Baby sleep cues: Cues that mean it’s time to put your baby to sleep…right?
Maybe. Maybe not. There’s more to sleep cues than you think!
Keep reading to understand your baby’s sleep cues like a pro, and how to use them to improve your baby’s sleep!
What are My Baby’s Sleep Cues?
Sleep cues are signs that your baby may exhibit when they are getting close to needing a nap or bedtime. All babies don’t show the exact same cues, and not every baby even has super obvious cues! If you know what to look for you may be able to spot a pattern. The list below is some possible cues to look for, but please be aware that not every one of these means your baby is due for a nap. It will take some time to observe and gather the data to find out which cue is associated with your baby being sleepy.
Baby Sleep Cues:
Blank stare, eyes may go in and out of focus
Decreased movement/activity or slowing down, either dramatic or gradual
Less social (stop babbling/cooing)
Stiffening of their body/limbs, keeps hands in fists
Jerky limb movements
Avoiding eye contact
Quieter & calmer
Acting disinterested when previously they were engaged & active
Redness around eyes & brows
Rubbing eyes
Drooping eyelids
Fussy/wants to be held/clinging to you
Easily bored/upset, aka harder to keep content
Scratching/rubbing their head or pulling at their hair
Asking for or demanding a feeding
Using Sleep Cues to Improve Baby’s Sleep
Once you have identified your newborn’s personal sleep cues, it is so helpful to catch them as soon as you notice, and begin the process of getting them to sleep. Their wake windows are so short (45 min in the early days-60 min) that it is easy to blow right past their sleep cues and get into overtired territory. Because newborns are sensitive to overstimulation/overtiredness it is way easier to watch for the sleep cue AND keep an eye on the clock to stay ahead of the game versus trying to get a cranky, overtired baby to sleep after the fact.
(If you've got a newborn and want to figure out more about those early months of sleep, grab our newborn sleep toolkit!)
As your baby gets older, you may notice that the sleep cues become a little bit more unreliable. It is a classic scenario with my sleep clients with babies 3-5 months old taking short naps, and they report they are following sleep cues religiously still, but it’s no longer yielding a good nap. This is because beyond the newborn stage these cues have very limited use. Some babies will always have reliable cues, but it’s not a guarantee. This is when I recommend starting to rely more on wake windows and watch the timing a lot more closely. It’s very common and okay to have to push through their sleepiness a bit to get to the end of the wake window. When a sleep cue is first noted, your baby could very well be tired but not tired ENOUGH to take a good, long nap. I recommend switching up the activity, going to a different location (outside or, yes, even within your house!), and doing what you can to help them stretch that wake window and break through the undertired -> short nap cycle.
Autonomic Signals/ Time Out Cues
Missing early sleep cues such as the ones listed above can move you into overtired territory. Some cues are called autonomic signals, which means baby doesn’t have control over what their body is doing, and are in need of sleep.
Autonomic signals:
Hiccups
Sneezing
Yawning (more than normal)
Sweaty palms
Blueness around the mouth in infants
Time out cues are noted when a baby is overstimulated and needs a reset. They likely won’t be able to calm down without some sort of assistance. They have become dysregulated and could really benefit from a calm caregiver helping them through the use of co-regulation.
Time out cues:
Arching their back
Spit up/hiccuping (not feeding related)
Avoiding eye contact
Hands open/Fingers splayed out
“Help me!” cry
But my baby doesn’t have sleep cues!
If you’ve been observing for a while and truly don’t think your baby exhibits any of the cues listed above, that is okay! Some kids with a more laid back, easy-going personality may not seem to have strong sleep cues. This isn’t necessarily a problem! You can take notice of their natural rhythms for feeding and sleeping, and keep an eye on the clock more than on your baby since they likely won’t signal to you when they’re ready for bed. Finding what works best for your child often comes through trial and error.
IF you would like a hand with your baby’s sleep timing, give me a shout, Lauren@heavensentsleep.com, or head over to Heaven Sent Sleep and I would be happy to oblige! 🙂
Author:
Hello friend, my name is Lauren, and I’m part of the Heaven Sent Sleep team of pediatric sleep consultants. I am a former exhausted parent, but I learned everything I could about baby sleep and now apply that knowledge towards helping other families get better sleep! I live in Texas with my husband, and two kids. I enjoy being outdoors, the moon, and dancing to the point of injury with my friends! Find me over at Heaven Sent Sleep!