Is your little one waking up shortly after you put them to bed? Or maybe they sleep for a block of time at first and then start to wake frequently after midnight?

This is what we call frequent night waking, which is when a child wakes and needs your help to get back to sleep any time after you have put them to bed and before 6am. Unfortunately, any time from 6am is classed as a reasonable time for a child to sleep through the night and then naturally wake to start their day.

Why is this happening?

This can happen for a variety of reasons, including overtiredness, not enough daytime sleep, wakeful windows being exceeded, heavy reliance on a crutch or sleep onset association, and finally, they have not mastered their self-settling and resettling skills.

The first thing you need to identify is which of these could be causing your little one to wake frequently during the night. It could be one reason, but it's likely to be a combination of a few, as some of them go hand in hand.

For example, overtiredness is likely to be caused by not enough daytime sleep, and also potentially their wakeful windows being exceeded.

If you are unsure how much sleep your little one should be getting and what their awake windows should be, use the email at the bottom to request a free copy of my sleep chart, which will help you identify what your child’s requirements are, according to their age.

If you think that your child also has a sleep onset association and hasn’t fully mastered their settling skills, then you will want to ensure you are working on the overtiredness too. Otherwise, when it comes to trying to wean away that sleep ‘crutch’ and helping them progress their settling skills, if they are already overtired, the last thing they will want is to try to learn something new. This is when you see total meltdowns, or children getting really upset to the point of hysteria, because if you were exhausted and then I tried to teach you something new right before sleep, you wouldn’t be in the best mindset either!

So, as you can see, when trying to solve frequent night waking, it can mean working on a few different areas at the same time in order to see positive results.

Consistency is Key

Once you implement a change, do it for at least a week and be completely consistent. Our response is how children learn, so if we are consistent, it keeps the message clear and makes it easier for them to understand what to expect and learn.

I hope this provides valuable insights and helps you and your child enjoy more restful nights!

If you have questions or need more personalised support, explore my sleep packages for more ways in which I can help you and your child. You can also book a FREE no-obligation phone call with me to find out more about how I can assist you and your little one.

Email: [email protected]