SLEEPY CUES

Does your infant rub their eyes, yawn, or get extra fussy right before a nap time or bedtime? Or does your toddler suddenly get as much energy as it takes to run a marathon right before nap time or bedtime? Those are their sleepy cues and they are so important to watch out for! 

Sleep cues can be very apparent or they can be very subtle. It depends on the child, it can depend on the amount of sleep they have had up until that point, it can depend on the time of day, it can depend on a lot of different variables so it takes some time to understand your own child's sleep cues.

What do sleepy cues look like? 
Typical cues for babies 0-18 months:

• glazed over look

• red eyebrows

• yawning

• rubbing eyes

• arching back

Typical cues for toddlers 18mo-3yrs:

• Tantrums

• Slowing down/less energy or'

• Crazy amount of energy right before sleep time

• Losing control to communicate needs

• Unable to follow direction (if that is a skill they have already)

  It can be easy to mistaken this as defiant behavior, but it could simply be they are in desperate need of a nap!

What if your child is not showing any sleepy cues?

Sometimes your child won’t show apparent sleepy cues every time they are tired. This can be difficult and can lead to an overtired baby. This is why awake windows play an important part and they would with sleepy cues.

How do sleepy cues work with awake widows?

Sleepy cues work right alongside awake windows. They are equally important. Think of awake windows as a jigsaw puzzle. Without this completed puzzle it will be hard to gauge when your child is ready for sleep without being overtired or undertired. In this puzzle, awake windows account for every single middle piece, including all pieces EXCEPT for the corner pieces. The puzzle is pretty much done but there is no way for it to be complete without those important edge pieces. Sleepy cues are those edge pieces! If you pay attention to your child's awake windows AND sleepy cues, your puzzle has the ability to be complete. You still have to work to use those edge pieces correctly (find where they go and how they fit) just like you have to use those sleepy cues to find that sleepy sweet spot.

What happens if your child is showing sleepy cues before the full awake window? 

The first thing to check is how many different cues they are showing and is it happening close together? Are these cues happening continuously?  

If your baby has woken up from a nap ten minutes ago and they let out a yawn, that is normal and it probably does not mean your baby needs another nap. However, if they are yawning over and over, their eye brows are red, and they’re extra fussy, it’s probably reading for a nap. Keep reading for a few tips on stretching the awake windows.

The goal:

The goal is to get your child through that whole awake window without pushing them into an overtired state. So even if your child is showing sleepy cues, before you resort to laying them down, it is beneficial to try to switch activities, go outside, or get a change of scenery to stretch that last 15-20 minutes of that awake window. And if all of that is not working then go ahead and lay your child down. 

What happens if you miss the sleepy cues or miss an awake window?

With all that being said, if you miss sleepy cues or miss an awake window, it’s okay! You can just try again at the next opportunity. Give yourself some grace because watching for those cues is not always an easy task, especially while juggling everything else going on.

So now you know more about sleepy cues and why they’re so important, yet, often overlooked. Do your best to sniff out those cues and if you have any questions, feel free to reach out!

Best Wishes,

Mandy Baker

Island Mama Sleep Consulting