Split night? Say bye-bye to the 3am party time and hello to rested nights.

You’ve experienced a split night if you’ve ever been awake at 3am with a happy and alert baby. Despite all efforts, they are wide awake for hours and may be showing off skills they’re currently trying to master. This sleep challenge is common and so very tiring – but fear not, if this is part of your sleep journey, let’s start a new chapter for you – keep reading!

What you’ll learn from this blog:

  • What is a split night?
  • Why does a split night happen?
  • What to do when a split night happens?
  • How to prevent split nights from happening in the future.

What is a split night?

A split night is a night waking that doesn’t resolve quickly (they are awake for at least 1 hour, if not longer) AND is when your baby is happy, energetic and alert (not fussy). They often occur in a pattern or series of nights,  rather than a 1-off situation. 

baby awake in crib during split night

Why does a split night happen?

A split night typically happens when there is an imbalance of sleep pressure, often from not enough awake time during the day, or too early of a bedtime for your baby’s unique sleep needs. As a result of these events (day sleep and/or bedtime), it creates too low of a sleep drive which can impact their overnight sleep.

For example, if your baby has had 3 hours of daytime sleep and goes to bed at 7pm, by 1:00am, they have already hit 9-hours of total sleep which is A LOT. For some children, depending on age and unique sleep needs, they only need 10-12 hours in a 24-hour period so this makes sense why they are awake, alert and happy – they are rested! This blog will guide you through recommended 24-hour sleep needs to support your child’s sleep journey. 

Some other things to consider for a split night include:

  • Sleep environment sending a signal it’s time to wake up (e.g., furnace change, light change, dog barking, etc.). Here’s a blog on creating the optimal sleep environment for your child. 
  • Bedtime is too early for your child and therefore they just aren’t tired anymore by 3am and awake for hours 
  • Too much daytime sleep 
  • Not enough awake time during the day (short wake windows and short naps) 
  • Skill development – are they mastering a skill and working on it throughout the night? You can read about more milestone development from the physio perspective here in this guest blog

baby standing in the crib during split night

What to do when a split night happens?

So you’ve been woken up from your slumber by your party baby, now what!?

First thing, don’t panic. I repeat, don’t panic. Be a calm confident bedtime leader during this challenge. Keep voice tone neutral. Keep language simple. This is not the time to bust out all new tricks to get them back to sleep as it may create a longer-term challenge even when it feels like a short-term win. If it’s a one-off situation, hold steady and keep calm (and maybe get an XL coffee the next day).

2 tips to navigate a split night in the moment:

  • Be consistent on whatever strategy or method of support you usually use to guide your baby to sleep. If this means you’re rocking them, then you try to rock them. If this means you’re in to offer support and then leaving to give space to settle, then you continue with that method. We try not to introduce a new method at this time to prevent confusion and/or intermittently reinforce the wake-up.
  • Do a reset. Remove them from their sleep space, do a reset of quiet activity (e.g., a book) with dim lighting and low stimulation. Keep the reset brief (e.g., 5-15 minutes) and then do a mini bedtime routine (e.g., song and snuggle) before attempting back to bed. 

mom holding an awake baby in a sleep sack

How to prevent a split night from happening or continuing.

If you’ve had a few split nights in a row, then a pattern has been established. It’s important to establish a pattern for any sleep challenge before making a change because if a change is made too quickly for a 1-off situation, you may have caused a totally different challenge by prematurely making a sleep change – like a chicken egg situation! Did the split night continue from a schedule change too quickly or did a false start pop up because now they’re schedule has changed and it didn’t need to?!

So if a pattern of split nights has been established, here are your next steps:

  • Analyze their daily nap schedule and sleep patterns.
    • Do they need a wake window stretched by 10-15 minutes? 
    • Do they need a nap (or 2 naps) capped shorter to increase daytime awake time?
  • Does bedtime need to be adjusted to allow for more awake time in the day and build more sleep pressure before bedtime?
    • Shift bedtime by 15 minutes to see how baby responds to this 
    • You may consider waking baby 15 minutes earlier in the morning to increase day time awake hours also
  • If the split night is a result of skill development, practice as much as possible during awake time to help them get to mastery.

It may take a few days to fine tune your baby’s schedule to find the sweet spot of daytime sleep and bedtime to correct the split night. Your baby’s sleep needs will be constantly evolving based on their age, activity level and individual sleep needs. Patience with the process. 

If you’re looking for individual consultation to resolve your split night (or another sleep challenge), let’s connect here and see how my expert knowledge and experience can support your family’s sleep journey.

Wishing you a rested night and happy morning,

Chelsea

sleep consultant and Mom in hamilton with her 2 kids

Chelsea is Mom of 2 young kids and a Certified Baby, Toddler and Child Sleep Consultant supporting families within Hamilton and beyond with hands-on responsive methods. She has a Masters of Professional Education and over 10 years of professional experience supporting families in the community. She works collaboratively with families to empower them with the confidence and tools they need to reach their unique sleep goals. Hear from other rested families here and book a free call with Chelsea here to discuss how she can support your family’s journey to more sleep.

By Published On: March 23, 2024Categories: Baby Sleep, Child Sleep, Toddler Sleep