Why Does My Baby Keep Waking Up at Night?

Night wakings can feel exhausting and mysterious, but they often come down to a few common causes:

Hunger or Comfort Needs

Even if your baby seems full before bed, some babies still wake to nurse or bottle-feed for comfort or calories, especially under 9 months old, and especially if they are not yet well established on iron-rich solids throughout the day.

Try This

If your little one is already an independent sleeper and cleared for reducing their night feeds, night weaning can be helpful. There are many paths to night weaning, including gradually reducing nighttime feed amounts and/or offering extra calories during the day.

Over-Tiredness or Under-Tiredness

Sleep schedules that are too early, too late, or inconsistent can disrupt their ability to stay asleep.

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Refine their wake windows. Wake windows are the amounts of time babies can spend awake in one stretch before becoming overtired, which makes it more difficult for them to fall and stay asleep. In general, wake windows are 45-60 minutes at birth and extend by about 15 minutes each month. Read more about this from me right here. And, if you’d like specific guidance on the appropriate wake windows and sleep schedules for each month of your baby’s life, check out my Better Sleep Bundle for Babies.

Sleep Environment Issues

Too much light, noise, or an uncomfortable sleep space can lead to wake-ups.

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Ensure the room is dark, quiet, and cool, with continuous pink noise playing. Read more about perfectly sleep-conducive environments here.

Ready to take notes? Check out my Night Wakings workshop here. 

You may also be interested in my article on helping your little one learn to sleep entirely throughout the night here.

Ultimately, an independent sleeper will sleep through the night more consistently than babies who have not yet developed this habit.