Young and inexperienced parents are constantly faced with new challenges for them. Often a child's poor sleep becomes a concern. Having brought the baby from the hospital, they notice that their baby does not sleep at night. What to do in this case? Under no circumstances should you take any action without consulting your local pediatrician or he alth visitor!
Problems with a child's sleep are familiar to every parent
Difficulties with sleep occur at any age. In infants, they are only exceptionally associated with functional he alth disorders.
No need to be afraid of the fact that a small child does not sleep at night. What to do in this case in the first place? Find out if he is really awake all the time. Most likely, upon closer examination, it turns out that the parent's fears are exaggerated. By observing the baby during the day, you can understand whether he is resting enough. If he is active, inquisitive, eats well and is not naughty, then he gets enough sleep. Despite the fact that each person has his own need for sleep, children, due to physiological characteristics, need to sleep more than their parents.
Varying sleep duration depending on age and diet
Under the age of one, sleep needs change very quickly. If in the first month the child sleeps almost constantly, making only twenty-minute breaks for feeding, then gradually the intervals of wakefulness increase. Breastfeeding babies, having the opportunity to access the mother's breast at any time, often give the impression of never sleeping. In fact, the baby can constantly hold the breast and at the same time sleep, waking up only after a new portion of milk has accumulated. He sucks it out and falls asleep again, chewing on the nipple. The mother thinks that he does not sleep at all, but he, on the contrary, sleeps almost all the time.
Introducing complementary foods, the parent teaches the baby to be satisfied with larger portions, to receive food less often than before. Therefore, gradually the intervals of wakefulness increase. Then it becomes clearer how different the child's behavior is at different hours of the day - he plays with rattles, catches his legs in funny booties, tries to talk (gurgles) or quietly snuffles at his mother's chest. Before panicking and running to the doctor with an alarming question: “A month old baby does not sleep at night. What to do?!”, think - maybe your baby regains strength when it is applied to the breast? More often than not, it turns out that way.
How do I know what is bothering my child?
In order to understand what to do so that the child sleeps well at night, you need to find out what candisturb the baby. If a mother has no experience in dealing with young children, then she will experience great difficulties with her first-born, because he himself does not know how to say what is bothering him. Mom needs help and support. It can be provided by an older relative, a friend who had the same problems, and a local doctor.
When a baby does not sleep, screams, moves restlessly - it means that he is ill. Something needs to be done. Encyclopedic reference books for young mothers and Internet resources often turn out to be very good helpers if there is no way to talk with a competent person. From them you can learn the rules of hygiene for children of different ages, find out the possible reasons for the crying of newborns, and also find tips on what to do so that the child sleeps at night, eats well during the day, etc.
The length of daily sleep depends on the age of the baby. A newborn sleeps eighteen hours a day, waking up only to feed. Up to a year, every two months, the required amount of sleep is reduced by an hour. You need to understand that this process is sequential. Only in the first three months, the changes that occur with the child are immediately visible. At this time, it depends little on external factors. He only eats, sleeps, defecates and spends a lot of energy getting used to a new reality for him outside of his mother's belly.
Diaper rash is the cause of restless behavior
Growing up, the child begins to react more actively to the environment. New food, new experiences with toys and people, change in weather (horsesatmospheric pressure), - all this significantly affects the well-being of the baby. Unable to put into words what upsets him, he has only a few ways to convey information to his parents.
First of all, this is the mood of the baby. If he is naughty, reacts sluggishly to your attempts to play with him, screams sharply, makes not quite adequate movements, some parents believe that it is time to reconsider his diet, sleep and wakefulness. With an unbalanced mode, the child sleeps very poorly at night. What to do first? Before changing the diet and daily routine, check if he has diaper rash between the folds of the skin, in the groin, in the anus area from diapers or from too warm clothes. In most cases, this works, because even small redness causes pain to the child. The baby should be bathed in warm water with a decoction of the string, the inflamed places should be lubricated with sea buckthorn oil or a special children's ointment and no longer wrapped too tightly. In a very warm room, you can let him stay in a crib without clothes. In the future, it is necessary to carefully monitor the freshness of linen and change diapers and diapers in time.
Establishing a child's sleep, we build future relationships in the family
If your baby does not have diaper rash problems, but because of an ill-conceived regime, the child sleeps very badly at night, what should I do to accustom him to a comfortable and more adult daily routine?
It is very useful before going to bed to do a half-hour walk in the freshair. The room where the baby sleeps must be ventilated in the morning and evening. Poor sleep is often the result of oxygen starvation. In the children's bedroom, it is recommended to install an air ionizer and an aquarium with fish. In this room it is better not to engage in daytime games. All its environment should create a feeling of peace, relaxation and sleep. Even if the number of rooms in the apartment does not allow several of them to be allocated to separate bedrooms for each family member, then when a small child appears, one of the rooms should become a common oasis of peace, freshness and peace for him and his parents. Let mom, dad and baby sleep in it. As you know, children sleep better and sounder together with their parents. They are not tormented by night fears - they do not experience feelings of loneliness and abandonment. In addition, the daily ritual performed before going to bed is of great importance.
Young parents at all times and in all parts of the world when raising children have always faced the same problems: a newborn, a year old, or an older child does not sleep at night. What to do? It is clear that a he althy baby will be happy to sleep or doze next to mom, dad, grandma or grandpa, but it is impossible to be with him all the time. And he sensitively monitors all the attempts of the unfortunate parents to quietly leave the room. In this sense, modern moms and dads are much better off than their predecessors. They are greatly assisted by electronic technology. They have the ability to connect headphones to the gadget and watcha movie, play a computer game, read an interesting online magazine or book while the baby falls asleep. This must be used. In the past, children were given nipples soaked in soothing drugs, in particular, poppy decoction, alcohol tinctures, etc. After all, it’s too early for an adult to go to bed at eight or nine o’clock, and the baby does not want to be alone.
It is important not to overdo it with electronic assistants. Live communication with the child is of great importance both for his development and for relationships within the family in the future. In addition, it is necessary for instilling communication skills, without which it is very difficult in adulthood. If a one-year-old child does not sleep well at night, what should be done so that this does not become the cause of chronic sleep deprivation of his parents? It is very difficult for working parents to feed, plant on a potty, play and communicate with the baby every time he wakes up. Sooner or later, the baby will still have to be taught to the fact that people sleep at night and stay awake, play and communicate during the day. This is how it is in our world.
How to get ready for bed
Quiet relaxing games like stacking dolls and teddy bears will help. Evening classes should not strain attention. Intensive developmental activities should be left for the daytime. Plasma or LCD screens should also be avoided. I must say that the contemplation of pictures (films, anime, etc.) from electronic media has a negative effect on the psychosomatic development of children. Better read to himbook or tell a story. This will calm the nervous system and set you up for rest.
Plants help you relax
Phytotherapy is an indispensable assistant in case of difficulty falling asleep. Baths with extracts of chamomile, motherwort, mint or lemon balm, decoctions of oak bark, pine needles, cedar, fir, etc. are very relaxing. A pillow with unblown cones of dry hops will give a sound and he althy sleep to both the child and his parents.
Beneficial effects of pets
Children have a calming effect on pet activities. If this is an aquarium with fish, then you can feed them, watch them swim, talk about it, listen to the murmur of water. Having laid the child in bed, invite him to observe the inhabitants of the water world. An aquarium lit with low light is an excellent sedative that affects the psyche non-verbally, only through visual contact.
Before going to bed, a lesson with hamsters, a rabbit, a dog or a cat will also have a very soothing effect on a child overexcited by outdoor games. These fluffy animals can be stroked, fed, watched as they mess around. The purring of a cat will put even the most nimble baby to sleep. The presence of an animal in the house, even a reptile, such as an aquatic turtle or a slow-moving iguana, an exotic insect or a bird, is always reassuring. Does your child not want to sleep at night? What to do? Get a pet. Just try to be especially careful to follow the rules of hygiene.
Calm down and pull yourself together before racking your brains on how to lull a child and once again ask the question: “What to do?” The child does not sleep at night if he is hungry, overexcited or something hurts him. Children's fears of secret monsters are fiction. Toddlers don't know anything about them until they see them on TV or other gadgets. You don't entertain your baby with horror movies, do you?
Teething is a common cause of insomnia
You fed your little one, stroked his head, back or tummy, and yet your baby does not sleep well at night. What to do in this situation? Take his temperature. Perhaps he got sick. With children who are breastfed and isolated from external infections, this happens extremely rarely. Most often, an increase in temperature indicates teething. In this situation, the baby's salivation increases, he tries to take something in his mouth, screams sharply. The mother's breast for him is the best sedative and pain reliever. In some cases, an anesthetic gel designed to lubricate the gums can be used, but this should only be given after consulting a pediatrician. When a month-old baby does not sleep at night, the same doctor will tell you what to do.
If the tummy hurts, the baby cannot sleep well
In infancy, children often suffer from colicor gases. A thin tube inserted into the anus will help to alleviate the condition and free the intestines. It should be hollow and have smooth edges. The easiest way is to use the plastic tip from a small baby syringe.
A colic newborn baby does not sleep at night. What should parents do if they are afraid to remove gases on their own with a tube? Lay the baby on its back, place a soft diaper on the tummy and stroke the tummy with the palm of your hand in a clockwise direction. Start with a small circle around the navel and gradually increase the diameter in a spiral.
Knee flexion and extension may help. This exercise is known as the "bicycle". Lay the child on the back and make several movements with his legs. Should help.
What to do - the baby does not sleep at night after feeding? In this case, he needs to burp air. Often newborn babies, not knowing how to suck properly, swallow a lot of air. This makes them feel uncomfortable. Take the child in your arms, hold it upright, slightly pressing it to you. Stroke on the back. Once he burps, he will feel better and be able to sleep.
Vaccinations create short-term problems, but they are essential
What to do - the child does not sleep at night after vaccination? This is a common situation. There is nothing to fear here. You just need to wait. After this procedure, most children have a fever, they become restless, they scream a lot. Carry the baby in your arms for more time, protect it fromsudden changes in temperature, do not go for a walk with him outside for a couple of days. Vaccination is an ordeal for a tiny person, but it is necessary. Some parents make the mistake of refusing to vaccinate their child against polio, mumps, rubella and other diseases. A good doctor will not send him for a vaccination if he is too weak or in danger.
Medications
Self-treatment is unacceptable! There are completely safe remedies that can be given if the question arose: “What should the child do - does not sleep at night?”, But they should also be taken only with the permission of the pediatrician.
Glycine is often known to many parents. It has a mild sedative and tranquilizing effect. Relieving psycho-emotional stress, glycine facilitates falling asleep and normalizes sleep. One tablet half an hour before bedtime is enough.
"Sanason" and "Persen" are also harmless sedatives. They are made on the basis of medicinal herbs, but without the consent of the doctor, they cannot be given to a he althy child. They contain an extract of valerian roots, and this plant can provoke an allergic reaction.
During teething, the baby's body is in dire need of additional calcium. Its deficiency is manifested in increased nervous and psycho-emotional excitability. Ask your pediatrician to prescribe an appropriate drug for you.
Another safe remedy is sodium bromide solution. He is rarely discharged nowadays because hemade to order according to an individual recipe.
