You’ve just got your late-night snack, turned on your favorite show, grabbed your favorite blanket and took a deep breath. After a long day filled with laughter, smiles, and chaos, you are so ready to relax. You’ve set your little one down for the night and life is good…until you hear hysterical crying 50 minutes later. You look at the monitor dreading the battle ahead of you and longing for that new episode of Love Island. Parent duty calls. And it calls for false start bedtimes.
False Start Bedtimes
If this is your day-to-day life and reality, it doesn’t have to be this way. This frustrating scenario is so common. It’s normally a great clue that something about your child’s sleep schedule or environment is off and needs tweaking. Check out what a false start bedtime is, why is it happening, and how to fix it below:
What Is a False Start Bedtime?
A false start happens when your baby falls asleep at bedtime but then wakes again in the first sleep cycle, usually between 30-60 minutes after being put down. With younger infants, a lot of parents will assume that their child is just naturally taking a cat nap and isn’t ready for bed. Unfortunately, a false start bedtime waking is typically a sign of undertiredness, overtiredness, or discomfort. It can definitely derail plans and lead to a lot of bedtime anxiety for everyone.
What Causes False Start Bedtimes?
There are multiple reasons that your infant or child is having a false start waking. Every child is different, and your child may have a few of the culprits below to blame or just one:
Schedule and Wake Windows
Putting your baby down to bed too early or too late can disrupt their sleep. If your child isn’t napping appropriately during the day or you are stretching their wake window, it can cause overtiredness and ultimately false start bedtime wakings.
Environment
Setting your child’s room up for success is key. Their room should be totally dark; think blackout. If you shut the shades and turn off the lights, you shouldn’t be able to see your hand in front of your face. Make sure you use a continuous white noise machine to mask sounds that could disrupt their sleep cycle. Finally, check to make sure the temperature of their room is appropriate. Ideally, a temperature between 68-72 degrees is best.
Sleep Associations
If your child is dependent on feeding, rocking, or a pacifier to fall asleep, they may struggle to transition into their next cycle without support. Sleep associations can be difficult to break, but with consistency, it can be done quickly!
Discomfort
For infants, gas, acid reflux, and teething can all cause sleep disruptions. Illness, at any age, can also cause sleep disruptions, including false start bedtimes.
How to Fix False Start Bedtimes
Age-Appropriate Daytime Schedule
Following age-appropriate wake windows and having a consistent daytime schedule can really help combat false start bedtime wakings. Experiment with slightly longer or short wake times before bed. For some infants, 15 minutes less or more can make a big difference.
Create a Solid Bedtime Routine
A predictable routine before nap and before bedtime is clutch. It signals to your baby that it’s time to sleep. Your routine can be YOUR own. Make it something you look forward too and a way to spend quality one-on-one time with your child.
Check the Sleep Environment
Even if you are 99% sure your child’s sleep environment is dark enough, double check. Light can be incredibly disruptive to some infant’s sleep. Use the Decibel Pro app to determine if your child’s white noise machine is safe and appropriate. More often than not, the sound machine can be turned up a little louder, which will help your child connect those sleep cycles without disturbances from outside noises.
Address Discomfort
If your child is struggling with gas or reflux, please consult with your pediatrician for guidance. Managing those conditions is imperative before tackling sleep. It is difficult to sleep, as an adult, with those discomforts, so we have to temper our expectations for our children. Give yourself and your child grace. Navigating acid reflux is a difficult journey. You are not alone.
Encourage Independent Sleep Skills
If you are struggling with navigating an age-appropriate schedule, creating a nap and bedtime routine, and making a break from sleep associations, we are here to help. Gradually teaching your child to self-soothe so they can connect sleep cycles is a skill. It takes time, consistency, and patience.
False start bedtimes are frustrating! It can start with that 50 minute wake up and feel like a never ending cycle throughout the night. Fragmented sleep and overtiredness can lead to a vicious cycle that feels impossible to navigate. Using the strategies above, you can start getting more consistent sleep from your baby and those cherished moments of snacks and binge-watching back.
Sleep Shore Sleep Consulting
Is your little one having difficulty with false start bedtimes and overnight wakings? If your child is unable to fall asleep, stay asleep, or wake up at a normal time, it may be time to consider sleep training. Sleep Shore offers personalized solutions for each unique sleeping situation to get your little one on track- whether they’re a newborn, infant, or toddler. We also offer in home sleep training services in the Boston, Massachusetts, Central Michigan (Midland, Clare, Mt. Pleasant) and Traverse City, Michigan. Sleep training offers babies and children with the skills to fall asleep on their own so they can wake up feeling more well-rested- and in turn, you’ll feel more energized, too! See what this mama had to say about our sleep services below:
“I contacted Molly when I felt absolutely desperate for sleep. My daughter’s sleep schedule was a nightmare and I was falling apart from sleep deprivation. Molly was so understanding, so relatable & so professional. She created a customized sleep plan for us. She was available every step of the way to make tweaks with us and she celebrated every win with us. I thought I would never sleep again, but when I got that first long stretch of sleep- I knew I had hit the jackpot with Molly’s sleep plan. I promise- you will be amazed.“
Mom of 4-Month-Old