7 REASONS WHY YOUR BABY WAKES UP IN THE NIGHT

You are getting tired of your baby waking up multiple times in the middle of the night. Find the below list of a few very common reasons that might be breaking your little one’s sleep.

If your newborn sleeps all day and lays awake all night, you're not alone. Baby waking up in the middle of the night is one of the most common problems new parents face. Whether your baby is going through a sleep regression or teething, having to wake up in the middle of the night is difficult, and above all, trying to deal with a crying baby, then can feel extremely exhausting.

Babies in the initial first few months of their life tend to wake up multiple times. They have tiny stomachs, and you need to feed them in small intervals all through the night. Moreover, crying is the only medium through which they can communicate with you.

But if you notice your baby still waking up multiple times as they get older, then one of the below reasons might be troubling them. Let's discuss these seven common reasons why your baby might be waking up in the middle of the night.

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1. Inconsistent bedtime routine

Not having a bedtime routine or being inconsistent with baby’s nighttime sleep schedule can cause a lot of distress to your little one. Unlike adults’ babies don’t really understand the difference between day and night and hence it is really important to make sure that they have a consistent bedtime routine as that can really help put their mind at ease and they will eventually start to understand what is expected of them in the nighttime.

2. Teething

Teething is one of the most common issues that you will notice that can often keep your baby waking up in the middle of the night. Teething usually starts somewhere around 3-4 months of age and your baby usually tends to wake up because of the sprouting pain of the new tooth. Although teething pain does tend to subside after a couple of few days but still if your baby is waking up multiple times then it is best to consult a paediatrician for ways to soothe your baby of the teething pain.

Related. Tips to soothe a teething baby

3. Sleep Regression

Sleep regression is the time when your baby's sleep patterns shift, they wake up often during the night, and then they have a hard time going back to sleep. Most of the babies tend to often go through a sleep regression at four months, six months and some even at eight months and twelve months. When your baby goes through a sleep regression, you will likely have to soothe your baby and try sleep training again to help him sleep through the night.

4. Feeling hungry

Craving a nighttime feeding is another common reason. Babies have very tiny stomachs and hence they have to be fed regularly. Although when a baby gets a little older it is recommended that they should not be fed past their bedtime but sometimes your baby just might not be able to feed himself to full. It is best to consult your paediatrician to understand this situation better.

Breastfed babies need to be fed every 2-3 hours, but a bottle-fed baby can easily go up to 4-6 hours in the night.

5. Ear infection

Babies at a young age often tend to get ear infections quite frequently and the pain of ear infections tends to get really worse in the middle of the night. Consult your paediatrician for medication that can help relieve your baby of the ear infection pain.

6. Separation anxiety

You will often notice that your baby will tend to get too clingy somewhere around eight months old. At this stage, they will want to cling to you all the time and not leave your sight at all. After reaching this stage, if your baby wakes up in the night and does not find you beside him, it can trigger his crying. Although there is no one easy way to deal with this situation but trying to soothe him by hugging and a few other soothing techniques might help in calm down.

7. Gassy stomach

Lastly, one of the common but not so common issues in older babies that plays a role in them not sleeping through the night is having a gassy stomach. This is most common in breastfed babies as their meal is directly impacted by the mother’s diet. But even a bottle-fed baby can have gas pains. The best way to deal with this situation is for the moms to avoid any food that can cause gas in your baby’s stomach.

Having to wake up in the middle of the night is no fun for anyone but it is just unavoidable with young babies. But with older babies, you can definitely play around keeping these above reasons in mind and try out different sleep routines that can help your little ones find a perfect environment so that they can easily sleep through the night.