Why Babies Wake Every 2 Hours at Night: Understanding and Overcoming Frequent Wakes

As a parent, you might be familiar with the frustration and exhaustion that come with your baby waking every two hours at night. This can be especially perplexing if your little one has just gone through the 4-month sleep regression, yet still seems to struggle with sleeping longer stretches.

While it’s easy to worry that something might be wrong, it's important to know that frequent night waking is biologically normal for babies. However, it is often linked to their developing ability to self-settle. Let's dive into why this happens and how you can help your baby (and yourself) get a better night's sleep.

Why Do Babies Wake Every 2 Hours?

Initially your newborn has very immature sleep at night, no real cycles and they can sleep for long periods of time. Over time your baby starts to mature (sleep wise) and around 4 month these sleep cycles form, and we start to see checking wakes every 2 hours when you baby comes into a lighter part of sleep or their sleep cycle ends and they check the environment to see if it’s changed. If it hasn’t and they’re not hungry or cold, they can go back to sleep. If they’re dependent on you to get them back to sleep or have fallen asleep in your arms and then been transferred, then they’ll wake and cry looking for help.

This is the situation thousands of our clients find themselves in before they address self settling with the help of one of our sleep programs.

The Link to Self-Settling

Self-settling is the ability for a baby to fall asleep independently without external help, such as rocking, feeding, or being held. When babies wake briefly between sleep cycles, those who can self-settle are more likely to drift back to sleep on their own. Those who haven't mastered this skill will fully wake up and cry for help.

How Can You Help Your Baby Sleep Better at night?

Helping your baby learn to self-settle is key to reducing those frequent night wakings. While this is a skill that takes time to develop, there are effective strategies you can use to support this process.

Our online sleep program covers a range of strategies from very gentle, to very quick! We take you through understanding your baby’s temperament to know the best fit.

On top of self settling, we need to ensure that your baby has enough sleep drive to want and need to go back to sleep. This means we don’t want day sleep robbing night sleep, and having the right amount of day sleep will always support good night sleep.

Does self settling mean CIO at night?

Definitely not. While CIO is one way to teach self settling, we don’t actually use this strategy in our online programs as its no more effective than less extreme methods. Working on removing parent led sleep associations and self settling will truly transform the way your baby sleeps and can be done quickly or gradually. There is no “best” way. Just the best way for your family.

Join Our Online Program for Better Sleep

As a dedicated sleep consultant, I understand how challenging it can be to navigate your baby’s sleep patterns. That’s why I’ve created an online program specifically designed to help parents like you teach your babies to self-settle and sleep longer stretches at night. Our program offers:

• Personalized Sleep Plans: Tailored strategies that fit your baby's unique needs and your family's lifestyle.
• Step-by-Step Guidance: Clear instructions and tips on how to implement changes effectively.
• Video Library included: Access to our amazing video library where you can see me and my team answering all your main questions, explaining solutions and get access to case studies, master classes, and more!
• Expert Advice: Ongoing support from a sleep consultant to answer your questions and provide encouragement.

By joining our online program, you can take the first step towards restful nights for your baby and your entire family. Say goodbye to waking every two hours and hello to a more rejuvenated you.

Sign up today and start your journey to better sleep!