One of the most common questions I hear from exhausted parents is this:
"Why does my baby wake every two hours at night?"
If you’re in the newborn or early months stage, you might assume this is simply something you have to endure for months.
And while frequent waking is normal for very young babies, what many parents don’t realise is that some babies begin sleeping much longer stretches surprisingly early.
So what makes the difference?
After working with thousands of families over the past five years, I’ve found that babies who sleep longer at night usually have three key foundations in place during the day and evening.
Let’s explore what’s really going on when babies are waking every two hours.
Before We Dive In...
Our free masterclasses walk you through exactly how to help your little one become a great sleeper.
1. The sleep cycle problem
Babies sleep in short cycles, typically around 45–60 minutes. At the end of each cycle they briefly surface into lighter sleep.
Adults do this too — but we usually roll over and go back to sleep without noticing. Babies, however, often wake fully if something feels different from when they fell asleep.
For example:
- falling asleep feeding
- falling asleep being rocked
- falling asleep in arms
When they wake between cycles, they look for those same conditions again. So by introducing your baby to falling asleep independently lying down in their crib/cot, we can get them used to this environment.
That way, when they stir during the night they know exactly where they are and are more likely to peacefully settle themselves back to sleep.
Need a blueprint to follow?
Our Sleep Guides give you the step-by-step plan to help your baby become a great sleeper.
2. The “snack feeding” issue
Another reason babies wake frequently is that they simply didn't take enough calories before bedtime. This often happens if the bedtime feed happens too close to when your baby is falling asleep.
Babies actually need energy in order to take a full feed - particularly tiny babies. So if they are too tired they may drift off to sleep before taking a full feed.
Then two hours later...They wake genuinely hungry.
One change we often introduce when working 1:1 with families is moving the bedtime feed earlier in the bedtime routine, so that babies have energy to take a full feed and go to sleep nicely full.
3. Overtiredness
This one may surprise you.
When babies stay awake too long during the day, their bodies produce cortisol, a stress hormone that actually makes it harder to sleep deeply.
An overtired baby:
• wakes more often
• struggles to resettle
• wakes early in the morning
This is why daytime routine matters so much.
The Good News
Once the foundations are in place, many babies begin sleeping much longer stretches — often 6–8 hours by around 10 weeks.
If you’re expecting or have a newborn: In my Free Newborn Sleep Secrets Masterclass I explain the exact method we used to achieve this and that we've now taught to 8000+ families worldwide. Watch the Free Masterclass Here.
