false starts

What are False Starts?

A false start occurs when a baby wakes up shortly after being put to bed, typically within the first 45 minutes to an hour of falling asleep. It can also involve multiple wake ups in the early part of the night, as the baby struggles to settle into a longer stretch of sleep and is fully waking at the end of their sleep cycles. False starts often signal that a baby’s sleep routine or environment may need adjustments, whether due to too much daytime sleep, overtiredness, or even discomfort.

COMMON causes & solutions

While it’s commonly suggested that false starts result from a buildup of cortisol (a stress hormone that makes it difficult for the baby to resettle after each sleep cycle) often linked to being overtired, it’s important to consider other factors as well.

Is your baby uncomfortable?

The first step in addressing false starts is to consider whether your baby might be uncomfortable. Discomfort caused by a gassy tummy, constipation, or food sensitivities (especially if the baby has started on solids) can lead to sleep disturbances. The key is for parents to stay attuned to their baby’s cues, as this is the best way to identify and address the root cause of disrupted sleep.

Schedule adjustments

Once discomfort has been ruled out or addressed, try adjusting your baby’s wake windows to see if this impacts bedtime. Some babies might actually need a longer wake window before bed to build up enough sleep pressure to sleep through the first part of the night. In some cases shortening the wake window before bed can sometimes help eliminate these disruptions if they are happening due to overtiredness. However, this isn’t always a guaranteed solution, and it’s worth noting that there’s no conclusive research linking false starts directly to overtiredness.

Environment

Creating an ideal sleep environment for your baby is crucial for promoting restful sleep and in helping avoid baby waking fully between sleep cycles. The sleep space should be familiar, cool, quiet, and dark. Consider using blackout curtains to block out any light, and a white noise machine to drown out household sounds that might disturb your baby. It's important to dress your baby in breathable, comfortable clothing appropriate for the room’s temperature to avoid overheating or being too cold. To check if your baby is too hot or too cool, you can feel the back of their neck. To help bridge separation and help baby feel safe and secure in their sleep space, consider sleeping with their sheets or sleep sack for a few days beforehand so baby can find comfort in your familiar scent.

Experimentation is Key

One of the challenges with false starts is that each baby is different, and finding the right solution may require some experimentation. And to be completely honest - although I know it’s not what anyone wants to hear, sometimes false starts may be caused by the fact that some babies just habitually wake at the same time every night and are looking for support to get back to sleep from their caregivers. It’s also important to remember that waking and false starts are developmentally appropriate for infants and toddlers, so if you’ve tried everything you can and nothing seems to work, know that they will eventually grow out of it! In the meantime to make it more manageable, you could take turns responding to the wake ups with your partner or try putting your AirPods in and listening to an audiobook or podcast while you are helping your baby back to sleep.