Young parents are always worried if their baby’s behavior differs from the “generally accepted norms.” If a child sleeps or eats less than expected, cries and is capricious all the time, the mother immediately begins to sound the alarm. The fact that a baby does not sleep or sleeps very little and irregularly always makes his parents worry. “Infants, especially newborns, always sleep a lot,” we read in manuals for young mothers or in some publications on pediatrics. However, this is not always the case; the daily routine of some children differs significantly from the daily routine of other children, and in any case there is no need to panic. You just need to figure out why the baby is not sleeping and help him fall asleep sweetly and with pleasure.
Why does the baby not sleep or sleeps very little?
Infants, indeed, sleep most of the day, however, there are exceptions to the rule. The baby may not fall asleep because he is bothered by intestinal colic: due to bloating, his gas production increases, which causes considerable discomfort. It also happens that after eating the baby cannot poop, which also prevents him from falling asleep. In any case, he could use a light tummy massage, which is performed with circular stroking movements in a clockwise direction.
Also, the baby may not sleep, or sleep little due to a constant feeling of hunger, which is explained by the insufficient amount of milk from the mother or its low fat content. In this case, many mothers supplement their baby with formula, and at the same time take measures to increase breast milk (eating high-calorie foods - milk, cheese, butter, nuts; taking medications that increase the level of lactation; adequate sleep and rest).
An infant may not sleep due to discomfort associated with teething. Itching and pain can be reduced by special gels and ointments that need to be used to treat the baby’s gums; you should also give him a cooling teether - this will distract the baby and significantly reduce discomfort, after which the baby will be able to fall asleep. A baby may not sleep due to reluctance to part with mommy, because at this age he needs almost round-the-clock contact with her.
The baby can ask for the breast every hour, since being at the breast is so far the only way for him to communicate with his mother. And, of course, the fact that the baby sleeps little can be caused by his individual biological rhythms. He is who he is and he shouldn’t sleep as much as other kids his age sleep. He has his own temperament and daily routine, and the task of parents is to make the child’s sleep as comfortable as possible and always observe the baby’s bedtime ritual.
The baby is awake and sleeping
Daily regime.
Newborns, if they are well-fed and healthy, if nothing bothers them, sleep serenely from feeding to feeding. Moreover, they sleep exactly as much as their physiological need dictates. However, some completely healthy children sleep little from birth, although they are healthy and nothing bothers them. Apparently, this is how their body works and this is their norm, which means there is no need to do anything to make them sleep more. After all, it is generally impossible to force a baby to sleep more than he needs. Wherever the child finds himself, no matter how unfavorable the conditions may be, he will definitely fall asleep, unless he is sick and is not bothered by pain.
Every effort must be made to establish and adhere to an optimal daily routine for mother and child from the very first days. This will be convenient for both of them and those around them. The routine organizes and educates, greatly simplifies the mother’s efforts to care for the child, and creates a calm, confident environment. In addition, children who adhere to a healthy routine get sick less and less often. They are practically not capricious and eat with appetite at certain hours that are familiar to them, because it is at this moment that the stomach produces gastric juice and a feeling of hunger appears. And if food arrives on time, it is digested faster and easier, and therefore the child’s tummy does not hurt and digestive problems disappear. It’s the same with sleep: a child who is accustomed to falling asleep at the same time, without being capricious, willingly falls asleep alone.
Sleep hygiene. When a child sleeps, this does not mean that there should be complete silence in the house. At an early age, ordinary household sounds will not disturb the baby's sleep,
• 1st feeding:
breast milk or special milk
mixture,
• 2nd feeding:
breast milk, 5-20 ml fruit juice,
• 3rd feeding:
30 g fruit puree, breast milk,
• 4th feeding:
30 ml fruit juice, breast milk,
• 5th feeding:
breast milk, 15-20 g fruit puree,
• 6th feeding
(last): breast milk.
and there is no need to create any special conditions for him. Of course, there is no need to make noise or talk loudly, rattle dishes, turn on the vacuum cleaner, etc.
A small child is usually disturbed from sleeping only by internal irritants: hunger can wake him up; he may wake up from the cold, unless the sleep is too deep; he will also wake up from pain, as well as from the functioning of the intestines or from the need to burp air. Sometimes the baby is prevented from falling asleep by his own arms and legs, which tremble
just as he relaxes and begins to fall into a deep sleep. A child is able to fall asleep completely calmly with the TV on (but, of course, not at full power), but will wake up when it is turned off and the room becomes unexpectedly quiet.
It is better if the room is dark during night sleep. Sometimes at night the child opens his eyes and the light can attract his attention and disturb his sleep. But a dim nightlight won't hurt, especially at first. At first, you need to place the crib so that you can quickly go to it as soon as the baby screams. After a while, if possible, it is recommended to put the crib in a separate room at night.
Before going to bed at night, a room is required
need to be ventilated. Of course, the room should be warm. If a child sleeps shallowly, he wakes up from the cold and begins to cry. This crying can prevent colds in time - the baby makes it clear that he needs to be covered. Deep sleep will prevent him from waking up, and hypothermia can at least cause a runny nose.
Mothers often have a question: is it better for a child to sleep - on his back or on his stomach? Experts believe that it is more comfortable to sleep on your stomach, since this position improves digestion. But children themselves choose what is best for them. After all, if a child does not like lying on his stomach, he will not give rest to anyone until he is laid down in the best possible way. Let us remind you that if the child does not burp air after feeding, he should do this while lying on his back
It is not so much the volume that is important, but the monotony of the sounds. But if everyone walks on tiptoe and speaks in a whisper while the child sleeps, then he will get used to absolute silence, and soon the time will come when he will wake up from the slightest rustle.
uncomfortable. Also, if he vomits, he may choke on his own vomit. It is necessary to gradually teach the child to sleep on his stomach from birth, if he does not mind. When he grows up and learns to roll over, he will choose the optimal sleeping position.
From birth, the child turns his head towards the light, that is, in the direction opposite to the wall. There may be a possibility that the head will eventually flatten on one side, because the fontanelles and sutures have not yet closed. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to put the child to bed with his head in one direction or the other.
Night feedings should be short and quiet whenever possible. Babies wake up at night because they cannot yet go long without food. Prepare all items for feeding and changing in the evening and put them in their places so as not to run around the room at night with a bawling baby in your arms looking for a dry diaper. Therefore, it makes sense to arrange all things so that it is easy to care for the child at night. There is no need to play or talk with the baby at night while feeding and changing, because he may become agitated and refuse to sleep for a long time.
And one more note: let it become a habit for the mother to fall asleep at those hours when the child allows it.
Newborns do not have an innate mechanism that would set them up for a long night's sleep. During the day they sleep and are awake when necessary. It takes time and leisurely, reasonable actions on the part of parents to teach newborns to sleep at night and stay awake most of the day.
It's hard to argue with the statement that becoming a parent means not getting enough sleep at night. If you're lucky, it will be difficult only at first, but most babies keep their parents awake for several months, and some even longer. Parents sometimes need to arm themselves with enough patience so as not to get irritated if the baby does not sleep almost the whole night, being healthy, but simply capricious, and falling asleep for a long time during the day. This happens, and gradually you need to accustom your baby to the fact that he needs to lie in the crib alone and learn to calm down on his own. If he is fed, does not want to drink, is not wet, is not cold, and is not bothered by gases (the tummy is soft), then you should not pick him up and rock him to sleep. Perhaps, after being a little naughty, the child will calm down and fall asleep.
Of course, when a baby is wet and screaming at night, there is no need to rush to feed him. Change the swaddle and wait a little while he
calm down. Maybe he'll fall asleep quickly after that.
It is better for parents to agree in advance who should get up at night to see their child. Due to inexperience, both often jump up, but with time comes experience and understanding that it is much wiser to give each other the opportunity to rest. Many mothers simply cannot sleep at night if their baby is crying. In this case, the father should make sure that the mother has the opportunity to fully rest at least on weekends.
Never take a child into your bed. Sometimes, if a child is naughty for a long time, the mother finds it very convenient, because the baby quickly calms down next to her. But this is a mistaken opinion. The child will quickly get used to it, but it will be difficult to wean it off.
When accustoming your child to a routine, clearly observe some characteristic differences between the daytime and nighttime processes of feeding, dressing, and putting him to sleep. Then, over time, the child himself will already distinguish between daytime and evening modes. So, in the evening they calmly wash the child, change him into night clothes, and talk to him calmly. Feeding before bed should take place in his room, and the baby should be put to bed only in a crib, and not in a stroller. For late feedings, wake the baby if he has not woken up and the time has come. Help your child get used to the routine, don’t wait for him to wake up.
After feeding, it is advisable to teach the baby to sleep. It will be better for everyone if he quickly learns to fall asleep in his own bed without anyone else being present.
Newborns usually wake up very early - at 5-6 am. Gradually, you need to teach your baby to wake up later in the morning and calmly wait until someone approaches him. You should not immediately run to the child as soon as he moves. If you give him time, he may fall back to sleep or lie quietly in his crib. That's not bad either. After all, in this way the child will learn to wake up later. If, upon waking up, he cries, you need to give him a little time to calm down on his own, and if he cries more and more, then you will still have to start the morning procedures.
Daytime sleep. IN
During the first months of life, a child usually sleeps a lot during the day. The mother should make the most of this time, primarily for her rest and for household chores. But even at this time, it is useful for the child to be a participant in the daily life of the whole family. Therefore, during the day, his crib should be in the room where the parents or mother are. This is necessary to constantly be aware of what is happening in the crib. An older child is unlikely to cause serious trouble to his younger brother or sister, no matter what jealous feelings may overwhelm him, but it is not so uncommon for some unwanted, accidentally thrown object to end up in the stroller. When the child sleeps during the day, it is better to quietly engage in some activity that does not involve walking around the room, or even leave the room for this time. If your baby is sleeping deeply enough, then after he falls asleep, you can continue your normal activities, walking around the room, talking quietly. During daytime sleep, do not darken the room, but try to keep bright light out of the child's face. It has been established that light reaches the sensitive apparatus of the eyes even through closed eyelids and can disrupt sleep.
After the evening feeding, the baby should burp all the air before falling asleep. Before going to bed at night, swaddle your baby thoroughly. During the day it is not so important that he jerks his arms and legs in his sleep and wakes up. At night you need to wrap him well in a diaper along with your arms - then he will not wake up from the movements of his arms and legs.
Ventilate the room before napping. In the warm season, the baby can sleep with the window open. Of course, you should make sure there are no drafts.
So, the baby initially has the following basic activities, which should be adjusted in time: eating, sleeping, walking in the fresh air, hygiene measures. A newborn is usually fed 6 times a day with a three-hour break. Experienced mothers believe that it is better to swaddle the baby before feeding, because by the end of feeding he gets a little tired and begins to doze off, and may even fall asleep. If he falls asleep dry, his sleep will be longer and more restful.
The regime provides for one more feeding - at night, but the time is not specified; Usually the child wakes up on his own when he is hungry and lets you know about it. A few more months, and he himself begins to sleep longer at night and skip night feedings.
As the child grows up, the periods of daytime sleep decrease, and the time of wakefulness increases accordingly. Typically, the longest period of wakefulness begins around five o'clock in the evening. Co
At times, the baby remains awake in the first half of the day.
Walks.
There is an opinion that with a newborn you don’t need to rush into fresh air. But most experts are inclined to believe that if the child is healthy, walks can begin within a week after being discharged home. In winter, the first walks should be very short - up to five minutes, and the child should be dressed for the weather. You should increase your walking time little by little, adding 1-2 minutes every day. Of course, if bad weather is raging outside - rain, wind, sleet - it is better to stay at home and limit yourself to airing the room.
In cold weather, you need to make sure that your baby breathes through his nose and not his mouth. In this case, a pacifier can help out. If you prepare your walk well - feed the child first, dress him properly - the baby will not become hypothermic and will sleep soundly.
In the summer, the baby is gradually taught to sunbathe at an air temperature of +22-25 °C, starting from 2-3 minutes and increasing to 15-20 minutes. After a sunbath, the child should be given tea.
• 6.00 1st feeding, morning
toilet, sleep,
• 9.00 2nd feeding (after feeding, you need to hold the baby in an upright position for about five minutes so that he burps the air that has entered the stomach), sleep,
• 12.00 3rd feeding, walk in the fresh air (if the weather is good),
• 15.00 4th feeding, sleep with the window open or on the balcony or walk,
• 18.00 5th feeding, sleep, after sleep - bathing and necessary hygiene procedures,
• 21.00 6th feeding, sleep.
Updated: 2019-07-09 23:05:11
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Helping your baby sleep
The baby may not sleep if he feels that mommy is nervous or very tense. Therefore, when putting your baby to bed, you need to relax as much as possible, enjoying the unforgettable moments of communication with him. In addition, you should not play noisy games with your child before bedtime; you should avoid overstimulating him. If the baby does not sleep or constantly wakes up, try to avoid being in a large number of people in the apartment for a while, protect the baby from excess impressions. The child needs to create comfortable conditions for sleeping: the room should not be too light or dark, stuffy or hot: the ideal air temperature is 18-22 degrees, you also need to take care of the air humidity - no less than 50 and no more than 70%.
Many children quickly and soundly fall asleep after taking a relaxing bath with herbs: chamomile and string. It is necessary to allow the baby to swim independently from the first months, using a special circle that is placed around the baby’s neck. The baby will be pleasantly tired, relaxed and will sleep soundly and sweetly. Before going to bed, you need to feed your child properly, sing him a gentle lullaby, and pat him on the back.
If the baby categorically refuses to fall asleep in the crib on his own, you can remove or lower the front wall from his crib, move it closer to yours, hold the baby by the hand or stroke him - this way he will feel his mother’s presence and his sleep will become stronger.
