Recognising tiredness

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It’s not pretty. Your child is suddenly irritable, overactive or demanding. Chances are she’s overtired.

Children show they are tired through changes in behaviour. Look for your child’s “tired cues” and you can reduce stimulation and start settling her before overtiredness sets in.

Newborns

• A newborn baby will probably get overtired if she has been awake for more than 1½ hours.
• At 3-6 months your baby will be overtired after 1½-2½ hours awake.

If your newborn is tired, she may:

• pull at her ears (this can also be a sign of sore ears)
• close her fists
• flutter her eyelids
• have jerky arm and leg movements
• yawn
• have a worried look on her face
• arch backwards
• have difficulty focusing (she may even go cross-eyed)
• suck on her fingers (this could be a good sign and mean that your baby is trying to find ways to settle herself to sleep).

Babies and toddlers

• At 6-12 months your baby will be overtired after 2-3 hours awake.
• At 12-18 months your baby will be overtired if she misses out on her morning or afternoon sleep.

If your baby or toddler is tired, she may be:

• clumsy 
• clingy 
• grizzly
• prone to crying
• demanding constant attention
• sick of her toys
• fussy with food.

Grizzling and crying can mean your child is absolutely exhausted, but it’s often hard to tell the difference between tired grizzling and hungry grizzling.

If your child is showing signs of tiredness you can reduce stimulation by:

• taking her to her sleeping place
• putting toys away
• talking quietly and soothingly
• closing curtains and blinds
• turning overhead lights off – use lamps if you need to
• playing music quietly – this will help cut down on background noise.

Quiet time is important

• Give your child some quiet time in the place where she will sleep.
• Calm her with a gentle cuddle or by reading her a story or singing a quiet song.
• Your child may only need a few minutes of quiet time before she is relaxed and ready to be put in bed. If your household is noisy and active, she may need some extra quiet time before she is ready for sleep. 

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