One of the reasons why children can’t fall asleep is because they are hyper-tired. This seems ironic; however, when we don’t allow our body to rest, it produces a hormone called cortisol, the stress hormone, as a defense mechanism to stay awake and alert.
Although many babies give unmistakable signs of being tired, others have more subtle or particular forms, so attention to small details is essential.
If you want to start creating sleep habits with your baby, you must recognize their sleep signals. When we talk about sleep signs, we refer to those children’s actions that indicate they are tired. Possibly the first thing you think of is yawning and rubbing their eyes; however, there are other signs that it is vital not to ignore, for example:
- Touches his face
- Gently pulls on ears
- Twists or stretches
- Complains or cries
- Is over-active, laughs too loud, or crawls faster than normal
But … What about babies who don’t have clear sleep signals?
If your little one is one of those children who does not show when tired, you must keep an eye on the clock to record his habits, dream schedules, and routines. Knowing how many hours our baby should sleep according to their age and sleep windows will also help avoid over-fatigue.
Do not wait until your little ones are exhausted to put them to bed because an overtired baby finds it much more difficult to calm down and fall asleep.
