It’s not at all unusual that your baby is not yet able to sleep solidly for an entire night. In the early days, babies still need feeding at night, but even later on, babies tend to wake up several times per night. It only becomes a challenge when your baby won’t stop crying at night. It causes stress for your child as well as for you! You are asking yourself what could be the reason for the crying, and what could you do about it? We would be only too happy to help.
The first nights after delivery
In the first 24 hours after giving birth, you will notice that your baby sleeps a lot. Babies really need time to recover from the exertions of birth. It’s no small feat to be born! And of course that’s also great for you as brand-new parents: you can certainly use a good night’s sleep, too. The following nights, however, you may notice that your baby has become a little restless. During this period, babies find out that they are no longer in the safety of their mother’s womb. Your baby is looking for comfort, wants to drink a lot and needs skin contact. So, it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that your baby will cry a lot for the first few nights. These are tough nights, but you and your baby will get through them.
My baby can’t stop crying all night - what can I do about it?
It can be frustrating when your newborn cries all night. Your baby desperately needs his or her sleep for growth and development, but you, too, really rely on a good night’s sleep. You may be faced with the following situations:
- Your baby won’t fall asleep on its own. That’s not surprising, there are very few babies who fall asleep really easily. Your baby will have to learn how to fall asleep, and you as a parent have to understand how to best teach him or her. In order to fall asleep by itself, your child must feel safe, be free from physical complaints and must be relaxed and sleepy. This condition can be achieved in different ways. However, science recommends that you should not start coaching your baby to fall asleep too soon.
- Your baby cries before falling asleep. If that’s the case, you should check if your baby is already sufficiently sleepy and ready for bed. Or is your baby maybe already too sleepy and overwrought? Typical indications that this may be the case are babies rubbing their eyes, blinking a lot, pulling their ears and yawning. These are tell-tale signs that your baby is ready to fall asleep. If you try to put your child to bed before then, he or she will not be tired enough to fall asleep. But if you wait too long, your baby may start crying again due to overstimulation. Together with your baby you have to find just the right time!
- Your baby cries in his or her sleep. Most babies make noises in their sleep: from soft whining to full-scale crying. You will of course be tempted to pick up your baby right away, but if your baby is still asleep, you should wait and first see what happens. Your child may be in a transition from light to deep sleep. But even when in deep sleep, your baby may start crying. If your baby appears to be still asleep, it’s best to leave him or alone. Only when your baby is truly awake and crying, it makes sense to pick your baby up and comfort him or her.
Crying all night, sleeping all day
Newborn babies do not yet have a day-night cycle. It can take up to 16 weeks for your baby’s biological clock to develop! This can result in your baby being awake a lot at night and sleeping a lot during the day. Of course, you would prefer it to be the other way around! We are happy to give you some tips to remedy this reverse rhythm:
- Ensure sufficient (sun)light when your baby is awake.
- Provide plenty of activity when your baby is awake. This can be through playing, feeding, etc.
- Ensure that your baby’s room is really dark at night, to create a clear distinction between day and night.
- Avoid too much interaction during the night
- Start each day around the same time.
Need more tips? Of course, you’re not the only parent going through this stage! Download our app, and chat to other parents in the forum, exchange tips and experiences and help each other through the endless, sleepless nights!
How do I stop my baby from crying all night?
If your baby cries all night, this can – in addition to the lack of a day-night cycle – also cause your baby to sleep more during the day and not at all at night. We are happy to share some tips with you on what to do if your baby won’t stop crying at night:
- First, make sure your baby is indeed awake. As we mentioned above, babies tend to also cry in their sleep! In that case, it is often better to let them sleep rather than wake them up.
- Listen carefully to your baby’s crying. Sometimes you can tell what’s going on by the sound they are making. For example, are they crying because of a dirty diaper? Is your baby hungry, sick or cold? Based on these considerations, you can take appropriate action. Remain very calm when you pick your little one up and allow him or her to wake up gently. Give your baby what he or she needs and don’t turn on too much light. Also make sure that you don’t focus too much on creating an overly cozy atmosphere for your baby and put him or her quietly back to bed.
- Your baby may suffer from night terrors. That’s the case when your baby suddenly wakes up at night and is totally upset – even panicky, inconsolable and confused. If this is the case, waking up doesn’t make sense. It can even make the crying worse! Babies will often fall peacefully asleep again within half an hour. As a parent, night terrors are not a pleasant experience, but they are quite harmless. Your child will not remember anything about them the day after.
Help if your child cries all night
Have you tried everything, and your baby keeps crying all night? Of course, you can always contact your family doctor or childcare clinic for advice. Do not be afraid to ask for help: both for the sake of your own health and that of your child, it is important to sound the alarm in case of concerns!
