An overtired baby has stayed awake past the point where sleep comes easily, and is now too wound up to drop off. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby's crying baby guide says missing your baby's "sleep window" can lead to overtiredness, making it more difficult to settle. Its tired signs guide lists glazed eyes, being overactive and being quick to cry as signs of an overtired baby.
The fix is the same at most ages: lower the lights and noise, give more help to settle than usual, and aim for the next sleep a little earlier. Prevention is mostly about spotting early tired signs and acting on them before they turn into overtired ones.
What are the signs of an overtired baby?
Tired and overtired look different. The trick is to act on the first column before you reach the second.
| Age | Early tired signs | Overtired signs |
|---|---|---|
| Babies | Yawning, staring, frowning, clenched fists, eye rubbing, jerky movements | Glazed eyes, overactive, quick to cry, louder and more frantic crying |
| Toddlers | Yawning, eye rubbing, staring blankly, clingy, losing interest in toys | Bursts of energy, tantrums, upset over small changes, fighting bed |
The baby signs come from Pregnancy, Birth and Baby's guide to getting your baby to sleep, its tired signs infographic, and Cleveland Clinic, which says overtired babies often cry louder and more frantically than usual. The toddler signs come from the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network's page on signs of a tired child, which describes overtired younger children as having sudden bursts of energy or hyperactivity, tantrums, aggression over small changes, and resisting sleep or bedtime despite being very tired.
Every child shows tiredness a little differently. Watching closely for a few days often helps you spot your own baby's first signs.
Why does being overtired make it harder to sleep?
It seems backwards: a baby who badly needs sleep should fall asleep faster. But Cleveland Clinic explains that overtired babies experience a rush of the hormones cortisol and adrenaline, which can amp them up instead of calming them down.
That's why an overtired baby can seem wired, arch their back, cry harder when you try to settle them, or drop off and then wake soon after. In toddlers, the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network lists being overtired among the triggers for night terrors, and says nightmares also happen more often when children are overtired.
What makes a baby overtired?
The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network says younger children can become overtired if they miss a nap, go to bed too late or have unsettled sleep. In everyday life, that often looks like:
- a busy day out where naps were short or skipped
- visitors, noise or a party that made it hard to wind down
- a run of short naps that never quite add up
- a nap transition, when your baby is between three and two naps or two and one (see naps and transitions)
- a broken night from teething, illness or a regression, followed by a long day
- a bedtime that has drifted later and later
How do you settle an overtired baby?
Overtired babies usually need more help than usual. Choose what suits your baby's age and what you know calms them.
- Make it calm and dim. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says some babies are sensitive to noise and light and calm more quickly in a dark, quiet room. Others prefer some background sound, such as quiet music or a household hum.
- Hold and soothe. Hold your baby close and gently pat, rock or sway, using a soothing voice. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby notes that sometimes the only way to settle a baby is to hold them until they fall asleep.
- Check the basics quickly. Make sure your baby isn't hungry, wet, or too hot or cold. A comforting breastfeed or a bottle can help.
- Try a change of scene. A walk with the stroller or time in a sling or carrier can help when nothing else is working.
- Use a wrap for young babies only. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby suggests wrapping babies under 3 months in a light cotton or muslin wrap. Stop wrapping once your baby shows signs of trying to roll.
- Put them down safely once calm. Lay your baby on their back in their own crib. If they fall asleep in a car seat, stroller or bouncer, move them to a flat crib when you can.
- Aim for the next sleep a little earlier. After a short or missed nap, bring the next nap or bedtime forward rather than waiting for the usual time.
Pregnancy, Birth and Baby's safe sleep guide explains that if a baby falls asleep sitting up, their head can fall forward and their chin can push down towards their chest, which can block their airway. Safe to Sleep advises a firm, flat, level sleep surface and says inclined surfaces and weighted products aren't safe for sleep.
If your baby keeps falling asleep on you, see contact napping for how to do it safely and how to move towards the crib.
How can you stop your baby getting overtired?
Prevention is easier than cure.
- Act on early tired signs. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby suggests putting your baby down to sleep as soon as they start showing tired signs, because this prevents them becoming distressed and makes it easier for them to fall asleep. Cleveland Clinic gives similar advice: put babies down when they're starting to get tired, not when they're overly tired.
- Use wake windows as a rough guide. No health authority publishes official wake-window tables, but the common ranges can help you notice when your baby has been up a long time. See wake windows.
- Try a feed–play–sleep pattern. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby suggests that after a feed and diaper change, babies are usually alert and ready to play before being put down to sleep. See daily rhythm.
- Keep a short, predictable bedtime routine. A bath, story, feed, cuddle or song helps your baby wind down. See bedtime routine.
- Know roughly how much sleep your child needs. It helps you spot a day that has fallen short.
| Age | Total sleep in 24 hours | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Newborns | About 16 to 17 hours, in short stretches | AAP |
| 4–12 months | 12 to 16 hours, including naps | AASM |
| 1–2 years | 11 to 14 hours, including naps | AASM |
The newborn figure comes from the AAP's guide to getting your baby to sleep, which says newborns may only sleep 1 or 2 hours at a time. The other ranges are from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM).
Does an earlier bedtime help an overtired baby?
Often, yes. When naps have gone wrong, many families find that bringing bedtime earlier for a night or two helps their baby catch up and settle more easily. Keep the routine the same, just start it sooner.
Pushing bedtime later in the hope your baby will be "tired enough" tends to backfire, because a late bedtime is one of the causes of overtiredness the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network lists. If an earlier bedtime starts leading to very early mornings, adjust it gradually. See early morning waking.
Is it overtiredness or something else?
Crying at sleep time isn't always about tiredness. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby suggests considering whether your baby might be uncomfortable, hungry, tired, in need of a cuddle, or unwell, and notes that sometimes crying is the only obvious sign a baby is unwell. If your baby suddenly cries for no obvious reason, it suggests checking them from head to toe, including for a hair wrapped tightly around a finger or toe.
In the early months, some babies cry a lot whatever you do. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says most crying happens around 6 to 8 weeks and often stops by 4 months. See colic and PURPLE crying and soothing a crying baby.
When should you get help?
These tiers are based on the NHS guide to urgent medical help for under-5s.
Call 911 now if your baby:
- has a weak, high-pitched or continuous cry
- is struggling to breathe, breathing very fast, grunting or sucking in at the ribs
- has blue, gray, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue
- is floppy, very hard to wake or can't be woken
- is having a seizure
- is under 3 months with a temperature of 38°C (100.4°F) or higher
Get medical advice today (doctor or your pediatrician's after-hours nurse line) if your baby isn't feeding, seems unwell, or the crying feels different from usual and you're worried.
Talk to your doctor or pediatrician soon if your baby is hard to settle most days, you're worried about how much they're crying, or broken sleep is wearing you down.
If you feel overwhelmed, Pregnancy, Birth and Baby advises placing your baby in their crib, walking away and returning when you feel calm, or handing them to another trusted adult. Never shake a baby. If you're struggling, contact your pediatrician's office or the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline on 1-833-852-6262 (call or text). If you have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, call 988 (call or text) or 911 now.
What to note to spot an overtired pattern
Jot down when your baby woke, how long naps lasted and when you first noticed tired signs, plus how bedtime went. After a few days you may see a pattern, such as a hard bedtime after a short afternoon nap. Those notes make it easier to move a nap or bedtime, and helpful to share with your doctor or pediatrician.
