But, unfortunately, reality often happens, is far from the norms established by experts. And if your restless kid does not fit into the frames defined by specialists, do not think that something is wrong with him, but just help him learn to sleep. And learn the details in the article on "Sleeping at night".
- Make a dream a priority
Putting a child to sleep, remember how important for the development and growth of the baby is the quality of sleep and its duration. Studies show that in the body of children who do not get enough sleep, the stress hormone cortisol is produced to a greater degree. And its presence in the child's blood is threatened with frequent night awakenings. That's a vicious croup of lack of sleep - a stress hormone - lack of sleep. Therefore, take care that your baby is more resting, because of a good sleep depends on brain activity, attention, behavior and the ability to learn. Observe the behavior of the baby, for what signs of drowsiness he manifests: he sobs, yawns, rubs his eyes. These precursors will help you in time to react and not miss the most favorable for a falling asleep moment.
- Prepare for a dream
The transition from wakefulness to sleep can not be instantaneous, as if turned off the light bulb. Begin preparing for bed in advance. Simple procedures such as massage and bath will help. During swimming, muffle the light, talk with a crumb in a soft, quiet voice. Wipe your baby with smooth stroking movements, as if you are doing a light massage. After three weeks of such "exercises" the baby will fall asleep much more quickly, and night awakenings will happen less often. So, in the afternoon there will be less whims.
It is important to put the child in bed when he is still awake, and not when he has already fallen asleep. If a child falls asleep while being breastfed, or shaken in a cradle, or fed from a bottle, after all, he will get used to and can not fall asleep without such "aids." The earlier you teach a child to fall asleep on his own, the sooner he will learn to calm down after a night awakening without your help. Try to move the last feeding of the child to the beginning of the preparatory procedures for going to sleep. So, instead of falling asleep in your arms, he will go to bed after you have changed his diaper. Sit next to you, sing a song to your little one-your voice, your breath will calm him and help you sleep. Perhaps, at first the baby will protest, but still adhere to the "training" regime, and gradually the child will get used to this sequence of actions. If you start training on time, the child will not have time to fix the "wrong" habits associated with falling asleep, and it will be easier for you to normalize his sleep. Do not iron or touch the baby during sleep, even if it looks "like an angel" or you think that it is not comfortable lying. Leave all the manifestations of love and tenderness for the period of wakefulness, because this is a mutual process, the child must also participate in it, and therefore, be distracted from sleep.
- Night Feeding
While the little one does not have three months, be ready to get up to it 3 to 5 times a night. But gradually the number of night feedings should be reduced. Children who get several feedings per night, eat less than usual during the day and, hungry at night, wake up. As a result, you have to stand up several times a night to give your baby a chest or a bottle. As soon as you begin to trim the number of night feedings, you will achieve that the child will eat more in the daytime and stop waking from hunger. But it is fair to say that babies who are breastfed get much more awake at night. When feeding mother's milk, the feeling of hunger comes earlier, because breast milk is digested much more efficiently. In addition, contact with the breast may be necessary, so that the baby could relax and fall asleep. Infants who are given breasts so that they fall asleep are most likely to have difficulty sleeping. If the baby falls asleep while feeding, gently wake him and then put him to bed.
What to do, if...
1) The child insists on another tale or song in the middle of the night.
Be loving, but firm. Set a certain ritual: reading a fairy tale, singing, hugging, wishing good night - and stick to it. If the baby protests and demands a fairy tale, recall that you agreed to read fairy tales before going to bed, and not in the middle of the night. Ask the kid what happened, whether he has any more important requests.
2) The child gets out of bed immediately, as soon as you leave the room. Soothing procedures before going to bed help to prepare the child for bed, both physically and psychologically. If your efforts did not bring the desired results, take the kid back to bed and firmly say: "Now you need to sleep." Just do not fall into the trap, constantly driving the disobedient child into the crib, because he can perceive it as a game.
3) The crumb awakens with the rising and begins to wake you up.
Minimize glare and noise in the children's room. Dense curtains and soundproof windows can help. Also you can experiment with the schedule of going to bed. The cause of early rises may be later falling asleep, as well as the lack of normal daytime sleep or too large gaps between day and night sleep. If your baby wakes up at five in the morning, pack it early in the evening.
5) Massage
Researchers say that children who are massaged before going to sleep sleep much better. The level of stress hormone production is also lower, and the melatonin content rises. If you are not sure of your abilities as a child's masseur, apply baby oil on the baby's skin and easily stroke it on the back, handles and legs; it will certainly bear fruit.
6) Increase the sleep time
No matter how brilliant the idea may seem, the later a child falls asleep, the less he wakes up, in fact, having packed it at 10 pm, you will only aggravate the problem of night awakenings. According to the circadian (daily) biorhythms of the body, the baby is programmed to feel drowsy and fall asleep very much at first sight - between 18.30 and 19.30. If you miss this "window" favorable for falling asleep, the body will begin to fight with the accumulated fatigue, producing the appropriate stimulating chemicals. As a result, the nervous system of the child will be overexcited, and it will be much more difficult for him to fall asleep and not wake up at night. If it seems to you that 18.30 is a bit "overkill", if parents are at work during the day, try to assign a "call-off" for 8-9pm.
7) Without light
Try to eliminate all light sources from which the crumb can wake up. Even the smallest amount of light interferes with the production of melatonin in the baby's body, so make sure that the room is dark. But for very anxious and timid children, you can use dim lights or leave a light in the back room and keep the door in the nursery ajar. Do not use light from the screen of a working computer or TV.
- For every age
There is a good age for training good sleep and the age when it works poorly. The older the child becomes, the more he is filled with new knowledge, skills, impressions and, if the sleep mechanism is not debugged, will sleep restlessly.
- 0-2.5 months
Do not feel the difference between day and night, they have not yet produced enough melatonin. Require frequent feeding at night.
- 3-4 months
The infants set a cycle of sleep and wakefulness, they fall asleep more easily and calmly, less anxiously. 4,5-5,5 months Kroha begins to "coo" and actively tries to come into contact with you. A good time for the appearance of rituals of going to sleep.
- 6-8 months
Babies are more interested in toys, and can already occupy themselves for some time. Night awakenings are no longer as noisy as they used to be, and it's easier and faster to calm a baby.
- 9-11 months
A child can be more anxious, because for the first time he realizes that you are not his part, but a separate being. To make sure that you are there, he can call you several times a night with tears, but he will calm down quickly if he hears your voice.
- 12-16 months
At this age, the kid is focused on developing speech and physical skills, he is not so attached to his parents. Use this period to normalize his sleep.
- 17-21 month
During this period, the child fluctuates between the need for independence and the desire to remain in a state of infant addiction, which makes him feel vulnerable and anxious. At this stage it is better to refrain from accustoming to a "proper" sleep.
And older children?
The child can wake up in the middle of the night and coo, gratify, or try to get into your bed. Sleep is one of the most vulnerable areas of a child's life, therefore, if something happens in the external or internal life that the psyche does not cope with, the sleep process may break or the sleep becomes superficial and intermittent. Now we know what should be a quiet sleep of the kid at night.