Is Your Baby Overtired? Here's What to Do

Dealing with an overtired baby can be challenging. We turned to experts to learn the signs of an overtired baby and how to help them sleep.

Medically reviewed by Bree Lustre, MD

Sleep can often be a point of contention with new parents—and we’re not even talking about the parents’ sleep. Wondering whether a new baby is sleeping too much or not enough is a common occurrence. But no matter how diligent we are in creating an environment that supports healthy sleep, babies can still wind up overtired.

Counter to what you may instinctively believe, an overtired baby can have a harder time falling asleep. (Yes, even though they are overtired.) Luckily, there are signs to watch out for, and ways to prevent your little one from getting overtired in the first place. We turned to experts to learn more about why babies get overtired, and how you can help them find sleep.

Related: The Best Sleep Sacks, Tested by Our Own Babies and Toddlers

Why Do Babies Get Overtired So Easily?

While an adult knows to lie down when they are starting to get sleepy, babies aren't born with this skill. “Overtiredness can be a problem for kids of all ages,” says Sarah Smiddy Youssef, MD, a pediatrician with Holston Medical Group in Kingsport, TN. “For babies, they need a lot of sleep and if they go past the typical time when they need to sleep, they can become overtired.”

This comes down to the fact that when they start to feel tired, they simply don’t know that sleep is what will make them feel better. “Babies are not very good at self-regulating,” Dr. Smiddy Youssef explains. “As we get older, we get better at knowing when we’re tired, but babies have no ability to do that. If we don’t put them to sleep, their brain is running on an empty tank and they can become fretful and hard to put to sleep.”

Indeed, babies do not develop regular sleep cycles until about 6 months old, yet newborns typically need to sleep 16 to 17 hours a day. That means it is up to the parents to make sure the baby is getting the sleep they need in order to avoid overtiredness.

There are several factors that can lead to your baby becoming overtired. “Too much stimulation, getting off schedule with family travel or activities, not getting enough nutrition, and illness can also result in babies being overtired,” adds Tanya Altmann, MD, founder of Calabasas Pediatrics and Bubs Formula Ambassador. Of course, not all of these are within your control, so it's important to be mindful of what you can manage ahead of time—and understand what you can't.

Signs of an Overtired Baby

There are many ways to tell if your baby is overtired. They include:

• Fussiness

• Crankiness

• Yawning

• Rubbing their face

• Not wanting to engage with you or play anymore

• Crying

• A second burst of angry/unhappy energy

Perhaps the most telltale sign? It's challenging to get them to doze off. “They may be harder to soothe and put to sleep for naps or nighttime,” Dr. Altmann adds. “Or they may fall asleep in your arms, while you are soothing them, but because they are in such a light sleep, they then wake up right when you put them down.”

How to Get an Overtired Baby to Sleep

The biological response babies experience when they dip into overtiredness makes it hard to settle them down. “They don’t know why they don’t feel well, and then they often fight going to sleep,” Dr. Altmann says.

These feelings of discomfort start with their hormones. “Being overtired activates a stress response, including the release of hormones like cortisol, that makes it even harder for baby to settle,” explains Dr. Altmann. “This is why the more overtired a baby becomes, the more difficult it usually is for them to fall asleep and stay asleep.”

If you are dealing with an overtired baby, first create a sleep-promoting environment. “Try to keep the room quiet and dark without any outside stimulations. Using a white noise machine or app can also be soothing,” Dr. Altmann says. Also smart: Making sure none of their fussiness is hunger-based. “Maybe even give a top-off feed of breast milk or formula to ensure your baby’s nutrition is solid and to help them feel full and satisfied. This can help them sleep a little longer and deeper,” says Dr. Altmann.

From there, consider trying this study-proven routine: Walking and holding your baby for five minutes, then sitting and holding them for eight minutes, then transferring them to their bassinet or crib. In a Japanese study that tested this strategy on fussy babies, 46% of babies fell asleep within the first five minutes and 18% fell asleep one minute later. Meanwhile, the eight minutes of sitting made it significantly more likely that the babies stayed asleep once they were put down.

All that said, the easiest way to get an overtired baby to sleep is to take steps to avoid overtiredness in the first place.

Related: How to Create the Best Baby Nap Schedule

How to Prevent Your Baby from Getting Overtired

The best way to prevent overtiredness is to keep babies from getting to that point in the first place. “Parents come to me all the time saying they can’t get their kids to sleep. My answer is almost always that they need to go to sleep earlier,” says Dr. Smiddy Youssef. Indeed, if you’re consistently struggling to get your baby to go to sleep, try starting your sleep routine at least 30 minutes sooner (this goes for naps and bedtime).

Being on the lookout for the early signs of tiredness also helps. “These can be subtle,” Dr. Smiddy Youssef says. “Touching their face or eyes, yawning, slow blinking, getting really snuggly—these are all signs that it’s time for sleep now. I tell new parents that the second you see them doing this, swaddle them up and put them in the bed. That’s your best chance.” In addition to swaddling, consider using the other four of the Five S’s—side position, shushing, swinging and sucking—which experts say can help soothe all the possible reasons for a baby’s sleepiness and help them drift off.

“I recommend a sleep, feed, play schedule, and then going down for a nap before they become over-stimulated and cry,” says Dr. Altmann. If you are out and about with your baby, keep a keen eye on their temperament. “I learned with my own boys that I could take them on one errand, maybe two, but three would push it, and cause them to be overtired and irritable,” shares Dr. Altmann. “Or they would fall asleep in their car seat and get off schedule. Babies do best following a regular schedule whenever possible.”

Indeed, regular schedules and routines around sleep help babies learn self-regulation and self-control, as well as establish security, comfort, and emotional stability as they get older. But it’s also important to remember that things come up, and that’s okay. “I usually tell parents, it’s the 80/20 rule. As long as you follow your set routine 80% of the time and your baby is doing well, then the 20% of the time when you do need to deviate, they will easily bounce back to their routine,” Dr. Altmann adds.

When to Consult a Health Care Professional

If you’ve spent time trying to establish a routine and your baby is still struggling to settle and get enough sleep, it may be worth a visit to a pediatrician or health care provider. “If your child is restless, snoring, making unusual noises, or showing jerky movements when sleeping, all those are things we would want to talk to you about,” says Dr. Smiddy Youssef.

Once your baby is 6 months and older, their sleep habits should be improving. But if things start trending backwards, such as if they go from sleeping through the night to multiple awakenings, they cling to you when you try to put them down, or they refuse to go to sleep without you nearby, these are things you likely want to discuss with a health care provider.

Above all, remember that each child is different and will need a different amount of sleep. “I want them to have the opportunity to sleep or rest for the amount of time they need,” says Dr. Smiddy Youssef. “If you put them down and they sleep for 8 hours...and they are rested, that’s fine with me.”

Related: Sleep Training Nearly Broke Me but Changed My Life

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