My Overstimulated Baby Can't Sleep

How do you know if your baby is overstimulated? What can you do to prevent your baby from getting overstimulated?

My wife and I took our 6 week old daughter to a BBQ this past weekend. The BBQ was at my in-laws' place, and there were a lot of family members there. So after spending the whole day there and having a great old time, we arrived back at home around 9:00 pm that night. My daughter usually sleeps at 10:30 so we figured we could get her fed and to bed by her usual time. Talk about naïve first-time parents who were about to get an education! She didn't fall asleep til 3:30 am...and she cried the entire time leading up to it! What happened?

I told my co-workers about this the following Monday, and they all said she was probably overstimulated! And as I thought about it, I started to realize they were right. There were a bunch of people there wanting to hold the baby, so she got passed around from person to person. Plus, it was loud and a lot of things were going on around her. Yup, she was overstimulated!

So then the question is what can be done to prevent baby overstimulation? After all, my wife and I can't just stay at home for the foreseeable future. So here are some suggestions I've received from veteran parents.

When at a party (or family gathering), try to keep the baby away from the crowd. Yes, you can let people see her and even hold her. But don't allow this to go on for too long. If necessary, you can use the excuse of having to change her diaper...no one is going to protest handing the baby back to you for that! Then take her to a quiet room or area and let her calm down.

Make sure your baby keeps to her regular napping schedule. When she misses her naps, she may seem ok at the time but you'll feel the wrath later!

How do you know when your baby is overstimulated? One sign could be if your baby turns away when people are getting in her face to look at her or talk to her. This is what our daughter will do when she gets overstimulated. It makes her grandparents a little sad that she won't look at them, but it's not them...she's just trying to avoid the visual stimulation. Some parents have told me that their babies will wriggle their arms and legs more than usual. Just pay attention to how your baby is acting...you know the best about your own baby.

Do you have any tips for preventing baby overstimulation? Please share them in the comments.