A well rested baby is a happy baby. A tired baby can put the whole house on edge. Getting your baby to bed before she is overtired is the trick to maintaining peace and sanity in your home. Unfortunately, your baby can’t tell you, “I’m sleepy, mom,” when she’s ready to get some shut-eye. How are you supposed to know when your baby is tired and ready to go to bed or lay down for a nap?
The idea that baby’s don’t communicate with their caregivers in any way other than crying is a total myth. Have you ever seen the show “Lie To Me”? In the show, the main character is able to determine someone’s innocence or guilt by reading their facial expressions while they are asked a series of questions. In the same way, your baby is constantly giving signals through her body language that let you know when she is hungry, uncomfortable, scared, bored, lonely or tired. You only need to observe her closely and know how to interpret her movements, noises and facial expressions.
There are a few peculiar things that babies do when they are tired. They like to pull at their ears. This can be confused with an ear infection, but babies will continue to pull at their ears even after they wake up from a nap if they have an infection. Tired babies also like to turn their eyes away from the commotion. A busy room can be too much stimulation for a sleepy little one, so they try to block it out. Tired babies also tend to whimper and cry long, drawn out sobs. Though, by the time they are screaming, they are past being sleepy. When they are ready to sleep, but not quite overtired just yet, babies will get very still and quiet for a few moments. I call it the “daze.” The daze often occurs in the high chair in my house, since my son always takes a nap after lunch. Most babies are more than willing to lay down and sleep when they are in this daze, but you have to act quickly. The outburst usually comes right on the heels of the daze.