The first months after birth, the baby sleeps most of the day. As a rule, there are no problems with falling asleep during this period. The little one wakes up to eat, to gaze a little at the world and again falls asleep sweetly, sucking on his mother's breast. Gradually, the sleep time decreases, and the waking time, respectively, increases. Most parents of babies from 6 months to 2 years (sometimes younger, or opposite older) ask questions on women's forums on the Internet or ask their more experienced friends or grandmothers “How to put a child to bed without tears, whims and hassle?”.
We put the baby to bed without tears and whims
Problems with falling asleep in newborns are not associated with a capricious character, not with a spoiled child, but with the peculiarities of the nervous system of young children. Unlike adults, babies in the first year of life simply do not know how to consciously relax and disconnect from extraneous stimuli at the moment when the body needs rest and it is time to fall asleep. But if the parents act correctly, then tears and whims can be, if not completely avoided, then reduced to a minimum.
Detailed article about the whims of a child under one year old
How to put your baby to bed: simple tips for young parents
- According to modern pediatricians, babies under one year old should not strictly follow the regimen. Careful observation of the baby will allow you to understand his biorhythms and correctly organize the time for rest and feeding. The sleepy child begins to yawn, rubs his eyes, becomes lethargic or moody. Have noticed these signs - urgently packso as not to miss the moment of falling asleep.
- The baby is lucky if the mother is breastfeeding on demand: in early childhood, the children, having had enough of their fill, easily fall asleep at the breast. Breastfeed for at least a year, so you can put your baby to sleep without tears until the time comes to wean the baby from the breast.
- It is very important to create a comfortable and relaxing environment for your little one before going to bed. For this, a warm bath is suitable (be careful, for some children the bath has an exciting effect, in this case the child should be bathed 2 hours before bedtime), relaxation massage (many children fall asleep if they are gently stroked on the back or tummy), aromatherapy with lavender oils , nutmeg, sandalwood, jasmine.
- Pay attention to the clothes of the crumbs: they should be soft and pleasant to the touch things.
- Some children are helped to fall asleep by their mother's lullaby, not loud relaxing music with the sounds of nature (the murmur of water, the sound of rain).
- Motion sickness in the crib or on the arms helps many children fall asleep. If your baby is one of those kids, you should not neglect this time-tested method (See article on motion sickness).
- Remember to maintain a comfortable temperature and humidity in the baby's room. The best option: 20-22 degrees. Do not wrap the baby, children do not sleep well if they are hot.
- Avoid watching cartoons and noisy games for at least an hour before bed.
- Create a relaxed and friendly atmosphere in your family. The baby on an emotional level perceives a tense situation and reacts painfully to it.
VIDEO: 8 ways to put your baby to sleep
Falling asleep rituals
Young parents, whose children are already 6-7 months old, can be advised to develop a system of "sleepy" rituals. 20-30 minutes before bedtime, parents perform the same daily actions that the little one will soon associate with falling asleep.
In "sleepy" rituals, it is advisable to include:
- Farewell to the Sun. They take the kid in their arms, bring them to the window and tell them that the sun, the birds and the little animals have fallen asleep. Asterisks light up in the sky, which means it's time for all the kids to sleep. After these words, the curtains are drawn, the lights are turned off, and the baby is put to bed.
- Reading books (looking at pictures with children under one year old) before bedtime.
- Putting your favorite toy to bed.
- Singing a lullaby.
- You can start a tradition every evening, in a calm voice, to tell your baby about how the day went, how your baby was tired and will now fall asleep sweetly, etc.
- A similar way - 3-4 daily repeated phrases like: “Our angel is tired. Mommy and Daddy are near. Now we will sleep sweetly. "
"Sleepy" rituals, with the right approach, facilitate the work of parents, the little ones quickly begin to understand the meaning of these actions and go to bed without problems. The exception is cases when the baby is unwell (fever, teeth are being cut, etc.).
Video: Bedtime Rituals
Self-sleep techniques
According to somnologists (sleep specialists), the child should be taught to fall asleep on his own in the same way as you teach him to eat, wash, dress on his own. Special techniques have been developed, applying which, parents will be able to put the child to sleep without tears and tantrums.
The techniques are applied to children 9-15 months old and are aimed at changing the associations for falling asleep. If the baby is breastfed, and the mother feeds on demand, then the child has a stable idea: SLEEP = FOOD... The purpose of these techniques is to break (change) this association, pushing the time of feeding and sleep. Let's consider the most popular of them.
The Timer Method (by Tracy Hogg)
- Before going to bed, the baby is given a delicious meal. After that, the little one is shown a timer and they say that the milk will end when the bell rings. The timer is set for 10 minutes. At the call, the child is weaned and put to bed with gentle words. The baby is likely to cry and demand breast for 20-40 minutes. Be patient. Calm the child down. Tuck into bed and stroke the back until the baby falls asleep.
- For several days in a row, the timer is set for 10 minutes. Whims cannot be avoided, but on the 3-4th day, the children release their breasts and fall asleep when the bell rings.
- For the next 3-4 days, the timer is set for 4 minutes. During feeding, mom reads a little familiar nursery rhyme or a fairy tale. After the call, the child is weaned and the reading continues for another 5-10 minutes. Then the baby is put to bed. So gradually one habit is replaced by another.
- After another 3-4 days, feeding for daytime sleep is canceled. Instead of a breast, the baby is read a book. And at the last stage, the evening feeding is removed.
Fading method
The longest and mildest way to wean a child from falling asleep with the breast. Training can take 1.5-2 months.
Its essence is that the mother does not refuse the child to suckle the breast before bedtime, but tries to interest the little one with an interesting book, conversation. Sometimes the baby can fall asleep without sucking, and this is the first success. So gradually the mother finds other ways of calming down (rituals) for the baby, he will be able to fall asleep without breast more often, and finally, the baby will begin to fall asleep without "sissy".
At the next stage, night feedings are gradually reduced to naught (how and when to wean from night feeding?): Instead of breastfeeding, the baby, of course, does not need to read books at night, it is enough to stroke his back, give him a drink of water, or say the traditional phrase: "Mom is near - sleep well"... Over time, the little one, waking up at night, will stop looking for the breast, and the number of awakenings will decrease.
On this topic: When does a baby start sleeping through the night without waking up for night feeds? and another important article: why a child under one year old does not sleep well at night: how to improve a child's sleep?
Explain method
This method is practiced with children one and a half to two years old.
It is suitable for both babies and artificial people.
They come up with a simple story for the baby, for whatever reason there will be no milk at night (the ladybird will not bring milk anymore at night, because ... or the "sissy" runs out of milk, there is only one more milk left).
This story is told to the toddler 10-15 times during the day. During the evening feeding, the baby is given a breast for the last time (milk from a bottle) and is reminded again that there will be no milk at night, because ... After that, the baby is not given a bottle or breast at all. Thus, breastfeeding is stopped (in detail on how to wean a child from breastfeeding?), And the association SLEEP = FOOD replaced by other rituals.
The implementation of this method takes from 3 days to a week.
Exit-login method
In my opinion, the most painful method for a child.
The essence of the technique is that the mother puts the child to bed and, without waiting for the baby to fall asleep, leaves the room for 5-7 minutes. If during this time the child does not calm down, the mother returns, calms the baby and leaves again, giving the baby the opportunity to fall asleep on its own.
Soon (this method takes about 7-12 days) the little one should understand that he will have to fall asleep on his own.
And in conclusion, it must be said: in order to put a child to sleep without tears, first of all, it is necessary to focus on the individual characteristics of the character and temperament of the baby.
Experiment, this will allow you to find the method that suits your little one. Be consistent, calm and confident in your actions - your attitude will be transmitted to the little one. Show patience and love for the baby at this time.
We also read:
- 6 things to help your baby fall asleep
- 5 secret ways to put your baby to bed (LIFE HACK for MOM)
- How to train your child to sleep separately from their parents
VIDEO: How to quickly put a child to bed in 1 minute 🙂
Nathan Dailo's method: it's just brilliant!
Together you can do it!
By the way! There is a very good book by author Elizabeth Pantley: "How to put a child to sleep without tears - 10 simple tricks for parents", we recommend! You can view and order the book on the website www.ozon.ru.
