How can you improve the sleep of an infant who has breathing-related sleep disorders and sleeps on the go? (narcolepsy) Sleep disturbances in children of the first year of life. How to improve a baby's sleep at night - tips for mothers

Sleep is the most important part in life small child. The quality of sleep directly affects physical development, emotional condition, behavior and mood of the baby. Therefore, it is important to ensure healthy and good sleep for the baby both at night and during the day. Let's find out how to improve a child's sleep and how much sleep a baby should sleep.

Sleep standards for infants

There are standards that indicate how much sleep a baby should sleep depending on age. However, keep in mind that the figures are approximate. Since the development of each child is individual, the time may deviate by 1-2 hours up or down.

How to properly organize your child's sleep

Sleep organization plays a crucial role in how and how much the baby sleeps. There are certain rules for children's sleep, subject to which the baby will sleep peacefully. Organization of sleep includes the following recommendations:

• The baby should have a firm, elastic mattress and a flat pillow. In the first months, it is better to do without a pillow altogether. Instead, a folded towel is placed under the mattress, or a folded sheet is placed under the baby's head. When to use a pillow and which pillow to choose for a baby, read;
• Ventilate the room well before going to bed. The room should have a comfortable temperature for the baby, which is 18-22 degrees;
• Regularly remake the crib so that the mattress and sheet do not form folds and other irregularities that cause discomfort and disrupt sleep;
• Don't forget to change your diaper and diaper. The child should be dry and clean while sleeping;
• Be sure to feed your baby before bed. Breastfeeding calms the baby; he often falls asleep while sucking. Do not wean the breast until the baby falls asleep or releases the nipple on its own;
• It is important that mom is nearby. Constant and close contact with mother has a positive effect on well-being, physical and psychological condition child. The baby will calm down and fall asleep sweetly;

• Bathing before evening feeding and bedtime will help your baby sleep calmly and deeply. Bathe your baby for 10-20 minutes. In the first month, the water temperature should be 36-37 degrees. Then gradually reduce the levels by a degree every four days. But until three months the temperature should not be below 33 degrees! Daily bathing will allow you to maintain hygiene, strengthen your muscles and system internal organs. If the baby does not have allergies, you can add chamomile or calendula decoctions to the bath. Herbs will strengthen the immune system, prevent colds and help you sleep;
• In order for the baby to sleep soundly and not wake up often, in the first months doctors recommend organizing co-sleeping. How to do this correctly, and when to teach your child to sleep separately, read;
• It is necessary to swaddle a baby only when he is sleeping restlessly and waving his arms vigorously. At the same time, swaddling should not be tight! In other cases, swaddling is not necessary;
• After two weeks from the day of birth, you can begin to explain to your baby the difference between night and day. So, during the day, when the baby is active, turn on the lights, play with the child, and do not reduce standard noise (the sound of TV, music, etc.). At night, do not play with the baby; dim the lights when feeding.

Remember that breastfeeding is The best way for putting the baby to sleep. However, do not rock the baby for too long. Children quickly get used to prolonged rocking and, as a result, then cannot learn to fall asleep on their own.

What to do if the baby is capricious, sleeps poorly and often wakes up crying loudly? First of all, determine the reason for this behavior. Sleep disturbances in a baby can be associated with colic and stomach pain, with the introduction of complementary foods, illness and discomfort.

To prevent your baby from experiencing colic, place your baby on his tummy before feeding. hard surface, and then hold it vertically until he burps. Will help dill water, baths with herbal decoctions, light massage tummy in a clockwise circular motion.

With artificial or mixed feeding, problems may be associated with incorrectly selected milk formula. Do not introduce supplementary feeding if this is not the case urgent need! Mixtures may upset the stomach and cause allergic reaction at the baby. In addition, allergies can be caused poor nutrition nursing mother, animal hair, dust, etc. Carefully monitor the condition of the baby!

After 4-5 months, the reasons for poor sleep often lie in teething. To reduce discomfort, you can use special teethers and safe baby gels.

In addition, at 5-6 months, the introduction of complementary foods begins, which can also negatively affect the child’s condition. New products may cause food allergies, abnormal stool, abdominal pain. Carefully monitor your child's diet. Introduce natural, safe and hypoallergenic products, start with small portions and do not try more than one type of food at a time. It takes two days to determine whether the baby has allergies or not.

Sometimes a baby cries because he lacks attention. Rock the child for a short time, talk, tell a story. By six months your baby should be able to fall asleep on his own! No need to get up at the first call. Wait and he will calm down on his own. However, severe crying that does not stop for more than 10 minutes already indicates a problem!

Psychologists have found that children can begin to have nightmares as early as two years of age, even without apparent reason. Night terrors, sudden awakenings and restful sleep talk about the baby's anxiety. Only a child psychologist can help you figure this out.

Main causes of sleep disturbances

• The baby moves little while awake and leads a less active lifestyle;
• Excitability nerve cells(bright light in the room, loud music, noise, etc.);
• Discomfort (uncomfortable mattress, wet diaper, hunger, etc.);
• Increased humidity or dry air, uncomfortable room temperature (too hot or, conversely, cold);
• Painful condition (colds and teething, colic, abdominal pain, allergies, etc.);
• Increased anxiety and restlessness in the baby.

How to improve your child's sleep

Once you have identified the cause, you need to take action to eliminate the problem. Try to put your baby to bed at the same time! Don't wake your baby at night to feed. This disrupts the baby's biological clock. If he gets hungry, he will wake up on his own. Forcing a baby to breastfeed can be frightening, causing the baby to not latch onto the breast.

Habitual bedtime routines, which include breastfeeding, bathing, reading a fairy tale, will quickly teach your baby to fall asleep on time. In the first months of life, crying is associated with hunger. Breastfeeding a newborn at night is 2-3 times, during the day it can reach up to 14-16 times.

Many pediatricians recommend not refusing the child and feeding on demand, and do not limit the duration of feeding. Every month the number and duration of applications decreases. After three months, the baby should sleep peacefully for 7-8 hours without feeding.

Feeding at night should be calm and quiet with dim lighting. Night feeding is abandoned already at 10-12 months of a baby’s life. Daytime feeding is carried out vigorously and actively. Talk to your child, sing funny songs and tell rhymes, play.

Do not allow an older child to play in the crib, as the crib should only be used for sleeping. But let your baby sleep with his favorite toy, which will give him a feeling of calm and security.

How to put a baby to sleep

• Teach your child to distinguish between daytime and night sleep. Establish a clear sleep schedule;
• Don't let your baby become overtired, as overtiredness only interferes with sleep. As soon as you see that the baby is tired, rubbing his eyes and yawning, put him to bed!;
• After three months, begin to gradually establish a bedtime routine. You can take a bath, read a story, play a quiet game or sing a lullaby. Use what your baby likes!;
• Follow the sequence of actions of the daily ritual!;
• After 6 months, let your baby fall asleep on his own;
• Wake up your baby in the morning if he sleeps longer than expected. It’s good if you wake up your child at the same time;
• For children after 1.5-2 years, begin the transition from two naps during the day to one nap during the day. However, this transition is difficult, and to make the process easier, alternate days with one and two naps during the day. For one nap, put your baby to bed early in the evening;
• For older kids, you can offer an alternative. But choose the options so that they suit you too. For example, ask your baby whether he wants to go to bed now or in 5 minutes. 5 minutes does not play a special role, and at the same time the child is glad that he chose;
• Let your child choose which toy he will sleep with or what pajamas he will wear.

About the norms

Parents often complain to the doctor that children often wake up or sleep restlessly and can toss and turn, which does not allow the parents to fully rest. However, parents often believe that a child should sleep just like an adult, go to bed in the evening and sleep peacefully until the morning, although for children this is not at all considered the norm, but interrupted sleep- quite normal. To completely dispel myths and doubts about a child’s sleep, it is necessary to determine what is considered normal sleep for children at different ages.

In the first months of life, babies sleep quite a lot, but their sleep is intermittent; until about one and a half to two years old, babies can often wake up at night. At the same time, everyone believes that frequent waking up at night is typical mainly for children who are breastfeeding, although this is completely false, mothers of children artificial feeding They wake up as often as mothers of babies. This is quite understandable from the point of view of age-related physiology; sleep in children should not be long and it is quite normal for a child to wake up frequently. In his mother's stomach, he did not distinguish between day and night, and he did not have a change in the phases of sleep and wakefulness according to the changes of day to night. The child simply alternates successively between sleep and wakefulness as he becomes tired and needs rest.

Until three or four months, babies will sleep most of the time in the day, mostly waking up to eat and interact with their parents a little, or if something is bothering the baby. As the baby becomes saturated or the factors interfering with well-being are eliminated, the baby falls back to blissful sleep. On average, babies sleep for 1-3 hours, lengthening slightly at night and amounting to approximately three to four hours of continuous sleep. On average, during the day, dreams can last from 40 minutes to two hours, which many parents perceive as a pathology or a sign of illness. However, this is absolutely not true; just such a rhythm of dreams is necessary for the baby’s health.

A child's sleep can be divided into certain phases, which will sequentially replace each other during periods of sleep. They can distinguish periods - the stage of falling asleep, then rapid (shallow) sleep, and then slow (deep) sleep. The duration of each phase can last up to half an hour, with age they reach two hours for each period. At the same time, shallow sleep is typical for children, and deep sleep lasts only a short time. In the first months of life, shallow sleep reaches 60-80% of the time, and by the age of six months it approaches 50% of the total sleep time; by the age of three years, shallow sleep reaches 30% of this amount of sleep; in older children and adults, shallow sleep lasts only 20% of the entire sleep phase. That's why babies sleep completely different from adults.

So, the child’s sleep begins with the superficial sleep phase, and the child’s eyes are closed, but the eyelids tremble and you can see movements of the eyeballs, breathing is irregular, there may be smiles and trembling. At the same time, babies can dream during this period. And during this period of dreams, the formation and maturation of the nervous system occurs and brain structures. During this period of sleep, the toddler’s brain assimilates and analyzes the amount of information received during wakefulness, and its skills are still being formed. During this period, if something goes wrong with the baby, he can easily wake up. But after 15-20 minutes, babies experience phase changes from superficial to deep, breathing becomes less frequent, it is deeper and more measured, heart rate decreases, and eyeballs they no longer move, there are no flinches, the muscles relax, the baby sweats and the fists relax. During deep sleep, it is quite difficult to wake up a baby.

Now, knowing these features of babies' sleep, it becomes clear that when putting a child to sleep, it is necessary to wait until the transition of the superficial period of sleep into deep dream, and only after that you can put him to sleep in a crib. If you hurry, the baby will wake up in a shallow sleep and then it will be very difficult to put him down again.

What could be the problem?

Sometimes a child's sleep can be disturbed and there can be many reasons for this. However, most of these causes will not require medical intervention or any medications. At the same time, doctors, especially neurologists, can identify four main groups of reasons that lead to poor sleep in children:

1. physiological characteristics of the baby and natural causes sleep disorders,
2. emotional overload in children,
3. problems in child health, children's illnesses,
4. emotional overload of children,
5. neurological pathologies.

Often, parents may complain that their children slept well until six months or a little more, and then they were replaced. Children begin to toss and turn, wake up, or even get on all fours and crawl around the crib in their sleep. You need to immediately reassure the toddler's parents - this is quite normal phenomenon, children from about six months old get a lot of emotions per day, master many skills - movements, controls own body or receive positive emotions.

The nervous system begins to analyze this entire bouquet of daytime emotions in detail at night, during night dreams, while carefully working out and remembering the smallest details. That's why toddlers wake up at night, trying to crawl and get on all fours, they can laugh, whine or gurgle, without even waking up at all. If, with such a night's sleep during the day, the child is cheerful and alert, he eats normally and does not show signs of illness, then he has enough sleep and does not need to do anything. The child's body can perfectly control its functions and can regulate sleep times without your intervention.

Often, parents are bothered by the child's shuddering at night, but this does not indicate pathology at all. Such startle processes occur due to the functioning of the nervous system during the nocturnal sleep phase and can be manifested by single or regularly repeated contractions of muscle groups in the limbs or body. Most often, they appear in particularly excitable children in the first year of life, or they arise after emotional shocks - joy, resentment or hysterics, and with age they usually progressively decrease.

Children often experience whims or sobbing at night, and sometimes even crying babies. The reasons for these phenomena are similar - excessive emotions during the day or evening. You will most likely need to review your child's daily routine and move active games or noisy fun into the first half of the day so that the nervous system does not become overexcited before going to bed.

The child's sleep will greatly depend on the state of his health; if the baby is teething or has a tummy ache, then his sleep may become restless or intermittent, the baby will often cry or wake up. In addition, the child’s clothing will greatly influence his sleep - if his elastic bands, seams or laces are tight, then the child will toss and turn in his sleep, whimper or wake up.

A child's sleep can be disturbed if the air in the children's room is too dry or too warm, then the mucous membranes in the nose dry out too much, it may be difficult to breathe, and the baby may wake up because of this. In addition, the baby may suffer from the heat, especially if mothers carefully cover him with a blanket, which can also reduce the quality of babies' sleep.

The most optimal temperature for sleeping is a humidity of about 60% and a temperature of about 18-20 degrees, but if it is impossible to maintain such a temperature in the room, you need to regularly ventilate the room before going to bed and use a humidifier.

Sleep disorders in children

In terms of defining sleep disorders, there are no unambiguous classifications today, but the most successful one today is the division of sleep problems proposed by the Americans:

1. primary sleep disorder, in which there are no associated problems; sleep disturbances occur without any obvious symptoms external reasons or internal diseases.
2. secondary sleep disorder, in which disturbances may be a manifestation of any internal diseases or pathologies of the child – emotional stress, digestive diseases, allergies, infections or any other problems.

Infants may often exhibit behavioral insomnia, difficulty getting the baby to fall asleep, and an inability to maintain continuous sleep long enough. This occurs in babies from three to four months, since in children more early age waking up again quickly gives way to sleep after eliminating disturbing factors.

Children who are excitable and anxious, who simply cannot fall asleep without their mother’s presence, or without certain rituals, are susceptible to sleep disorders. They require long-term motion sickness processes every day; it is imperative that there is someone adult nearby. The main differences between sleep problems in children are the inability to fall asleep for a long time without outside help, with the same number of awakenings as ordinary children. The most basic problems of such sleep are overtiredness of children, an excess of daytime emotions, and disruption of the organization of the daily routine by parents.

Confused day and night

Typically, the processes of formation of daytime and night sleep are formed by approximately three to four months of life. However, important role they play here The biological clock child - he is an owl or a lark. If you give your child a routine that does not coincide with the child’s biorhythm, sleep disturbances may develop. Babies simply cannot fall asleep at the time their parents set them to sleep, and then it is difficult for them to wake up according to the allotted schedule, since it does not coincide with the baby’s internal clock. At the same time, the processes of daytime and night sleep are disrupted, disruptions occur within the body and moodiness develops, appetite may be disrupted and even immunity decreases. Long course This process can lead to problems. Which can then be eliminated only with the participation of a doctor, and strict adherence by all family members to a strict given rhythm will be required.

Therefore, when creating a daily routine, look first of all at the child, and not at books and other parents; the baby himself will quickly and accurately tell you the time when it is time for him to go to bed and get up.

What can you do to improve your sleep?

First of all, you need to stop being nervous about your child’s sleep, thereby making him nervous; your hysterics and nervousness are passed on to the child. First of all, analyze his diet and eliminate the factors. Those that interfere with normal sleep are fatty foods, and for older children, a more satisfying dinner so that he does not wake up from hunger.

Create sleep traditions and ceremonies and repeat them day after day so that your baby gets into the mood for sleep and develops the habit of going to bed at the same time. Put children to bed at the first sign of fatigue. And not when they are already overexcited and won’t fall asleep right away. Before school, the child’s schedule should include: mandatory be present nap, then the baby will not be overtired in the evening.

How can you improve your child's sleep?

A child is the most beautiful gift you have. You take care of him with all the warmth, but sometimes the baby still sleeps restlessly. In order to improve your child’s sleep, it is necessary to carefully provide the regime and conditions for proper rest. Perhaps try home remedies first.

Let's say you start to notice that your child cannot fall asleep for a long time, whines at night, is capricious a lot, you see an excess of emotions in him, sometimes too cheerful, sometimes very upset, and all this entails a violation healthy sleep. This means that measures need to be taken now.

1. The first thing that will balance your baby’s mood is calming herbs and natural oils

However, it is worth paying attention so that the child does not have an allergy to one or another composition. aromatic oils or herbs. Otherwise, a good idea to help improve sleep will turn into chronic illness. First, you need to inform your pediatrician about your intentions. He will give more reliable recommendations for the use of aromatic oils. We do not recommend trusting pharmacists at the pharmacy, because they do not know your baby’s body. Don’t take risks with the “will fit or not fit” method!

The most the best option will be if you give your child a preliminary test. Wet a napkin or piece of cotton wool with a drop of oil. Let the baby inhale it once. If there is no sneezing or tearing reaction, then try putting a drop on the child’s hand. After 4-5 hours no side effects, then try to conduct the first aroma session.

Remember that it is better to purchase aromatic preparations in pharmacies; here they will give you a receipt and you will check the expiration date. And the inscription on the packaging “GOST” will indicate the quality of the purchased product. Don't trust low prices in regular stores, otherwise you will get a bottle with impurities or synthetics. Natural oils sold in small packages at medium and high prices.

One of sedatives is oil tea tree. As a rule, rarely does anyone have an allergy to it. This oil is often used for children during various inhalations and baths. When you come to the pharmacy, you will definitely be able to choose a universal component with which you can improve your baby’s sleep.

It is important to know that there are some restrictions for everyone age categories: Oil is prohibited for up to 1 year peppermint, up to 6 years - thyme, geranium, tea tree and rosemary, up to 12 years - cloves.

A drop of tangerine or orange juice before bed is useful. orange oil. Mint or lemon balm relieve fatigue and promote sound sleep.

2. The second thing that small and middle-aged children really like is massage.

Light stroking will relax the baby and immerse you in a fabulous sleep. It is also recommended during a massage to drop a drop of oil into the cream that you rub on the child, or just one drop on the bed in the far corner of the crib. And after massage procedures, ventilate the room.

3. Medicinal herbs

A suitable phytocomponent can always normalize the sleep of both children and adults. Again, we emphasize that it is necessary to consult a pediatrician and an allergist. Herbal medicine is strictly prohibited for children under one year of age. Herbs must be used wisely, only then will they give excellent result. The components must first of all be of high quality and environmentally friendly.

4. One of the important methods for improving your child’s sleep is basic adherence to the routine and preparation for bed!

1. Your daily bedtime should be the same. In individual cases, when restless sleep Experts recommend putting children to bed half an hour earlier or later.
2. The baby needs the same bed, and this is where he should wake up.
3. Be sure to stop all games an hour before bedtime, reduce emotional stress to a minimum, do not start arguments with the child, try to avoid quarrels that lead to hysteria and excitement. This applies to all relatives of the family. It’s better to go for a walk, or talk in a calm tone interesting stories, or engage in reading, drawing, etc.
4. For some it has a calming effect warm bath, and for others, on the contrary, it promotes a cheerful state. So, observe your baby and decide if this method is right for you.
5. Instead of bright light for the whole room, buy a dim night light.
6. When you get your child ready for bed, let dad turn down the TV. Eliminate all possible loud sounds.
7. Be sure to feed your baby before bed.
8. Sing a lullaby and read children's poems, let dad recite the story in a semi-tone baritone.
9. Caress your baby during the lullaby, gently stroke his head and back.
10. Alternate double daytime sleeps with single ones, because the baby can sleep twice during the day and be awake at night. Also, on a day with a single nap, go to bed a little earlier in the evening.

1. Make yourself and your child the first rule - eating at any time exclusively in the kitchen! Never on a crib or in front of the TV in the bedroom.
2. If your baby is very small or an infant, be sure to feed your baby tightly at night. Walk more in the evening so that he really wants to eat before going to bed.
3. You should not allow your child to fall asleep without eating.
4. If you feed your baby at night, then under no circumstances communicate with him, feed him quietly and then put him to sleep.
5. It is important to know and you can try, according to doctors’ recommendations, to gradually reduce night feeding after 4-5 months, and after 6-7 months, slowly switch to 5-8 hours of sleep.
6. When you feed your child during the daytime, during meals you can and even need to tell something interesting, joke and sing with positive emotions.
7. Give up the habit of feeding your baby by the hour; feed him as he wants.

6. The necessary conditions for healthy sleep

1. First of all, install the crib away from noise, drafts, computers and TVs. There should be no arguments, hysterics or quarrels in this place!
2. Cleanliness and order in the room where your baby and his place to sleep.
3. Make sure it's comfortable for your child! The blanket should provide thermal comfort, the mattress should be hard, and the pillow should be low.
4. Do not teach your child to walk in his sleeping place!
5. The room in which the child rests should always be ventilated, the air should be fresh, and the temperature should not exceed 20°C.
6. Monitor the humidity in the room, if it drops below 45%, install humidifiers!
7. Remember that the wrong clothes for your baby can disturb your sleep. Stuffiness, cramped conditions, cold and other discomfort factors will prevent the child from sleeping soundly.
8. Cell phones, laptops, TVs, radios, take them out of the children's room. Waves from operating electrical equipment are contraindicated for children.

1. Your baby may be sleeping restlessly at night because he oversleeps during the day. Try waking him up earlier than usual.
2. Work out the right approach for a day's rest. There is no need to remove all unnecessary sounds; let the parents speak to each other in halftones, let the radio play quietly, let the water flow. The child will fall asleep to light noise, especially if he has run around and is tired. Don’t teach him complete silence, otherwise he won’t even take a step, he will hear and cry.
3. Unless you have a doctor's advice, do not wake your baby to eat. He will wake up and make it clear that it is time to start eating.

1. Competent doctors, discussing this issue, came to general opinion: infant wants to sleep with mom, and this is absolutely normal.
2. However, there is a group of views that the baby should have his own separate bed. Experts are trying to determine whether there are more pros or cons to this problem.
3. It is imperative to stop co-sleeping in time. The baby should feel independent.

1. If your baby, under favorable conditions (the room is ventilated, all hygiene rules are observed, a favorite toy) suddenly wakes up, you restrain yourself and wait a minute, a little less, a little more, quietly enter the room. It will be even better if you just stop by. The main thing is for the baby to understand that mom is nearby, but not too close.
2. Don’t look at the fact that this is a little man, he already feels everything and absorbs the slightest smells, movements, colors, he develops his own habits. That’s why don’t force him to sleep right away, convincingly explain as to an adult that the baby is not alone, that he wasn’t abandoned and didn’t go anywhere. After two or three decisive phrases, the mother leaves the nursery.
3. When you hear a child crying, do not run headlong, but quietly and confidently approach the baby. And increase the time before each subsequent entry by 2-3 minutes.
4. Increase the waiting time daily, but it should not exceed 15 minutes. As a result, you get the fact that while you come in, the baby will calm down and fall asleep on his own.
5. When you enter the nursery, practice singing a soft lullaby or speaking calmly without coming close.
6. The main thing is not to turn on bright lighting devices. The baby will definitely wake up.
7. Rock your baby's playpen.
8. If all else fails, only then lull him in your arms, give him a drink or a pacifier, and feed him (after 6 months, it is undesirable at night).

1. Fall asleep in your parents' arms.
2. Play (especially outdoor games) before bed.
3. If a child falls asleep only with a finger in his mouth, when he eats food, or when rocked, urgently wean yourself and him from these habits. Otherwise, you will never be able to go anywhere, and the habit of thumb sucking may remain until the age of 12-13!
4. Frequent awakenings at night to check if mom is nearby.

In the first months of a baby's life, he sleeps for only one reason - only when he is tired. Therefore, it is almost impossible to put a child to sleep when he does not want to, and vice versa - if the baby is fast asleep, it is unlikely that it will be possible to wake him up. Total time Newborns sleep about 16-18 hours a day, which is twice the amount of sleep the average adult sleeps. It is in sleep that children grow, process visual, sound and motor impressions, and consolidate skills acquired while awake. It has been proven that children remember information better when they sleep shortly after receiving it. In the first six months of a baby's life, sleep is a kind of barrier that prevents them from information overload. Thanks to sleep, children more effectively learn behavior patterns, and their ability to understand their thoughts, emotions and impressions improves.

At night, the child’s relationship with the world around him is built; it is in his sleep that he re-experiences those moments that took place during the day. As a result, the baby learns to communicate more productively with the people around him. Experts note the fact that children who sleep well have a calmer temperament.

Some experts say that lack of sleep and bad dream baby may have a negative impact on their immune system, making them more vulnerable to various diseases. At the same time, restful sleep promotes full development immune system baby, which reduces the risk of diseases and speeds up the healing process. A restful night's sleep reduces the risk of injury to the baby: a well-rested baby behaves more cheerfully and less impulsively. In addition, experts have established a connection between sleep and the weight of children: children who sleep less than 12 hours a day in infancy, upon reaching average school age more often than their peers have problems with excess weight.

For most children, being in an environment with dim lighting and quiet and calm music for 30-60 minutes helps them fall asleep better. This environment helps babies relax better and fall asleep easily.

The main thing for newborns is not freedom, but safety and protection. Therefore, it is worth using only high-quality diapers that will provide effective protection baby's skin from irritation during sleep.

It is natural for infants to fall asleep while breastfeeding or sucking on a bottle or pacifier. However, this can lead to certain problems: regularly falling asleep for a child in such conditions can lead to the fact that he will begin to associate sleep with sucking movements, and it will be very difficult to wean the baby from falling asleep with a nipple. Therefore, in order for the baby to fall asleep on his own, you need to make sure that he sucks the pacifier before he falls asleep, and not while he sleeps. You need to try to carefully wean him from the breast, take away the bottle or pacifier so that the baby falls asleep without anyone's help.

Many experts recommend that parents wake up their baby every four hours to feed him. However, many newborns wake up more often. Over time, try to learn to determine when your baby needs to be fed and when he just needs to be rocked to sleep again.

Most young children love consistency, something that is repeated every day. Therefore, it is worth coming up with your own bedtime ritual for your baby. First, feed him, then dim the lights, rock the baby, sing a lullaby, or massage with natural oil.

It's no secret that children's sleep- a very interesting phenomenon and full of mysteries. This is especially true for newborn children, who are about to be born and still do not understand at all what day and night, sleep and wakefulness are. The main task of mom and dad after birth is to “establish” the newborn’s sleep, which over time will only take place according to the established schedule.

Lucky are those parents whose child, as soon as you put him in the crib, yawns sweetly, rubs his eyes and falls asleep. Agree that such a fate awaits only a few. In most cases, immersion into a child is very difficult and painful. Sometimes it takes a lot of time and effort.

The first thing new parents need to learn is that the sleep rhythms of a newborn and an adult are very different. Duration shallow sleep in an infant it is 80% (for comparison, in an adult it is 20%). Such sleep is easily interrupted by colic, thirst or fear, which are the “enemies” of parents. Remember: this is normal! Frequent awakenings are a way of surviving in the new world. During such sleep, the child develops, and its interruption is a signal of inconvenience or fear. A child who wakes up will probably complain to you about colic in the tummy, thirst or hunger, or maybe it’s just uncomfortable for him to lie in a certain position.

Very often, parents worry about whether their child is getting enough sleep or not. The answer to this question is obvious: if while awake the child actively plays, eats with appetite and smiles, he has enough sleep. So, each child has his own regime, so do not be alarmed if a newborn’s sleep differs from generally accepted norms: he should sleep 6-7 hours during the day, 8-10 hours at night; three months - 5-6 hours during the day, 10-11 hours at night).

It is best to place the baby on demand in the first months of life. But how do you know that he is? Certain signs - yawning, rubbing the eyes, sluggishness of movement, whining, fatigue - will help you understand that the baby wants to rest and sleep.

When a child, despite a clear desire to sleep and its signs, cannot fall asleep and cries, it is necessary to determine the cause of this situation and eliminate it. Such reasons are divided into external and internal. Internal problems include abdominal problems, otitis, regurgitation, itching, diseases associated with disruption of the nervous system ( increased excitability, hypertonicity, mental to external - restless atmosphere in the house, changing weather, changing phases of the moon, uncomfortable indoor conditions (cold bed, unusual smells or sounds, dry air), disruption of the usual bedtime ritual.

If you want to make a dream infant healthy, first of all, you should eliminate the cause of the child’s anxiety and make the environment as comfortable as possible, consult on this matter with experienced friends, mother, and doctors. The latter are the best advisors. Sooner or later everything will become more or less stable.

A lot depends on the mother. She must pay a lot of attention to the child, responding to all his “requests” and desires, monitor changes in the child’s behavior, communicate with him and talk more. It is necessary to constantly improve sleeping conditions: ventilate the room, humidify the air, arrange the crib comfortably, making it warm and beautiful. As you fall asleep, you can turn on a night light, play quiet music, or sing a lullaby.

Experts advise establishing a clear sleep ritual and following it every day without disturbing it. So, evening bathing and changing into pajamas every day will remind the baby that after these procedures he needs to sleep. In addition, it is better to put your child to bed at approximately the same time so that he does not accidentally confuse day with night.

If you follow the above tips and pay due attention to your child, your newborn's sleep will be correct, healthy and strong!

Most common problem A problem that parents of children under three years of age may encounter is that babies are awake at night. That is, a healthy infant does not sleep well at night, often wakes up - what to do about this, because he plays for a while while he is awake and only then falls asleep... This mode causes a lot of inconvenience to parents. What to do? Why is this happening? “Popular about health” will answer these questions.

Why does my baby sleep so poorly at night??

It’s one thing when something bothers the baby, for example, a runny nose, teething, or fever. But it’s completely different when the baby is absolutely healthy, but at the same time his night sleep is intermittent. Why is this happening? Let's look at several reasons.

1. The main reason for being awake at night, when the baby is healthy and cheerful, is too much daytime sleep. After sleeping during the day, he is full of energy, he wakes up and starts playing.

2. Light source. Many parents use night lights, but they sometimes cause children to wake up at night. The baby's brain perceives the light source as a signal that it is time to wake up. Not only a night light can interfere with sleep, for example, indicators on household appliances, light on the phone screen, street lamps.

3. The child is put to bed too late. Many people are mistaken when they think that if they put the baby to bed later and let him get thoroughly tired, then he will sleep soundly at night. It's not like that with children. Going to bed late contributes to overstimulation. In this state, the baby, of course, will fall asleep when he gets tired, but after a while he will wake up, and not in the best mood.

4. The baby does not know how to fall asleep on its own. This skill is very important, because when a baby gets used to being rocked or latched to the chest before going to bed, then when he wakes up, he needs the same ritual. He simply will not be able to fall asleep on his own.

5. There is no clear daily routine. If parents do not make efforts to organize a clear routine, circadian rhythms become confused. The baby constantly lacks sleep, is overexcited, and his body gives the wrong commands to get up. As a result, the child will completely lose his routine.

6. Active games In the evening. This problem occurs in children over a year old. Parents entertain their children in every possible way, play outdoor games with them, laugh, which leads to overexcitation. Despite the fatigue, sometimes the baby looks quite cheerful. This is because the hormone cortisol is produced. It helps cope with fatigue by activating nerve centers brain, but then it doesn’t let the baby sleep. The same effect is achieved after watching cartoons for a long time.

Other reasons for waking at night

There are other factors that influence children's sleep and its quality. For example, an infant sometimes has difficulty sleeping at night due to weather conditions. Negatively affects nervous system wind. Many parents notice this.

Older children wake up due to natural needs:

1. They are hot.
2. It's cold.
3. I'm thirsty.
4. Teeth are being cut, gums hurt.
5. The nose can't breathe.

What to do, how to improve night sleep for an infant?

An infant should be taught to go to bed at the same time. Mothers should not allow the baby to sleep during the day longer than he needs, otherwise problems will arise at night. It is necessary to focus on the norm of sleep duration by age.

In the evening it is advisable to play quiet games read fairy tales, look at pictures. If we are talking about infants, it is important to avoid receiving guests in evening time. New faces, voices, movement in the house - all this will negatively affect the child’s emotional background.

Be sure to follow the tradition - before going to bed, always bathe your baby in warm water, give him milk, talk to him tenderly or sing a song. All this has a calming effect on the nervous system and sets you up for a sound, restful sleep.

Eliminate light sources. The windows must have thick curtains to block the penetration of light from car headlights and lanterns. It's good if the room is quiet. True, in the summer, when the windows are open, noise from the street can bother you. There is hardly anything that can be done about this - dogs barking, teenagers talking, the sounds of passing cars - all this creates interference for a restful sleep.

Make sure your baby is comfortable. You need to clean your nose in the evening so that accumulated crusts do not interfere with breathing freely. Humidify the air in the room, ventilate the house. It is important that the bedroom is not hot. Keep a bottle of water nearby in case your baby gets thirsty. If she is nearby, you won't have to get up and go to the kitchen. Otherwise, the awakened baby may have time to play out.

Teach your baby to fall asleep on his own, then he will not call you if he wakes up at night, he will not need your presence, but will fall asleep on his own. Strictly follow the daily routine, according to your age, and never deviate from it. If all else fails, consult a neurologist. Perhaps the child needs the help of a doctor.

If your baby wakes up frequently at night but is otherwise healthy, the parents are probably doing something wrong. It is worth reconsidering the daily routine, bedtime, and the conditions in which the baby is. In most cases, after correcting the daily routine, the problem is solved.