One of the best things you can do as a mom to make your life with a baby easier is to learn how to recognize when your baby is tired before they become overtired. When your baby is tired, they are willing to lay down and go to sleep. When they are overtired, they become restless and want nothing to do with their crib. When they are tired, they are drowsy and calm. When they are overtired, they are grumpy and fussy.
Recognizing when they are tired can be tricky, though. The signs are often very subtle and go unnoticed when you don’t know what to look for. What’s more, each child may exhibit different signs, so much of this learning process is unique to each child. You may figure out your oldest and then have to start from scratch with your baby.
Tonight I noticed that a friend’s baby was showing the same tired sign that my son always does: I call it “zoning out” and it often happens in the high chair at dinner. My son will begin to eat a little slower, and then all of a sudden his eyes will glaze over and he’ll just stare into space for a few minutes. If I can get him out of his booster seat and into his bed during this five minute window, bed time is absolutely painless. He is relaxed and ready to go to sleep. If I miss the window, though, he will start throwing food and pitching a fit. Getting ready for bed will be stressful and sometimes it will take longer for him to fall asleep. I’ll hear him whimpering and whining for a little while after we put him down. Because of this pattern, our bedtime routine is minimal. Baths usually take place in the afternoon. We read stories throughout the day. Bedtime basically consists of a new diaper, pajamas and brushing his teeth. It’s very fast, but it works well for us. We eat dinner around 6pm and sometimes he is in bed by 6:45pm; it just depends on how hard he played that day.
Other tired signs include the classic rubbing of the eyes and pulling on the ears. A good friend of mine has a daughter who would want to hold her mom’s finger and gently pick at the nail while sitting in her lap. It was really cute, and it was a definite sign that she was feeling sleepy. When my son reached a similar age he started doing the same thing, which makes me wonder how many other kids like to play with their mom’s fingernail when they are tired?
Whatever your baby’s tired signs are, learning to recognize them and seize the opportunity to put them to bed right away will make your life much easier.