Sleep standards
The norm for newly born children is considered to be napping 2/3 of the day. In total, newborns sleep 16-20 hours a day, waking up to feed every 2-4 hours. At this time, intensive development of the brain occurs, the baby adapts to the external environment.
Each baby develops individually. If he eats well, gains weight, falls asleep calmly, but sleeps for a short time, there is no need to panic, perhaps this time is enough to recuperate.
Gradually, as the baby grows, the ratio of sleep to wakefulness decreases. By the age of 3, a full night's rest and a day's rest of 1.5-3 hours are established.
If a newborn sleeps poorly, refuses to feed, and is often capricious, he needs to be shown to a pediatrician for examination, further conclusions and measures to be taken.
The baby constantly cries and does not sleep at night
A baby's sleep at night depends on daytime activities. Some circumstances will make the child sleep soundly, and will immediately “switch off” the child so that he will not eat at night, while others will make him toss and turn, cry at night, wake up many times, moan, grunt, toss and turn and scream for attention.
A health condition may be to blame: it could be colic or gas in the stomach, hunger, or, in later life, teething. If he is well-fed and healthy, then a good reason may be that he was not exhausted during the day. For a good night's sleep, the daytime regime should physically exhaust the baby in such a way that by the evening he is sleepy.
You should know that this is done simply: he must be physically loaded - with exercises and various exercises, and moral activities - the mother must talk to him a lot and for a long time, play, sing songs, making him rejoice, smile or just listen.
Sleeping mode
For full development, babies need to eat regularly. The intervals between feedings range from 2 to 4 hours. It takes the little one about 30-40 minutes to stay awake, then he falls asleep again.
Daytime rest may differ from nighttime. During the day, the baby can spend less time on rest, then acquaintance with the outside world will last longer. There is no active phase at night; at the time of feeding, the baby dozes.
If a child sleeps little at night and during the day, you should monitor his behavior, find out what may be causing concern, and consult a pediatrician.
Why does a baby sleep poorly during the day?
Dim the natural light and turn off the artificial light.
Having learned the factors of poor sleep at night, let's figure out why the child does not sleep well during the day and find a solution to troubleshoot the problem.
Wrong daily routine
Somnologists (scientists who study sleep) have identified a pattern at what time a year a child is ready to fall asleep. The results helped to identify what ensures proper quality sleep. Cyclical periods are characterized by changes in hormonal levels, which influence falling asleep. Body temperature drops slightly, metabolism slows down, and the body falls asleep provided it is tired. If you fall asleep at a different time, there may not be a restorative effect; children cry.
To solve this, you need to follow a time schedule. It is optimal to sleep between 8.30 and 9 am or 12.30-1 pm. Get your child up before seven o'clock so that he is tired by the right time. For up to six months, a baby needs to observe the optimal time for the active part of the day so that he does not get overtired and is able to fall asleep on time and does not start tossing around.
Changes
During the daytime there is a peak of activity and curiosity. This is a time of discovery, managing emotions, and focusing. Therefore, when parents force the baby to sleep, it is difficult for him to immediately switch, not toss around and get ready for sleep.
A well-constructed bedtime ritual will help your baby. Unlike the night time, it can be very short, without swimming, books, but special treatment will still be required. Children do not yet have a concept of time, so they focus on the sequence of events. If mom has done a certain sequence of actions, it means it will soon be time to sleep. It is important for infants aged 3-4 months to sleep in one place; form habits, especially if they sleep little during the day.
Atmosphere
There is no need to try too hard not to make noise while the child is sleeping.
Falling asleep during the daytime is more difficult than at night, due to the environment. It’s light, noisy, we’ve just had a walk. Children need darkness, comfort, a quiet environment (but do not overdo it with silence). You should not train yourself to sleep in the light of lamps, as melatonin, the wakefulness hormone, is produced. Even if a newborn falls asleep in the light, difficulties will still arise, the quality and quantity of sleep will decrease.
To solve this, darken the room, buy blinds for the windows, hang thick curtains. If the sounds from the street are too loud, turn on special “white noise”, which is cyclical and monotonous, making it easier to fall asleep. Turn it on low and run it in cycles throughout your sleep. It is safe, non-addictive, quickly puts the baby to sleep, and normalizes sleep quality
The connection between sleep problems and eating
Feeding may be the reason why a newborn has trouble sleeping and often wakes up.
Sleep problems may be due to:
- overeating;
- malnutrition;
- bloating, colic.
When a newborn is breastfeeding, it is important for the mother to monitor her diet and exclude foods that cause gas and bloating from the diet.
The mother's mood is transmitted to the baby at the moment he is attached to the breast. If you are alarmed or worried about something, the little one will also be nervous and is unlikely to fall asleep.
An infant constantly cries and does not sleep: Reviews from readers
Galina Stepanova, 24 years old, Sevastopol. My little Natasha is 3 months old. How we suffered! During the day she slept very little, and I observed that she wanted to sleep, yawned, closed her eyes, but after 10 minutes she woke up and cried. The temperature was normal, she was eating wonderfully, there were no extraneous noises or sounds, and because of the constant crying, I did not let her go. After reading the article, I realized that it was probably gases. They began to massage, stroke the tummy and apply a baby heating pad. And everything more or less worked out. I began to monitor my own nutrition more carefully. Thanks to the article, I now sleep much better with Natasha. Thank you! Inna Korobkova, 29 years old, Moscow . I didn’t learn anything useful for myself. The information in the article has long been known to everyone. I haven’t found a reason why my 6-month-old son can’t sleep. It turned out that his teeth began to cut not at 9, but much earlier - at 6 months. All children are individual and we cannot paint them all with the same brush.
Alina Govorukha, 22 years old, Tver. Thanks to the article, I learned a lot of information and even saved many points for myself. For example, by reducing the lighting in the children's room, my 6-month-old Lilya began to sleep much better. And no one could have thought that ordinary blinds would solve the problem of poor sleep. Love your children and meet them.
Nina Startseva, 38 years old, Orel. The article is quite informational. Thank you for the detailed description of the causes and solutions to the problem of a child’s restless sleep. If there was more information like this, it would be easier for mothers to understand the problem and find a way out of it.
Angelika Zimina, 30 years old, St. Petersburg . I read the article and will keep it in mind. The child still lives in my belly, but I was already able to imagine and note in advance the rules of behavior for a mother to ensure that her future daughter sleeps soundly.
Tatyana Vladykina, 27 years old, Raduzhny. Thanks a lot. Finally we were able to figure out why our baby Vanechka was crying and sleeping poorly, because I put him in his crib and ran off to clean other rooms, and he immediately woke up. It turns out that it’s all precisely because I’m not around. Now I try not to go far and Vanya’s sleep is much longer. Write more, it’s very interesting, I learned a lot of useful things for myself and my son.
Causes
The reasons why a newborn baby does not sleep can be various factors. Often, sleep disturbance is not at all an indicator of any developmental abnormality in the little person. Of course he won't tell you what's bothering him.
To do this, parents need to analyze the situation, check the microclimate of the room, check the skin for irritation, massage the tummy, etc.
Malnutrition
One of the common causes of poor sleep in infants may be malnutrition. This is affected by:
- insufficient amount of mother's breast milk;
- the baby quickly falls asleep without receiving the required portion of milk;
- does not eat enough formula when artificial or mixed feeding.
Based on the weight and development of the little person, the children's doctor will be able to determine the need to increase or add complementary foods and give recommendations on replacing the formula.
If your little one falls asleep while feeding, you need to touch his cheek. He will wake up and continue to eat. This will improve the quality of rest of a well-fed baby.
Colic
The gastrointestinal tract of the toddler is just beginning to adapt to the independent digestion of food. Due to excessive formation of gases in the intestines, the little one is bothered by colic. Understanding what worries him is quite simple. The baby suddenly begins to scream loudly, may spin around, raise his arms and legs, and his tummy becomes tense.
Not all infants are susceptible to colic, but it is one of the most common problems during this period. Intestinal and stomach colic in infants gradually decreases and disappears by 4 months. Parents will need patience, endurance, and calmness.
Causes of colic.
- Formation of intestinal microflora.
- Improper nutrition of a nursing mother.
- Air entering the esophagus during feeding.
- Allergic reaction to mixtures during IV.
- Infant overeating.
You can combat this problem by applying a warm diaper to the baby’s tummy, raising or bending the legs to stimulate the passage of gases. A last resort may be the use of a gas outlet tube.
Diseases
The baby sleeps little, constantly cries or is excessively lethargic, refuses to eat, has a high body temperature, it is necessary to call a pediatrician or an ambulance. Most likely the cause was a viral or bacterial infection.
Parasites
The age period from 1 to 5 years is susceptible to the appearance of worms in children. This is due to going to kindergarten, non-compliance with hygiene rules, and the habit of putting everything in your mouth: dirty hands, other people's toys, sand, earth.
There are known cases of children becoming infected from pets. Therefore, it is better to limit the contact of your beloved pet with your baby.
Signs of parasites may include:
- restlessness during rest;
- allergic skin rashes;
- refusal to eat;
- stomach ache;
- excessive salivation;
- constipation or loose stools.
It is quite difficult to determine the symptoms of helminthiasis in infants, so if you have any suspicions, you need to do a stool test.
Skin irritations
Untimely changing of diapers, an allergic reaction to detergents, increased body humidity, constant contact with feces and urine can lead to diaper rash, rashes, and skin irritation.
In the initial stages of dermatitis with slight redness of the affected areas, infants do not experience anxiety. The formation of weeping wounds, which are accompanied by pain and severe itching, can be the reason why the baby does not sleep.
Other reasons
It is necessary to analyze what other factors may influence the fact that the baby does not sleep well during the day. Possibly interfering:
- loud extraneous sounds (TV, music, repair work);
- bright light;
- dry, hot indoor climate;
- unpleasant odors;
- dirty diapers, nappies;
- overexcitement.
A newborn's rest consists of only 30% of sound sleep, like that of an adult. Most of it is occupied by superficial naps, in which the baby is sensitive to stimuli.
If a toddler falls asleep in his mother's arms, you should not rush to transfer him to the playpen. You need to make sure that the phase of sound sleep has arrived.
Consequences of lack of sleep
The fatigue that comes from sleep deprivation tends to accumulate. If a baby does not sleep well in the first months of life, accordingly, during the period of active development of the body and the formation of the central nervous system, this negatively affects its further mental state.
As a rule, such children in adolescence are too impulsive, prone to depression, passive and prone to sudden changes in mood. In addition, they are more likely than others to suffer from obesity and absent-mindedness. If a baby does not get enough sleep due to any disease, it can become chronic.
