Winter Wake Ups: The Top Three Reasons Your Baby is Waking Early or More Frequently
It's official: temperatures have dropped in the Southern Hemisphere and we're all feeling the icy blast! Along with cold toes, winter weather seems to bring with it a whole host of sleep challenges - including your baby and toddler suddenly waking early or more frequently through the night. We've rounded up what might be causing these wakes, and what to do about it!
1. The air in babe's room is too cold.
Even if babe is super warm, if they are breathing in cold air, it can wake them up. This is often the cause for early morning waking - as a baby who has gone to bed in a cold room wakes up as the temp drops suddenly in the early hours.
Solution: Keep babe's room temp around 20-22 degrees Celsius. This can be a difficult one as heating is expensive to run all night and the initial investment can sting (we've heard good things about the Dyson Bar Heater), but it could be worth its weight in gold if everyone gets more sleep.
2. Babe isn't dressed warmly enough.
Long sleeved rompers alone might not be warm enough to keep babe warm overnight. Layering a short or long sleeved bodysuit underneath their long sleeved romper means that they are warmest here it matters most - close to their chest. Remember never to sleep baby with their head covered (e.g. with a beanie), and use blankets if they're old enough. Sleep sacks are also a brilliant idea, we're hoping to bring some cute ones out soon.
Solution: Layer babe in natural fibres, ensuring they're warm closest to their chest. Add age appropriate sleeping bags, sacks or blankets for extra warmth.
3. Babe is overheating, sweating and then getting cold.
So you've got them super warm and babe is still waking up? WTH? It can be tempting to layer babe up in all manner of super warm clothes, bedding and toys - but if these are made from synthetic fibres, they might actually be having the opposite effect. Synthetic fibres are made of various plastics and they aren't breathable - it's while you might find babe is waking up a little sweaty and restless, even in the coldest temps!
Solution: Ensure everything is a natural fibre, where possible (yep, even babe's very special Blankie!).