The No Cry Sleep Solution, Second Edition

Most babies are not quiet sleepers: they grunt, groan, coo, whimper and sometimes even outright cry during sleep. These noises don’t always signal awakening, and they don’t always require any action on your part. These are “sleeping noises,” and your baby is nearly or even totally asleep during these episodes. These are not the cries that mean, “I need you!” They are just normal sleeping sounds. Babies are also active sleepers. They move around, twitch and shift position many times during sleep. Their movements don’t mean they are waking up.

If you respond too quickly to every little peep or movement you can encourage your baby to wake up fully and frequently throughout the night, (or in the middle of a nap, making it shorter than it should be.) And that is the opposite of your goal for great sleep!

It’s important to learn when you should pick your baby up for a night feeding and when you can let them go back to sleep on their own. When your baby is moving around or making noises, and you’re not sure if your little one is awake or not, but you are feeling ready to pounce – take a pause. If your baby is really awake and hungry, you will – always, of course! – want to feed your little one as quickly as possible. You’ll know right away if this is the case – newborns are built to be able to ask for food, and they can be very vocal about it. However, if your baby is just sleeping noisily – let them do it without your interference, and they will sleep much better.

Point to Remember

Watch closely and listen carefully when your baby moves around and makes noises during sleep. If Baby really is waking up and hungry – feed your newborn quickly. However, if Baby is just making sleeping noises and sleeping movements – let your newborn continue to sleep without your interference.

Excerpt from The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley

Excerpted with permission by McGraw-Hill Publishing from The No-Cry Sleep Solution (McGraw-Hill, 2020).

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