If your baby is overtired, you quickly enter a downward spiral. Naps are shorter, your baby has less energy to drink, he cries more and also falls back to sleep with more difficulty.
Want to know how to get out of this vicious cycle? Then read on!
What do you mean overtired?
You think you're taking it easy and you don't plan too many activities in a day. And yet your baby is overtired. How can that be?
Consider the following.
Your baby spent 9 months with Mom in the womb. That was a protected cocoon in which it was dark and noise was muffled.
Then your baby is born and suddenly everything is different. The light is bright, the sounds are loud. Those are a lot of stimuli for your little one. And on top of that, your baby can't filter these stimuli yet. He does not yet know what is important and what is not. Not surprisingly, this can quickly become too much.
Your baby becomes overstimulated and overtired. An overtired baby sleeps shorter, is therefore not rested, then has little energy to drink, is uncomfortable, cries more and then has difficulty falling asleep again. In short: you are in a downward spiral.
Growth is top sport
Your baby desperately needs its sleep to grow properly. During sleep, new brain cells are produced that take care of your baby's growth and development. This growth takes a lot of energy. Just like top sports. Good sleep is not at the top of top athletes' lists for nothing!
But what is good sleep and how much sleep does your baby really need? To answer this question, you need to look not only at the amount of sleep but also at the quality.
In the first year, babies need an average of 14-16 hours of sleep per day. Exactly how many hours this is varies from baby to baby.
Is your baby sleeping less than 14 hours? If so, he is simply sleep deprived and is probably overtired.
In addition, you also want good quality sleep. You get that when you sleep a full sleep cycle: all sleep stages are then completed. A baby's sleep cycle is 45 minutes. Does he sleep shorter? Then he won't wake up fully rested.
How can you help your baby?
To break this vicious cycle, it is important to offer your baby rest, rhythm and regularity. That may sound old-fashioned, but it works! Rest ensures that your child is less likely to become overexcited. Rhythm and regularity provide predictability. Your baby knows what is coming. That feels safe and familiar. It also helps your baby to filter all the stimuli that come his way. Because what you keep repeating he recognizes better and better and that is obviously important.
With the PIKO you give your baby peace and quiet through the low stimulus sleep environment and rhythm and regularity by giving him the same sleeping place every time, with the same bedtime routine. In addition, the app gives you detailed advice on how to find a rhythm that is nice for your baby and for you.
If you want more information about the PIKO, check out our PIKOsleeper- specially developed by sleep coaches.
Still have questions? Then send us a message, you will always get an answer.
Sleep well, Francien (sleep coach and founder PIKO)
