It’s important to look for your baby’s ‘tired signs’. These signs let you know when it’s time to reduce stimulation and start settling your baby for sleep.
Newborn babies will probably get tired if they’ve been awake for 1-1½ hours.
If your newborn is tired, you might see some of the following tired signs:
???? pulling at ears
???? closing fists
???? yawning
???? fluttering eyelids or difficulty focusing – your baby might even go cross-eyed or seem to be staring into space
???? making jerky arm and leg movements, or arching backwards
frowning or looking worried
sucking on fingers – this could be a good sign and might mean that your baby is trying to find ways to settle to sleep.
If your baby has had a feed within the last two hours and is grizzling and cranky, baby is probably tired. If you’re not sure, offer a feed. If your baby takes only a little milk and is still grizzly, baby needs a sleep.
Reducing stimulation
If your child is showing signs of tiredness, it’s a good idea to get your baby comfortable (diaper change, swaddle, white noise, pacifier, relaxing music, or lights off) and get them ready for sleep by reducing stimulation.
Paula Marino is an active Registered Nurse with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Florida State University. She has more than 10 years of experience working with babies in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) and supporting parents with the care of their newborns at home. Since newborn babies wake up to eat every 2-3 hours, exhaustion takes a toll on new parents. Paula founded Babies RN to provide SLEEP to parents by having the best professionals take care of their babies overnight. She is proud to have the most qualified and trustworthy team of Night Nurses with NICU and Pediatric backgrounds to give parents peace of mind so they can rest and get a good nights’ sleep. Babies RN Paula Marino, RN Tel (305) 608 – 9266