There is not a single adult who has not experienced a tremulous feeling at the sight of a baby's smile. A baby smiling in a dream evokes special emotions. Why do babies smile in their sleep? A sleeping newborn experiences all the events of the day anew. Not surprising - he is just beginning to learn about the world around him, to absorb impressions. Since he sleeps for most of the day, until 20 o'clock, at this time there is a restoration of strength, the growth and development of his body continues. The main thing is that the not yet fully strengthened and mature nervous system of the baby is being formed, and the work of the brain is activated. Therefore, in a dream he smiles, experiencing again all the vivid emotions and pleasant moments.
Angelic smile of a sleepy baby
Features of sleep in a newborn
The infant sleeps a lot for the first 3-4 months. This is necessary for him for postpartum adaptation and normal development. A baby's sleep is not at all like an adult's. Periods of rapid and deep (or slow) rest are frequent. These phases are individual for each child. Up to six months in newborns, there is an alternation of calm and restless phases of sleep. Each of them has certain characteristics. During restless rest, the body relaxes, but the baby sleeps very sensitively. He can open or roll his eyes at these moments. In a calm period, when superficial and deep sleep alternate, complete rest occurs. The muscles of the face relax, the eyeballs stop moving, even at this time the baby does not react to extraneous noises.
Sleep phases in infants
If the baby is healthy, the phases of sleep will be as follows:
- after falling asleep - a quick period (20-30 minutes);
- it is changed by deep sleep, lasting about 20 minutes;
- a period of quick rest (about 40 minutes) comes to replace it.
This continues throughout the sleep. During the phase change, the baby can smile, even mumble something or laugh, while moving his little hands. Do not be afraid of this and wake him up. If the child falls asleep again, then this is quite normal - it means that he had a good dream.
Important! After 2 years in a child, the cycle of sleep periods becomes the same as in adults.
Infant deep sleep phase
Reasons for making babies smile in their sleep
Why do babies smile when they sleep? There are several theories to explain this phenomenon.
Theories about childhood dreams
Some pragmatic scientists attribute the appearance of a baby's smile to an involuntary contraction of the facial muscles. They call her a grimace. Why does a newborn grimace in a dream? This point of view of doctors can be controversial, because observations of children in the womb have proven that they can smile. This is a full-fledged manifestation of emotions, when the baby, smiling, reacts to the mother's voice, gentle touches and other pleasant sensations. This version is defended by somnologists who are engaged in the prevention and treatment of various forms of sleep disorders in humans.
There is another theory that explains the reason why newborns smile in their sleep. They fall asleep in the arms of their mothers, often without even letting go of their breasts. The dreams they see at these moments are associated with the most pleasant impressions. At the same time, a gentle smile blossoms on their lips.
It's not just good feelings that influence the appearance of smiles. According to another theory, a newborn receives information about our world at the genetic level and assimilates it. This triggers a response that manifests itself in an emotional form. This is just a guess.
Another version, a bit fabulous, can also be considered an explanation of why a newborn smiles when he falls asleep. The reason for the smile of a sleepy baby is the angels, as if arriving and playing with him.
How to speed up the appearance of a smile
Why does a baby smile when she sleeps? Children's doctors suggest that during sleep, especially at night, information is transmitted to the child at the level of genes, due to which his central nervous system and the sphere of sensitive activity develop. If he smiles in a dream, it means that he is full, healthy, calm. Therefore, good dreams come to him, causing a smile. To speed up its appearance, you need to create a pleasant calm environment in which he will be comfortable and cozy.
Interesting. In infants, vision is still poorly developed, so dreams come to him not visually, but at the level of impressions. Therefore, the more pleasant the sensations were, the brighter the emotions of the baby will be colored, the more often he will smile in his sleep.
You can endlessly admire the smiling sleepy baby. If he frowns, you can gently run your fingertips over the head, chin, arms. Such touching can again evoke positive emotions in the newborn. There are many different ways to help speed up the appearance of a happy smile: quiet, calm music, gentle stroking on the back, arms and legs, mother's soothing singing.
Kid smiling in a dream
When parents need to be alert
Sometimes it happens that the baby not only smiles, but also laughs while sleeping. If this happened only once, then there should be no cause for concern. A child can show his feelings in this way from an overabundance of emotions received during the day. If, in a dream, a newborn's lips and chin tremble, and the eyeballs quickly move to the right and left under the eyelids, then this may mean that something is bothering him. Maybe he has colic in his tummy, or his body temperature has risen. You just need to observe his behavior and find out the reasons for concern. If this is repeated many times and becomes normal, you need to sound the alarm.
The reasons provoking frequent laughter or crying of a baby in a dream:
- violation of the daily routine;
- frequent change of scenery;
- meeting strangers;
- stress;
- increased physical activity;
- brain pathology.
Important! If laughter in a dream turns into crying and vice versa, and this is repeated very often, urgent consultation with a specialist is necessary.
Sudden laughing or crying during sleep is not normal.
Favorable conditions for baby sleep
Newborns are considered children under one month old. It is during this period that it is necessary to provide the baby with special conditions for sleeping, so that he later gets used to falling asleep himself. The first 2 months after discharge from the maternity hospital, he sleeps for a long time, sometimes up to 20-22 hours a day. Over time, by the 3rd month, the total rest time will decrease to 15 hours a day, the intervals between daytime sleep and wakefulness will change (the baby will rest for 3-4 hours). The time for hygiene procedures and games will increase. All the same, the baby needs to be gradually accustomed to the rest schedule. It will be designed according to the physical development of the child.
It will not immediately turn out to accustom the baby to sleep according to the compiled daily routine. But there are no babies who do not sleep at all. It will be visible when the baby gets tired: he starts rubbing his eyes with his fists, yawning. At this moment, you need to calmly put him in the crib, singing a lullaby. A healthy child who is not worried about anything will quickly get used to it and begin to fall asleep on his own.
On a note. There is no need to teach a baby to sleep under her mother's breast. In order for the spine to form correctly, it is better to lay the newborn without a pillow, replacing it with a diaper folded two to four times. The mattress should be of medium firmness.
In order for the baby to develop harmoniously, to be healthy, calm, he needs a good sleep. In order to ensure proper rest for a child, several conditions must be met:
- sufficient adequate feeding;
- a walk before going to bed on the street;
- fresh humidified air in a ventilated room at a temperature not higher than +20 degrees;
- comfortable bed and clothes.
Another, most important, condition is a calm, affectionate mother. Therefore, she also needs rest, preferably at the same time as the newborn. She needs a day's sleep as much as a baby. On the one hand, a rested mother will not be nervous, having rested, it will become easier for her to look at all the chores and cope with them faster. On the other hand, resting during the day will help a nursing mother conserve milk. This is very important for babies.
Providing the baby with favorable conditions for sleeping, you can be sure that the baby's rest will be complete. This means that he will have good beautiful dreams, and the smile of a newborn during a nap will not cause alarm, but will become a good sign.
Favorable conditions for sleep are the key to healthy rest for your baby
No matter how many scientists argue about why newborn babies smile, no matter how many theories that explain the cause of this phenomenon, they put forward, a baby's smile will always be a mystery. Humanity is not given to know whether he sees in a dream the processes of the universe (which some scientists are talking about), whether he grimaces involuntarily or heard his mother's voice or smelled a smell. The main thing is that the smile is caused by the positive emotions of a healthy baby. This is the happiness of parents.
