Poor sleep in a 1.5 month old child

From the moment a child is born, a mother’s life changes dramatically. All her time will now be taken up with caring for the baby, his upbringing and development. But at the same time, the new mother does not cease to be a wife, housewife, and a woman in principle - in addition to caring for the baby, she has many more things to do, from which no one exempted her. Therefore, some of the most common questions asked to pediatricians in the maternity hospital are: how many hours does a newborn baby sleep (should sleep) during the day, what is his sleep norm, and what to do if a newborn baby, who is not even a month old, does not sleep or sleeps very little during the day?

Baby's sleep - duration of naps

A newborn baby from birth and during the first three months of life should sleep on average 18-20 hours per day . But since each child is individual, the amount of sleep in the range of 16-20 hours per day . (See the article how many hours a day does a newborn sleep?)

Since the infant does not yet have a routine, this number of hours is evenly distributed throughout the day and night. Here a lot depends on the state of health - this is the main indicator of the norm, or on the baby’s temperament. If the child feels well, he is not tormented by the unpleasant symptoms that occur in the first months of life, such as increased intracranial pressure, abdominal colic, then his sleep can continue continuously for a couple of hours in a row. This is followed by a period of wakefulness, and then sleep again.

During sleep, the baby may wake up for feeding, or may miss the next milk intake. If a child does not wake up to eat within four hours, this is an alarming symptom. Hunger in infants during the first months of life can be compensated for by sleep. Therefore, after 3-4 hours of sleep, if the baby has not asked for food, wake him up and feed him. It is preferable to offer feeding to the baby on demand rather than on an hourly basis. Then the duration of sleep will be longer, the child will sleep more calmly.

Useful article: which feeding method to choose – requirement or hours (pros and cons)

But the mother may encounter such a phenomenon as sleep disturbance in the child. If you notice that your newborn baby does not sleep all day, then you should pay special attention to this and try to understand whether the baby really has a sleep disorder.

Causes of sleep disturbances in a newborn baby

Let’s say right away that the opinion that a newborn should sleep constantly during the first weeks of life, interrupted only for feeding and bathing, is incorrect. From the first days of life, the baby learns about the world, and during periods of wakefulness he looks at everything around with curiosity, although he still does not distinguish all colors and the perception of objects is not at all the same as that of an adult. But these periods exist, and they should exist, so don’t be surprised if every half hour or hour the baby wakes up and groans, tosses and turns, and opens his eyes. It is worth talking about sleep problems in cases where:

The total amount of sleep per day for a newborn baby is less than 15 hours ;
The child is awake for 4-5 hours in a row without dozing or sleeping;
The baby is clearly overexcited, restless, has difficulty falling asleep and wakes up every 5-7 minutes .

Why does a newborn sleep poorly?

Possible causes of poor sleep in babies

From birth, a child's sleep consists of an alternation of several phases that replace each other.

These are the so-called:

the phase of slow (quiet) sleep, when the child is relaxed, his breathing is even and calm;
the phase of paradoxical (rapid eye movement) sleep, when the baby's breathing becomes rapid, rapid movements of the eyes, arms, legs occur, the baby may even scream.

Moreover, in children, unlike adults, these periods can be chaotic throughout the entire night's rest, and the phase of fast movements generally prevails over the slow one.

Therefore, if the child has not yet fallen into deep sleep, you should not change his position - the baby may wake up. You should wait for the calm phase, when the baby is relaxed and does not feel his movements.

Unfortunately, not all parents of a five-month-old child can boast of a full night’s sleep for their baby. A fairly large percentage of mothers and fathers are faced with the fact that the baby often wakes up, sometimes cries, behaves restlessly and cannot fall asleep for a long time.

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For what reasons does a child sleep poorly and what can be done?

In order to help your child, you should pay attention to the following reasons:

Hunger. One of the main reasons why babies wake up at night. It is important to pay close attention to the baby's weight gain, if it is minimal or absent - perhaps the child is not receiving enough milk or formula.
The baby is wet, cold or hot. It is worth checking the diaper and changing the blanket to a lighter or warmer one. External discomfort can also cause you to wake up.
Excessive overstimulation. In the evening, you should not “play” the child with active, outdoor games, and it is better to postpone watching TV or the arrival of guests until a more appropriate time.
The child simply does not want to sleep. This can happen if the daily routine is not followed, if less than three to four hours have passed between the child sleeping during the day and preparing for night rest.
Pain and signs of illness. Among the possible causes of this category are colic, fever, stuffy nose, teething (which is especially important for most five-month-old children), and neurological problems.

In addition to nighttime sleep disturbances, there may also be situations where the child does not sleep well during the day. Often, in addition to the above reasons, this happens when parents neglect to observe the basic daily routine, without paying due attention to the baby’s desires. Therefore, if a 5-month-old baby sleeps very poorly at night and during the day, you should also dose out vivid impressions and put him to bed in accordance with the age and needs of the baby.

Where it leads

Violation of the daily routine in a one-year-old child, expressed in night games, can lead to disruption of biorhythms. As a result, the baby runs the risk of confusing day and night for a long time, which will not benefit the health of all family members. The child does not fall asleep on time and often twitches in his sleep. Such symptoms may indicate neurological diseases. Therefore, it is worth taking medical advice.

Advice! You cannot ignore children's fears or mock them. For an older child, frightening experiences are quite serious and require understanding and tact.

Parents can help their child cope with phobias on their own, at home. If you lack personal knowledge and skills, you can always count on the help of a psychologist.

We recommend reading: Insomnia: what is it, why does it happen, what to do and how to get rid of insomnia at home?

The main factor in organizing a child’s living space is the consistency of educational actions. It’s wrong if mom sends you to bed at 10 p.m., and dad allows you to watch cartoons until 10 p.m. The “Good and Evil Cop” method has no place here. The opinions of adults regarding prohibitions, rewards, and punishments should be unanimous.

What position is best for a child to sleep in?

After a year, the baby’s position during sleep (from the point of view of parental control) has very little meaning - whatever is more convenient and comfortable for the child, so in the end he will turn. But up to a year - posture is of great importance!

Pediatricians around the world do not recommend that parents place newborns and infants on their stomachs while sleeping. This is dangerous and can lead to the so-called sudden infant death syndrome.

The root cause of this terrible condition is respiratory arrest. But what causes it is still unknown. However, doctors have noticed that children in the first year of life who sleep on their stomachs die much more often. That is why doctors advise placing babies on their backs (the head is turned to the side so that the baby does not choke during a sudden regurgitation) or on their side.

If you are sure that your child sleeps poorly on his back or side, but sleeps well when lying on his stomach, then sit vigilantly next to your baby and make sure that sudden regurgitation or choking does not cause the greatest tragedy in the family.

Factors affecting sleep

If a 5-month-old baby does not sleep well at night, this may be due to the fact that he is simply hungry. After all, all children are different: for some it is enough to eat once, while another baby needs about 3-4 awakenings to satisfy their hunger. In any case, the baby should definitely be fed.

There are several other factors that negatively affect a baby’s rest at 5 months:

Overtiredness - having gained enough impressions and played enough during the day, your baby does not want to calm down and does not even think about getting tired. At first sight. In fact, excessive overwork has a bad effect on the quality of night's rest - it is difficult for the baby to calm down and it is difficult for him to fall asleep.
First teeth – at this age, a child may have his or her first tooth. This phenomenon is rarely painless and often occurs in the evening (night) time of day. The baby's gums turn red and swell, he becomes more capricious than usual, and sometimes even cries from the pain he experiences. A slight increase in body temperature up to 37.2 degrees is possible.
Illness - pay attention to the general condition of the baby. A stuffy nose or fever is probably preventing him from breathing.
Intestinal colic is common at this age. Watch your baby - if he cries, raises his legs and tries to press them to his tummy, then you are dealing with colic.

Pay attention to the room.

It is important that the room in which your baby sleeps is regularly ventilated, but do not overdo it - the room should not be hot and stuffy, but it should not be cold either.

Do wet cleaning every day. The air should not be too dry, otherwise use a special humidifier.

Avoid active and noisy games in the evening. Contrary to popular belief, this will not make bedtime faster, but on the contrary, the child will be overexcited, and putting him to sleep will be even more problematic. Leave bright emotions and fun for the morning or afternoon. Remember, the baby should be tired, not overtired.

Of course, if you feel worried about your child, do not hesitate to seek help from specialists. Indeed, in addition to the listed factors, these may be pathologies that caused poor children's sleep (diseases of the central nervous system, infections, and so on).

Why sleep is so important

This process is extremely important for children under 3 years of age. Adequate sleep allows you to avoid overwork and mental breakdown due to hyperfatigue. Thanks to this process, the baby’s brain activity and all its internal systems are restored, and cell growth is accelerated. It has been proven that if a child does not sleep well for 5 months, his mood noticeably worsens and his behavior becomes unpredictable. Scientists have also found that sleep duration directly depends on age criteria. The older a person is, the less he should sleep. Therefore, a child’s body needs good, long sleep.

No wonder newborns sleep for days on end. For one-year-old children, the norm is about 13 hours of rest. And for an adult, the optimal duration of sleep is almost two times less.

Features of night rest in infants

The very structure of an infant's sleep differs significantly from the sleep of an adult. The main difference is the ratio of shallow sleep to deep sleep. In total, an adult spends only a quarter of the night time in fast-wave sleep, while a child spends most of the night in deep, slow-wave sleep. It is during the fast-wave phase of sleep that the brain actively analyzes and processes information received during the day, this contributes to the timely and comprehensive development of the baby.

The above-described children's feature explains the main characteristics of recreation in this age group:

The baby's sleep is superficial, can be easily and often interrupted, the child often wakes up at night;
The situation has a strong influence on superficial sleep; the child wakes up less often if he feels completely safe. For example, children who sleep with their parents usually sleep better.

A child of 5 months or less does not always wake up and sleep poorly at night because he needs something or something bothers him, sometimes he does this in order to understand that he is not alone, that his parents are nearby. In such cases, having woken up and started to whine, but having heard his native voice, the child can continue to sleep peacefully.

What can affect him at different ages?

Lack of sleep for a baby negatively affects his general, mental and physical condition, as it can contribute to the development of a chronic disorder and even neurosis.
Professor N. Krasnogorsky revealed that a constant lack of even two hours of sleep in childhood contributes to poor weight gain and the development of behavioral reactions. One of them is the so-called “disobedience syndrome”. We recommend reading: CPAP therapy: principle of action, indications and contraindications

There are a huge number of reasons that can affect this process at different ages. They can even be an incipient illness, invisible to others, emotional shock, etc.

In infancy, the most common causes are: intestinal colic, uncomfortable climate, teething, separation from mother, hunger, thirst, improper diet, diseases of organs and systems (for example, rickets, encephalopathy), etc.

From the age of one and a half to three years, more mature reasoning and feelings of fear are formed, which can worsen the baby’s sleep during this period.

In the period from three to five years, the cause of poor sleep can be: stress, illness, disturbances in the daily routine.

In older age, the reasons that contribute to the disruption of this process may be the following factors.

Long-term use of various devices: tablets, phones, TVs. They need to be turned off at least one hour before bedtime.
The use of medications prescribed by a doctor, which can contribute to the development of insomnia and sleep disturbances.
Increased activity before going to bed.
Drinking large amounts of tea, coffee, chocolate, as these products contain high caffeine content.
Eating food before bed, especially fatty and spicy foods. The last dose should be at least one to two hours before bedtime.
Unfavorable indoor microclimate. Before putting your baby to sleep or lying down yourself, it is recommended to ventilate the room and create a favorable temperature in the room.
Stress, quarrels, etc.

In adulthood, the time allotted for sleep should not be less than 8 hours and then it will be enough to restore strength.