Baby Crying at Night? Tips to Help Everyone Get More Sleep

February 04 2025, by Artorias Tse, 12 min reading time

Featured Image Source: CNN

Babies crying is a normal phenomenon up to a particular stage. However, babies crying at night feels like a common challenge for parents. Nighttime crying has nothing to do with anything unusual; it can become exhausting for parents. Prolonged and continued crying easily disrupts everyone’s sleep.

As a parent, you must understand why your baby cries. Not all babies cry due to hunger and/or discomfort. That’s why parents must implement strategies to soothe them for restful nights. This article explores why babies cry at night and provides tips to help everyone get more sleep.

Why Babies Cry at Night?

Crying has always been the primary way of communication for a baby. As mentioned, you’ll get to know their needs/demands through crying. Some of the foremost reasons for a baby to keep crying at night –

Hunger – Newborns have small stomachs and need to eat frequently. Most of the time they remain awake is spent on breastfeeding, whether at nursery or home. A comfortable nursery chair can be an essential tool for parents during nighttime feedings, providing support and convenience while ensuring both the baby and caregiver remain relaxed during these frequent sessions.

Dirty Diaper – A wet or soiled diaper can make your baby highly uncomfortable. Prolonged exposure or contact with spoiled diapers can cause severe skin issues. All these often make them cry the whole night.
Discomfort – The question of comfort doesn’t end with diaper changes. Your baby may feel too warm or too cold. They may even experience general discomfort associated with the sleeping arrangements.
Sleep Associations – Some babies may rely on certain conditions to fall asleep (being rocked, fed, or played with). They cry when they wake up and no longer find those conditions available.
Illness or Teething – Pain, illness, or teething can wake your baby and make them cry. A baby has extra sensitivity, and you won’t even know the problem. Anything that triggers physical pain can cause crying.
Separation Anxiety – Newborns, infants, babies, toddlers – everybody cries to some extent. Older babies may cry at night because they feel anxious, frustrated, or even fearful when separated from their parents.

Tips to Help Your Baby Sleep Better

It doesn’t feel easy to get the little one uninterrupted all the time for every night. Still, a caring parent shouldn’t leave no stone unturned to ensure a safe and sound sleeping arrangement.

Establish a Consistent Bedtime Routine

You better create a calming bedtime routine to let your baby understand it’s time to sleep. A simple yet predictable routine should include simple activities, including –

Bathing the baby
Changing into pajamas
Reading short stories
Singing a lullaby
Dimming the lights

Steadfast consistency often helps babies know what to expect. It also creates a sense of security, making it easy for them to settle down.

Ensure a Comfortable Sleep Environment

You should always maintain the baby's resting environment from the beginning, regardless of his/her age or health. The intactness of the surroundings significantly impacts their capability to sleep through the night. Establish a sleeping-friendly environment by –

Maintaining a supportive temperature in the room (68°F to 72°F or 20°C to 22°C).
Blocking out any strong lights (bright ones) or direct sunlight with blackout curtains.
Keep things calm or employ white noise to block out sounds from the house.
Make sure the crib remains secure without any toys, cushions, or loose blankets.

Initiate Age-Appropriate Sleep Schedules

Babies have different sleep needs at different ages due to their distinctive yet guaranteed physical and psychological growth. Understand the baby’s natural sleep patterns to establish a realistic schedule.

Newborns (0 – 3 months) – Sleep in short bursts throughout the day and night, totalling 14 – 17 hrs.
Infants (4 – 11 months) – Usually sleep 12 – 15 hours throughout a 24-hour schedule, including naps.
Babies (1 – 2 years) – Need about 11 – 14 hours of sleep, with one or two naps during the entire day.

It may sound silly, but you should learn to respect your baby’s sleep needs. Sufficient sleep is obligatory to maintain natural growth and development. Proper scheduling can reduce overtiredness, a prime reason for triggering nighttime crying.

Encourage Self-Soothing

Parents often don’t even try to teach or encourage their babies to employ self-soothing activities. Self-soothing helps them fall back asleep without intervention during the night. Some methods to encourage self-soothing in babies may include –

Placing the little ones in their crib while they are drowsy but awake.
Giving them a comfortable object, such as a small, safe blanket or a soft toy, is age-appropriate.
Gradual reduction of your involvement in helping them fall asleep.

It may not sound much, but self-soothing allows parents to get off the hook easily with older babies at night. Otherwise, you’ll have to spend significant time and attempt to reduce your involvement.

Address Hunger and Feeding Needs

A baby’s hunger and feeding needs significantly change as they grow. Minimise their nighttime wake-ups due to hunger by –

Feeding your baby frequently during the day to ensure they get enough calories.
Consider introducing a dream feed—a late-night feeding for older babies before you go to bed.
Reducing nighttime feedings as your baby gets older and no longer needs them.

Never underestimate the effect of prolonged hunger in babies. The feeding interval is low or short due to excessive calories required for the overall growth.

Soothe Your Baby Effectively

You should always respond calmly and reassuringly to a baby who often cries at night. Going blazing to slam the baby never helps. Some of the most soothing techniques involve –

Gently rocking or swaying the baby.
Put the baby in stroller for soothing.
Singing a lullaby or playing soft music.
Offering pacifiers if the baby uses one.
Checking for potential discomfort signs.
Looking for wet diapers or signs of illness.

Soothing a baby adequately helps them to fall asleep rather quickly. It also eliminates a potential buildup of nighttime disturbances in their sleep.

Be Patient with Sleep Training

Sleep training can help your baby learn to fall asleep and stay asleep independently. It can work rather well in some of the worst-case scenarios. Three of the most popular methods include –

Ferber Method – Gradually increase the time you wait before comforting your baby.
No Tears Approach – Focus on gradual changes to your baby’s sleep habits.
Chair Method – Sit near the crib and gradually move farther away over several nights.

Always choose a method that properly aligns with your parenting style. Remaining consistent is crucial to achieve success with these methods. It may take time, but patience and persistence will pay off.

Monitor for Signs of Illness or Discomfort

Sometimes, the baby’s crying seems persistent and accompanied by other symptoms. You can’t overlook problems like fever, vomiting, or unusual behaviour. Parents should consult a paediatrician as soon as possible. Common issues that can disrupt sleep include –

Ear infections
Reflux
Teething pain
Allergies or sensitivities

Underlying health concerns can severely intervene with your baby’s sleep. Resolving the concerns can significantly improve the overall sleep quality.

Age-Specific Solutions

Crying at different ages, understandably, requires different approaches. You can’t resolve everything by employing the same measures for every baby at every stage.

Newborn (0 – 3 months)

You should expect the following patterns –

Frequent night wakings
Short sleep cycles
Regular feeding needs
No fixed schedule

The primary support strategies should involve the following –

Accept frequent waking
Respond promptly to cries
Focus on basic needs
Practice safe sleep habits

Infant (3 – 6 months)

The development of sleeping patterns includes –

Longer sleep periods
More predictable patterns
Emerging routine
Self-soothing beginnings

And the topmost management techniques are –

Introduce bedtime routine
Begin sleep schedule
Watch wake windows
Consider sleep training

Older Baby (6 – 12 months)

Their sleeping capabilities should evolve to –

Extended night sleep
Fewer night feedings
Better self-soothing
Established patterns

And the recommended supporting methods are –

Consistent routines
Clear day/night distinction
Regular nap schedule
Independence encouragement

Tips for Parents – Managing Sleep Deprivation

Helping your baby sleep better is a mandatory part of your parenting. In addition, it’s equally essential for you to prioritize your own rest. Some beneficial tips to enable sound sleep during the night are –

Nap When the Baby Naps – Take advantage of your baby’s daytime naps to rest yourself. Even short naps can help alleviate fatigue.
Share Nighttime Duties – Alternate nighttime responsibilities with your partner or another caregiver whenever possible. This allows each person to get longer stretches of uninterrupted sleep.
Simplify Your Routine – Cut back on non-essential tasks to free up time for rest. Focus on the basics and ask for help with household chores when needed.
Practice Stress-Relief Techniques – Managing stress can improve your ability to cope with sleep deprivation. Try relaxation methods such as deep breathing, meditation, or yoga.

When to Seek Help?

Despite parents’ relentless and best efforts, it's normal for an infant to continue to cry at night. And there isn’t much you can do every time, but prolonged sleep deprivation exerts adverse health effects. You shouldn't wait for expert assistance at that point.

Whenever necessary, you better start thinking about speaking with a paediatrician or possibly a sleep expert. The consultation may come up with tailored guidance. You can even determine any underlying problems that are likely to interfere with a baby's sleep.

Wrapping Up

Crying at night is more like an essential component of a baby's physical growth. Still, it can become quite problematic, particularly when the crying continues for a long time. You must prioritize the child's self-care and build appropriate sleep patterns to meet their expectations.