The baby does not sleep well at night. Komarovsky advises

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Published: 01/13/2021

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A child's sound sleep is the main guarantee of his health and normal development. But there are times when a baby wakes up every hour at night for no apparent reason.

Identifying the source of the problem is an important step because... allows you to prevent illnesses and begin timely treatment.

• 1 Reasons for the baby waking up frequently at night 1.1 Physiological reasons for the baby waking up frequently

Why isn't the baby sleeping?

In a newborn up to one year old, sleep phases change with a certain frequency. If nothing bothers him (illness, thirst, hunger), then, as soon as he wakes up, the baby plunges into dreams again.

If parents do not establish the correct daily routine, then such disorders will occur constantly. The child wakes up every hour at night if there is loud music in the room, conversations in a raised voice, and also if he played outdoor games before going to bed.

Parents need to establish a certain ritual that concerns not only daytime, but also nighttime rest. These can be lullabies, nursery rhymes and fairy tales.

How to improve your child's sleep

If a five-month-old child suffers from problems falling asleep and resting at night, he can be helped with the following recommendations:

• choose a small crib with a firm mattress;
• ventilate the room in the evening;
• make sure there are no sharp sounds or bright lighting;
• feed on demand;
• change diapers promptly;
• more time to play and talk with the baby;
• avoid active games before going to bed;
• maintain an interval between the last daytime and night rest of at least four hours;
• follow the regime.

It is also recommended that if such problems arise, you should not start introducing complementary foods. New foods can lead to indigestion. This, in turn, will negatively affect your night's rest.

Closer to six months of age, children often have problems with sleep. During this period, babies begin to actively develop and show character. Therefore, sometimes they refuse to rest. Also, similar problems arise for a number of other reasons. It is extremely important to identify them in order to provide the baby with proper rest.

Physiological reasons

If a child wakes up every hour at night, this may be caused by the following factors:

1. The temperature in the room where the baby sleeps is uncomfortable. It should be 18-23 degrees, so even in winter you should stick to this range.
2. Perhaps the baby has a wet diaper or diaper. For him this is a strong discomfort that forces him to wake up.
3. If a 2-month-old baby wakes up every hour at night, it is possible that he is thirsty. After all, he cannot say about it, so he shows his condition in this way.
4. High fever, nasal congestion, and abdominal pain can lead to night awakenings.
5. If a child wears uncomfortable clothes or sleeps on bedding made of synthetic material, these factors cause itching and irritation.
6. The bedroom may be too bright or too noisy.

All these reasons are completely removable, the main thing is to detect them in time.

Features of awakening a baby

There can be many reasons for an infant to wake up. Up to 8 months, the baby can wake up every hour for various reasons. This includes a wet diaper, teething, and malnutrition... It will be very difficult to eliminate all the causes and achieve restful sleep, but you can reduce awakenings to a minimum by being attentive to the child’s needs.

There is also a close relationship between breastfeeding and the baby waking up every hour at night. Children who are used to resting with their mother continue to breastfeed at night. Doctors' studies have shown that such babies suckle the longest. Mother's milk is not so much food as it is a calming factor. The child needs to feel his mother nearby. So you need to wean your baby from sleeping next to you at 7-8 months. Of course, this will take a lot of time. But here you need to be careful: sleeping alone can give rise to a fear of being alone in a room, a fear of the dark, etc. Approach the re-education process wisely, taking into account the individual characteristics of the child.

Up to three months, children quite naturally wake up every hour at night, as this is their physiological need. This can continue for up to 7-8 months. Of course, in this case, it is advisable to see a neurologist and pediatrician in order to exclude the possibility of diseases manifesting at an early age. After a year, such behavior of the child should alert parents and force them to seek help from doctors.

Psychological reasons

If a child wakes up every hour at night, then the following factors can cause this situation:

• The psyche of a newborn child is receptive and excitable. All events of the previous day have a negative impact. Any small events can lead to constant awakenings.
• Quarrels in the family and the mother’s bad mood are immediately transmitted to the baby. In this case, he begins to get nervous, which contributes to an unstable night's rest. A favorable psychological climate is the key to a calm and serene sleep.
• The main reason why a child often wakes up at night may be a feeling of hunger.
• Watching cartoons late and for a long time also evokes strong emotions.
• Absence or lack of positive emotions, communication and tactile sensations.
• Fears of various natures.
• Unpleasant dreams.

The mother needs to show the newborn maximum love, care and attention. This will help eliminate psychological problems that cause sleep disturbances.

There are two ways:

1. Sleeping with mom. He will feel warmth, heartbeat and her smell. At the slightest awakening, the mother can give the baby the breast (we are talking about newborns).
2. Teach your child to sleep on his own. After feeding, you need to put him in his crib and sing a lullaby. Sometimes the baby sleeps on his stomach, which is a comfortable position for him.

The baby’s nightly whims, not associated with terrible dreams, are a kind of cry for help. He currently lacks independent sleep skills, so he calls his mother.

How to proceed?

A baby's restless sleep is a problem that you have to deal with. First, find out the reason for the awakenings.

• Try to eliminate all physiological factors. If this does not help, think about reviewing your daily routine, what kind of relationships are in the family, and how the baby perceives them.
• Eliminate psychological causes as much as possible. Think about what events during the day could affect the child’s psychological state.
• Visit your pediatrician. If a disease is suspected, you will be asked to undergo all necessary tests. According to their results, the doctor will advise how to get rid of night vigils.

Don't turn away from the problem and don't wait for it to work itself out. Sleepless nights exhaust you and your child. The sooner you eliminate the cause of anxiety, the faster healthy, restful sleep will come.

Serious factors

The child often wakes up at night when the following pathological condition occurs:

1. Enuresis. If this is the norm for infants, then older children should go to the potty on their own. If your child has frequent urges that keep him from sleeping, you should consult a doctor.
2. Apnea. The pathology is characterized by short-term cessation of breathing during sleep. Requires urgent consultation with a specialist.
3. Sometimes the child sleeps restlessly, gets up, stands up and spreads his arms, hitting his head on the crib. Such symptoms can cause epilepsy and increased intracranial pressure. This is a reason to urgently consult a doctor.
4. Worms. Even children under one year old are not immune from their appearance in the body. At night they become especially active and cause discomfort in the stomach. The baby moans in his sleep and grinds his teeth.
5. Brain diseases. The child rushes around the bed, shakes his head, and sometimes hits his head on the side of the bed.
6. Bronchial asthma. The child often wakes up because he is bothered by a strong cough.
7. Intestinal infection. The main danger for the baby is dehydration. The child becomes lethargic and refuses food and water.
8. Viruses and bacteria. The child’s temperature rises, the lymph nodes become enlarged and signs of general intoxication of the body appear.

Parents should not wait until the morning when the baby’s health condition deteriorates sharply. You need to urgently call an ambulance.

Why does a child wake up at night and play?

It often happens that a child wakes up in the middle of the night and does not want to sleep. During such awakenings, the baby may begin to actively play, chat, or simply lie quietly with his eyes open. Sleep consultants call these awakenings “nightstands.” Night festivities can last for an hour or two and, of course, they cause inconvenience for the whole family. What are the reasons for such wakefulness, what should parents do to avoid such episodes, and how should parents behave during night festivities? You will learn about all this in our article.

Reasons for "night festivities"

First you need to find and eliminate the cause of your baby's nighttime festivities. We found as many as 12 reasons for such nightly festivities . In our article we give short recommendations on what to do in each case. Read it carefully, we are sure that you will be able to find the reason in your case.

1. Overwork and lack of sleep.

When a baby gets too tired, the body begins to produce the “stress hormone” cortisol. Cortisol prevents the baby from falling asleep peacefully, and his sleep during the night becomes very restless under the influence of the stress hormone. This is why overwork can be the reason for night festivities. Give your baby the opportunity to sleep for several days, watch for signs of fatigue, and adjust the routine so as to prevent overtiredness.

2. Frequent night feedings

Too frequent night feedings can lead to the baby getting used to receiving calories at night, even when physiologically he no longer needs feedings (after the age of 10-12 months). If your 12-month-old toddler begins to play after morning feeding at 4-5 am, then you can think about reducing the time of early morning feeding, it will probably “activate” the baby.

3. Improper sleeping conditions

In the second half of the night, the proportion of deep sleep becomes less, the REM sleep phase predominates, which means the child becomes more sensitive to external factors affecting sleep. The baby can be awakened by:

• Light. An early dawn outside the window can wake up a baby; even one ray of light sends a signal to the brain that it’s time to wake up. Consider darkening the room with blackout curtains.

• Noise. Extraneous sounds from the street, noisy neighbors, a snoring dad or other relatives can cause awakenings. Try to eliminate noise or try using “white noise” in such conditions.
• Uncomfortable temperature. Cold or heat can cause awakenings. Monitor the temperature in the bedroom, choose comfortable clothes according to the season. Avoid overheating, it is dangerous!

• It's stuffy. To avoid hypoxia, it is very important not only to ventilate the room before going to bed, but also to ensure a flow of fresh air into the room during sleep. If you are afraid that your baby will get blown out, open a window in the kitchen or another room.

4. Overexcitement or stress the day before.

Avoid new activities, active games, tickling, “tossing”, new toys, TV before bedtime. Keep in mind that new situations are perceived as stressful, and it takes time to get used to them: this is how a child can react to the arrival of guests, mom going to work, potty training, and any new information. Plan to learn new skills for the first half of the day.

5. Wrong mode.

If you do not follow the routine: you go to bed very late, get up late enough in the morning, or do not take into account daytime naps according to the age norm, then this can lead to your baby’s nighttime festivities. For example, if a routine has been formed with many short daytime naps, then the child gets used to sleeping often, but for short periods of time, and staying awake a little. Try extending your daytime naps and gradually lengthening your waking time. Also, during the “transition” period with a reduction in daytime sleep, the baby needs time to adapt to the new early bedtime and reduction in daytime sleep (within 2-4 weeks he may wake up early in the morning).

6. Lots of naps

If children sleep more than normal during the day, and therefore do not want to sleep at night. The solution here is the simplest - monitor the amount of daytime sleep, wake up if the baby sleeps too long and more than normal during the day.

7. Mom’s emotional state.

If your mother has conflicts with loved ones or is worried about something, remember that at an early age the baby is very sensitive to the mother’s emotional state: he will worry along with his mother. And of course this will affect his sleep! Take care of mom's rest and restoration of resources!

8. Lack of communication with mom.

The child seeks contact with his mother at night, if during the day he did not have enough tactile and emotional communication with her and her touch. Or during the period of age-related crises/regression/separation. During such periods, hug the baby more often, kiss, take in your arms, and spend your waking hours intensely. Try to “nourish” the child with your attention.

9. Nightmares and fears

Episodes of night terrors and nightmares occur in children aged 1.5 years. Night lights will help here), art therapy, playing frightening images in games, fairytale therapy and working with a child psychologist.

10. Lack of physical activity

Lack of physical activity during the day leads to the fact that the little fidget does not get tired enough. Increase physical activity during the day, especially during periods of learning new skills, when your baby needs it most.

11. Medical reasons:

Teething, dermatitis/allergies, stool disorders, colic are objective reasons for difficulty sleeping. It takes time for the acute painful period to pass. In this case, be sure to consult a doctor!

12. Inability to associate sleep cycles and self-soothe..

If a child does not have the skill to fall asleep on his own, then episodes of nighttime festivities are difficult to avoid. Get away from “negative” sleep associations. Help you fall asleep in different ways. Give your child a variety of ways to calm down.

How should parents behave correctly during their baby's night out?

If your baby wakes up at night and after long attempts to put him back to sleep, you understand that the baby only intends to stay awake, pay attention to the following “rules of behavior”:

1. Don't turn on the lights in the room

Do not turn on the lights in the room, do not use gadgets. Remember that even artificial light destroys the “sleep hormone” melatonin.

2. Don't get involved in games with your baby

If the baby has not yet learned the law “we are awake in the light, we sleep in the dark” and is trying to include you in the game at night, do not get involved. Show with all your appearance that it is night outside and you need to sleep.

3. Avoid dialogue-conversation; you can calm him down in a quiet, monotonous voice.

Try to speak in a monotone, quiet voice. Avoid dialogue. Calm down, shush.

4. Help your baby sleep longer

If your baby is not yet able to fall asleep on his own, he may need your help to prolong his sleep. Help your child in any effective way.

5. Don't take your baby out of the bedroom

Do not take your child out of the room where he is sleeping. You need to help your baby distinguish between morning and night awakenings. “Awakening rituals” help with this. Wait until morning, do your morning ritual, and then leave the bedroom.

FrequentWake Up Melatonin RitualWake Up On Your OwnFalling Asleep

Sleep disturbance

All mothers know that the child walks during the day and sleeps at night. The optimal time for going to bed is 19:30-20:30, because the body produces melatonin.

If the baby shows that he wants to sleep: he rubs his eyes, yawns, lies down on the pillow, the mother should not ignore this condition. If you miss the moment, the hormone melatonin will be replaced by cortisol. As a result, the child will actively jump and laugh, so it will be impossible to put him to sleep. It is best for a child to sleep with his mother.

If forced sleep occurs, the baby may wake up constantly at night and get up in the morning without a mood.

Impact of hunger

Night feedings are allowed only in infancy; older children can go without food if they eat well during the day. If a breastfed baby wakes up 3-4 times a night, this is normal. After all, he is still quite small.

But if a child wakes up every hour at night, this should alert parents. In this case, you need to separate the chest and night sleep.

Children after one year should not be fed; you can give them some water. Be sure to offer your baby a glass of milk or kefir before bed.

How many hours does a child sleep?

The length of time a baby needs to rest at night depends on age:

• Newborn period. A baby usually sleeps for 9 hours. It is considered normal if he wakes up every hour at night. If something is bothering the child, then the possible causes of the worry should be eliminated.
• One year old baby. At this age, one in five children wakes up every hour. This largely depends on temperament. Light sleep is usually observed in a sleeping small child who is restless and active during the day. He hears the slightest rustle and jumps up early in the morning. To change the situation, experts recommend individually preparing such babies for bed.

After the child turns 1 year old, it is necessary to teach him to fall asleep on his own. Even if he wakes up at night, his mother’s help will not be needed for him to plunge back into his dreams. When the baby turns 2 years old, he may experience fear. For such a child, parents install a cheerful night light in his room and put a soft toy in his crib.

Methods for achieving sound sleep

According to the recommendations of Dr. Komarovsky, to strengthen the baby’s sleep, parents need to systematically follow several important rules:

• In order for your child to fall asleep as quickly as possible and not be disturbed by anything during the night, you should determine the optimal time for his sleep. Typically this time falls between 9 and 10 pm.
• An hour before bedtime, the baby needs to be calmed down from the emotions received during the day. A warm bath (with the addition of natural extracts) and a relaxing massage will help with this (when the child is in bed, a night lullaby will not be out of place).

Important! Under no circumstances should you turn on cartoons for your child before bed, and do not give him noisy toys (rattles, etc.). During the day, the baby gets tired of new emotions and impressions. And their excess often becomes the reason that the baby wakes up every hour at night, or cannot fall asleep at all.

• In order to prevent the child from waking up in the middle of the night with tears and hysterics, parents need to control the total time of his sleep. Children's sleep per day should be at least 11 and no more than 13 hours (about 2-3 hours should be allocated for daytime sleep, and 9-10 hours for night sleep).
• To prevent your baby from feeling discomfort while sleeping, you need to choose high-quality diapers, soft bedding (preferably made from natural materials) and loose pajamas in advance. Additionally, monitor the temperature in his room.
• When the first symptoms of the disease appear, the baby should be immediately shown to a doctor to prescribe effective therapy. Never expect the pathology to go away on its own. Since at an early age the human immune system is unable to fight parasites on its own, and any infection may well lead to irreversible consequences.

If an infant sleeps peacefully at night, this is primarily the result of the caring attitude of his parents. Therefore, it is very important to surround your baby with attention and affection at an early age. This is the only way you can overcome all negative manifestations, ensuring your child’s full and healthy development.

Breastfeeding and sleep

Mothers who co-sleep and breastfeed their babies produce milk quickly and last longer. After all, when the baby wakes up, they give him something to eat, and he again goes into the world of dreams.

If the baby sleeps in a newborn crib, it takes longer for both the baby and the mother to fall asleep.

However, co-sleeping also has its downsides. When a baby is given the breast at the first call, he gets used to it and can no longer sleep without it.

After 6 months of age, the child should be gradually weaned from sleeping together and placed in a separate crib for newborns. As he gets older, the number of feedings will decrease and sleep will return to normal.

Bad associations with sleep

If a child does not sleep well at night, wakes up and cries, the cause of this condition should be found out.

Sometimes a baby gets used to sleeping in a car seat or carrier. It becomes very difficult for him to adjust and sleep in bed. Such a dream cannot be called complete. Parents do not understand why the child began to rest during the day in fits and starts, constantly waking up and being capricious. Sometimes these babies skip feeding before going to bed. At night they cry from hunger, so the whole family can no longer sleep properly.

In this case, you need to create a comfortable environment in the room. Close the curtains and achieve complete silence. After 10 days, the mother will note that the child began to sleep more soundly not only during the day, but also at night.

If there are bad associations with sleep, then the baby needs help. Mom can put him next to her. Parents need to stop being nervous and panicking, because the child sensitively picks up all the negative emotions of loved ones.

Sleep conditions

If your child wakes up every hour, you need to create the right environment for him:

1. The optimal air temperature should be 20-23 degrees. Before going to bed, be sure to ventilate the room.
2. Pajamas are the most comfortable clothes for a child. In summer it should be thin, and in winter terry. Changing clothes can be perceived by the baby as preparation for a night's rest.
3. It is important that the mattress on which the baby sleeps is hard (coconut fiber). A newborn does not need pillows at all, but for older children a small one is enough.
4. Poor quality diapers also affect sleep. Therefore, they must be of high quality and comfortable.
5. From birth, a child should not be taught to sleep in complete silence, because at the slightest noise he will wake up and cry.
6. It is not recommended to play active and noisy games before going to bed. Preference is best given to reading books and drawing.
7. Developed bedtime rituals should not be violated under any pretext. If parents mess up even once, it will take weeks to improve the baby’s sleep.
8. The child sleeps on his stomach. Sometimes this sleeping position helps him fall asleep quickly and not wake up at night. Parents should provide a safe environment for stomach sleeping.

Using tips like these, you can get your child's night's rest fairly quickly.