Babies and Fighting Sleepby Valorie Delp | More from this Blogger 08 Feb 2008 05:19 AM You see the eye lids drooping. The tell tale signs of fatigue are creeping over her body: clumsiness, rubbing her eyes and nose, yawning. . . And yet, if you were to actually put her down or do any of the things you normally do to get your baby to sleep--she fights it. It's as if her brain has turned a switch that says, "Must. . .stay. . .awake. . ." What is a parent to do? There is no one reason why babies fight sleep and every family, every baby and every parent is different. However, when I have seen this behavior in my own children it has often been attributable to either a) some sort of discomfort or b) too much stimulus. Too Much Stimulus It is a wives' tale, or at least an incorrect statement to say that a "baby is too tired to sleep" or is "over tired". Babies are very smart and let's face it: they know where the party is. Some babies are more sensitive to stimuli than others and for these more sensitive babies, chances are good that if you're out, if something is going on, if there is anything in the world that seems more interesting than sleep, your baby will try to choose that option. So What Do You Do? I will say first that establishing a pattern of eating, sleep and playing will help avoid overly tired and cranky babies. They come to organize their thinking and their day around the times for eating, and sleeping and this can be a big help. A stroll around the block is also not a bad idea. Sometimes, babies need help to simply stop moving long enough to fall asleep. However you can get them to stop moving. . .be it car seat, stroller or laying down in bed. . .will help them get the sleep they need when they need it. For babies who are very sensitive to stimuli, you may also want to consider black out blinds for their bedroom and making the room as plain as possible. In any case, just remember, it's only for a short time that they're babies. Related Articles: My Baby Won't Sleep Through the Night Nightweaning: Ways to Get More Rest Co-sleeping Babies Never Leave Their Parents Catnaps, Naps and Your Toddler Learn more about Valorie Delp  Hello everybody! My name is Valorie and I am one busy lady! When I'm not writing or editing for families, I am busy trying to get my brood of 5 in line. Relevantbaby tags User Comments jgraham5 (15) 16 Feb 2008 10:53 PMI have this problem with my one year old every night. Don’t get me wrong, there are the occasional times when he does not fight sleep, but these times are few. I end up putting him in his crib and letting him cry for 5 to 10 minutes. After this I go in the room like I am the savior and pick him up. He has worn himself out so much from crying that he lays down on my chest and goes to sleep. There has to be a better way. Then his bed time is 10. I need to figure out a way to get him to become tired earlier and to help him go to sleep easier. With him crying like that, will this be a traumatic experience for him? How do you suggest that I do so that he will get tired sooner? I let him take a nap between 1 and 2. He sleeps for 2 hours, sometimes longer. He has a good nap time but I wonder if he is sleeping too long. Do you know the average nap time that a one year old should have? Is there not enough time between his nap and what time he should go to bed? If you have any advice, can you please give it to me. Community Tags babies, baby, fighting sleep, infants, sleep Discuss this article
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