An overtired baby - signs, causes and tips

What does it mean when a baby becomes overtired?

When a baby stays awake longer than they can handle, tiredness can become so overwhelming that they get overtired. This can trigger the release of stress hormones, making it harder for a baby to wind down and fall asleep. They might become fussy or even start crying intensely.

Young children have a limited amount of time they can stay awake before needing to sleep again. This period is often called the wake window. The younger the baby, the shorter their wake window.

Signs that a baby is overtired

Signs of overtiredness can include:

• Crying intensely

• Tensing their body

• Clenching their fists

• Being very fussy or irritable

• Arching their back

How to break the cycle of overtiredness

When a baby is tired and ready to sleep, it shows up both physically and behaviorally. These signs, known as sleep cues, can help you know when your baby is ready for a nap.

By paying attention to your baby’s sleep cues, you can make sure they’re put down for naps at the right time—before they become overtired. The key is to start preparing them when you notice the first subtle signs, called early sleep cues, and then put them down when you see the more obvious, direct sleep cues.

Early sleep cues

• Red eyebrows

• Turning their gaze away

• Staring into space

• Avoiding eye contact

• Blank stare

• Moving more slowly

• Less activity

When you notice early sleep cues, it’s good to start preparing so you’re ready for a nap or bedtime. For example, you can wind down, change the diaper, nurse or bottle-feed, or prepare the stroller for a walk.

Direct sleep cues

• Yawning

• Rubbing their eyes

• Tugging at their ears

• Heavy eyelids

• Fussiness

• Tugging at their hair

When you notice direct sleep cues, it’s good to actively start putting the baby down for a nap or bedtime right away.

Late sleep cues

Seeing these might mean your baby is overtired—try to put the baby down before this.

• Crying intensely

• Tensing their body

• Clenching their fists

• Being very fussy or irritable

• Arching their back

How long can a baby stay awake before becoming overtired?

All children are different and develop at their own pace, the list below is just an approximate estimatimation. To help you find your baby’s optimal wake window, you can use Napper, which analyzes your baby's individual sleep patterns.

Baby's age - wake window

• 0-4 weeks: 35-60 minutes

• 4-12 weeks: 60-90 minutes

• 3-4 months: 75-120 minutes

• 5-7 months: 2-3 hours

• 7-10 months: 2.5-3.5 hours

• 11-14 months: 3-4 hours

• 14-24 months: 4-6 hours

Getting an overtired baby to sleep

When your baby becomes overtired, it can sometimes be challenging to get them to sleep. It’s often more helpful to shift your focus to helping the baby relax. Relaxation is always the first step to becoming drowsy and falling asleep.

When the baby is overtired, stress hormones are released, making it harder for them to relax. It often takes quite a bit of support and a combination of several different variable to help a baby calm down.

How to calm an overtired baby

There are several natural ways to help your baby relax, and you’re probably already using many of them instinctively. The two relaxation techniques that usually work best for newborns are movement and sucking, but anything that reminds them of life in the womb can also be very soothing.

Note: Try combining several of these techniques at once—use as many as you can manage.

Movement: Walk around and rock your baby in your arms, gently bounce on a yoga ball, take a drive in the car, push the stroller, or go for a walk with a baby wrap or carrier.

Sucking: Let your baby nurse, bottle-feed, or use a pacifier.

Reduced stimuli: Retreat to a quiet room and dim the lights, or go for a walk. Give your baby space to relax and avoid stimulating activities—try to be a little boring!

Shushing sounds: In the womb, the sound of blood flow is loud, like a vacuum cleaner or shower. Continuous shushing sounds can be very calming. Use your voice to make a steady "Sssssshhhh" sound or play white noise. You can find white noise, womb sounds, and over 35 other sleep sounds in the sleep sounds tab on the home screen.

Undress the baby: Take off your baby’s clothes and let them lie skin-to-skin with you, in just a diaper. This has a calming effect.

Fullness: Help your baby feel full—babies find it easier to relax and fall asleep when they’re not hungry. If it’s hard to calm them down enough to eat, try combining feeding with other tips on this list, like gently rocking on a yoga ball, skin-to-skin in a quiet room, and playing white noise.

Fresh air: For some parents, fresh air works wonders to calm their baby. If the weather’s nice, you can open a window or go for a walk with a baby wrap, carrier, or stroller.

*Although your baby is used to loud noise from the womb, be mindful of the sound level and where you place the sound source. Too loud a noise can be harmful to a baby's sensitive hearing.

Overtiredness or witching hour?

Newborn babies sometimes go through something called the witching hour, evening fussiness, or evening crying. This typically happens in the evening, when babies become extra fussy or restless.

The witching hour often starts creeping in around 2-3 weeks of age, peaks around 6 weeks, and usually fades away by 3-4 months.

The difference between overtiredness and the witching hour is that the witching hour is linked to a baby’s age, development, and the time of day, though the two can overlap. One possible reason for the witching hour in newborns might be that they’re tired after a long day filled with lots of stimuli.

Will an overtired baby eventually fall asleep?

Yes and no. If your baby is overtired, they often need your help to relax before they can fall asleep. Otherwise, the fussiness and crying can just get worse until they eventually fall asleep out of sheer exhaustion. Both you and your baby will likely feel better if you find other ways to help them relax and drift off to sleep.

When an overtired baby refuses to sleep

If your baby is clearly tired but refuses to sleep, they’re likely dealing with an influx of stress hormones. These hormones can make them feel wired, making it tough for them to wind down and sleep.

Even though they need sleep, a baby might not feel sleepy. As a parent, it's important to help them relax by using calming techniques that encourage them to wind down.

Q&A

Q: How does an overtired baby behave?

An overtired baby can be fussy and irritable, or they might cry intensely. Even though they’re clearly tired, they might seem wired but still dissatisfied and prone to fussiness and crying. You might also notice signs like tensing their body, arching their back, or clenching their fists.

Q: Can you let an overtired baby cry themselves to sleep?

No, it’s not advisable to let an overtired baby cry themselves to sleep without trying to help them relax and fall asleep. Sometimes it takes time for an overtired baby to wind down, but it’s important not to leave them to cry alone. Offer closeness and comfort so they feel cared for, even if it takes a while for them to drift off. This is crucial for their emotional development and sense of security.