Sleepy Cues

So you have your nap times correct now (last week’s blog), but you’re not hitting that sweet spot when Baby falls asleep easily and stays asleep for 1-2 hours. This is where sleepy cues come into play. Sleepy cues are little signs that your baby is getting tired, since they can’t -and won’t- come out and say “I’m tired, will you put me down for a nap please?”

Here are a few of the best sleepy cues to watch for:

• Ear pulling- if your little one is fussy and pulling on their ears, they are very tired

• Eye rubbing- this one is pretty common

  My favorite sleepy cue to watch for, because it works so well?

• Zoning out and getting quiet- if your baby was babbling and playing with lots of movement and interaction, and then they start to get quiet (not chatting as much) and staring off into space- this is your ideal sleepy cue. I love this sleepy cue because it is so consistent and predictable. If you can get your baby into bed quickly (and calmly), they should be able to fall asleep easily.

Sleepy cues that aren’t so good:

• Yawning- not at all consistent or predicable

• Fussiness- once Baby is fussy, you’ve missed their perfect window by just a few minutes. Try moving nap time earlier by 10 minutes the next day and that may help you get that window easier.

If you want help with naps and bedtime, head over to the Work With Me page. You don’t need to guess anymore, you can have it all written in a plan ready to go. Let’s have a consultation and get you and your baby sleeping better.