Why Do Babies Fight Sleep – Solution to Help Babies

Why Do Babies Fight Sleep – It may be irritating as it sounds, but every parent encountered trying to make their baby sleep for a long duration of time. Having the scenario of the parents falling asleep, until to the worst scenario, they would be waking up by a sudden excessive crying of their baby.

Why Do Babies Fight Sleep?

Table of Contents

  • Why Do Babies Fight Sleep?
    • Less Awake Time
    • Overtired
    • Separation Anxiety
    • Personality and Temperament
    • Environment
  • Baby Fights Sleep Solution
    • Right Awake Time and Nap Time Correctly
    • Create Good Environment on Sleeping Room
    • Summarize

There are four most reasons why do babies fight sleep at bedtime and nap time:

Less Awake Time

Check how much time have your baby has been awake between sleep period. Your baby might not be completely tired; this is the common reason babies fight sleep by the evening or midnight. Compared to toddlers and babies, babies need less awaking time. It is important to know or have the schedule for sleeping and waking time of your baby. To help lessen the occurrence of babies not wanting to sleep at all.

Please check about awake time between sleep period and number of naps:


One of the reasons for babies fighting sleep is they are overtired. The stress is what makes it keep the baby awake, and a bit aggressive. Having said that, try caressing the back of your baby. Swinging and rocking smoothly helps. Overtired is normal for us not to fall asleep quickly due to mentally stressed, just like adults or adolescents, it can happen with babies as well.


Separation Anxiety

Have you ever had that moments when you are laying your baby back to bed, and he or she end up crying excessively? It is a reasonable response for babies called separation anxiety. Naturally, scared to be separated from you. This commonly occurs in babies ages 9-10 months old. This can also occur in toddlers with the age two years old or less. The best possible solution for this is to let them sleep in your arms, by caressing or rubbing them.

Personality and Temperament

Simply, your baby is still entertained with everything that is going on which can be an indication on why he or she is fighting sleep. There are studies that the most social the baby is, the more he or she likely to fight sleep. Specifically meaning your baby would like to stay awake more than babies who likes to sleep more often, due to personality and temperament. It may sound difficult to deal with since it is an expression of your baby, have the patience when interacting with your baby to sleep.


The main reason can be the environment or the place itself. Distracting things including white noise in the background, other running kids in the room, bright room, and other moving things that can distract the baby. Babies are sensitive; they immediately stare to anything that catches their eyes due to learning purposes. With this, try looking for a room that is dim and comfortable enough for baby to feel sleepy.

Baby Fights Sleep Solution

Right Awake Time and Nap Time Correctly

If your baby fights sleep because he has less awake time, then changing awake time and nap time can help. If the baby has more number of nap time, it can help your baby feel relaxed and drowsy. It is good for you to be aware of baby sleep cycles. For the first two months or so you can expect no real sleep schedule. Baby may sleep hours for hours to the period where you just need to wake them up so you can enjoy their barely open eyes. However, also ensure that you are not keeping your baby up too long.

Create Good Environment on Sleeping Room

Sometimes baby fights sleep because bad environment – an amount of light in the room, the temperature of the room and the sound levels of white noise in the room. , To create a good sleeping environment, It is the good ideas. It is the effect of the quality of baby sleeping. While some of these specifics are related to the individual.

Factor to improve environment to baby sleep

  • Lighting – Ensure that baby sleeping room is complete dark room without any lighting (Televisions, Computer, mobile phones, and tablets)
  • Temperature – Recommend baby sleeping room in the range of 62 – 75.
  • Noise – Ensure that baby sleeping room is good noise (Read the story book, Open Mozart Songs) to easy sleep and good dreams.
  • Smell – It shouldn’t any smelling in the sleeping room.


These are the possible reasons for Why Do Babies Fight Sleep is having a hard time to sleep, or is fighting sleep. With little patience and caress, you would eventually make your baby fall asleep.