False Starts: Why Your Baby Wakes Soon After Bedtime

You finally get a moment to yourself after a long day and a bedtime routine that felt like a marathon… and then, within 30–90 minutes, your baby is awake again, needing help to resettle. If this sounds familiar, you’ve just experienced what we call a false start. And let’s be honest—false starts can feel like one of the hardest sleep challenges to deal with. Not only are they exhausting for parents, but they can also be tricky to figure out because there isn’t just one cause. The good news? By getting curious and looking at the most common triggers, you can usually narrow down what your baby needs.

The Most Common Causes of False Starts

1. Sleep Pressure

This is the most common reason I see in families I work with. Both too little and too much sleep pressure can lead to false starts. If your baby is cranky before bed, hard to settle, and crashes within minutes only to wake soon after, bedtime might be too late. In this case, try moving bedtime earlier. On the flip side, if your baby is cheerful before bed, not showing clear tired signs, and takes more than 20 minutes to fall asleep before waking shortly after, bedtime may be too early. Extending the last wake window can help in that scenario.

2. Discomfort

Any kind of discomfort can trigger a false start. Introducing solids at dinner or offering new foods late in the day sometimes upsets little tummies—so try introducing new foods earlier, around lunchtime. If your baby tends to fall asleep during their last feed, hunger may be waking them up again. Adjusting feeding times so they get a full feed before sleep can help. Keeping them upright and burping afterward can also reduce tummy discomfort.

3. Environment and Stimulation

Your baby’s sleep environment plays a big role in whether they stay asleep. Ask yourself: is the room dark enough? Bright evenings can confuse their body clock. Is your household winding down before bedtime, or are lights and screens still on? Dimming lights and avoiding screens for an hour before bed can calm your baby’s nervous system. Finally, do you have a soothing, connected bedtime routine? Babies need signals that bedtime is coming—and what feels calming for one baby may overstimulate another, so follow your baby’s cues.

4. Searching for Something

Babies often wake looking for the exact thing that helped them fall asleep—whether that’s rocking, feeding, a dummy, or a favorite comfort item. If you think sleep associations are part of the issue, try layering in multiple cues. White noise, a comfort object, or even a simple bedtime phrase can all become familiar signals that help your baby resettle without needing the exact same thing every time.

5. Developmental Leaps

Sometimes false starts are simply a sign that your baby is learning new skills or moving through a developmental leap. If you’ve ruled out the main causes, this may just be a phase—and those usually pass on their own. While you wait it out, focus on making it easier for everyone: have dinner early so you’re not juggling feeding and resettling, listen to a podcast or audiobook during those resettles to turn them into “me time,” share resettling duties with a partner when you can, or try holding your baby for the first sleep cycle before transferring them to the cot. Remember, this won’t last forever.

Final Thoughts

False starts can be frustrating, but most often they improve once you tweak sleep pressure, address comfort, or make small changes to your baby’s sleep environment. And if it’s developmental, your baby just needs time to adjust. The key is to support your baby while also taking care of yourself—you’ll both get through this stage. You’ve got this.

Need More Support?

If you’ve read all this and still feel overwhelmed, you’re not alone — and you don’t have to navigate these changes by yourself. Every baby is unique, and sometimes having a personalized plan makes all the difference. That’s where I come in. As a certified baby sleep coach, I work with families one-on-one to create realistic, gentle strategies that actually fit your baby’s needs and your family’s lifestyle. You can book a call with me directly through my website, and we’ll walk through your baby’s sleep challenges together, step by step. If you’re ready for calmer nights, smoother naps, and a clearer path forward, visit Independent Sleepers to book a call. I’d love to help you find more rest and more confidence in this season.

With Love,

Selina Truax

Creator and Head Sleep Coach