4 Things to Do When Your Overtired Baby Won't Stop Crying

Wondering what to do when your overtired baby won’t stop crying? Break the cycle and help your newborn catch up on sleep with these tips!

I was in actual tears from frustration.

No matter how tired he was, my newborn baby would fight his sleep, kicking and squirming when he realized he was drifting off. He’d jolt and buck himself awake the closer he got to falling asleep.

He was the type that would get overstimulated easily and would startle with every creak and sound. And despite putting him down at the first sign of sleepiness, I still couldn’t manage to get him back on track with his naps.

It seemed like a lose-lose situation. Putting him to sleep was making him cry, but I also couldn’t let him not sleep, either. And so, the cycle continued.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the constant crying and feel like nothing you do is working. Thankfully, I learned that what I was going through was normal. And while I wasn’t going to get 11-12 hours of sleep just yet, I found a few tricks to get him to stop crying and finally fall asleep.

Here’s what worked for me, and I hope these tips work for you, too:

Table of Contents

1. Watch the clock, not sleep cues

I felt like the most clueless mom when I couldn’t for the life of me seem to spot any sleep cues. While other parents could tell the difference between their babies’ cries, I could barely tell that mine was getting sleepy. Just when I thought I finally saw a sleep cue, he was already overtired.

Then I learned that, instead of looking for these sleep cues, I could also watch the clock instead.

You see, a newborn can only stay awake for a short time—as little as 45 minutes—before needing another nap. And if yours is feeling overtired to begin with, you can shorten that time even more to play catch up.

Only once he’s about 3-6 months old can his wake windows stretch to about two hours or so. Before then, aim for a max of 90 minutes at a time, and err on the side of even less time than that.

Free resource: Want to learn more about how wake times might be affecting how well he sleeps? Join my newsletter and get One Mistake You’re Making with Your Baby’s Awake Time—at no cost to you. Don’t make the same mistakes I did—help him fall asleep with this one simple trick! Grab it below:

2. Change things up

Nothing is worse than doing the same thing over and over and still not getting the results you want. That was pretty much me as I sat on a yoga ball bouncing my overtired newborn to sleep, hoping he’d finally knock out. Even though he wouldn’t stop crying, I’d still bounce and rock even more, hoping he eventually would.

Instead, I learned the importance of changing things up. For instance, you can:

Change the way you put your baby to sleep. Maybe it’s trying a new way like walking around with a baby wrap or putting her in the swing. You might take her out on the stroller or even drive her around in the car seat. You could turn on white noise to shush her to sleep or try swaddling a different way. Having a checklist of different go-to strategies hanging on a wall can help break you out of your rut. When one method isn’t working, try another one.
Take a break. She can feel your energy. You might be better off putting her down in the crib to grab that shower and feel refreshed than continuing to rock her and feel upset or resentful. A break can also mean a new change in scenery, like carrying her in your arms and stepping outside for fresh air.
Don’t put her to sleep. Does she cry even though you’re doing what had worked in the past? I realized that I had to stop putting my baby to sleep when he’d cry the whole time despite my efforts. Experiment and see what happens if you don’t do what you normally do and give your baby the chance to settle on her own. Her constant, inconsolable crying could be a sign that she may not like being put to sleep.

3. Feed your baby

There were many times when I felt resentful for being the only one who could feed my baby. Not my husband, nor my mom, but me. I felt glued to him, unable to run a simple errand should he cry and need to feed.

Except I learned that babies usually cry because they’re hungry. Yes, it can feel constricting having to feed your baby after it seems like he had just fed, or that feeding him seems to be the only way to get him to stop crying.

But he may be hungry, especially if he’s going through a growth spurt. Don’t discount his actual need for milk when he’s crying endlessly. This might be his way of letting you know he’s hungry, or even a way to increase your milk supply.

How can you tell if he’s hungry or if he’s simply sucking for comfort? Check to see if he’s eating. His throat should be moving if he’s actually swallowing, and he’ll likely make gulping sounds as he drinks.

You can also try a pacifier. If he takes to one, he may just need to comfort suck, but if he spits it out in frustration, he’s likely hungry.

Remind yourself that constant breastfeeding is temporary, especially during growth spurts. Once he’s caught up on eating and sleeping, you won’t always be breastfeeding him this often.

Learn what to do when your baby is feeding every hour and not sleeping.

4. Keep your baby warm

Wondering how to calm your suddenly cranky baby? Depending on your current weather, a simple way to calm him down is to keep him extra warm. For instance, a few ways to provide that warm comfort include:

Giving him a relaxing warm bath. Dim the bathroom lights, keep the room heated, and give him a nice, warm bath.
Place a heating pad on the crib. Then, a few minutes before you plan to set him down, remove the pad so that the mattress feels nice and warm. Always check that it’s not too hot.
Swaddle him in a warm blanket. Place a blanket in the dryer to warm it up, then wrap it around him. Again, make sure it’s not too hot.

What should your baby wear at night? Find out here.

Conclusion

If you’re overwhelmed because your overtired baby won’t stop crying, you’re not alone, friend. I’ve been there and know all too well the exasperation and loneliness you might be feeling.

Thankfully, you’re not stuck, either. Start by putting her down for a nap by the clock instead of relying only on sleep cues. Change things up, whether it’s how you put her to sleep to taking a much-needed quick break.

Don’t discount her constant feeding—she could be going through a temporary growth spurt. And finally, try keeping her warm as a way to relax her into sleep, like with a warm bath or a blanket.

You can even combine these tricks, like giving her a warm bath, feeding on demand, and keeping her wake times shorter than usual to help her catch up on sleep.

No matter what, know that this is normal—yes, even your tears of frustration.

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2 Comments

Stacey says:

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My problem is I’m trying to go based on the clock but it still takes him 40 minutes to settle to fall asleep and then it’s still late by the time he falls asleep. I’m stuck in this right now and so miserable.

1. Nina Garcia says:
  
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  Hi Stacey! One idea is to limit his wake times considerably. Newborns can often only stay awake 90 minutes at most, and many even shorter than that. He might be too overtired by the time you try to put him to sleep.