The Dreaded Overtired Cycle… Signs & Solutions

Is your little one in the dreaded overtired cycle? Too tired to eat then too hungry to sleep? Well, let’s dive in and fix that issue.

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This is a cycle that is largely unknown to moms.

Or rather, they don’t know they’re in it until I tell them what it is. And then they are like YES THIS IS MY LIFE.

Some newborns just take long feeds and then have good naps. Other newborns tend not to feed well (but seem to feed tons) and then don’t nap well. And nights, well, lots of night wakings.

What is the dreaded overtired cycle and how do you avoid it?

The Dreaded Overtired Cycle is…

It happens because new babies have such short wake times (the time between when they wake up and need to go back to sleep again) in the early weeks.

So short that they sometimes do not take a full feed before they want to go back to sleep again.

This is especially a problem with breastfed babies. Nursing can be challenging and take a while in the beginning. It’s a steep learning curve for baby and especially first-time moms.

Read: Is Sleep Training a Baby Bad or Dangerous? Let’s Talk Facts!

This is a very tough combination because babies are so sleepy and nursing is such hard work that they simply conk out at the breast before they finish eating.

All this snacking and catnapping results in a very overtired, cranky baby and one exhausted, desperate mom.

All this snacking and catnapping results in a very overtired, cranky (or just wide awake) newborn who isn’t sleeping long stretches, day or night.

Poor, tired mamma can’t get a break for more than 15 minutes.

What’s a new mom to do?

One of the best solutions is prevention.

Start off, from the beginning, feeding baby upon waking, instead of feeding him to sleep.

This will mean he has enough energy to take a full feed and then take a good long nap, perpetuating a positive sleep cycle. My midwife in Scotland told me not to feed baby the minute she made a sound, but give her time to work up to a cry if that’s what it takes to get her to wake up.

You can also put babe on their tummy, on their back, change their diaper, etc. Anything to wake them up and be ready to feed.

This works towards avoiding common pitfalls of always nursing to sleep which can be challenging to fix later.

Mom can also work hard to keep baby awake until he finishes feeding.

• Burp him if he’s falling asleep early.
• Tickle his toes
• Blow gently on her face
• Change her diaper in between each side

But don’t do this for so long that baby starts getting overtired. In the first month, a newborn’s wake time is about 60 minutes by 4 weeks. That means it’s less than that in the first few weeks.

Try sticking with 20 minutes on each side if breastfeeding, then quickly change the diaper, swaddle and put baby right down for a nap. If baby wakes up after 30 minutes even though he had a good feed, don’t assume he needs to feed again.

Try getting him back to sleep longer, even if you need to hold him or use some motion.

Read: The Top 10 Indicators It’s Time to Sleep Train

Protect Baby’s Sleep

Even when company comes over, protect your baby’s nap times.

Let them get their sleep so they can continue having enough energy to feed well. Don’t push them past their awake window just because you want to show them off.

Some babies have easy enough temperaments that they will still be able to get to sleep even though they’re getting overtired. But many babies will become too overstimulated and will fight sleep instead of easily drifting off. 

Avoid nursing constantly.

These little snack feeds give baby just enough to go another 30-40 minutes without feeding, but that short of a nap isn’t restorative and won’t help them take a fuller feed next time.

This is often the problem I see with newborns who are waking up every hour throughout the night. They were never encouraged to get full feeds from the beginning, so they are in a perpetual state of snacking and cat napping.

This is why my sleep class is popular with moms of newborns because we focus intentionally on feed charts and schedules based on baby’s age by week.

Yes, it changes that often.

What do you do if you’re already in The Dreaded Overtired Cycle?

Rescue Naps.

Even if you have to rely on the swing or a carrier or car ride, spend several days just helping babe recoup his sleep debt.

Then get on the new rhythm of feeding upon waking and always encourage full feeds.

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