Is your child undertired? (+ a helpful chart)

What is undertiredness? It looks something like this—your child takes a long time to fall asleep, but they’re not fussing. They may be playing in their bed instead of settling down for sleep. They may take a short nap, but seem happy when they wake up.

What can you do?

You can adjust daytime sleep schedules by dropping a nap or moving nap times. You can gradually increase awake windows. My favorite way to increase awake windows is to take your little one outside, which will increase sleep pressure (the drive that makes you sleepy and helps you to stay asleep). Not only will the fresh air help your little one become physically tired and ready for sleep again, but it will improve mood, reduce stress, and strengthen their immune system. To help with that, grab my free awake window chart for ages 0m-4yrs to help you determine the right times for your child.

Here’s a chart to help you determine if it’s undertiredness or overtiredness. If you’re still struggling with this, let me know how I best help you.