If a newborn sobs periodically during sleep, do not worry. This is usually due to physiological reasons that do not affect the health of the baby. Nevertheless, it is necessary to take care of the quality of sleep, because a full rest is necessary for an infant to grow and develop.
Baby
Sleep phases of newborn babies
Newborn babies sleep almost constantly. They are awake for only a few hours a day. This is enough for them to eat, chat with loved ones and change clothes.
Sleep duration is gradually reduced, but most of it remains superficial. If the baby closed his eyes, this does not mean that you can safely put him in the crib, go about your business. It takes time for the baby to fall into deep sleep.
The fast phase is easy to recognize by the following signs:
- The child moves his arms, legs;
- A smile appears on his face;
- The kid sobs, shudders;
- The eyeballs move under the eyelids.
As soon as the baby begins to breathe regularly, any movements, sighs stop, the transition to slow sleep is complete. At the time of the phase change, the baby may slightly open his eyes and even twitch. When superficial sleep ends, the child wakes up briefly to check if everything is okay. If he feels that he is hungry, he is wet or does not notice his mother, he may finally wake up and cry. Only in this way is the baby able to tell the parents that he is experiencing discomfort.
It happens that the baby is used to falling asleep in an embrace with his mother, then the transition from REM sleep to deep sleep is not easy for him. He has developed an association that when he drinks breast milk, it is time to rest. To teach your baby to fall asleep on his own, you should not run to him as soon as he sobs. You need to give the baby time to try to relax without mom's help.
Note! The change in sleep stages in children of the first year of life occurs more often than in adults. Therefore, babies wake up several times during the night.
The kid woke up at night
The main reasons for sobbing in a dream
Babies cannot yet voice their desires and concerns. They get their parents' attention by crying. When a child screams, he does not necessarily hurt, perhaps he missed his mother or realized that he was cold.
Why is a newborn sobbing in a dream, is it dangerous for his health:
- Experiencing, remembering the past day. If the crumbs' everyday life is oversaturated with emotions, then he is not able to cope with them. It doesn't matter if he was happy or his impressions were mostly sad. The baby's nervous system is still being formed, therefore, happy and sad events in his life should occur in doses;
- I went overboard. Parents did not put the baby to bed on time. The right moment was missed. If the baby began to scream before going to bed from fatigue, he rolls up in crying and eventually falls asleep from exhaustion, then it is likely that he will sob for some time;
- Wants to go to the toilet or feels that his diaper is cold;
- Experiencing pain or discomfort. At the age of about two weeks and up to four months, babies are worried about colic. Their tummies seem to be bursting with a lot of gas. This prevents them from falling asleep and getting adequate rest. Colic occurs precisely in the evening and night. Also, the baby's teeth may be cut. The itching begins, which they try to relieve with toys, blankets. When the baby puts everything in his mouth, his salivation has increased, it is worth examining his gums. If they look swollen, a tooth will appear soon. During this time, the baby may develop profuse mucous nasal discharge. They must be liquid and transparent. If the snot begins to stretch and turn white, especially yellow and green, most likely the baby is sick. If an infant suffocates during sleep, then you need to see a doctor, especially if he has a fever. For a small child, even a mild runny nose is a serious test. He still cannot breathe through his mouth, reflexively opening it when his nose is stuffy;
- Feels uncomfortable. The baby may be hot or cool if he is in a draft. Light from a lamp or street lamp interferes with normal sleep. Perhaps his rest was disturbed by a loud and harsh sound. This does not mean that you need to stand silently near a sleeping baby and move silently. Monotonous sounds will not disturb him;
- Worried about the development crisis. In children, this happens when they grow up, the baby learns a lot of new skills, and the psychological load increases;
- Hungry or thirsty. Newborns eat often but little. This is due to the volume of the stomach. Growing up, babies wake up less and less at night, by the year many are already able to rest until morning. However, if the room is hot, the baby will still feel thirsty. Therefore, it is best to keep a bottle or mug of water near your bed.
The kid drinks at night
Note! Some babies sob at night when the weather changes. Usually, babies born prematurely or experiencing oxygen starvation are meteosensitive.
How to behave to parents
When a child sobs in a dream, the task of moms and dads is to understand what is provoking. If you immediately eliminate the cause, then the crumb will not wake up, quickly calm down and continue to rest. It is extremely necessary to provide the baby with high-quality sleep, because at this time he grows, develops, assimilates the information and skills received, and his nervous system improves.
Moms and dads should be with the baby when he falls asleep. If the baby is rocked in his arms and then put to bed, it is better to wait until he goes into the deep phase of sleep. The newborn needs constant contact with the parents. Later, you can calm the baby in his crib, but still be around. This will make your baby feel safe. If he opens his eyes when the sleep phases change and sees that mom is not there, then he will be upset and may sob. When she is quickly in the infant's field of vision, he will calm down. You can sit next to him, pat on the head, back, quietly sing a lullaby. You don't need to pick up your baby right away. Most likely, to relax and plunge into a long sweet dream, his mother's voice and gentle touches will be enough for him.
Mom next to baby
Note! When the baby sobs, you need to check if his diaper is clean. To change it, it is not necessary to carry the baby into the bath, then he will finally wake up. It is necessary to always have wet wipes and clean diapers on hand.
To prevent the child from sobbing because of hunger, you need to feed him abundantly before going to bed. It happens that the baby refuses a whole portion, in which case you need to cut the penultimate one. Then by nightfall he will be slightly hungry and will eat whatever his mother prepares for him. At the same time, you cannot overfeed the baby, because this is a direct path to increased regurgitation. If infants fed on breast milk are fed to satiety, then there are restrictions for "artificial". You cannot ignore the recommendations on the pack with the adapted mixture.
How to improve baby sleep
If a child whimpers in a dream, shudders, you need to reconsider the conditions in which he is. The following tips can help improve the quality of your baby's rest:
- Before going to bed, ventilate the room with crumbs every evening. It will not be superfluous to do this during the day;
- Be sure to walk with the baby for at least two hours a day;
- Carry out wet cleaning in the room, it is better to get rid of carpets, do not purchase many soft toys;
- Buy your baby a firm mattress designed specifically for babies;
- Do not use pillows for up to two years, do not cover for up to a year, it is better to put on a crumb warmer. Blankets and rugs will only interfere with the child;
- Maintain the optimal temperature in the room, preferably not higher than 22 degrees;
- Use bed linen made from natural fabrics. The same applies to the clothes in which the baby sleeps. It must be selected by size, small sets constrain the movement of the crumbs, make him feel discomfort;
- Purchase a night light, thanks to which soft light will spread throughout the room. Children often feel anxious, which means they can sob when opening their eyes in the dark. The light of an ordinary lamp can also scare a baby;
- Leave bright events for the afternoon, devote the evening to quiet games, reading books. It is also better to invite guests in the morning, otherwise there is a risk that the child will become overexcited and abandon the previous regime. It is better to stick to the daily routine at all times. Toddlers quickly get used to the actions that follow each other every day. So they understand what they will do next, and do not worry, do not feel threatened;
- Create bedtime rituals. For example, in the evening after a baby takes a bath, he eats milk or formula, puts on pajamas, flips through a book and goes to bed. So, changing clothes, he will wait for the next action and subconsciously tune in to rest;
- At night, do not turn on cartoons for the baby and do not show bright unfamiliar pictures;
- It is good to feed your baby before bed.
The last feeding of the crumbs
The baby can sob during sleep for various reasons. The goal of parents is to quickly understand what exactly the baby is missing. After all, if he does not receive what he wants, then he will finally wake up, then it will be much more difficult to calm him down. A simple sobbing can turn into hysterics, you will have to take the baby in your arms and rock it again. Creating comfortable conditions and adherence to the regime will help normalize children's sleep. Various rituals (any repetitive actions) serve as a way to calm the baby, give confidence that he is not in danger. As the baby grows up, his nervous system improves, the colic recedes, and the sleep becomes longer, sobbing stops.
