Is Undertired A Thing?

Being undertired can sometimes be overlooked as we focus on not making them overtired (being overtired is definitely a recipe for unsettled sleep which I will cover in another post). Being undertired could be the reason your child isn’t getting enough sleep & struggles to do a full sleep cycle.

⭐️Signs your child is undertired:

•falls asleep for naps but doesn’t stay asleep for long

•restless sleeper

•plays for an extended amount of time when you put them in their bed

•resists going to sleep

•overtired at bedtime

•awake for a chunk of time in the night

⭐️Things you can do to avoid your child being undertired:

•check their awake window is appropriate for not only their age but their personality. It changes as they grow and not every child is the same

•make their brain tired. Look at their toys and activities. Are they still playing with the same toys they were for the last 3 months? If they are bored they will feel less sleepy

•make their body’s tired. Exercise at every awake time. For young babies this might be a little bit of tummy time, reaching for toys. For older children this could be running, climbing, jumping, dancing…

•make some time to engage with your child at each awake time giving them your full attention

•if you think your child is undertired stretch your child’s awake time just by 10minutes and see what difference that makes. Write a sleep diary so you can see any changes.