It is not uncommon for tiny babies to confuse day with night, so they have trouble sleeping. As they get older, babies get used to the daily routine, and the process normalizes by itself. However, in some cases, it is not always possible to establish a healthy and restful sleep. If a child at the age of 7 months sleeps badly at night, the problem must be solved, because poor-quality rest harms, first of all, the baby itself. In addition, such violations do not allow the baby's parents to sleep.
For normal growth and development of the baby, his sleep must be full.
In most cases, the need for milk awakens children in the middle of the night. The stomach of a newborn is very small, so the food received earlier is digested rather quickly. This reason for frequent awakenings is completely natural and does not require elimination. But it also happens that the baby wakes up due to other factors, which will be discussed below.
The main causes of poor sleep
Common causes of nighttime awakenings in a 7 month old baby are:
- Excessive daytime sleep. By the evening, the kid feels rested and does not want to sleep at all.
- Excited state. Outdoor games with a child at night will lead to the fact that the baby will not be able to relax and calm down.
- Deviation from the schedule. Laying the baby too late can also cause the baby to become overexcited and overworked, which can lead to difficulty falling asleep and restless sleep.
- Uncomfortable conditions - bright light, noisy environment, uncomfortable clothes or bed, too high or too low air temperature, stuffiness.
- The inability of a newborn to fall asleep on its own. If the baby is used to the ritual of motion sickness or GW before going to bed, then he can hardly do without these actions.
- Lack of the correct regime. If a child falls asleep at different times every day, then you should not be surprised why his night's rest is disturbed.
- Painful or other unpleasant sensations that can be caused by teething, thirst.
On a note. Colic at this age usually no longer bothers babies and stops by about 3-4 months.
Bright light is a serious hindrance to normal infant sleep
- Nervous tension. If your child often wakes up in the middle of the night, worries and cries, then the baby may have experienced an emotional shock during the day. An event that worried a baby may be insignificant for an adult, but bright and significant enough for a 7-month-old baby. In addition, it is much easier for a baby to excite than to calm down. Even a new toy can overload the nervous system of a newborn. If the baby plays with her before bedtime, then, most likely, he will be overexcited and will not be able to sleep normally.
- No fatigue. The body of the newborn is full of energy, and if the baby has not exhausted it during the day, then he will sleep restlessly at night.
- Confuses day with night. The child has not formed the correct biorhythms. This process takes place during the entire first year of life. That is why the biological clock of seven-month-old babies can be knocked down.
- If the child wakes up frequently, growth processes may be the cause. During development, the body of a newborn undergoes physiological and psychological changes. By the seventh month, the baby begins to actively crawl, bend, toss and turn, get up, twist with legs and arms, including during sleep, and often wakes up from his own movements.
- I didn't have time to sleep soundly. Deep sleep in a child does not come immediately - after about 20 minutes. During this time, sleep is superficial, active, restless. If the baby fell asleep during the motion sickness, then before transferring it to the crib, you need to wait about 20 minutes. Otherwise, the child can easily wake up.
- Lack of attention. If the baby lacks maternal love and warmth, then it can be difficult for him to fall asleep.
- The baby is malnourished during the day.
How much should a child sleep
The duration of sleep in children at 7 months is approximately 12-14 hours.
Interesting. The sleep of a baby is very different from that of an adult. More than half of the entire duration of sleep, the infant is in the active phase. It is very easy to wake up the child at this time. As they grow older, the proportion of superficial sleep decreases, giving way to a deep phase, during which the newborn sleeps so soundly that he does not wake up even from loud sounds. That is why the famous saying "sleep like a baby" or "sleep like a baby" appeared. The deep phase in infants does not last long, and therefore there are frequent problems with falling asleep.
Daytime sleep
Rest for a 7-month-old baby during the day occurs 2 times for 1.5-2 hours. The best time for him is from 8 to 10 in the morning and from 12 to lunch.
Daily rest should be short but continuous
Night sleep
Of the 12-14 hours of total sleep, the baby's night rest is about 10 hours continuously.
What to do if you don't sleep well
To prevent sleep disturbances in an infant, you can do the following:
- Do not allow the child to sleep more than 2 hours during the day without a break;
- Prepare for bed in advance. The ritual can include listening to quiet music without words, massage with light strokes.
- Lay the baby no later than 9 pm;
- Teach the child to fall asleep on their own in their bed;
- To accustom the baby to a constant regimen so that the baby falls asleep at the same time;
- Provide comfort. The room should be dark (dim light is allowed), warm enough and cozy. It is important that the clothes are as comfortable as possible (without thick seams) and loose, there are no folds on the bed. The recommended air temperature in the room is 21-23 degrees. The air must be fresh, the humidity must be within acceptable values.
If the cause of poor sleep was nervous tension, then in the evening it is recommended to bathe the baby in a warm bath with the addition of essential oils or lavender. Before bed, you can talk to your baby in a gentle, soothing voice. Listening to loud music and watching cartoons are completely excluded. If the baby does not want to fall asleep at night, because he is not tired during the day, then you need to walk and play more with him.
Important! The goal is to tire the child, but not overexcite.
If the baby confused day with night, then the problem is solved as follows: in the morning they must open the curtains, and in the evening they turn off the bright light, turn down the sound of the TV and do not turn on loud music. Noise and bright light should also be avoided during night feedings.
If the cause of poor sleep is the natural growth and development of the baby, then the problem will not be completely eliminated. However, it is quite possible to mitigate their negative manifestation. For example, when a baby's teeth begin to erupt, it is recommended to purchase a special item - a teether. The massager is designed to relieve gum pain. Also, do not forget about ointments and pain relievers, consisting of natural ingredients. Physical activity during sleep should be completely replaced by daytime "workouts". Then the baby will not feel the need to crawl and roll over at night.
Key Features of Healthy Sleep in a 7 Month Old Infant
If it is decided to disaccustom the child to sleep with his parents, then at first he may experience an acute lack of affection and warmth, demonstrate whims and tantrums. Lulling in your arms should be gradually stopped, and the baby should be put in the crib until he falls asleep, then wait until the baby falls asleep on its own.
When an uncomfortable microclimate causes a problem, you can adjust the temperature regime using a fan, radiator or air conditioner.
Important! This technique should be used with great care so as not to chill the baby. It is better not to turn it on in the presence of a child.
It is recommended to use a breather in order to ensure optimal humidity and to rid the room of stuffiness. This device is completely safe (the air becomes warm, drafts are excluded), so it can be used in the nursery.
The physical discomfort of the baby can be caused by pillows, uncomfortable clothes, synthetic bedding, toys. You should not put unnecessary items in the cradle, despite their harmlessness and cute appearance.
On a note. The mattress in the crib should be moderately firm, pillows are not needed at all.
How to put a baby to bed
To put the baby to bed and provide him with good rest, you must adhere to the following rules:
- Go to bed on time. The optimal time is from 18:30 to 19:30. By the evening, the baby begins to produce the sleep hormone melatonin. It is he who promotes falling asleep and an increase in the phase of deep sleep, which occurs in the first half of the rest (from 7 pm to 1 am).
- The schedule should be clear and consistent.
- You need to monitor your child's nutrition throughout the day. At the age of 6-7 months, it becomes boring for a baby to eat - the baby notices more interesting things in the environment, more actively seeks to explore the world, learn new things. As a result, the need for food fades into the background, the child is malnourished during the day, and during the night he can get up several times to eat.
- It is important that you have adequate naps. Insufficient rest leads to overwork of the baby, by the evening he becomes too excited. The fact is that with a lack of daytime sleep in a child, the level of cortisol in the blood rises, which does not allow the baby to sleep normally at night. It is for this reason that children often wake up, some - every 10-15 minutes.
- The child should not get vivid impressions before bedtime. Otherwise, he will be overexcited, and it will be impossible to lay him down.
- The kid needs to be given enough attention. If a newborn lacks the latter, then at night he may wake up, scream and demand mom or dad. This is how he makes up for the absence of his parents at home during the day.
- Teach your baby to fall asleep on their own. At the age of 7 months, the baby no longer needs motion sickness, GW for sleep, it does not need to be laid with a bottle, a nipple, and so on. It is necessary to rid the child of these associations.
- Observe the ritual of falling asleep, prepare bedtime in advance.
The most important condition for quality sleep is observance of rituals
On a note. To improve children's sleep, Dr. Komarovsky advises to optimize the diet. In his opinion, by the age of 7 months, night feedings can be completely abandoned.
So, if a child of 7 months does not sleep well at night, often wakes up and cries, then establishing the cause of such violations and observing all the necessary rules and recommendations will help to correct the situation. Also, do not forget about regular and timely visits to the pediatrician and other doctors in order to exclude diseases as the cause of poor baby sleep.
