Your baby is sleeping with their eyes open? Should you wake your baby, call the pediatrician, or just let them sleep?
Before you get worried sick, relax, because it is quite normal for babies to sleep with their eyes open, although it looks very strange and sometimes scary.
Once you get home, like most parents, you probably can’t bear to part with your baby and you use every minute to observe it and get to know your new earthling better.
Nothing can look as soothing as the rise and fall of your little breast while they slumber peacefully. But what if your baby instead stares at you while they sleep?
What happens if your baby sleeps with his eyes open instead of closed?
Even though it looks like a scene from a horror movie, and you’ve never heard anyone say that their babies sleep like this, there’s no reason to worry.
I know that when you want to have a child you always imagine idyllic scenes in your head, such as peaceful breastfeeding, the baby’s laughter, sleeping peacefully or taking its first steps.
Dear Mom, babies, as cute as they are, can also be scared to death.
Some mothers will complain about how their babies do not want to sleep during the day, laugh , cry and make noises in their sleep , and others will complain about how their baby does not want to go to sleep without physical contact , cries hysterically or sleeps through the whole day .
Then there are babies who constantly stretch and those who constantly spit out milk .
But scary or not, babies do all of this, and if you’re lucky, you won’t have to go through all of it during your journey as a mother .
Habits of sleeping and non-sleeping babies are different and sleeping with eyes open is simply part of it.
But now let’s talk about why babies sleep with their eyes open and what you can do about it.
Baby sleeps with eyes open – is everything okay?
Before you worry too much, you should know that not all babies sleep with their eyelids closed from the start and that this is not unusual.
There is even a medical term for this phenomenon: nocturnal lagophthalmos.
There are no medical reasons for babies sleeping with their eyes open and it has nothing to do with the child’s health.
It is a phenomenon that is not that rare, but few people talk about it.
Waking up in the family bed next to your baby and realizing that they are staring at you, or seeing them sleeping with their eyes open in your own bed, can be very frightening.
But it’s really nothing out of the ordinary and is one of the normal “scary things” that babies do.
Why do babies sleep with their eyes open?
If your baby sleeps with his eyes open, there may be several reasons for this:
1. Genetics
If your baby sleeps with his eyes open, this may be hereditary.
If someone in the family sleeps with their eyes open, your baby may have inherited it.
2. Medical causes
If no one in your family has a history of sleeping with their eyes open, it may be due to medical reasons such as nocturnal lagophthalmos.
It is quite harmless and does not last longer than one to one and a half years.
In rare cases, it can be due to thyroid problems, damaged facial nerves, or even some tumors.
If you notice that your baby cannot sleep with his or her eyes closed at all, please consult your pediatrician.
3. Developmental causes
In babies, the nervous system has yet to develop, which means that half-open or fully open eyes do not necessarily indicate sleep problems.
Babies have specific sleep patterns and behaviors.
While we adults transition more easily into deep sleep (non-REM) after falling asleep, this is not the case for babies and their sleep rhythm has to settle down first.
During nighttime sleep, babies transition from the REM phase to the non-REM phase several times, while it is also possible that the baby does not reach the non-REM phase or deep sleep phase at all.
The REM phase, also known as rapid eye movement, is the phase when the eyeballs move back and forth, the baby twitches, or, as in this case, has the eyelids open.
Is sleeping with eyes open harmful for a baby?
Sleeping with your eyes open may seem strange and worrying, but it is completely normal and harmless.
In fact, your child’s pediatrician will even tell you that they see this condition regularly and that it is not unusual for babies to sleep with their eyes open or half-open.
Newborns need more sleep than we adults, and baby sleep consists of longer REM phases than in adults.
As your baby grows older, their sleeping habits will change and between 12 and 18 months of age, this phenomenon will also decrease.
Infant sleeps with eyes open – what to do?
Although you don’t have to worry if your baby sleeps with their eyes open, I know that as a new mother you may be wondering how to get your baby to sleep with their eyes closed.
The good news is that there are some ways you can help your baby sleep with their eyes closed:
• When your baby falls asleep, you can gently stroke their eyes with your fingertips until they close. Remember, your baby is in a deep sleep.
• Establish a consistent feeding/sleep cycle so your baby gets used to a routine and learns to sleep without breaks or interruptions.
• If your baby has trouble sleeping, try helping him relax by bathing him in warm water, singing to him, or gently rocking him until he falls asleep.
• You should place your baby on his or her back to sleep, as this sleeping position promotes sufficient air circulation and protects against sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
• Stuffed animals, quilts, pillows or fleece diapers have no place in the child’s bed while sleeping.
• The room where the baby sleeps should not be too warm or too cold.
• The light in the room should also be dim, as this will prevent the baby from being disturbed if it has its eyes open during REM sleep.
• Take your baby to an ophthalmologist to make sure their eyes are well hydrated and their cornea isn’t damaged. Blinking while awake helps prevent their eyes from drying out.
When you should worry
As mentioned above, it is normal for babies to sleep with their eyes open until they are one and a half years old.
Most babies have the habit of sleeping with their eyes open until they are about 18 months old, and when they reach this age, most of them also start sleeping through the night.
However, if your baby continues this habit after the 18-month mark, you should definitely discuss it with your pediatrician.
There is a very small chance that your baby will have congenital ptosis, which results in malformed eyelids.
This cannot be diagnosed by yourself and requires professional medical help.
Even if it looks strange or abnormal, you can be sure that your baby will sleep well with their eyes open and that it will not disturb their sleep.
Final thoughts
Dear Mom, I can well imagine that you were worried sick.
But as you have seen, sleeping with open eyes is quite normal for babies and is usually not a cause for concern.
However, if you still have doubts and want to be on the safe side, you can seek advice from your pediatrician or ophthalmologist.
Seeing your baby sleeping with his eyes open can be a shock, but stay calm, this is just one of many situations where you will be surprised.
But I don’t want to scare you even more, enjoy being a mom and have fun exploring your new earthling.
