Why Your Baby Still Wakes Every 2 Hours (Even When You’re Doing “Everything Right”)
As a Brisbane-based sleep consultant, one of the most common things I hear from parents is:
"We’ve tried everything… but our baby is still waking all night."
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. You’ve read the blogs, tried the white noise, invested in blackout blinds, swaddled, rocked, fed, and paced. You’ve followed wake windows, avoided overtiredness, and maybe even dabbled in different settling methods, yet here you are, up every 1–2 hours through the night, wondering what you’re missing.
💛 First things first: you are not failing.
In fact, you’re likely doing an incredible job with what you’ve got. But baby sleep isn’t always about doing more. Sometimes, it’s about zooming out and gently recalibrating, starting with small, biologically aligned changes that can bring more rest to everyone in the home.
Let’s Talk About the First Nap
One gentle change I often start with is anchoring the first nap of the day, ideally around 9:00am.
This may seem simple (and maybe too simple to make a difference), but stay with me, because the science behind this is powerful.
⏰ Why anchoring the first nap works
Our bodies, and our babies’ bodies, operate on an internal body clock known as the circadian rhythm. This rhythm is shaped by light exposure, body temperature, hormones (like melatonin and cortisol), and timing, especially in the morning hours.
By giving your baby a consistent first nap around 9am (give or take 15 minutes), you help:
Signals to their brain when to start winding down
Prevent overtiredness, which often causes early wake-ups and frequent night waking
Support the regulation of nap lengths and bedtime consistency
Stabilise their 24-hour rhythm so that nights can begin to improve naturally
A Real Life Example: “We Were Up Every Hour…”
Not long ago, I supported a beautiful family in Hawthorne, Brisbane. Their 8-month-old daughter had started waking every hour overnight. Naps were inconsistent and often short, mum felt anxious about every sleep time, and dad, who worked long hours, was running on fumes.
They had tried a range of things already: extending wake windows, shifting feeds, bouncing, patting, resettling… all the usual suspects. But nothing seemed to stick.
Instead of throwing more strategies at the wall, we started with just one: a consistent 9am nap.
It didn’t change everything overnight. But within a week, her naps became more predictable, bedtime resistance softened, and overnight she started linking longer sleep cycles. From hourly wake-ups to two stretches of 4+ hours, without any sleep training.
This is the kind of support I offer every day. It’s not about “fixing” your baby. It’s about supporting their biology, and yours, with gentle, responsive tweaks that make life more manageable.
Baby Sleep Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect to Be Better
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or unsure where to turn next, I want to remind you that baby and toddler sleep doesn’t follow a perfect script. It’s emotional, developmental, and deeply tied to connection, routine, and responsiveness.
But that doesn’t mean you have to do it all on your own. Sometimes an outside perspective, backed by evidence and experience, is all you need to start moving forward.
Looking for a Sleep Consultant in Brisbane, the Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast?
At The Sleep Sanctuary, I work with families across South East Queensland and beyond, offering:
✨ In-home sleep support
✨ Virtual consultations Australia-wide
✨ Gentle, responsive sleep plans tailored to your child
✨ Newborn education, toddler settling, and night nanny services
Whether you’re in Brisbane’s inner suburbs, the Gold Coast hinterland, or the Sunshine Coast coastline, I offer expert, heart-led guidance to help your family find more sleep, without the overwhelm.
💛 Ready to feel more rested?
Explore my sleep support packages here or book a free 15-minute discovery call to see what support might be the best fit for your family.
Because better sleep is possible, and you don’t have to figure it out alone.