Newborn babies sleep a lot and soundly. The only reasons why a baby might wake up and cry is hunger or pain. And, of course, all babies cry if their mother is not around for a long time. But already at the age of one month, the baby stops sleeping literally all day and begins to get acquainted with the world around him. The period of primary adaptation is not always easy, so it often happens that a month-old baby does not sleep well. But in most cases there is no need to worry too much about this.
Sleep norms for a one-month-old baby
Babies sleep on average 18-20 hours a day. These hours stretch across day and night. Usually the child sleeps for 1.5-2.5 hours, waking up for feeding. He has to eat often, since his stomach is small, milk is absorbed quickly. Some parents face a problem when their one-month-old baby does not sleep during the day. One of your relatives or friends may say that there is nothing wrong with this, and if the child does not sleep well during the day, he will sleep well at night. In reality this is not the case.
Children's sleep cannot be compared with adults. After all, during the first year of life, the baby’s body grows and develops at a very high rate, quickly adapts to the world around it, and therefore needs a lot of sleep.
Sleep norms for children under one year old are presented in the table:
You should talk about sleep disorders if:
- it is impossible to put the baby to sleep within 4-5 hours;
- total sleep time per day is less than 15 hours;
- sleep is accompanied by convulsions and breathing problems;
- the child wakes up every 5-10 minutes.
If your one-month-old baby does not sleep well during the day, you should pay close attention to him. Perhaps he is sick. In any case, it is worth showing your baby to the doctor, since some diseases can pass without pronounced external symptoms.
Under no circumstances should you give your baby any sedatives or other medications without a doctor’s prescription. They can lead to serious disorders in the developing organism. Even homeopathic remedies (based on medicinal herbs) can cause a severe allergic reaction.
What not to do
But in the process of putting a one-month-old baby to bed, there are also actions that should be avoided from the very beginning. Many mothers make these common mistakes, and then have to put up with the consequences or spend a lot of energy and nerves trying to wean their children from the habit they formed.
- Don't let your baby nurse all the time while sleeping. Yes, at first it’s easier - he grabbed his chest and immediately passed out. But then the mother will be forced to continuously be nearby during daytime or nighttime sleep and will be deprived of proper rest. A pacifier can easily replace a breast while you sleep.
- Do not leave your baby to sleep in your own bed unless you intend to practice co-sleeping in the future. Hold him in your arms or let him lie next to you. But when the baby falls asleep, move him to his own crib. He must clearly understand that my mother and I sleep separately.
- Do not run around the apartment with your child. You need to rock the baby immediately while sitting. When he grows up a little, it will be physically difficult for you to constantly move around with him. And the child, having become accustomed to the fast pace and strong shaking, will no longer be able to fall asleep with slow rocking.
- Don't get angry or yell. Yes, the first months of a baby’s life are the most difficult. But not only for you, but first of all for him. Please be understanding about this. Try to rest more and remember that the baby senses your nervousness and begins to worry himself.
- Do not feed several times during the night. Even at one month of age, the number of night feedings should not exceed two. Otherwise, you will overload your digestive system (it will work without rest at all) and will not form a normal nighttime sleep rhythm. If your baby is awake and crying, give him some water, check his diaper, and help him fall asleep without extra food.
Another important point concerns the mother directly - you cannot completely subordinate your life only to the requirements of the child.
Your own regime must be organized so that there is enough time for proper rest and there is no feeling of constant overwork. Otherwise, in a couple of months, instead of a happy loving mother, there will be an eternally tired, irritated woman next to the child, whose only dream is to quickly put him to bed.
Don't be shy to admit that you're tired and ask your family for help. Don't be afraid to use a babysitter if necessary, even if it's just for an hour or two.
Do not forget about normal nutrition and procedures for your own relaxation. Motherhood is a happy period, and it must be organized in such a way that you and your child have only positive feelings.
The main reasons why a baby may not sleep during the day
All conditions must be created for the baby to sleep comfortably. A one-month-old baby cannot independently eliminate the causes of his anxiety, so he screams or cries to let his parents know about their occurrence.
Why can a month-old baby not sleep all day? The most common reason is hunger . If his mother feeds him strictly according to the clock and does not keep him at the breast for a long time, he may simply not have time to eat enough. In this case, it is worth offering the baby the breast more often.
To find out if the mother has enough milk, you should weigh the baby before and after eating.
A one-month-old baby should eat 90-100 g of breast milk per feeding, and about 600 g per day. If a child eats less than normal, then the reason for this is probably improper feeding. The mother should consult a lactation consultant. If he cannot help, then the child will need to be supplemented with formula. Overeating can cause tummy pain and, as a result, poor sleep .
Breastfed babies rarely overeat, but mixed or bottle-fed babies often face this problem. The formula flows out of the bottle faster than milk from the breast, and in greater quantities. After eating, the child should be kept in the “column” position for 10 minutes so that all the air swallowed during feeding can be released.
The second most common cause of sleep disturbance is a wet diaper . In order for your baby to sleep better, you need to choose a high-quality and comfortable diaper that absorbs moisture well and does not cause discomfort to the child.
clothes may be in the way .
Some parents buy beautiful, but uncomfortable children's clothes made from synthetics. Children's clothing should be made of cotton, and the seams on them should be made outward. This way the child won’t have to rub or inject anything. Clothes should not be tight so that the baby can move his legs and arms freely.
Specifics of sleep in children
When a child sleeps, his sleep consists of absolutely the same phases as that of an adult.
We are talking about falling asleep, REM sleep, superficial sleep, slow sleep and deep sleep. In this case, the baby and the adult differ only in the duration of each phase. If, for example, a man or woman spends up to two hours on each phase, then a child needs definitely less time. Each stage lasts no more than 30 minutes. Moreover, in the first few months of life, the baby sleeps in REM sleep (from 60 to 80 percent of the total sleep time). Gradually, this figure decreases to 50 percent and reaches 20 percent in adulthood.
Children fall asleep and immediately enter the shallow phase of sleep. At the same time, the baby shudders, his eyes move under his eyelids, his breathing is intermittent and irregular. It is at this stage that the child begins to dream.
In addition, the brain processes the information received throughout the day (this is how future life skills are formed). A newborn or an older child comes out of this phase quite easily and very quickly.
After 20 minutes, slow-wave sleep occurs and is accompanied by:
- decreased heart rate;
- decreasing the number of inhalations and exhalations;
- muscle relaxation;
- unclenching the fists;
- sweat separation and so on.
Getting out of this phase is very difficult. If the baby wakes up, he will most likely be capricious and feel tired and not getting enough sleep. Slow, deep sleep is the ideal time to move him to your bed (if the baby has fallen asleep in your arms or in another room).
Medical causes of poor sleep
To find out why a month-old baby does not sleep during the day, sensitive parents turn to a pediatrician, who examines and weighs the baby. If the causes of poor sleep remain unidentified, then the pediatrician gives a referral to a neurologist. He will be able to determine the presence or absence of a disturbance in the central nervous system.
Sleep disorder is one of the symptoms of perinatal damage to the nervous system, resulting from:
- difficult pregnancy and complicated childbirth;
- infectious diseases of the mother during pregnancy;
- chronic lack of oxygen - fetal hypoxia;
- metabolic disorders;
- birth trauma.
Neurological diseases are usually caused by birth injuries . During a difficult birth, brain tissue can be injured, which leads to a lack of oxygen and inadequate development of the body.
You should urgently show the child to a specialist if the parents cannot put him to sleep, he cries and the area between his nose and lips turns blue.
Diseases not associated with neurological disorders are called somatic. Their presence is determined by the pediatrician.
One month old baby doesn't sleep much
There is only one reason for poor sleep with proper sleep patterns and the absence of irritating factors, and it is also the main one. Only a hungry one-month-old baby sleeps little, and it is necessary to find out: does he have enough breast milk? To do this, several control feedings are performed followed by weighing.
If fears are confirmed, feeding needs to be adjusted. Although the introduction of complementary foods is not yet recommended at this age, in exceptional cases it is allowed according to the recommendations of the local pediatrician.
Without eating enough, a month-old baby sleeps little because he wakes up from hunger and demands an additional portion. To prevent early falling asleep in such cases, it is recommended to feed with the second breast. Or, in extreme cases, when there is not enough milk, use an artificial formula, which should only be served from a spoon. Otherwise, you can forget about breastfeeding.
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General recommendations for creating conditions for good sleep
In order for the baby to sleep peacefully and sweetly, it is necessary to create appropriate conditions.
Recommendations for temperature and humidity
The air in the nursery should be clean, moist and fresh. To achieve this, daily ventilation and cleaning are carried out. You need to monitor the room temperature. It should not be higher than 22 degrees Celsius.
In accordance with the air temperature and the season of the year, there should be a blanket with which the baby is covered and clothes on him. The child should not be wrapped to prevent overheating. You should watch carefully so that it does not freeze.
To humidify the air, you can use a specially purchased device or place cups of water around the room or hang wet towels on the radiators during the heating season.
Most one-month-old babies fall asleep in the fresh air. If you can’t often walk with your baby, you can put the stroller on the balcony.
Improper sleep patterns
If the baby systematically does not sleep well throughout the entire 24 hours, he gets used to this routine. Over time, changing a baby's routine becomes even more difficult. Therefore, a child should be taught the correct alternation of sleep and rest from birth.
Often sleep disorders occur due to the fault of parents. Putting the baby to bed at different times, using completely different soothing manipulations does not allow the child to develop an accurate sleep and wakefulness pattern.
To ensure that your baby learns to fall asleep at the same time, it is important to create a sleep routine. Despite the fact that the baby is still very small, his nervous system can already distinguish between certain phenomena. For example, putting a baby to bed in the dark teaches the baby to fall asleep when night falls. He will know that night is a time for absolute peace. And you should play and stay awake when it is light.
Should a child be rocked to sleep before bedtime?
Some mothers believe that rocking a baby in their arms is the wrong decision. It seems to them that later the baby will get used to it and it will be difficult to wean him from motion sickness before bed. Other mothers strive to rock the baby in their arms. They believe that this way the baby will fall asleep faster. According to experts, this is correct, since in the first weeks of his birth the baby especially wants to be closer to his mother, to feel her warmth, breathing, and hear his native voice. With her hugs, his mother takes him under her protection. This really helps the baby feel protected and therefore falls asleep for a long time.
For a baby, rocking in your arms is comparable to rocking in the womb. Therefore, doctors recommend that parents hold the child in their arms, pressing them tightly to the chest, when it is time to fall asleep. However, you should not rock your baby to sleep in a stroller or cradle. The baby should feel the warmth and breath of the mother. You can hum a lullaby, it will also help you fall asleep quickly.
Should a mother sleep with her baby?
Many mothers prefer co-sleeping with their baby. But they are not sure if they are doing the right thing?
On the one hand, when the baby sleeps and often wakes up, he needs the support of his mother. He falls asleep faster with her. This is convenient for both, the baby wakes up at night to eat, and the mother is already nearby. This method of putting a baby to sleep is normal, but up to a certain age.
Co-sleeping can be disastrous for a growing child. It is necessary to sleep separately when the baby is 6 months old. The mother will have to wean the child from co-sleeping, but this must be done gradually. At the age of six months, the child should be put to bed separately for naps and the first half of the night. In the second half of the night, you are allowed to put the baby next to you. The final separation occurs in parallel with weaning.
How to ensure healthy sleep for your baby
To improve your baby's sleep, it is important to periodically ventilate the room and prevent the room temperature from rising. The most comfortable temperature for infants is 18-19 degrees Celsius. If your baby is hot, he will probably not be able to sleep and will be capricious.
Evening bathing plays a significant role in your sleep. Warm water calms and relaxes the child. Immediately after bathing, the baby should be dressed in clean pajamas and fed. This sequence of actions is considered a mandatory norm for all babies and promotes deep night sleep.
In order for a baby to sleep well during the day, he should be taught to fall asleep at a specific time, having first fed and changed his diaper.
