Having a hard time in the beginning? Wondering what to do when baby is wide awake in the middle of the night?
As a new mother, you are looking forward to receiving your newborn at the hospital and go home to have some rest after a long period of nine months. The bundle of joy comes home, and there is a lot of excitement. Everyone wants a feel of the baby as a way of welcoming the newborn home.
When it comes to night time every parent has their own experience with different babies and at different ages. Some babies sleep very well as per the required time of 8 to 9 hours during daytime and about 8 hours at night. Their small stomach makes them wake up after a few hours to breastfeed.
Most babies start sleeping through the night only after about three months old. However, some babies sleep very little at night. Below are some reasons why babies stay awake at night. However, we also discuss the same reason and look at what to do when the baby is wide awake at midnight.
Sleeping Cycle
As the infant continues to develop, you will notice the awakening, especially after a deep sleep. It is advisable as a parent to do less each month as the infant continues to grow. It will help the infant to self-soothe more independently without much help. As you continue to minimize the help, the awakenings reduce. After a while, the infant will start sleeping through the night, and it becomes real.
The solution for this cycle is that it is quite normal for the babies to wake 4 to 5 times at midnight during the transition.
Crying Is Healthy
Letting your infant cry out is quite normal and healthy as they express the need for help. Research by different doctors reveals that they don’t think that some crying is bad for an infant. Most pediatricians advise that allowing your baby to learn to soothe themselves or cry-it-out slowly will help them have skills on self-soothing like sucking on fingers or hand.
Brain Waves
Most infants can sleep for almost 6 hours period of time halfway through infancy. That’s around six months. As a parent, you are left wondering what to do when the baby is wide awake in the middle of the night. Deep sleep studies have proven that brain waves of an infant six months old and up are similar in pattern to that of an adult. However, this does not mean that babies waking up at midnight are abnormal. It means as they develop through infancy, they will continue to mature in sleeping well.
The solution here is to watch on the infant as they develop and to offer the help they need at that time, and continue to minimize help as they grow. It will help them to develop a pattern of soothing themselves, hence demand less help.
Teething
Teething can make babies wake up and disrupt their normal sleep patterns. It starts around six months of age and can continue to awaken them until they are toddlers.
The best solution here is to use wet gauze and rub the gums, and the pressure will reduce the infants’ discomfort. Acetaminophen is the only medication.
Change in Behavior
As babies develop, they will have more awakening between 6 and nine months. It is due to an advanced sense of being independent and self-aware. Some parents wonder what to do when the infant is wide awake in the middle of the mid-night and starts talking.
The best solution here is to let the baby make their sounds as they are learning. There is no point in attending to them if they are not crying. There is anxiety develops after separation at around nine months of age, and their sleep patterns are affected. Just take it easy as they will get used to it. They may wake up and find you are not beside them, and they scream, seeking attention. Teach them to be independent.
Infection
Babies and toddlers tend to have a lot of infections after six months of age. It mainly occurs because they can put lots of different objects in their hands and mouths. It exposes them to germs. Once infected with colds or other respiratory infections, they start sneezing, coughing, or have congested chests. Other infections like vomiting, diarrhea, and fever awaken the babies at night, and you wonder what to do when the infant is wide awake in the middle of the night.
The best solution to the above is to support your baby with TLC. The sleeping schedule will soon resume normally in a few weeks, more so by keeping a good sleeping schedule.
Using Pacifiers or Bottle
Many babies are made to sleep by sucking on a pacifier or a bottle. Most babies start after birth when instantly they fall asleep with breastfeeding or a pacifier in their mouth. Most of these babies will awaken when they are around 6 to 12 months of age once the pacifier falls out of their mouth.
The best solution on what to do when the baby is wide awake in the middle of the night because a pacifier has fallen is to get rid of it. However, big habits die hard and will take time to undo this habit.
Parents Role
The number of times a parent spends comforting their infant at night can affect the baby’s sleeping pattern. For instance, the parent remains in the room until the baby sleeps, taking the baby into the crib once they sleep, picking the baby at night. Both parents should try and be involved in helping in overnight awakening. A 2010 Tel Aviv report reveals that when fathers take care of the infant both day and night together with mothers, the baby tends to have few awakenings at night.
In conclusion
If you are still wondering as a new mother what to do when the baby is wide awake in the middle of the night, relax. You have all the above tips to look at and learn as you continue to raise your baby with peace and joy. However, your role as a parent is to avoid creating any disorder in your baby’s sleep pattern and improve it. As parents, you need to get enough sleep to be able to take care of your infant.
