🥱3 yawns = overtired🥱
I’ll never forget the well-meaning first time mum friend who told me that the way to tell if your baby is overtired is to look at their yawns.
She said that if they yawn 3 times they are overtired and you have lost the ability to put them down easily.
We were at a baby get-together and she was counting her baby’s yawns and told me she had seen my son yawn too many times and therefore I’d lost the baby sleep game. As a result, he would now be an overtired mess. Brilliant!
This was not helpful advice at all!
Why?
It sent me into an anxiety spiral. Had he yawned twice? Was that a yawn or a stretch? Do I get him to sleep now? Why isn’t he sleeping if he has yawned all those times?
Yawning can be a sign that a baby is tired, but it’s not always the clearest cue on its own. Babies (especially newborns) yawn for a few reasons besides fatigue, such as adjusting to changes in temperature, stretching, or even just as a reflex.
That said, if yawning is combined with other tired cues—like rubbing eyes, staring off, fussiness, losing interest in play, or zoning out—it usually does mean your baby is ready for sleep.
However please don’t get caught up on how many yawns your baby has done. I have 4 boys, I certainly don’t have the time to sit and stare at my baby and count the yawns.
