A 1.5 year old child does not sleep well at night

According to medical statistics, about 20 percent of children aged one to two years suffer from impaired or decreased quality of daytime and night sleep. Moreover, in some children such a problem will manifest itself sporadically - no more than 3 times a week. Other babies may wake up regularly, which can lead to dangerous complications and delays in physiological and mental development. If your 1.5 year old child does not sleep well at night, it is necessary to establish the root cause of this phenomenon and create optimal conditions for falling asleep quickly and restful sleep.

Why sleep is so important

Insomnia is the name for people or small children who regularly wake up at night. Some people think that this deviation is absolutely harmless and does not threaten any negative consequences. However, if you understand this issue well, it becomes clear that insomnia or sleep disorder has a very bad effect on the child.

When babies sleep soundly, they grow well. Recent studies confirm this idea 100%. During sleep, a special hormone begins to be produced - somatropin, which is vital for the growth of the body. If a child begins to sleep poorly and restlessly during the day or at night, the synthesis of somatropin automatically decreases, which causes the following negative consequences:

mental abilities begin to decline;
intellectual development slows down;
the brain works slower;
there is a delayed reaction to various issues;
Over time, it becomes more difficult to communicate with other people.

If a 1.5-year-old child begins to toss and turn in his crib very often, wakes up regularly at night, rest has become restless, and after waking up at night it is very difficult for the baby to fall asleep, then this is a bad sign; it is necessary to show the baby to a qualified pediatrician as soon as possible. There are other, indirect signs that indicate that it is important to consult a doctor; negative symptoms are: lethargy, anxiety, irritability, loss of appetite. The doctor will examine the child and, if necessary, refer him to undergo any diagnostic procedures to determine the cause of the problem. After that, he will tell parents what to do so that their 1.5-year-old baby sleeps soundly and fully.

Causes of night sleep disturbances in one and a half year old children

If a child cannot sleep for a couple of nights, there is no need to look for a global problem in this; most likely, the baby is worried about something temporary and easily fixable. If the baby cannot sleep normally at night for more than 4 - 5 days, it is worth sounding the alarm and finding the “culprit” of the anxiety.

There are several most common reasons that prevent a one and a half year old child from sleeping consistently at night:

One of the most common situations is long naps during the day. Often parents are afraid that their child will not get enough sleep and do not follow the routine, not waking up the baby at the right time. And if a child slept during the day for more time than he needed, then at night he, like an adult, will not want to sleep. And since he has enough strength to stay awake, he will spin and spin, but not sleep.
Age-related characteristics, which can also be the answer to the question of why a 1-5 year old child sleeps very poorly at night. In the first months of life, a child's sleep is more shallow than deep, so it is easier for him to fall asleep and wake up. Accordingly, any noise, rustle, or ray of light can cause a disruption in the baby’s night rest.

In addition, many babies wake up several times during the night to be fed. This is normal for children under one and a half years old, so there is absolutely nothing to worry about.

At the age of 1.5 to 3 years, fears begin to arise in the child’s mind, which keep him awake at night. It's easy to overcome. You can leave the night light on if your baby is afraid of the dark, or don’t lock the door to the room.

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Methods for getting your child to fall asleep independently

Another solution would be to spend the night together with the parents, when mom and dad explain and show their child that there is nothing to be afraid of in the room.

Features of temperament. The term “hyperactive children” has long existed. It is used in relation to those little ones who have a hot temper, and they are also excitable and restless. Calmness is not inherent in such people, so often putting them to bed becomes a real science.
Insufficient activity. There are cases when the child does not get tired during the day (he moves little, plays, does not waste energy), then he does not want to sleep at all.
Inappropriate conditions. As mentioned above, many children need silence and darkness. However, an important factor is the presence of fresh air in the room, the absence of dust, pleasant-feeling bedding and a suitable temperature.
Personal experiences. Each person, regardless of age, perceives changes in his life and in the lives of people close to him differently. Children always find it difficult to accept their parents' divorce or relocation, a change of educational institution, or the loss of a favorite toy. For them, any change can be a serious emotional shock that will prevent them from sleeping.
Poor health as a cause of insomnia is common. It is difficult for a child under 2 years old to show his family that he is in pain, so it is difficult for adults to diagnose the cause of the disease, and even more difficult for babies to experience it.

The reasons that babies sleep poorly are varied. It is important not to overlook a really serious problem and to find a suitable solution in time.

To ensure proper night sleep, you should occupy your baby after a quiet hour. The baby, who has gained strength, will play, developing his skills and expending energy, and sleep well. We must not forget about a walk in the fresh air; it will not only support your immune system and lift your spirits, but will also have a positive effect on your night's rest.

Moms and dads should be vigilant and closely monitor the condition of their child.

Main reasons

The most common and widespread cause is taking too long a day's rest. If parents incorrectly distribute children's sleep during the day, the relationship between wakefulness and rest will be disrupted. Consequently, the child will have enough sleep during the day, and when it comes time to go to bed after sunset, he begins to whine, cry and throw a tantrum, feeling full of energy and rested.

The next factor leading to children sleeping restlessly is an unsuitable environment. If the light in the bedroom is too bright, for example, coming from the street, or it is very noisy, then the baby will toss and turn in the crib for a long time, fidget, and it will be very difficult for him to fall asleep. At the age of one to one and a half years, children are actively developing their nervous system; during this period they react very sensitively to the external environment while falling asleep, including noise and light. The baby's brain perceives these external factors as a command to wake up. It is important for parents to ensure that the children's room is quiet and dark.

For a restful sleep at night, it is important to put your little one to bed on time. If you lull him to sleep too late, it will cause emotional excitement, as a result, the child’s nervous system will take a very long time to calm down, and while rocking, the child will begin to roar and arch. During the course of research, doctors realized that the longest and deepest phase of sleep in infancy occurs between 19:00 and 24:00. Therefore, in order for a baby to sleep soundly, it is important for him to fall asleep about 3 hours before midnight.

When a child falls asleep for a long time and often wakes up at night, the reason may be the lack of skills to fall asleep independently. Perhaps the little one is used to falling asleep with his dad or mom, for example, in their arms. In such a situation, it is necessary to teach him to put him to sleep on his own.

Sometimes children do not have a clear regime of wakefulness and rest. If parents choose the wrong schedule, the child will go to bed at different times every day, which will result in regular sleep deprivation. If mom and dad cannot create the correct routine themselves, you need to seek help from a qualified pediatrician.

In some cases, physiological reasons become the culprits of long periods of falling asleep and frequent awakenings. When a baby teethes in the first year of life, it causes discomfort and painful feelings. If a child has colic and gas in the intestines, this can provoke arching, or vice versa, the baby will press his legs to his tummy, cry, and will not be able to fall asleep for a long time. In this case, you can resort to medications for children, but only a pediatrician should prescribe them.

Why do children have to sleep?

Regular wakefulness of a child at night is insomnia.
At first glance, such a deviation is completely harmless. But if you dig deeper, it turns out that sleep disorder (insomnia) has the most negative effect on the baby. Children grow when they sleep. We have all heard of this statement, and it is one hundred percent true. The fact is that somatropin (a natural hormone responsible for the growth of the body) is synthesized and produced during sleep. If the quality of night or daytime rest decreases, this automatically leads to a slowdown in the production of this hormone. The result of this is:

slow intellectual development;
decreased mental abilities;
slowing down of brain function;
delayed responses to questions;
communication problems and so on.

If your child is one and a half years old, regularly wakes up at night and cannot fall asleep for a long time, you should definitely consult a pediatrician. The need for this may be indicated by indirect symptoms such as poor appetite in the baby, lethargy, irritability and anxiety. The doctor will help determine the root cause of the problem and tell parents how to act correctly so that the baby gets a better night's sleep.

Glycine for improved night rest

In many cases, neurologists prescribe Glycine to children. This drug, entering the small organism, very carefully and quickly calms the little one and relieves nervous excitement. Glycine blocks neurotransmitters - active chemicals found in the human body that are necessary to transmit nerve impulses. After taking this drug, the baby quickly calms down, the feeling of anxiety and overexcitement disappears without a trace.

In addition to calming, Glycine helps the blood to be well saturated with oxygen. This medication does not accumulate in the tissues of the body; in the digestive system it breaks down into carbon dioxide and ordinary water, these substances are quickly eliminated. This drug is prescribed to both newborns and older children. This medicine contains an amino acid that:

promptly eliminates disturbances in night rest;
normalizes the metabolism of a small organism;
improves brain function;
calms and reduces emotional stress;
helps to better remember new information;
carefully and safely removes harmful substances and various toxins from the body;
prevents neuroses, so the little one begins to fall asleep calmly, without twitching, tears or hysterics.

This safe medicine can be bought at any pharmacy; it comes in the form of pills that need to be dissolved. Typically, the doctor prescribes one tablet to children three times a day for 15-30 days. If the child has any pathology, for example, epilepsy, the course of treatment may be different. When your baby has difficulty falling asleep, sleeps restlessly, or twitches at night, you need to give him one tablet 20-30 minutes before he goes to bed.

Glycine - as a means to improve sleep

Quite often, pediatric neurologists prescribe glycine. We are talking about an amino acid, which, when introduced into a child’s body, quickly and accurately eliminates the consequences of nervous overexcitation. The principle of glycine is to block neurotransmitters - biologically active chemicals that serve to transmit nerve impulses. As a result, the child quickly calms down, feelings of anxiety and excitement disappear.

In addition to its main task, glycine also promotes active oxygenation of the blood. This amino acid does not accumulate in the body, as it breaks down into water and carbon dioxide, which are quickly eliminated naturally. Glycine is great for a newborn baby, one-year-old baby, and older children.

This amino acid is capable of:

quickly eliminate sleep disturbances;
normalize metabolism in the body;
activate brain function;
significantly reduce emotional stress;
improve the memory mechanism;
prevent the appearance of neuroses and other similar pathologies;
Safely cleanse the body of toxins and harmful substances.

The drug is sold at any pharmacy in the form of lozenges. Healthy children without abnormalities need to take one tablet three times a day for 2-4 weeks (the duration of the course is determined by the final results of treatment).

If the child does not sleep well at night, it is recommended to give the amino acid 20 minutes before bedtime. In this case, the effect will be most pronounced.

Useful tips

If parents want to normalize their child's sleep, it will be useful for them to apply the following simple tips:

create a calm, favorable environment. The child often sleeps poorly, and even begins to twitch his arms and legs at night, during sleep, if in the evening the parents talk in a raised voice, shout and swear. The baby should feel in an atmosphere of love and security;
the bedroom must have a suitable microclimate. It is important to ensure that the air temperature is between 20-22 degrees, this is the best indicator for babies. It is also necessary to ensure that the air humidity level is in the range of 55-80 percent;
Do not use heaters that dry out the air. If you turn on such electrical appliances every day, then on the third to fifth day, sometimes later, the child begins to cough, sneeze, and the mucous membranes in his mouth and nose dry out. It is necessary to ventilate the children's bedroom several times a day; periodically it is necessary to carry out wet cleaning without the use of chemical detergents;
there is no need to allow the little one to sleep in the late evening, otherwise the child will not have time to get tired, so when the time comes to go to bed, he will become capricious and stubborn;
come up with a “sleep ritual”, that is, repeat certain actions every day to set the child up for sleep and help him calm down. In the evening, you can bathe your baby in a bath with natural soothing herbs, change your son or daughter into pajamas, tell a story or sing a lullaby, or play some calm game. Each family has its own ritual to help the baby fall asleep.

Experts also recommend feeding your baby well in the evening so that you don’t want to eat at night, but you should not overfeed your children. It is important to teach your child to fall asleep on his own; it is advisable to start doing this from the age of 6 months. In addition, when the baby goes to bed, you can give him his favorite toy, which will help him not to feel abandoned and lonely.

If the baby has trouble falling asleep, then you can try using the Ferber method, which is as follows. The parents put the little one into bed and leave the room. If he cries or is capricious, then you should not immediately return to the bedroom, you can wait one or two minutes, after which you need to go in for a while and calm the baby down, but you cannot pick him up. It is gradually important to increase the time intervals when the child is alone in the crib. By bringing this time to three to five minutes, children usually stop crying and fall asleep peacefully.

Every child is different, so parents need to try different approaches with their baby. Thanks to the concerted efforts of both spouses and patient efforts, it will definitely be possible to normalize the baby’s night sleep.

Why does a 1.5 year old child not sleep during the day?

There are often situations and questions about children who, already at 1.5 years old, refuse to sleep during the day. This, of course, has a bad effect on both the child, because he comes to bed at night overtired, and on the mother, who is left without rest during the day and the opportunity to complete household chores in silence.

Let's figure out why children need naps during the day? Why do babies give up daytime sleep as early as 1.5 years? And what should parents do in this situation?

Until what age is napping necessary?

“Good sleep gives good sleep” - we often pronounce this motto in our consultations. This means that a child's good sleep during the day will lead to good sleep at night. Because the baby will not be too tired and stress hormones will not disturb his sleep at night. Daytime sleep is important for babies to avoid overwork and give the nervous system a break from the constant flow of information and stimulation. This is why it is so important to maintain daytime sleep for as long as possible.

We recommend maintaining daytime naps until age 4. From 4 to 5 years old, we recommend introducing a mandatory “quiet hour” to give the child the opportunity to rest physically (lie quietly, read) and mentally (from the incoming flow of information).

But the need for daytime sleep can persist in a child until school age; this largely depends on the type of his nervous system, temperament, daily routine and load during wakefulness.

Despite the fact that children under 4 years old need naps, and most children still have difficulty maintaining wakefulness from morning to evening, some give up naps by the age of 2-3 years.

Why doesn't the child sleep during the day? The main reasons for refusing daytime sleep.

Why is this happening? Here are the main reasons:

1. Violation of the principle of an early daily routine . The child woke up too late in the morning and was not tired enough during the time of wakefulness that passed before the time of the expected daytime sleep. The principle of the early regime means not only going to bed early at night (from 19 to 20:30), but also getting up early (from 6 to 7:30). And in order not to disrupt the daytime sleep schedule, we recommend waking up your baby in the morning if he sleeps longer than 7:30.

2. Overwork. If during the day the child had many vivid impressions, be it experiences that are not always associated with joyful emotions (for example, going to the doctor at the clinic, where the baby burst into tears and was scared), or any positive impressions, for example, going to visit children's play center, to the zoo, then he may become very tired. Overfatigue, in turn, leads to “overexcitation”; the baby, due to the action of the stress hormone – cortisol, is no longer physiologically able to fall asleep at the “right” time.

3. Negative experience. It happens that the baby had some kind of negative experience before or during daytime sleep. For example, he was afraid of something while falling asleep or even in the room where he was sleeping (vivid experience, loud sound). At the age of 1.5 years, children may already have nightmares. Perhaps the baby was frightened by some image, and since children at this age do not yet differentiate images and fantasies from reality, imagination can interfere with sleep, putting the body in a state of stress. It is recommended to play in the sleeping room, and try not to overload the baby with too vivid impressions, especially before bedtime.

4. Lack of a nap ritual . In order for the baby to adjust to sleep and sleep well, he needs time to adapt. This is especially true in cases where the child walked in the first half of the day before going to bed. Once inside a room from a sunlit street, the body needs some time to adapt to other conditions. In addition, on the street the baby was most likely active - he was walking, he was surrounded by various images and sounds. Once home, in a calmer environment, the baby needs at least 30-40 minutes to slow down and prepare for sleep. Rituals will help a lot here: calm actions repeated every day that set you up for sleep (closing the curtains, putting on pajamas, reading a book).

5. New, unusual environment. If the baby finds himself in an environment that is unusual for him (for example, on a hike, at a party, in transport), he may be overexcited and study the environment with interest. Children relax in a familiar, familiar environment, but in an unfamiliar environment it is much more difficult to do this.

6. Inability to fall asleep without certain actions from an adult . If the mother’s actions (lying next to her, rocking her a little, giving the breast) are the only familiar and unchanging sleep rituals for the child, falling asleep without these associations will be extremely difficult, because if the mother for some reason (for example, she is away from home) cannot to put the child to bed, he is actually left without “the only possible help.” In order for the baby to understand that he can sleep without his mother’s actions, it is important for him to get an alternative way to fall asleep - for example, with his dad.

7. The baby is not healthy, he is teething. When a baby is sick, he needs more of his mother’s help, because falling asleep peacefully can be complicated by fever, cough, nasal congestion, and toothache. But it is during these periods that sleep during the day is especially important for the child - when the baby sleeps, the body can recover and gain strength.

8. Age crisis. At the age of 1.5-2 years, a child may begin to display negativism associated with testing the boundaries of what is permitted. He already understands a lot and wants to do a lot himself, but at the same time he is still very dependent on his mother, her actions and her help. Therefore, a 1.5-year-old baby is constantly “testing” the boundaries - what will happen if I do this, and what will happen if I do that. Of course, a one and a half year old baby cannot yet consciously build such logical chains; he does it associatively, focusing on his mother’s reaction to his behavior. For example, he did not want to go to bed for a nap, and his mother began to carry him in her arms. He liked being held in his arms, and he “realized” that in order to be held in arms more often, he needed to get out of it rather than go into the crib. Thus, confusion occurs. The mother may think that she is helping the baby, since he will not fall asleep without this, and the baby will not be able to fall asleep peacefully while there is such a wonderful stimulus as mother’s hands. The most effective thing here will be to create boundaries and rules. At the age of 1.5 years, you can begin to gradually introduce simple rules (no more than one or two). For example, the rule “wash your hands before eating.” Every time the mother reminds about this and the baby does it, the mother praises him.

One of the rules could be a rule related to sleep, for example, “lay quietly in the crib (or sleep) during the day while mom sat next to you.” Compliance with the rules can be encouraged not only with words, but with some small visualizations (drawn emoticons, stickers), because children at that age do not yet perceive abstract concepts.

How to help a 1.5 year old baby fall asleep for a nap?

1. First of all, it is important to adhere to the daily routine. Getting up later than 7-8 in the morning can delay daytime sleep and make it difficult to take care of it. It is important to focus on the baby’s individual signs of fatigue, make sure that he is not overtired, and calculate how many hours a day he usually sleeps. Normally, at 1.5 years, this is 12.5-13 hours of sleep: 10.5-11 at night and 1.5-2.5 during the day.

2. Don't forget about the rituals of preparing for daytime sleep. Rituals should begin at least 30-40 minutes before bedtime. Pre-nap rituals can be a shortened version of evening rituals (most often without bathing).

Before going to bed, active and stimulating activities are not recommended, including both physical and emotional activity, for example, it is better to avoid watching cartoons an hour before bedtime.

3. Create a familiar environment. In order for your baby to sleep better, he needs recognition of the situation. The more familiar he is with the rituals, environment and actions of his parents, their words, their emotions. Therefore, if at some point the family is facing a time of change or the baby is ill or has an active tooth growth, it makes sense to try to make the environment around dreams as stable and predictable as possible for the baby.

4. Teach your baby to fall asleep on his own. During a calm, stable period, it makes sense to teach your baby the skill of falling asleep independently, both at night and during the day, so that he is not dependent on his mother’s actions, but can fall asleep with other family members, as well as fall asleep on his own when waking up.

5. Enter the rules. One of the main points in the problem of refusing daytime sleep is a psychological crisis, expressed in the child testing the rules of what is permitted. At the age of 1.5 years, a child can be read fairy tales and told tales of his own composition, where in a metaphorical form the basic rules of the family are conveyed to him - what is allowed and what is not. Daytime naps can be one such rule that can be discussed and any attempts by the baby to follow it can be encouraged.

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