Baby Won't Go Back to Sleep After 2am Feed -What to Do?

The main reason for baby won’t go back to sleep after 2am feed is, you are not cautious while feeding them. Make sure to keep their food ready and feed them with less light and noise. Teething pain can be another reason. And behavioral changes is another cause, especially for babies from 6-9 months old.

It’s just a gist. Proper reasons and in-depth discussion is explained in the article. All you have to do is to complete the article till the end. So let’s move on to the in-depth discussion.

Why Does My Baby Keep Waking up at 2 am?

Your baby can wake up from sleep at 2 am for different reasons. In this segment, you’ll know some exact reasons for this behavior.

Regular Sleep Cycle

The primary reasons for this behavior are the shifting of their brain waves. They generally move from REM to different stages of non-REM sleep. The full meaning of REM is Rapid Eye Movement,

Because of this movement, they transition. And this transition causes babies to wake up most of the time. So, if the transition happens at 2 am then they will generally wake up between 2-3 am. This transition can happen multiple times in one night and it’s completely natural.

Teething Pain

Babies from 3 months to up to a year can face teething pain at any time. Teething pain occurs because of breaking a new tooth. Generally, it occurs at night.

So the answer is the same. If the teeth breaking pain occurs at 2 amp the baby can wake up. However, most of the time babies cope with the situation. So, it is a rare case for babies to wake up at midnight.

Changes in Behaviour

2 common changes in babies are an advanced sense of independence and self-awareness. These changes come between 6 to 9 months. And due to the changes babies can wake up from sleep anytime at night.

During this time they can wake up and keep talking. Again they can scream out if they don’t find you around. However, around the 9th month, they should develop separation anxiety and change sleep patterns. So, you should be aware of that as well.

Hunger

Another common and major reason for your baby waking up at midnight is hunger. Babies generally get hungry more often than adults as their feeding capacity is way lesser than adults.

Note: Babies less than 4 weeks old tend to wake up more at midnight due to this reason.

Why Won’t My Baby Go Back to Sleep After 2 am Feed?

There are multiple reasons for babies not going back to sleep after a night feed. Let’s have a quick view –

You are feeding the baby with lots of toys and people around. So they are completely waking up.
If you try to take them out of the room, sudden temperature changes will affect their sleep.
Sometimes teething pain arises after feeding. So they start to cry.
Too much noise from the TV or somewhere else can also affect them.
Keeping the room bright is also another reason. Brightness increases brain cell activity. So they won’t go back to sleep.

The Natural Process to Phase out Baby’s 2 am Feeding: Learn Dream Feeding

Have you ever heard about Dream feeding? If not then don’t miss out on this segment.

Dream feeding is the process of feeding your kid without completely waking them up at night between 10 to midnight. The main purpose here is to avoid babies from waking up hungry by keeping them full with nutritious food.

However, it’s time to help you out if you are thinking of phasing out baby’s 2 am night feed.

The body clock of the baby is adjusted to 2 am waking up so it’s not an overnight process.

The main trick here is to reduce the feeding amount of milk. You should start reducing 20-30 ml every second night.

For example; If you generally feed your kid 170 ml of milk, give her 150 ml of milk for 2 nights. For the next 2 nights reduce it to 120 ml. Following the same phase reduce it to 90 and finally 60 ml.

When you get to 60 ml, stop feeding it.

Your kid will be habituated to this process and you won’t have to get bothered with this 2 am feed again.

Is It the Same for Different Stages of Babies?

Babies don’t go back to sleep after 2 am feed is normal. But the question is – is it okay for babies of different months old?

The answer is yes, but there is a catch. The reasons here are slightly different. So, now let’s break down this mystery.

Let’s start with is the newborn wont go back to sleep after feeding normal?

Yes, it’s completely normal and there are different reasons behind it. They can be hungry, might not feel the temperature comfortable, and others.

What about a 4 or 5 month old wont go back to sleep after night feeding?

It is also natural but be careful as it can be a teething issue. 3-5 months is the time when a tooth breaks out for the first time. This can be both painful and uncomfortable,

And when it’s 8 month old wont go back to sleep after night feed, which means behavioral changes.

The Verdict

So, now you’re completely aware of the query – baby won’t go back to sleep after 2am feed. It’s time to end the discussion but before that, I’ve got some tips.

First of all figure out the reasons as it varies from different months of babies. Always keep the temperature of the room suitable for babies. And master your baby’s behavior to get them back to sleep as soon as you finish feeding them