Why does my independent sleeper still wake up overnight?
It would be the absolute best case scenario if a little sleep training at bedtime is all that’s needed to get some magical overnight sleep.
Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case (and by always, I mean it’s RARE for that to be the case). There are a lot of reasons independent sleep is not the only component needed for overnight sleep success. Let’s discuss!
First, brush up on some realistic expectations because sometimes, that’s really all it is.
And now, what are some other reasons your child might still be waking up, even if they’re an independent sleeper?
Are they really independent? How consistent is that? Is there anything in their bedtime routine that makes them drowsy or puts them to sleep? (this doesn’t mean you can’t occasionally assist to sleep, think of it like the 80/20 rule where 80% of the time they’re independent and 20% of the time they’re not).
Is their schedule okay? Sometimes I see this with kids who are either high sleep needs or low sleep needs That usually means they’re either sensitive to being overitred or undertired or you’re asking for more sleep than they’re capable of giving you. So they wake up at night to build up that sleep pressure to sleep again. And when I say is the schedule okay, I mean tune into your kid and don’t just pick a chart from Pinterest. Just because Pinterest says something doesn’t mean it’s the one YOUR child needs.
What is the response to the overnight wakings? Sometimes falling back to sleep is a separate skill that needs focus rather than just the independent sleep at bedtime.
Could they be hungry? Check in with the amount of feedings and ounces they’re getting in during the day. I know it’s always easy to assume hunger so it’s not my go to especially for babies 9+ months old, but sometimes they do still need a feeding.
Are you in a developmental storm? Are they learning a ton of new things? That can absolutely disrupt sleep short term!
What about their sleep environment? An optional environment will be pitch black, loud white noise, and cool. Make sure they’re not too hot or too cold!
Still struggling and can’t figure out? We’d be happy to support you and your child on your sleep journey! Check out 1:1 package options here!
