Why Is My Baby Having False Starts?

Many of us have been there…you finally get your baby down for the night after a long day and settle in for some “me time” when bam, they’re awake again 30 minutes later. This is what we refer to a “false start” in the sleep world.

False starts are different than night wake ups. Night wakings occur after a baby’s been asleep for over an hour and are usually the result of either hunger or a baby’s inability to connect sleep cycles. False starts on the other hand, can happen for a variety of reasons which is what we’re diving into today.

Let’s look at a few common culprits…

1. Discomfort If your baby’s uncomfortable, there’s a good chance they won’t sleep well, as is the case with anybody of any age. Teething, gas, reflux, ear infections, or even just being too warm or cold can all cause baby to wake up quickly after they first manage to settle. Often sleep disturbances are the first (and only) sign that your baby is in pain.  

2. Lack of Sleep Pressure There are two things that help us fall asleep. One is our circadian rhythm, which signals our brain to start producing melatonin when it gets dark, and sleep drive, which is the body’s natural urge to sleep as we spend time awake, exert ourselves physically, heal from sickness or injury, or experience exciting or stressful situations. Given how quickly babies are developing, their sleep drive builds up much quicker than it does in adults. But as they get older, that pressure accumulation starts to slow down, and requires more time awake between naps to build up to the point where they can fall asleep, and stay asleep, at bedtime. If your baby takes a long time to fall asleep when you first put them down for the night, and seems active and happy during that time, low sleep pressure (or being undertired) could be the cause, and it may be time to either drop a nap or reschedule their naps to allow that pressure to build up appropriately before bed.

3. Overtiredness This is where things can get a little challenging because overtiredness is not always easy to spot. Overtiredness causes cortisol production at the time when we want it the least and causes babies to have a surge of energy or a “second wind”, making it difficult for them to fall asleep or stay asleep. If you suspect your child is getting overtired, watch that last wake window closely and if it’s been a poor nap day, you may even want to consider shortening the last wake period to prevent overtiredness.  You’ll notice that the symptoms are similar to lack of sleep pressure, except instead of baby not getting enough awake time before bed, they’ve actually had too much. Two completely opposite causes resulting in very similar symptoms, but requiring opposite solutions, which makes it difficult to know which course of action to take to find a solution. So, how do you know which scenario you’re dealing with? Well, I happen to have a great sleep needs chart that I’ll share below. This should be a good place to start. If you’re still unsure if your baby is over or under-tired, I would start by assuming overtiredness as it’s more common with younger babies and can be a harder cycle to break once it takes hold. It’s much safer to move bedtime earlier and see if that solves the problem.

4. Hunger If a baby has not had a full feed before bed (more common in babies that are feeding to sleep), they can wake up after the first sleep cycle to finish their feed. Keeping your little one wide awake during their bedtime feed and/or moving their feed earlier in the bedtime routine can really help ensure they finish their feed and do not wake up hungry.

5. Sleep Associations If your baby has sleep associations (meaning they are needing help to fall asleep - usually by being rocked, bounced, fed, etc), they are going to be more likely to wake up after the first sleep cycle. Working on getting your baby to fall asleep independently will help them connect their sleep cycles and resettle if/when they do wake up.

In addition to the common causes above, keep in mind that false starts are much more common in younger babies because their circadian rhythm isn’t fully developed yet. If your baby is younger than 4 months and you’re seeing lots of false starts, they likely just need a later bedtime. I hope one of these solutions takes care of your little one’s false starts, but if the problem persists, don’t hesitate to reach out.