A ‘false start’ is when your little one falls asleep at bedtime, but wakes again soon after – usually with an hour or so of going down. Essentially, they wake after one sleep cycle, or sometimes even sooner.
If you’ve experienced them, you know how frustrating ‘false starts’ can be. You think your little one is down for the night, only to be needed soon after. As such, I thought it would be useful to talk about why ‘false starts’ happen and how you can avoid them moving forward.
What are the main causes of ‘false starts’?
Overtiredness:
A key culprit of ‘false starts’ is overtiredness. You’d be inclined to think a very tired baby would just crash out and fall asleep for a long period of time. However, this often isn’t the case. The more tired a little one is, the higher their levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) and adrenaline (the hormone that keeps us awake). This makes it much harder to fall asleep and stay asleep, meaning they’re more likely to wake after just one sleep cycle.
Insufficient ‘sleep pressure’:
A little one who has only been awake for a short period of time before bed can also experience ‘false starts’. Little ones need sufficient ‘sleep pressure’ to build before going to sleep in order to fall asleep and stay asleep for the majority of the night (unless they have a need that requires fulfilling, such as feeding). Late afternoon naps can often take the edge off sleep pressure, causing pesky ‘false starts’ at bedtime.
Lack of independent sleep skills:
If your little one requires a lot of help in falling asleep at bedtime (for example, a feed, the dummy, rocking, shushing, cuddling, etc.), when they wake briefly between sleep cycles, they will require that help again to get back to sleep. None of us really ‘sleep through the night’. We all wake briefly between sleep cycles. The difference between a little one who is able to ‘sleep through the night’ and one who can’t, is the baby who ‘sleeps through’ can independently link together their sleep cycles. They don’t need external help in going to sleep, so they don’t need that external help when they inevitably wake between cycles.
Hunger:
If a baby falls asleep during their bedtime feed, there’s a chance they could wake from hunger. Essentially, they’ve just had a snack before bedtime and this isn’t sufficient to get them through the night (or to their next feed).
The day is starting too late:
If you’re aiming for a 7pm bedtime (which works best with a little one’s internal clock), it’s important that your little one is awake by 7am in the morning so they’re ready for sleep at this time. If your baby is waking post 7am, bedtime will inevitably need to shift later or they won’t be tired enough to sleep – hence, the ‘false start’.
How can I resolve ‘false starts’?
With the above in mind, there are a number of key ways to avoid ‘false starts’…
Work to an age appropriate routine:
In order to ensure your little one is neither over nor under tired before bed, it’s important to follow an age-appropriate routine. Work to the ideal number of naps for your little one’s age, as well as their optimum ‘wake windows’ (amount of time they should be awake in between sleeps). The key ‘wake window’ to examine if you’re experiencing ‘false starts’ is the one before bedtime. Remember, their ‘wake window’ will extend as they day progresses so the one before bed should be the longest.
If you’re struggling with getting your little one enough day time sleep, try to top up their sleep tank with motion naps. Get them out in the car or pram if that’s the only way you can get them to have longer sleeps. An overtired baby is much harder to get to sleep.
Wake your little one by 7am every morning:
If you’re experiencing ‘false starts’, try consistently waking your little one by 7am each day. This earlier wake time will ensure that you can fit in the right amount of daytime sleep (to combat overtiredness) and will also allow you to anchor bedtime around 7pm every day.
Support your little one in learning to self-soothe:
This really is key in avoiding ‘false starts’! If your baby struggles to fall asleep independently, it’s important to build their self-settling skills. Depending on your baby’s age and temperament, there are a range of ways you can do this – from the Pick Up/Put Down method to the Chair method. Figure out which could work best for your little one and their personality, and use it consistently to build their sleep skills. If your baby is feeding to sleep, keep them awake for the feed to ensure they take a full feed before bed, but are also not using it to put them to sleep. You could also include an additional step between the feed and bed to fully separate the two.
Final thoughts on ‘false starts’…
If you’re struggling with ‘false starts’ and would like support in working out the optimum routine for your little one, and/or in teaching them independent sleep skills, get in touch and set up your free Discovery Call. I’d love to hear from you!
