False Starts After Falling Asleep

Your child’s first part of the night is most commonly the more settled part.

This is because your Small’s sleep hormone melatonin level is at its highest, and homeostatic sleep drive (sleep pressure) is very high. I can’t guarantee your Small won’t wake up, but they’re usually settled fairly swiftly and easily if they do!

However, your Small’s sleep is unique and there’s always exceptions, and waking shortly after falling asleep AKA false starts are common. They might be normal for your Small and where they’re at and what they need right now. I’m always honest about this and some will continue doing these before they settle in time.

But sometimes a small change can make a big difference. So here’s four sleep suggestions for false starts:

If they’re waking for a feed, try bringing their last feed slightly earlier in the bedtime routine.
If they crash out on their bedtime breastfeed or bottle and are not fully finishing it, try splitting it. Simply give it to them in two parts! I usually suggest the first as their bath is running and the second in their usual place.
Experiment with bedtime. For some going to bed too early (before 7/7.30pm) causes false starts. For some it could be that it’s too late for them and a slightly earlier bedtime can help. It’s trial and error to find out what works for YOU. If this resonates go earlier by 10/15 minutes first for a few days, and if it doesn’t help, push bedtime later by 10/15 mins every 2-3 days.
The last thing I look at is bedtime boundaries. It’s rare that how they go to sleep causes false starts and I’d only suggest this if you’d tried everything else, the wakes were only in the first part of the night, and you’re happy to! You can learn all about this on my Bedtime Boundaries e-course.