For many new parents, the phrase “sleeps like a baby” is just a dream. In most cases, anxiety occurs due to poor sleep of the child. There are situations when a baby’s sleep for too long also alarms relatives. What to do if your baby sleeps a lot at 2 months? What are the norms for healthy sleep at this age? What can cause excessive sleepiness?
The baby is sleeping
Wake up and feed
A newborn should be fed on demand, but what to do if the baby does not require food, but continues to sleep for 5-6 hours in a row or even more?
Pediatricians believe that the maximum allowable interval between feedings of a child in the first months of life is 5 hours. Some children ask for food every hour, others do not show concern at a feeding interval of 2-4 hours - this depends on the baby’s body and the nutritional properties of breast milk. But if you see that the child does not wake up for more than 4 hours, wake him up to feed him. This will give the baby strength, and, having become stronger, he will begin to wake up on his own.
It is advisable to wake up a child in the REM phase, since the body is reluctant to come out of deep sleep, and this affects well-being.
To determine the stage of sleep, take your baby by the hand:
- if the hand remains limp - deep sleep;
- if the muscles are tense, the sleep is shallow.
Superficial sleep is also indicated by facial expressions on the face of a sleeping baby, movements of the eyeballs under the eyelids, and twitching of the arms and legs. It is not necessary to wake the baby completely - just give him the breast, and his sucking reflex will work.
Before feeding your baby, remove excess diapers from him - the baby should not be hot, this reduces appetite. Make sure there is no bright light in the room. After eating, change the diaper and diapers, since feeding after a long sleep is necessarily accompanied by urination and bowel movements in the baby.
Tips for improving sleep
Parents are more likely to seek help from specialists when their baby is not sleeping well. If long periods of sleep are causing you concern, not due to a serious illness, it is enough to simply establish a routine.
The baby is being woken up
Below are step-by-step tips on how to properly wake up a two-month-old baby if he sleeps too long:
- During the day, the child is woken up after 3-4 hours of sleep. At the same time, you can gently stroke the forehead, head, undress and give a light massage of the whole body.
- Offer the breast or bottle, dripping a little milk onto the lips. When the baby is healthy, he will not refuse a “snack”.
- If after feeding the baby begins to fall asleep again, you can pick him up, hold him in the “soldier” position, undress him, change the diaper, and give him a bath.
- Breaks of wakefulness during the day should be at least 40 minutes. At this time, they talk to the baby, play with a rattle, sing songs, and give a massage.
- During daytime sleep, natural light is left in the room. There is no need to close the curtains and shade the crib.
- You should not create perfect silence during the day, let there be light noise from the activities of other family members: steps, conversations, TV noise, etc. Only loud and sharp sounds are avoided.
- At night, the baby is woken up only for feeding if he has not woken up for more than 5-6 hours. The lights are dimmed or turned off.
- At night during feeding, try not to talk to the baby unless he is crying or speaking in a whisper. The baby must understand that it is night.
- If necessary, carefully change the diaper using a night light for illumination.
- The periods of wakefulness at night are as short as possible, this is the time for feeding and changing a diaper.
By following these tips, parents will be able to establish the little man’s day and night routine, and soon he will be able to wake up and fall asleep on time.
How to build a daily routine
It is important to maintain a daily routine for your child. If it is disturbed, it can negatively affect the development of the newborn baby.
doctors, including the famous Evgeny Komarovsky, argue that it is necessary to accustom the baby to a daytime routine as early as possible. This does not happen overnight, but gradually. In the first month, the newborn sleeps almost all the time. And already from the 2nd, when the child walks a little, the intervals between feeding and sleep become longer. At this time, you can begin setting up a daytime routine. Systematicity is important in this process. Your child should go to bed at the same time every day. When the baby gets used to it, he will go to bed normally (problems may arise if the child is sick). When the daily routine improves, the mother will have the opportunity to relax with the baby. The calm state of the baby also depends on the mood of the mother.
If a newborn does not sleep during the day, this will negatively affect his health and development. Nighttime sleep may also be disrupted if the child is overtired and often stressed. If a baby is overexcited, he will not be able to sleep normally in the evening; his sleep at night may also be restless. Accordingly, the child will be capricious in the morning.
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2017-04-11
After the birth of a baby, the life of a family changes dramatically. Now, in addition to the role of a wife, a woman is obliged to perform other duties - to care for the child, feed him and develop him. At first, a young mother is worried about many things. In addition, she needs to somehow combine motherhood and daily chores, so the question of the baby’s sleep is always acute. The daily routine of all other household members depends on him. What to do to ensure a comfortable sleep for a newborn? And what are the causes of sleep disorders?
How to help your little child fall asleep more peacefully
To make this period easier, take your baby for a walk before bed, bathe him using safe cosmetics or simply in a herbal decoction. After bathing, perform daily procedures, for example, massage or lubricate your baby's delicate skin with special milk. This will improve his well-being and prepare him for a good night's sleep.
Also remove all factors that irritate the baby. Don't speak loudly, turn off bright lights, be sure to turn off the TV and all other gadgets, and close the curtains. The nursery should be quiet, cool and dark. To help your baby sleep better, stroke his head or tummy, talk to him or tell him a story.
- Also check whether your little one sleeps in the right conditions.
- If he sleeps restlessly, he may feel stuffy or, conversely, cold.
- A draft or an uncomfortable bed may disturb him.
- Perhaps his blanket is scratchy or rough.
- Remember that temperature and humidity are no less important for children than satiety.
Dangerous symptoms during long sleep
In some cases, a newborn baby sleeps constantly because there are some abnormalities. A doctor will help you figure this out. You should monitor your child's behavior; there are symptoms that indicate a problem.
Eats little
When a newborn sleeps a lot and eats little, it’s worth sounding an alarm bell. Children under one year old should wake up to eat at night at least 2-3 times. Newborn babies eat every 2 hours. Their stomach can accommodate only 10 ml of food in the first month; by the end of 30 days, the portion increases to 40 ml.
The baby should receive adequate nutrition. If there is a lack of breast milk, he will not be able to develop normally. The child will experience nutritional deficiencies. The problem may be neurological in nature. You should talk to your local pediatrician about any concerns. Such a long sleep does not always indicate a problem. All babies are individual; perhaps the amount of milk per day that he receives is enough for the baby.
Baby sleeps in mother's arms
Temperature
A high body temperature in a child indicates an infection has entered the body. The baby must be shown to a doctor. Before the age of one year, children's immunity is imperfect. The baby receives protective antibodies only from the mother's milk. For up to three months, they help the child’s body cope with colds.
Elevated temperature increases drowsiness and decreases appetite. The baby sleeps a lot because he doesn’t feel well. Adults often face the same condition. The doctor will prescribe the necessary treatment after examination and tests. Children under one year old are often skipped in line, so getting tested will not be difficult.
Difficulty breathing
Children's breathing should be even, more often than that of an adult, because the lung capacity of children is much smaller than that of their parents. If a newborn sleeps for a long time and breathes heavily, he may have an infection in his lungs. The pediatrician will be able to make an accurate diagnosis after listening to them.
Difficulty breathing indicates a decrease in their volume, which means that in the newborn’s body there are obstacles to normal air circulation. Sometimes children pick up infections from hospital staff, other children, and during transportation after discharge.
In the first 30 days of life, the child is protected from large crowds of people, outside visits and frequent walks in enclosed spaces, such as:
- the shops;
- clinics;
- hospitals;
- children's centers.
It is advisable to go to sleep outside more often, ventilate the room, and monitor the hygiene of the newborn. Additional measures will protect the baby from infection.
Important! The children's room should always be clean and tidy, a large amount of dust leads to diseases
Sleeps in one position for a long time
If a newborn baby sleeps a lot on one side, this will lead to improper formation of the skull. Every mother should know that the baby needs to be turned on its side every 1.5-2 hours.
When sleeping for a long time, you should not forget about this rule, because the skull protects the baby’s brain from damage. Babies begin to roll over on their own only at 2-3 months. Until this age, parents should monitor this.
Baby with a teddy bear
Other
When a newborn constantly asks for food and does not sleep, this indicates that he is not getting enough. When breastfeeding, breast milk is immediately tested. It may not be nutritious. To do this, express 100 ml of milk into a transparent glass container. Leave overnight and check the level of whey and sour cream. If the first one turns out to be a little, it means that the milk is fatty, and the reason for the baby’s crying is something else. If it’s the other way around, you’ll have to stop breastfeeding and feed your baby formula.
Prolonged sleep may be a sign of a neurological disease. Usually such phenomena are determined in the maternity hospital, where the doctor checks the health of the baby. Sometimes symptoms become noticeable only after 2 months; the baby’s strange behavior will only confirm them.
Any colds and infections are accompanied by difficulty breathing and fever. The child will lose all desire to eat. He will only want to sleep because he doesn't feel well. It is better to avoid visiting the clinic unless necessary. It is in medical institutions that the largest accumulation of viruses and bacteria is located, since sick children constantly visit them. The immune system of newborns is weak, it will be difficult for them to overcome the infection, so it is better not to take risks.
Newborn sleeps with dad
Why does a child cry and what to do about it?
The average child cries 2-3 hours a day. And there is always a reason for crying. Most often they are quite clear: a wet diaper, approaching feeding time or, for example, a fright caused by a new toy over the cradle. But sometimes baby tears are a way of complaining to parents about less obvious discomfort.
Remember: a child never cries for no reason. Therefore, it is important to figure out what worries him.
When to urgently consult a doctor if your baby is crying
Call your pediatrician immediately if your crying baby:
- starts crying for more than two hours;
- has a temperature above 38 ℃;
- refuses to eat or drink or vomits;
- does not urinate or has blood in the stool;
- does not respond to attempts to calm him down.
This is how various diseases can manifest themselves - from flu and otitis media to concussions or digestive disorders. It is important to diagnose them in time.
If there are no dangerous symptoms, you should look for the reasons for crying in other, quite ordinary things.
The child is hungry
Even if you feed your baby by the hour and are absolutely sure that the time for the next feeding has not yet arrived. The fact is that babies grow in leaps and bounds. And when the next growth spurt occurs, the child needs more food.
What to do
When you hear crying, the first thing to do is take your baby in your arms and try to offer him a breast or a bottle.
He's scared
Maybe there was a loud noise outside the window. Or the door slammed. Or perhaps the baby simply lost sight of his mother. However, even tiny children can experience fear and anxiety, and tears are the most accessible way for them to express this.
Is he hot or cold
Parents often want to wrap their baby up. Evolution gave us this habit: for tens of thousands of years, keeping warm was the key to survival. But there is another extreme: mothers and fathers “harden” the child, leaving him naked in a cool room. Since there is not enough fat in the newborn’s body, the baby reacts to the cold by crying.
The child is physically uncomfortable
A full diaper is only one of the reasons for the discomfort that a baby may experience. It happens that other things cause discomfort. Perhaps the delicate skin was rubbed by the elastic band of the diaper that was too tight and now this place hurts. Or, for example, a thread has gotten between the fingers “packed” in socks and is in the way.
He wants to be wrapped up
Or vice versa - get rid of excessively tight swaddling.
He's tired
Unlike adults, overtired children are more likely to become fussy and overly irritable rather than fall asleep.
What to do
Try to put the child to sleep. One of the most effective ways to do this is swaddling. In a diaper that limits movement, the baby feels like in a cramped womb. This calms him down. Another option is vibration. Go for a walk, putting the baby in the stroller and rocking it. Or go for a ride in the car, placing the heir or heiress in the car seat.
The child is stressed
Babies have weak nervous systems, so external stimuli—for example, too much bright light and music at the mall or screaming children on the playground—can cause discomfort and crying.
His tummy hurts
This is a common problem that many babies face between the ages of 3 weeks and 3 months. The cause of pain can be various factors:
- air swallowed during feeding and not released;
- heartburn;
- colic;
- allergy.
He wants to sleep next to his mother
By 6–9 months, babies begin to recognize themselves as separate beings. But even as they get older, they still sometimes want to feel like they are in their mother's arms and may refuse to fall asleep if their mother does not lie down next to them.
How to calm a child
Pediatricians recommend several general methods:
- Turn on soft, gentle music in the nursery. Perhaps a white noise generator will help you.
- Talk to the baby. The sound of a mother's or father's voice calms and gives the baby a feeling of security.
- Help the baby change his position - he may be uncomfortable.
- Take the baby in your arms and press it to your chest. The mother's heartbeat, the smell of her skin, her breath, her close embrace - all this reminds the baby of that serene time when he was in the tummy.
How not to calm a child
Do not shake him under any circumstances, even if he does not want to calm down and you are very irritated. Excessively sudden rocking can lead to the so-called shaken baby syndrome.
Babies have weak neck muscles that are not yet able to fully support their disproportionately large heads.
Violent shaking causes the head to move sharply back and forth, which can cause serious head injury. It is the most common cause of traumatic death in children under 2 years of age.
Developmental delays, mental retardation, seizures or blindness may also result.
Source: https://lifehacker.ru/rebyonok-plachet/
Why does a newborn fall asleep for a long time during the day?
A newborn baby does not know the time of day. He doesn't care whether it's a sunny day outside or a dark night. He stays awake as long as his body wants. If the baby is well fed, he will sleep soundly for several hours, and then wake up in a good mood. Malnourished, the child is capricious and often wakes up. A young mother should take note that if the baby is not fed properly, the baby will quickly lose weight. The result can be exhaustion of the body, due to which the baby sleeps for a long time and wakes up lethargic.
Causes of prolonged sleep:
- at the time of difficult childbirth, the woman is given various drugs that act as a sleeping pill on the baby, so he can sleep peacefully for several weeks;
- Incorrect breastfeeding causes baby fatigue. He spends his energy to suck out the required portion of milk. Tired, the baby quickly falls asleep for a long time;
- if the mother's nipples are too rough and have an irregular shape, then the baby cannot fully attach to the breast and futile attempts make the baby tired.
What position should you put it in?
Children under one year of age eat liquid food, which often leaves the stomach along with trapped air. In a dream, this poses a particular danger - the child can choke and suffocate. To avoid such a terrible outcome, you need to place the baby on his side, placing a cushion of a blanket or diaper under the back. There should be no unnecessary things, pillows or toys in the crib.
- The position on the stomach is good for colic: it is easier for the child to get rid of gases. But sleeping in this position is also dangerous due to aspiration of stomach contents into the lungs, that is, the baby may choke.
- If the baby has fallen asleep with his back up, you cannot leave him alone, you need to be nearby in order to come to the rescue in a dangerous moment.
No matter what safe position the child is lying in, he needs to be checked every 10 to 15 minutes.
Normal physiological state from the first days of life to one year
Healthy rest is important for a newborn. A sleeping baby produces the required amount of growth hormone, which is responsible for the proper development of internal organs, tissues, and the maturation of the brain. In the medical literature, there is a predominant table representing the norms for the amount of sleep children get from the first days of life to one year:
- from the moment of birth until the age of two or three months, the baby sleeps 16-20 hours a day. Children born in winter sleep longer. During the day, the baby falls asleep three times and rests for 120 minutes, the fourth fall asleep turns into night sleep and lasts 9-11 hours;
- from four to six months, the number of daytime falls asleep decreases, and the period of acquaintance with the outside world increases. Now, the baby sleeps no more than three times a day for 90-120 minutes. Rest takes 12-16 hours a day, boys can sleep 17 hours;
- From six to nine months, the baby can still sleep 12-16 hours a day. The child is laid down two or three times for 90 minutes. In the morning, the baby may begin to wake up 60 minutes earlier;
- From nine months to a year, the baby sleeps on average 12 hours a day. The main part of the time is given to night rest.
Features of baby sleep at 4 months
A 4 month old baby should not only sleep at night. For such a little one, rest during the day is considered an obligatory part of the daily routine. To solve problems with rest, you need to know how a baby sleeps at this age.
Even before 12 weeks, to put the little one to sleep, just give him a pacifier, rock him a little in the crib or in your arms. By this period, infant sleep is already divided into phases - superficial and deep. Problems arise mainly due to the fact that the phase of prolonged sleep does not occur immediately, but some time after falling asleep. Therefore, as soon as the baby falls asleep, you need to stay with him, without leaving him alone.
The older the child, the faster the phase of sound sleep begins. So, by 4 months this time is about half an hour. The phases change during rest (intervals between transitions from 40 to 45 minutes). Many mothers believe that their baby should sleep without interruption at night. But, the baby is in the strong phase only in the first part of the night's rest. Then the child wakes up for a short time, the phase changes, and then he sleeps until the morning.
If there are no problems with rest at night, then a 4-month-old baby should sleep for about five hours without interruption. Then the baby may wake up because he is hungry. The next half of the night, the baby's sleep is not so restful. And if the baby is used to falling asleep next to mommy, then he will demand her presence until morning comes, and can wake up every 45 minutes and fall asleep again.
The most restless sleep occurs around 4 or 6 am. Sometimes parents make the mistake of thinking that the baby finally woke up at 6 am. In fact, he had entered a different phase of sleep.
Taking into account the listed nuances of a baby's sleep at 4 months of age, you can calculate the daily feeding and rest schedule.
1. FOURTH MONTH OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT
This is already the third month since the birth of the baby. In most children, by this time the intestinal microflora had normalized. Unpleasant colic and frequent bloating due to accumulated gases no longer torment the baby so often.
At three months, the child learned to reach objects near him. Thanks to the strengthened musculoskeletal system and constantly improving fine motor skills of the fingers, the baby easily grabs and holds the toy. Some mothers begin introducing complementary foods as early as 3 months.
In this material we will tell you about what a small child should be able to do at 4 months of age, how to properly organize a daily routine and nutrition with complementary foods, what weight should a four-month-old baby have with normal development, how to properly strengthen the muscles of a baby if he does not roll over on one's own.
At this age, the baby tries to imitate the sounds around him. In the volume, tempo and intonation of the sounds he makes, one can find similarities with the manner of speaking of his parents. The child expresses his emotions more clearly - he rejoices and smiles when his mother or father appears next to him, inviting him to communicate.
The baby sees objects well at a distance of up to 4 meters. The baby tries to focus his gaze on an object in his field of vision.
By 4-5 months, the baby’s hearing is almost as well developed as that of an adult. The child turns his head to the source making the sound and carefully peers in that direction.
The baby's muscles have noticeably strengthened - lying on his tummy, he can raise his upper body and head high, leaning on his strong arms.
Some four-month-old babies already know how to roll over from their back to their tummy, but most babies are just learning to do such exercises. In addition to daily strengthening massage, try to practice turning over more often: rock it in different directions, placing your palms under the back, lightly push the little one onto its side, placing one leg behind the other. Let the baby try to roll over from side to side on his own.
Photos of babies at 4 months of development (beginning of the fourth month):
IMPORTANT!
Read your child bedtime stories and sing lullabies. It is useful to show your child theatrical performances with toys and finger games for psycho-emotional and phonemic development. The more you engage your child, the faster he will learn to speak over time.
2. WHAT A CHILD CAN AND SHOULD DO AT 4 MONTHS
The baby should be able to easily lift the upper body from a position lying on his tummy, leaning on his outstretched arms;
Must be interested in the actions taking place around him, sounds heard, smells heard;
Turn the head in different directions;
Pull objects that come to hand into your mouth;
May be able to hold light objects with thumb and index finger;
Can imitate heard sounds and voices quite well;
At the end of 4 months he can pronounce some syllables;
Must respond to an adult pronouncing his name.
How to help your baby learn to roll over in a playful way:
The baby better perceives and masters any skills during the game. If the child does not yet know how to roll over, tell him funny nursery rhymes, rhymes, and gently touch different parts of the body when you change the position of his body during classes.
Prepare a place for exercise. Place a thick blanket on the floor and attach rattles or bells to the sides. The baby will turn his head towards the sounds of the bell and move his body. Gently help him turn onto his side with your palm. You can also use your child’s favorite bright toy during classes - when the toy is in the baby’s field of vision, he will reach for it with his hand, turning over from his side to his stomach.
3. HOW TO ORGANIZE A CHILD’S DAY ROUTINE AT 4 MONTHS
The table shows an option for organizing the sleep and wakefulness of a little man:
Many parents are faced with the problem of their baby’s reluctance to fall asleep according to the daily routine. If the baby is not sick, has no problems with digestion and is not teething, then the following reasons may be: the child cannot fall asleep without being rocked in his arms or without a pacifier, and also because the overexcited baby goes to bed too late. Try to put him to bed earlier and be sure to teach him to fall asleep without motion sickness.
To ensure that your baby always has an excellent appetite, maintain the same amount of time between bedtime and feeding every day. At 4 months, try to follow the following sequence: baby's sleep - feeding - walk outside or educational games - sleep.
How long does a small child sleep at four months?
During the day, an infant should sleep at least several times for about two hours. At night - long, deep sleep of 11-12 hours with a break for feeding.
What time should a baby fall asleep during the day?
Each baby has its own individual biorhythm. Focus on signs of fatigue - he begins to suck his finger, rubs his eyes, yawns, and turns his head.
In the evening, it is advisable to put the baby to bed between 19.00 and 20.00
Before going to bed at night, be sure to follow the same ritual of preparing to go to bed. For example, play a calm game with your baby, then a relaxing bath with chamomile, and a lullaby when he is already lying in the crib. If a child does not sleep well at night and often wakes up (even if he is not hungry), it is advisable to consult a pediatrician for advice and, if necessary, undergo a comprehensive examination.
4. NUTRITION FEATURES AND MENU OPTIONS FOR A FOUR-MONTH-OLD BABY
The infant continues to eat mother's milk (if for one reason or another he is not transferred to artificial feeding), but gradually complementary foods are introduced into his diet.
The daily volume of food eaten by the baby should be equal to approximately a sixth of the baby's total weight (860-930 g). The number of feedings is 5-6 times daily, including breastfeeding.
First, include vegetable puree in your child’s diet - it is the least allergenic and is easily absorbed by the baby’s digestive system at 4 months. Make your very first complementary food not from a mixture of different vegetables, but from one product. Give puree little by little, increasing the amount of complementary foods gradually so that the baby’s digestive system adapts to the new diet.
What to feed the baby? Consider a menu option with five meals a day:
CLICK
CLICK HERE AND EXPAND TIPS FOR PREPARING COMPLETE FOOD FOR A BABY AT FOUR MONTHS.
IMPORTANT!
In the first week, introduce complementary foods very little at a time. The main product of feeding an infant is still mother's milk;
From the first days of introducing complementary foods, feed your four-month-old baby with a spoon, not a bottle;
If the baby has already been transferred to artificial feeding, then the portions themselves should be smaller and the interval between meals longer. During the day, the interval is approximately 3.5 hours, at night - about 8. If the baby burps frequently and profusely, you can slightly reduce the interval between feedings.
5. WEIGHT AND HEIGHT OF THE BABY AT 4 MONTHS
How much does a child weigh at this age?
A four-month-old baby gains from 19 to 25 grams every day and over a month an average of more than 630 grams is added to the existing weight - a little more for boys, less for girls. Weight
What should a child’s weight be at 4 months? The average gain for the entire fourth month of a baby’s life is daily from 18 to 24 grams per day, that is, by the end of the fourth month of life, on average, the child gains from 600 to 750 grams per month.
Boys' weight is from 5.4 to 7.8 kg Girls' weight is from 4.9 to 7.2 kg Height
In the first 3 months, the child grows several cm every month. In 4 months it grows another 2.5-3 centimeters.
Boys' height
- from 58.5 to 64.7 cm
Girls' height
- from 58.3 to 64.2 cm
6. WHAT ILLNESSES DO FOUR MONTH OLD BABIES HAVE?
Reasons causing temperature rise:
Excessive physical activity of the child;
The appearance of the first incisors and redness of the gums;
Constipation associated with incorrect introduction of complementary foods or improper diet;
Prolonged emotional stress (crying and screaming);
Heatstroke or overheating on a hot day (including due to unseasonable wrapping);
Colds, inflammatory and infectious diseases.
Causes of coughing in a baby:
Inflammatory processes in the ENT organs (nasopharynx, paranasal sinuses);
Acute respiratory viral infection;
Bronchial asthma;
inflammation of the adenoids;
Entry of a foreign body into the larynx;
Poisoning and damage to the gastrointestinal tract by infection.
What a danger!
√ if the cough is accompanied by greenish sputum, wheezing, and blood;
√ if the cough has frequent relapses and began at night;
√ if a cough develops against the background of an acute respiratory viral infection and does not stop for more than 3 weeks;
√ the cough appeared unexpectedly and the temperature rose to 38 degrees or more.
Why does a 4 month old baby cry:
wet diaper or diaper (monotonous and continuous crying);
Cries due to hunger (calms down immediately as soon as food is offered);
The baby is too hot or cold (the room temperature should be kept at 20-22°C);
Feeling of discomfort (tight diaper, rough fabric of underwear, tight shoes);
Fright from a sharp sound or other external irritant;
A child may cry if he is tired and wants to sleep;
Rabbits or bloating (presses legs to tummy, releases gas, turns very red from overexertion and crying);
High temperature and feeling unwell from malaise.
7. VIDEO TRAINING IN STRENGTHENING MASSAGE TECHNIQUES FOR A 4 MONTHS CHILD
This video lesson clearly demonstrates ways to strengthen a child’s musculoskeletal system. With the help of a special massage, you prepare the baby to crawl on the floor independently. The baby's arm and leg muscles are strengthened. He learns to roll over from his back to his tummy and vice versa, as well as walk (with support for now):
The baby is growing, learning something new every day, and at the same time his life pattern is changing, because every day he will sleep less and learn more about the world. There are certain standards for what and how much a child should do, depending on his age. In this article we will look at the daily routine of a 4-month-old baby.
Children of 4 months are very sociable, constantly “walking”, reacting to toys and people, everything is very interesting to them at this age, and they strive to explore themselves and the surrounding space. Innovations for this age include the introduction of complementary foods and the development of independent sitting and rolling over skills.
The daily routine of a 4-month-old child is based on the fact that it is necessary to adhere to feeding and sleeping patterns, as well as observe their order:
- Feeding.
- Wakefulness.
Sleeping and waking patterns of a 4 month old baby
At this age, the baby still sleeps 15-16 hours a day, most of which (9-10 hours) should be at night, and during the day they usually sleep 3-4 times for 1.5 - 2.5 hours. Night sleep will be sound and long only if the baby is active during the day, gets new experiences and walks in the fresh air. You can spend about two hours outside, depending on the weather.
Wakefulness or “walking time” lasts for 4-month-old children already 1.5 – 2 hours, and only before bedtime it is recommended to reduce this period to 1 hour so that the child does not get too wild.
In the morning and evening, the baby needs to do exercises or gymnastics (lasting no more than 5-6 minutes), but only 30-40 minutes after feeding. The rest of the time, while the baby is not sleeping, he can play with hanging toys, roll over, rattle rattles, and play hide and seek with you.
Every day, preferably before bedtime, the child needs to be bathed. If you do this regularly, then the baby will already know that after bathing he will soon go to bed and will not be very capricious. Bathing can be combined with hardening, washing the baby with cool water at the end.
Throughout the day, the child should be given a break from the diaper: after bathing, changing clothes or massage, leaving him naked for 10-15 minutes.
Diet for a 4 month old baby
According to the daily routine of a 4-month-old baby, a breastfed baby should eat 6 times: during the day after 3-3.5 hours, and at night after 5-6 hours, and children on artificial nutrition eat after 3.5-4 hours, and at night - after 7-8 hours.
At this age it is recommended only for artificial children. It is better to give it in the first half of the day, half an hour before the main feeding, and then make the interval a little longer, since the new food will take much longer to digest than the mixture.
Approximate daily routine for a 4 month old baby:
With this schedule, a 4-month-old child who gets up at 8 a.m. should go to bed at 9:30-10 p.m.
Of course, a 4-month-old child needs to gradually develop a certain daily routine so that he eats, sleeps and walks at certain hours. But since each baby is individual and lives according to its own biorhythms, you cannot force him to live according to the schedule you created, but it is better to create a regime based on the habits and desires of your child.
By 4 months, the baby acquires a lot of useful skills. He knows how to hold his head tightly, turns towards the source of the sound, grabs a toy, turns on his side, and sometimes rolls over from his back to his stomach and back. The baby has mastered basic communication skills: smiling and laughing, humming, expressing dissatisfaction and the ability to distinguish between loved ones and strangers. As the baby grows, his need for rest changes. How long should a 4 month old baby sleep?
An intensively growing body requires long and healthy sleep. Therefore, babies up to one year old sleep a lot during the day. A four-month-old baby spends most of the day sleeping. Usually, by this age, infant colic is less of a concern, and sleep becomes stronger and more restful.
During the day, a 4-month-old child should sleep a total of 5–6 hours. On average, 1.5 - 2 hours 3 times a day.
This is the average data. In some children, the duration of deep sleep during the day reaches 3 hours, and the remaining two episodes last 30–60 minutes. It is necessary to take into account the individual characteristics of the baby and his environment.
The introduction of complementary foods usually begins at four months. If a child shows anxiety after a new product and sleeps poorly, it is necessary to delay the start of complementary feeding for 2 weeks and consult a doctor.
Sleep at 4 months directly depends on the baby's reaction to complementary foods
Why doesn't my baby sleep?
The main signs of why an infant does not sleep include the following:
- Pharmacology during childbirth. If during birth the mother had to put or take strong medications, the baby may sleep for a long time, as the components enter the blood.
- It's hot in the house. The optimal temperature in the baby's room should be 18-22 degrees. Indicators above or below this value can negatively affect the development of the newborn and his daily routine.
- Colic. Often, babies older than 1-2 weeks experience colic, which greatly disrupts their daily routine. But with this condition, you can find additional symptoms: bloating, rumbling, pulling your legs closer to you.
- Unventilated dark room. It will be difficult for a baby to be in an unventilated room and breathe dust, and therefore it is worth putting him down when the room is fresh.
- Teething. Often, when teething, a baby can be naughty; he can wake up every hour, whine and draw his legs closer to himself.
- Absence of mother. In the first 28 years, the baby should feel his mother nearby; if she is not nearby, he begins to “sound” the alarm, which negatively affects his daily routine.
- Humidity not suitable for a child. The optimal humidity level in a child's room is 50-70%. To continuously monitor this measurement, you will need a device.
Other reasons why a newborn baby may not sleep all day include:
- wet diapers on which the baby feels uncomfortable;
- the work of internal organs is not fully formed;
- thirst or constant hunger;
- loud noises or bright lights;
- uncomfortable clothes.
Sleep norm for a two month old baby
2 month old baby does not sleep day or night
The baby is sleeping
To understand whether a child sleeps a lot at 2 months, you need to clearly track the periods of sleep and wakefulness. You can often notice that the baby falls asleep during feeding. In fact, he is not sleeping in the full sense of the word. The baby can suckle at the breast or bottle for up to 20 minutes, but when you try to put him in the crib, he wakes up. It is believed that the deep sleep phase occurs approximately 20 minutes after falling asleep completely. At this moment, the child does not toss and turn, does not grimace in his sleep, but sleeps quietly and calmly. Such sleep is necessary for growth and restoration of physical and emotional strength. It lasts 2-3 hours during the day and 3-5 at night without waking up. During breaks, feeding and hygiene procedures are necessary. If the baby sleeps deeply during the day for more than 3-4 hours, he should be woken up.
Reference . The average daily sleep requirement for 2 months is 15-17 hours.
Duration of children's sleep at different ages
In the early stages of a baby's life, the duration of sleep varies greatly depending on the number of days lived. The medical opinion on this matter is as follows:
- In the first two weeks, newborns sleep literally the whole day, 20-22 hours. Moreover, since babies do not yet distinguish between the concepts of “day” and “night,” during the day they sleep in fits and starts, for two to three hours, while at night a newborn baby’s sleep lasts only a little longer, about four hours. But still, a weak body forces you to wake up - the child needs to eat and gain the necessary “fuel”, thanks to which the baby is able to live on. It is stupid to be nervous about waking up at night to feed - without feeding every three to four hours, the baby will simply die.
- Then the baby begins to return to normal a little, and over the next few weeks the duration of sleep decreases slightly, to approximately 16 - 18 hours a day, depending on the individuality of the baby. Now, with a properly designed daily routine, it is easy to teach a baby to sleep for six hours at night; no particular harm will happen from such a long period without food. During the day, after sleeping for a couple of hours, and then having a good meal, the baby does not fall asleep immediately, but “walks” for a while - gets acquainted with the environment, communicates with parents and loved ones. Then weakness takes its toll, and the baby falls asleep again in order to conserve strength.
- Around the end of the third month, the baby “wins” a little more time from nature in order to study the world around him more fully. Now the baby's sleep should be about 15-16 hours.
- From three months to six months, the baby’s sleep gradually lengthens to 8–10 hours, despite the total daily sleep time remaining within 15 hours. The remaining time is divided into three intervals, and the baby needs to fill them up during the day. The first interval occurs in the morning, following the morning feeding, and it lasts an hour and a half to two. Another two “quiet hours” fall in the second half of the day.
- From six months to nine months, the baby's daily sleep duration is gradually reduced to 12 hours. In addition to sleep, about nine hours, the baby also needs to sleep during the day, twice, before and after lunch, for an hour and a half to two.
- Nine-month-old babies already sleep 10-11 hours, and they also need two short naps during the day. This regime will last for about a year. Now the child must strictly adhere to the daily routine, without disturbing it either on weekdays or on weekends, or during a trip to visit his grandmother, for example. True, there are exceptions - the baby’s illness.
- Until the age of one and a half years, the baby gradually reduces the duration of daily sleep. At night, the child will sleep for eight to nine hours, and it is advisable for him to sleep for about an hour and a half during the day, after lunch.
A compact table will help you navigate these time intervals easier.
| Baby's age | Duration of sleep during the day/night |
| first 2 weeks | ~20 - 22 hours, with intervals between awakenings from 2 to 4 hours |
| 1st - 2nd months | ~18 hours / up to 5 hours |
| 3 months | ~16 hours / up to 6 hours |
| from 3 to 6 months | ~14 hours / up to 7 hours |
| from 6 to 9 months | ~12 hours / up to 9 hours |
| from 9 months to a year | ~11 hours / up to 10 hours |
| up to one and a half years | ~10 hours / up to 9 hours |
How to behave correctly as parents
With a pacifier
Why does a child sleep poorly day and night - reasons
To understand whether excessive sleepiness is a sign of illness, it is necessary to regularly weigh the child and monitor his general well-being: temperature, stool, activity.
In the first and second months of life, the baby should gain weight well - 700-1000 g each. Therefore, if, due to long sleep, the baby often skips feedings, he may gain weight poorly and lag behind in development. If the baby sleeps a little more than usual, but is gaining well, is healthy and active during the waking period, you should not deliberately break his individual regime.
At 1-3 months, baby sleep is as important as nutrition. During sleep, a newborn adapts to the new world, calms down, and growth of brain cells and the whole body occurs. Therefore, you need to properly organize periods of sleep and feeding.
Breastfed babies require feeding on demand. This takes into account that breast milk is quickly digested, and the baby may need food every 2 hours. When artificial feeding, you need to establish a clear regimen. At 2 months, he suggests feeding every 3-4 hours during the day and 3-5 at night.
If your baby sleeps through one feeding, it’s not scary. When this happens regularly, you need to understand the reason and adjust the sleep and eating habits with maximum benefit for the child.
Important ! The main indicators of the health of a two-month-old baby are regular weight gain and activity during wakefulness.
If your child sleeps less or more than normal
Each child's body is individual. And already at such an early age, some children may be lovers of sleep, while others, on the contrary, may sleep less than the allotted time.
A deviation from the norm of 2 hours a day, up or down, is considered normal. If the total sleep time differs significantly from normal values, you should pay attention to other features of the baby’s behavior.
The baby sleeps little
The reasons for poor sleep in children at 4 months can be:
- Tummy pain
. Among the causes of painful sensations, one can note a reaction to a mixture during IV or to a new product eaten by a nursing mother during breastfeeding; - Excessively stuffy or humid air
in the room where the child sleeps; - Uncomfortable air temperature
. The child may be hot or cold, so you need to monitor the temperature in his room; - Overwork
. Excessive fatigue can also cause him to have difficulty sleeping.
Among the reasons for a four-month-old baby's poor sleep is the desire to attract the mother's attention - as a rule, this applies to children who do not receive enough mother's warmth and affection during the waking period.
In those situations, if there is nothing unusual in the child’s behavior, and he is quite active and does not look sleepy, then a short duration of sleep is enough for him. There are children for whom it is enough to sleep less than one hour during the day. Some babies sleep for only 40 minutes and at the same time their body has time to recover and fully rest.
Baby sleeps a lot
It is considered normal if a baby at 4 months sleeps significantly more than the recommended time and at the same time has the following symptoms:
- Normal increase in height and weight;
- Curiosity - the baby is attentive, shows interest in new and interesting things;
- Activity - the child is active and plays while awake.
If all three of these conditions are met at once, then the baby is a sleeper, or simply a sleepyhead. There is no pathology in this.
Sometimes excessive sleep indicates the occurrence of some disease in the child’s body. Therefore, if at least one of the above conditions is not met, you should consult a doctor to check the health of the baby.
When should you sound the alarm?
In some cases, when a newborn sleeps a lot, sleep can become dangerous. We are talking about the so-called long sleep. It differs from normal in that the child is in a sleepy state for almost 24 hours, skipping meals. Parents are required to pay especially close attention to the baby's behavior. It is necessary to urgently contact a specialist if symptoms such as:
- dryness of the mucous membrane of the mouth and nose;
- weak, barely audible crying;
- refusal to eat, skipping the next meal;
Refusal to breastfeed is an accessible way for a baby to communicate that he is not doing well.
- no activity upon awakening;
- the child’s skin has lost turgor; if you take it into a fold, it takes a long time to straighten out;
- urination has become rare;
- confluence of the fontanel is observed;
- the baby's breathing is heavy, intermittent, shallow;
- more than 4-5 hours have passed in a row since the start of sleep, with no movement;
- body temperature increased;
- the color of the skin has changed (the skin has become red and bluish).
If even one of these signs is observed, it is necessary to urgently call an ambulance team.
To lull or not
Each parent decides for himself what is more convenient and important for him. For some, the most important thing is the baby’s comfort and closeness with him. For others, it means saving time and having the most productive day possible.
If a child falls asleep on his own at 4 months, it means he is comfortable, calm and nothing bothers him. Children get used to motion sickness quickly. But there are situations when you can’t do without it: colic, illness and poor health of the baby, excitement and overwork, disruption of the regime and change of environment, periods of increased growth.
