4 Reasons Your Baby is Waking Upset

3 Easy Ways to Support the Development of Your Baby’s Circadian Rhythm (Body Clock)

It can be SO upsetting when your baby wakes up upset. However, it is common and there are 4 common reasons why it might be happening:

• Temperament

If your baby is “slow to warm-up”, transitions are harder for them and this is true as they transition in and out of sleep.

• Waking from a Catnap

If you’re waking your little one from a catnap, this can be startling for them and they may become upset. If this is happening, I recommend experimenting with different ways to wake them, seeing which one works best for them. This may be turning off white noise and opening the blind. 

• They’re Hangry! 

My son was an expert at this wake response…he would wake up so HANGRY! He would literally demand to eat the second his eyes opened, so I had to be immediately ready to feed him or I would hear about it!

• They’re still tired and want to keep sleeping. 

Crying is often the only way they can communicate with us and who doesn’t feel like crying when they wake up tired and cranky?!

The takeaway is that waking up upset isn’t something that you necessarily need to change. It is common and often their way of communicating a need to us. However, problem solving why it may be occurring can provide reassurance and peace of mind because it’s so hard to see your child upset.