What to do when a baby or toddler keeps waking at night

Why doesn’t my baby sleep well at night?

Almost all parents find it hard when it feels like everyone else’s babies are sleeping through, except theirs. Every baby is different and will have their own pattern of waking and sleeping (NHS, 2025; The Lullaby Trust, 2025 b).

Even when they get past the newborn stage, most babies still wake often. Studies have shown that only 1 in 3 babies start sleeping in longer stretches from 3-4 months. And when sleep does improve, it is common for the pattern to change again as they continue to grow and learn (Basis, 2025 a).

Reasons might be (IHV, 2025; NHS, 2025; The Lullaby Trust 2025a; The Sleep Charity, 2021):

• Need for reassurance that their caregiver is close
• Hunger or thirst
• Illness, discomfort or sensory issues
• Disruption to the normal routine
• A wet nappy, needing the toilet or bedwetting
• Growth spurts
• Teething

Waking at night is protective against Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and is a normal part of a baby’s development. While it’s useful to know how to help a baby get off to sleep and settle them with minimum fuss at night, the goal is not to stop all night-time waking (Basis, 2025 a; The Lullaby Trust, 2025 a).

When will my baby or toddler start to sleep longer?

Over the first year of life, babies’ short periods of sleep will start to merge into longer periods. This is called sleep consolidation (Basis, 2025 a).

By the end of the first year, most of their sleep moves to night-time as their body clock develops. However, there is a lot of normal variation between babies, which means that sleep charts on social media may not be helpful (Basis, 2025 a).

The baby’s longest sleep at night is usually their first sleep. So it can help for the parent to have the same bedtime as the baby (Basis, 2025 a). This means the caregiver and baby are more likely to share the first longest initial sleep period.

Does how the baby or toddler is fed make a difference?

Newborn babies that are breastfed may wake up to feed more often than formula fed babies. However, from 6 months old the gap reduces. There is little difference in night feeding frequency, regardless of how they are fed (Basis, 2025 a).

Babies that consume more calories during the day may feed less often at night, but do not wake less frequently (Basis, 2025 a).

Studies have shown that breastfeeding mothers or parents often get the same amount of sleep, or even more, as those who are formula feeding. At night, breastfeeding is more efficient than formula or bottle feeding because breastfeeding parents and babies don’t need to wake up fully to feed (Basis, 2025 a).

Babies and the breastfeeding parent often fall asleep more quickly because of the calming effects of hormones in breastmilk. Being close to their mother or breastfeeding parent or caregiver is also soothing for the baby (Basis, 2025 a).

What can I do to help my baby or toddler sleep?

Having a regular, calming bedtime routine has been shown to improve sleep quality (Hoyniak et al, 2021; IHV, 2021). A research study found that having a consistent bedtime routine could lead to improvements in three nights (Mindell et al, 2017).

A bedtime routine could involve having a bath, brushing their teeth, massage and quiet activities like reading a bedtime story or singing a lullaby (NHS, 2025).

Other ideas include (Hoyniak et al, 2021; IHV, 2021; NHS, 2023; The Sleep Charity 2021):

• Making their sleeping space pleasant, calm and secure
• Helping them feel emotionally secure
• Offering older children a calcium-based snack such as yoghurt, or cereal with milk, if they haven’t eaten for a while before bed.

Development of the body clock can be supported by (Hoyniak et al, 2021; Basis, 2025 a; IHV, 2021; The Sleep Charity, 2021; NHS, 2023):

• Putting the baby or toddler to bed at the same time every night and waking them up at the same time in the morning
• Getting outside and being active in daylight
• Dimming the lights before bedtime
• Avoiding screens and blue light for an hour before bed.

Children with additional needs

Sleep difficulties are more common in children with additional needs. Research shows that over 8 in 10 children with additional needs have a sleep issue. Mostly, the reasons are the same as for all other babies and children, and the same techniques will help them (IHV, 2021).

Some children with additional needs don’t produce enough melatonin, the hormone which induces sleepiness. To help the body produce melatonin naturally, it may help to use (IHV, 2021; The Sleep Charity 2021):

• A soft red light if they find complete darkness difficult
• White or pink noise if they are sensitive to noises such as the central heating clicking on

Melatonin supplements are not suitable for infants and should only be prescribed by a health professional (Basis, 2025 a).

How does napping affect a baby or toddler’s sleep?

A baby doesn’t have a fully established body clock until 12 months old or later. Instead, babies find it easiest to sleep when their urge to sleep is high and they are in a relaxed state. This urge to sleep is called sleep pressure (Basis, 2025 a).

Sleep pressure is higher when babies and toddlers have lighter sleep during the day. This can be encouraged by not making the room too dark or too silent at nap time (Basis, 2025 a; NHS, 2025).

Allowing napping around normal household activities, with conversation happening in the background, can work best. Rigid nap and sleep timings can be demoralising for the parent, as babies’ sleep patterns change frequently in the first year (Basis, 2025 a).

Naps which are late in the afternoon can also affect the baby’s sleep (NHS, 2025).

The effects of sleep deprivation on parents

Long periods of disrupted sleep can really affect parents, especially if they are working or caring for other children as well. Sleep deprivation can be a shock. It can leave parents feeling frustrated or irritable and affect their ability to cope. It may also impact their wellbeing (IHV, 2021; The Lullaby Trust, 2025 b).

It’s important for parents to look after themselves if their baby or toddler isn’t sleeping so that they can meet the demands on their time.

Tips for coping when a child wakes during the night

Ideas to help the baby or toddler to sleep include:

• Using a sleeping bag if they are getting cold because they have kicked blankets off.
• Where the baby is living with two or more parents or caregivers, they might be able to share night-time care. If the baby is formula fed, the caregiver could give them a feed. If the baby is breastfed, and when breastfeeding is established, the caregiver could offer expressed milk (NHS, 2025).
• Other tips to cope include eating well during the day and getting plenty of fresh air and activity.

What to do when your child wakes up too early

Babies might wake at dawn, seeming ready to start the day. For some parents, this can be fine, but others may feel the baby or themselves could benefit from more sleep.

• Some parents choose to bring the baby or toddler into bed with them when they wake. See our article on Sleep safety and co-sleeping.
• A partner or caregiver could do the early morning nappy change and take care of the baby, allowing the mother or birthing person to have a little more sleep. Where there isn’t a partner, a friend or relative might be able to stay for a few nights to help care for the baby (NHS, 2025).
• For toddlers, some parents provide a morning toy bag to keep them occupied if they wake early. Toys should not be in a cot with a baby under 6 months.