Sleepy Cues
There are many tricks a well prepared mom can have “up her sleeve” for helping baby sleep go as smoothly as possible… but I have to say one of my all time favorites is SLEEPY CUES. This blog will walk you through what a sleepy cue is, why they are important, and how to use sleepy cues to help your baby.
What is a sleepy cue?
A sleepy cue is a signal that baby is getting ripe and ready for a nap! These cues are little ways that baby can somewhat “wave a flag” and let us know that they have built up the right sleep pressure and are ready to take a nap!
Common sleepy cues are:
Yawning
Staring off in the distance
Rubbing Eyes
Pulling on Ears
Red eyes
Red eyebrows
Nuzzling into your chest
*Usually fussing is a sign of OVERtiredness… we want to try and catch baby BEFORE they are fussing!
Did you know that babies are kind of like avocados?! You can leave an avocado on the counter and the first day you check… nope not ready to make that guacamole. Next time you check, still too firm. Then you go to check on Taco Tuesday and AH it’s rotten!! How did that even happen?! Baby can be this way too… we want to catch them RIPE AND READY for the nap before they turn “rotten” (aka fussy and overtired!!).
Why are sleepy cues important?
Sleepy cues are like our golden ticket to know that baby is ready for that nap! Whether we are working on independent sleeping skills or rocking and supporting baby to sleep, we want to start the process at the correct time with the correct amount of waketime for them to fall asleep and stay asleep. Sleepy cues help us know exactly when that will be! If we lay baby down BEFORE they are tired enough, they will likely take a short nap and wake up happy… but not having gotten the full, restorative sleep we are aiming for. If we lay baby down AFTER they are too tired… they may be too exhausted to put themselves to sleep and stay asleep for the full nap time. If they do happen to fall asleep, they often wake up immediately crying, which can be a sign of being overtired.
How do I use sleepy cues to help my little one?
FIRST: know your waketime windows so that you know WHEN to watch for the sleepy cue. Follow our waketime window chart you can find HERE to see what a developmentally appropriate waketime window is for your little one. Set a timer as soon as they wake up for the shorter end of that window, then watch for those cues! The moment you notice one, it’s your golden ticket to head straight to that nap! If you haven’t seen a cue by the end of their waketime window… head on to nap time anyways! The more you narrow down their needed waketime by using sleepy cues, the more consistent your daily rhythm will start to be.
Sleepy cues can be a great tool to have available… but they aren’t the end all, be all of sleep. If you are catching those sleepy cues and your baby is still struggling, or if you’re looking for more support, reach out to us here to learn about our classes and consults!