An infant's restful sleep is interrupted for various reasons. Every young mother should know why the baby screams at night. By adjusting the baby's daily routine and protecting him from stress, you can promote a sound infant sleep.
Baby screams at night
Features of a child's sleep up to a year
An infant's sleep is different from that of an adult. Most of it, the baby is in the fast phase.
Important! During the rapid phase of sleep, it is very easy for a baby to wake up.
During deep sleep, the baby sleeps very soundly. At this time, even the loudest sounds cannot wake him up. True, this phase does not last long.
Sleep rhythms in children up to 3-4 months are similar to the frequent wavelike alternation of "fast" and "slow" cycles. After 4 months of age, the duration of the fast phase decreases, and the slow one becomes similar to the "adult" one. From this age, the baby falls asleep on its own between phases.
Baby sleep
Children under one year old sleep from 11 to 18 hours a day. The duration of uninterrupted sleep rarely exceeds 3 hours. The kid wakes up mainly due to hunger, because a small portion of food is digested quickly.
Sleep features
| Age | Daytime sleep | Sleep at night |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 2 months | 2.5 hours 6 times | 6 o'clock |
| Up to 4 months | 2 or 2.5 hours 5 times | 6.5 hrs |
| Up to 6 months | 4 or 5 times for 2 hours | 7 h. |
| Up to 9 months | 3 or 4 times for one and a half - two hours | 8 h. |
| Until one year of age | One and a half - two hours 2 times | Up to 10 hours |
Reasons why a child screams at night
The child cries and bends at night for the following reasons:
- Stress. Parents should know that it is very easy for babies to get excited about something. Often times, a child cries out during sleep due to minor events, such as a new toy. The kid can respond with crying and family conflicts, quarrels.
- Some medical reasons are diarrhea, worms, cramps due to lack of vitamins.
- The child screams at night and because the limb was lying down, so he does not feel it.
- The kid may not sleep at night because he has not spent all his energy. Often, in mobile children, energy literally spills over the edge.
- The biological rhythms have not yet been formed in infants. For this reason, the child yells at night. It happens that he does not sleep in the dark, but rests in the daytime.
- Rickets are common in infants. In the early stages of the disease, neuro-reflex excitability increases, which is clearly manifested in 3-4 months. Infants have fearfulness, irritability, anxiety, sleep disturbances. Sometimes he can cry out.
- The child may be disturbed by an uncomfortable bed or pajamas, the presence of a large number of children's toys and pillows in the cradle, or just a wet diaper.
- Up to three months of age, the crumbs often have colic and severe pain. Starting from 6 months, teeth begin to actively erupt in children. A child of 6 months screams wildly at night, most often due to teething.
Intestinal colic
- The room can be cold, hot, or stuffy.
- Enlarged tonsils can be one of the causes of snoring and restless sleep.
- Finally, babies feel that their mother is not around. Some babies definitely need tactile contact with her.
Note! A child aged 1-2 months sleeps poorly if there is no mother nearby. If he wakes up alone, it is difficult for him to fall asleep. He communicates this with a shout.
Sometimes the child can wake up after a few hours and scream loudly. Some parents note that the child yells at night "like a cut". This is due to a mismatch in the periods of the sleep cycle (called parasomnia). The same phenomenon occurs due to the accumulation of negative emotions, the development of fears.
How to help your child if he screams and cries at night
Parents can ensure your baby has a restful and healthy sleep. To do this, you must adhere to the following recommendations:
- In the room where the baby sleeps, you need to create silence. The baby's shallow sleep phase lasts much longer, it is important to create conditions so that sleep is not interrupted. During this time, you cannot turn on the TV and talk loudly.
- At the moment of awakening, you need to go to the baby and calm him down: stroke, hug, stay until completely asleep.
- Gently stroking the baby's back helps him to calm down and relax, and helps him fall asleep quickly. Gentle, relaxing massage is sometimes helpful.
Light massage of the child
- The child must be full. If he is hungry, he will not sleep soundly.
Important! When breastfeeding, the baby eats only when it releases the breast itself.
- Mom should always be calm. Only in this state will she provide warmth, love and sound sleep.
- Breast colic can be alleviated if you do not rush to complementary foods, and feed the baby only with breast milk for up to 4-6 months.
Tips for Promoting Healthy Baby Sleep
The following tips will help keep your baby healthy:
- It is important for parents to observe the daily routine. It is necessary for the baby to sleep, stay awake and eat at about the same time.
- The optimum air temperature should be maintained. Open the window during hot weather. In autumn and winter, before going to bed, ventilate the room well.
- The infant bed should not be in a draft.
- The baby should not be allowed to sleep in the same bed with his parents. This is discouraged by most pediatricians.
- You should not allow your baby to sleep too much during the day, otherwise he will not sleep well at night.
- Optimize the time for feeding the baby at night. In the first 3 months of life, one or two feedings are sufficient. Up to six months of age, one meal per night is enough. Further, the baby does not biologically need night feeding.
- It is necessary for the baby to sleep enough in the fresh air during the day. Outdoor games and active knowledge of the world should be encouraged.
- Well soothes bathing at night. You can add a decoction of chamomile or mint to the water.
Bathing the baby in the tub
- The child must have a high quality disposable diaper.
Doctors advise against ignoring infant crying. You need to approach the baby, take him in your arms, and caress him. In case of pain syndrome, take measures to eliminate it. When a child is bored, you need to be with him or give him the opportunity to fall asleep in his arms.
