actually means that I WANT YOU to wake your sleeping baby to make sure that they can take their next nap at the appropriate time. Not only does this help them in the long run, but it also helps keep your day consistent and on track.
If your child doesn’t nap anymore, then ensuring they have an appropriate wake time in the morning, and an appropriate bedtime in the evening will be key. Waking any time between 6-8am is ideal, along with a 6-8pm bedtime.
However, if you feel like you follow wake windows, but your baby is STILL overtired, then I want you to check the following boxes:
Is your child falling asleep independently? Or are they relying on a lot of stimulation to fall asleep?
Is your child’s sleep environment sleep friendly? (Blacked out, noise machine on, correct temperature)
Are you following an age-appropriate schedule for your child?
Is bedtime at a consistent time every night?
Have you set boundaries around bedtime and wake-time?
Big kids often need bedtime boundaries and even some bedtime rules. Whereas smaller kids need parent-led routine and assistance.
Avoiding overtiredness is something that every parent should prioritize! Not only will it benefit your child, but it will also benefit you!
