Over stimulation and overtiredness can lead to catnapping

• Being overtired causes chemical changes in the body to fight fatigue, and these interfere with baby’s ability to be calm and to fall and stay asleep with ease. Being overtired can also make babies fussy, whiny, clingy, hyperactive or unable to amuse themselves. Overtired babies often don’t LOOK tired.
• Watch out for early signs of tiredness and help your baby to sleep as soon as you spot them. Not in five minutes, not when you’ve finished your lunch, NOW! Otherwise, the window of opportunity passes and she gets her “second wind”. This is also called “catching the sleep wave” – miss it and you may have to wait for the next wave. When your timing is just right, she will go to sleep much more easily.
• Early signs of tiredness include: rubbing eyes, pulling ears, circles around eyes, droopy eyelids, sucking hands, niggling, staring into space, quieting down, yawning etc. Learn to read your baby. (Crying and fussing means you’ve waited just a little too long in getting her to sleep. Hurry!)
• It is more difficult to see a colicky baby’s sleepy cues. With these babies, watch the clock more closely and make sure she doesn’t stay awake longer than 60 to 90 minutes.
• Don’t see overstimulation only as playing too much or too intensely with baby – just being awake too long is over stimulating.