The first six months of the baby's life are over. The child is actively developing, growing and has already acquired many skills and abilities. All these processes are largely determined by the quality of the baby's sleep - good rest provides invaluable assistance to the normal development of the child's body. During this period, the baby needs a lot of energy to explore the world around him, so it is very important for him to get enough sleep, which is able to restore the strength spent during the day. Sometimes problems arise due to which a child of 6 months does not sleep well at night. Why is this happening and how to fix the situation?
Infant sleep disorders are common
Restless sleep at six months
A six-month-old baby needs a long rest - 14-16 hours a day. During this period, important changes occur in the sleep mode - the transition from 3 daytime dreams to 2. The total duration of daytime rest is 3.5-4 hours, and nighttime - from 10 to 12 hours.
Children's sleep is significantly different from that of an adult. About 50-70% of a baby's sleep occurs during the active phase, during which the baby sleeps shallowly, so it is very easy to wake him up. Gradually, as we grow older, the ratio of active and deep sleep changes in favor of the latter.
On a note. Deep sleep in newborn babies does not last long, so the risk of problems in the form of frequent awakenings, restless behavior during rest increases significantly.
A sharp jump in his physical development has a strong influence on the quality of rest of a six-month-old child:
- children become more active, constantly move, learn to sit and even crawl;
- Skills training can often occur during sleep, leading to anxiety and constant awakening in the middle of the night.
Mental development also largely determines the quality of the infant's sleep:
- By the sixth month, the child, regardless of gender, reaches a new stage in mental development: he begins to understand that the surrounding objects occupy a certain place in space and are at a certain distance from him;
- When a baby makes such a "discovery", he feels fear, helplessness, confusion;
- Such sensations directly affect the behavior of the baby during night and day rest - sleep becomes anxious, restless, the baby begins to spin, toss and turn in bed.
Another common factor is the fear of estrangement from mom. A six-month-old baby reacts very painfully to the absence of parents nearby. Just leaving the children's room for a couple of minutes can cause a real hysteria in a baby. Such a reaction is normal - the baby has grown up and now understands that mom is a separate person and cannot always be around.
The duration of one day's rest ranges from 40 minutes to 2.5 hours. Sometimes the third sleep at six months still persists, then each of them lasts 1-1.5 hours. However, closer to 7 months, a gradual "shedding" of the third sleep will begin to occur. A signal for this is the reduction of the last day's rest to 30-40 minutes or refusal from it in some cases. If the baby is able to stay awake for 3 hours of meringue break, then he is ready to go to 2 sleep.
On a note. If, due to the third day's rest, the time to bed at night is postponed to a later one, this is another sign that it is time to give up the third sleep.
Six-month-old babies have a long rest without interruption only once a day. As the baby grows older, the frequency and number of night awakenings gradually decrease, and the duration of continuous rest increases. At six months, the child can sleep continuously for 6-8 hours, since up to 10 months he needs night feeds (he wakes up at night to eat).
Night feeds may interrupt a 6 month old baby's night sleep, but this is not a problem at this age
Why does a child wake up and cry
The causes of restless sleep and frequent awakenings can be roughly divided into 3 groups, each of which includes several sub-items:
- Physiological factors:
- Development leaps and other changes characteristic of this age in the baby's body;
- The health of the baby and his mother.
- Sleep conditions:
- Temperature, humidity in the nursery;
- Comfortable clothes, comfortable bed;
- Sounds, lighting.
- Psychology:
- Organization of rest and wakefulness (daily regimen and nutrition, bedtime rituals, etc.);
- Independence;
- Motivation.
The result is a kind of pyramid of reasons, distributed according to the principle "from simple to complex", if you go through the list from bottom to top. The factors affecting the quality of sleep are very numerous and most often occur in combination, regardless of the level of location in the "pyramid".
The causes of restless sleep
The most common causes of sleep disturbance in 6 month old infants are:
- Wrong daily routine or deviations from it. Too much or not enough sleep;
- Failure to comply with rituals;
- Formation of negative associations in the baby associated with going to bed;
- Uncomfortable environment in the room in which the child sleeps;
- Negative psychological atmosphere in the house;
- Abrupt change in activity;
- Leap in development, learning new skills, active study of the world around;
- Late in the evening;
- Lack of parental attention;
- Diseases and other disorders associated with the health of the infant;
- The inconsistency and inconsistency of parents in their actions;
- Early "relocation" to a large bed.
Active games with a baby before bed are not allowed
More details on each of the following factors:
- Wrong schedule and amount of sleep. According to research by specialists, in the human body, including the baby, special cyclical processes occur at a certain time. At these moments, the hormonal background changes, which contributes to easy and quick falling asleep (metabolism slows down, body temperature decreases). Sleep hormone reaches its highest concentration during the following periods:
- From 8:30 to 9:00 (the first sleep of infants under six months);
- From 12:30 to 13:00 (daytime nap);
- From 18:00 to 20:00 (ideal time to prepare for a night's sleep).
On a note. Each child has their own standards for total rest and wakefulness intervals. They should also be taken into account when drawing up and executing the daily schedule. If you ignore this moment, the baby will be overworked and will not be able to fall asleep soundly (untimely bedding leads to the release of a large amount of the stress hormone cortisol, which does not allow a small child to calm down and fall asleep).
- Failure to follow the usual rituals. Babies are not able to tell the time by the clock, so they have to focus on the repetitive actions of mom and dad that precede the rest. It is necessary to create rituals and accustom the baby to them from his very birth. In the future, it remains only to slightly modify the procedure, adjusting it to the age and needs of the baby. The standard lying down ritual includes hygiene, dressing, massage, reading books or listening to music, hugging and kissing. Interruption in these processes can occur due to travel, sleeping in an unusual place, etc. As a result, the preparation gets confused, which leads to crying, capricious behavior, and anxiety of the child before bedtime.
- Negative associations. Parents often resort to a wide variety of ways to put the baby to bed, namely:
- The presence of mom is nearby;
- Motion sickness in the bed or on the arms;
- Breast-feeding;
- Dummy;
- Car ride;
- Sleep only in a wheelchair.
The baby's motion sickness as a prerequisite for falling asleep is a negative association for the baby
All of these examples can become a crutch for the baby to fall asleep, but, in fact, they will only hinder the baby's strong and calm rest. As a result of getting used to such associations, the child will not be able to fall asleep on his own - he will call his mother, ask for food, demand motion sickness and other types of help from his parents. It is necessary to get rid of a bad habit at the age of six months (up to 4 months, such associations are quite acceptable).
- A sharp change in activity. Babies do not know how to quickly switch from one activity to another - they need time to get ready for bed. That is why it is very difficult for a child who is excited by games or other active actions to go to sleep. In addition, as they grow older, it becomes more interesting for the baby to spend time with mom and dad, to develop, to learn something new. Therefore, six-month-old children can consciously refuse to sleep.
- Uncomfortable environment. This category includes loud sounds, bright light (especially important for daytime sleep), fresh air (you need to ventilate the room at night), temperature (should not be higher than 21 degrees).
- Late bedding. An overworked infant is much more reluctant to go to bed. The baby's sleep becomes anxious and interrupted by frequent awakenings and crying. Waking up, the baby cannot sleep on his own. The ideal time to lay down is between 7:00 pm and 8:30 pm.
- Diseases and other health problems. At six months, babies no longer bother with colic, but it often happens that a child wakes up at night and cries. 6 months is the age when newborns begin to actively erupt teeth. This process causes severe pain to the baby. Also, babies often have allergic reactions, which are accompanied by itching. A cold can lead to shortness of breath, cough and other symptoms that prevent the baby from sleeping well.
- Leap in development, active learning of new skills. At 6 months, the child learns to sit, tries to get up in the crib, and moves a lot. Daytime wakefulness is not enough for him to "train" his skills, so he begins to be active in the middle of the night. It usually takes about 2 weeks to master one skill.
- Lack of parental attention and care. If a child feels a lack of maternal love and affection during the day, then it is not surprising that at night he wakes up and starts calling for his mother.
- Inconsistency in actions. It is important that all family members adhere to the same rules of behavior with the child, observe the same daily and night schedule. Otherwise, the baby will become confused about what is correct in his behavior and what is not.
- Premature "relocation" to a large bed. A 6-month-old baby is clearly not ready for such changes. The most suitable age for this is 2.5-3 years.
How to set up a baby's sleep pattern
So that the baby can rest normally, sleep without awakening, not spinning, not crying, it is necessary to establish the cause of the problem and find an appropriate solution for it:
- Form the correct daily and night schedule, taking into account the physiological characteristics and biorhythms of the baby. When scheduling, it is necessary to comply with the norms of the duration of sleep and wakefulness for six-month-old babies.
- If the reason for poor-quality rest was the violation of the usual rituals, then it is necessary to come up with a new unique family ritual of going to bed and adhere to it clearly. Active games and watching cartoons should be completely excluded from this procedure.
- It is important not to allow a sharp change in the activity of the baby before bedtime. 10-15 minutes before laying the child in your arms and try to calm him down. Toys are removed away so that they do not distract the baby. It is better to fill the time before bedtime with quiet games, listening to "white noise", reading books.
- An uncomfortable environment requires adjustment. It is advisable to install a thermometer in the children's room, hang dark curtains, and install an air conditioner.
- Some parents put their baby to bed later than the scheduled time so that the daddy can talk to the baby when he comes home from work. As a result, an overexcited infant cannot sleep normally. Therefore, to communicate with your father, it is better to set aside the morning time or include the dad in the ritual of going to bed at night.
- If the cause of poor sleep is health problems, then you need to seek help from a pediatrician (he will examine the baby, prescribe medications, if necessary). Teething is a temporary phenomenon, so the parents and the child can only wait out this moment. During the period of exacerbation of diseases, it is important not to deviate from the regime and adhere to the usual ritual of preparing for bed.
- During the training period, it is necessary to ensure that the child has enough daytime to "train" the acquired skills.
- It is important to give your baby enough attention and care.
- All family members must adhere to the same rules of behavior, observe the daily and night routine, and be consistent and persistent in their actions.
Interesting. According to Dr. Komarovsky, “the child must adapt to the family model,” and not vice versa.
- You should not replace the cradle with a large bed if the baby is not yet ready for such changes.
At six months, babies learn to sit and stand up
Useful Tips
If your toddler is practicing sitting and standing, you need to show him how to get back to the lying position correctly. Then the baby will be able to go to bed on his own and fall asleep without the help of his parents.
A dramatic leap in a baby's mental development requires constant physical and emotional contact with the mother. A close bond for several weeks will restore the newborn's confidence and calmness.
If the baby is afraid of distance from his mother, you should demonstrate to the baby that his parents are always there. This period is not the best time for the development of independence in a child.
The situation when a child at 6 months does not sleep well at night, often wakes up and cries - a completely natural phenomenon. However, sometimes the cause is the wrong actions of parents and other family members. In any case, it is always possible, if not eliminated, then at least to reduce the manifestation of negative factors affecting the baby's sleep.
