Split Night

A split night is when your child is awake for 1-2 hours in the middle of the night, happy as can be and ready to party (someone please tell them the party is over!).

Unlike other situations where your child might be unsettled and you can easily comfort/nurse them back to sleep, split nights are difficult in that the baby is in a good mood and no amount of comfort/nursing will quickly get them back to sleep. 

What causes split nights?

Split nights are almost always caused by an imbalance between their body clock and their sleep pressure. The two most common causes of this are too much daytime sleep and/or a bedtime that is too early.

Too Much Daytime Sleep

Sleep pressure applies to the entire 24-hour period (not just night sleep) so if they are getting too much sleep during the day, there won’t be enough sleep pressure to get them through the night, so you can cast your bets that at 2 a.m. they will be wide awake! 

Early Bedtime

There are a maximum number of hours a baby can sleep overnight, and 12 hours seems to be the limit. Some babies only need 9 hours, but on average most can sleep for 10 – 11 hours per night. So, if their bedtime is too early, they simply won’t be able to sleep through the night and hence they will wake up in the early hours of the morning ready to start their day! 

Strategies to eliminate split nights:

• Reduce their total daytime sleep (thereby increasing sleep pressure)

• Incrementally (15 minutes per day) adjust their bedtime so that it is later in the evening. This will increase their wake time and therefore increase sleep pressure. 

  Expert Tip:

Regardless of how bad a night’s sleep may have been, stay consistent the next day so that you stick to their sleep routine. Do not give them any additional sleep even though you are exhausted and yearning for a few extra hours yourself!