Did the child not sleep at night again? Your nerves are strained to the limit, and you again did not get enough sleep and were exhausted trying to calm your child? This is so familiar! Let's look at the causes of poor sleep in order to find out why children under one year old can sleep poorly at night. What exactly is your child's concern and what to do about it? Find out the most common sources of sleep disturbance in babies, as well as tips and tricks for dealing with it.
Why does the child sleep poorly at night?
- Intestinal colic. This unpleasant phenomenon often worries newborn babies: there are painful sensations in the abdomen, bloating and discomfort. The child is restless, cries loudly, jerks his arms and presses his legs to the body (we read about colic and how to help a child with colic);
- Childhood fears. For the first time, they begin to bother children after the first year of life. A child may be afraid to be left alone in a dark room, he may be frightened by extraneous noises or sounds coming from the street, fear that mom is not around and she may not return;
- Premature placement in a separate large bed. Sometimes parents are too rushed with it. And the baby may be uncomfortable sleeping in a large bed alone, he is not yet ready for this;
- Teething. Many children do not tolerate the teething phase well. The gums become inflamed, hurt and itchy, and at night, when toys and games do not distract the child, these sensations intensify and deliver more unpleasant sensations (we read all about teething / pain / and how to help the baby);
- Not comfortable conditions. The nursery may be too stuffy or cold. It is possible that the mattress on the baby bed is too hard or, on the contrary, too soft (how to choose a mattress for a newborn);
- Overwork and overexcitement. If the child was very excited and active in the evening before going to bed, then it will be more difficult for him to calm down in bed, and the sleep will come out intermittent and not deep;
- Cold, fever, or pain. When sick, children find it harder to sleep at night. Due to the high temperature, the whole body can ache unpleasantly, and nasal congestion or coughing does not allow you to rest normally at night, irritates and bothers;
- Meteosensitivity. Some children react sharply to the changing weather, to the impending thunderstorm, and the full moon. With a sharp change in weather, the child may become lethargic, passive, sometimes there is a headache and blood pressure decreases. All this interferes with a good night's rest;
- New stages of development. A child may have a bad dream even after new achievements! For example, after the child began to sit or walk, roll over, crawl, etc., in general, he mastered something new;
- An abundance of emotional experiences. Sleep problems can begin on the basis of severe stress, nervous feelings or a lot of emotions. Many children do not sleep well after meeting new people, moving or even going to an entertainment center;
- Fear of losing mom. Young children may experience their first independence in different ways. Some become very restless, cry and get scared, even if mom briefly goes to another room or kitchen. At night, it is difficult for a child to fall asleep if mom is not around;
- Babies sleep less well at night if mom suddenly starts cutting back on daily feeds and lures. The baby will crave for a breast longer and more often at night;
- Something is preventing the child from falling asleep. A working TV can interfere with your baby's sleep. The included light will also prevent the child from falling asleep normally at night.
- With a lack of vitamin D in the child's body... Lack of this vitamin can also negatively affect nighttime sleep. The necessary analysis can be taken in a children's clinic, and if the study reveals a vitamin D deficiency, the pediatrician will advise giving the baby special vitamin drops (usually calcium is also included in their composition for better absorption).
- When kids start sleeping all night
- Why does a newborn baby flinch in a dream
How to get restful sleep?
We got acquainted with the main reasons, and now it's time to find out valuable tips in order to normalize your child's night sleep:
- Don't let your child overwork! This always has a very negative effect on the length and depth of night sleep. The child should be tired, but not overworked!
- It is very helpful to do the same things every day before going to bed. This kind of ritual will help the child quickly tune in to a calm mood, relax the psyche. For example, you can play soothing songs for your child before bed, read children's stories, collect toys with him and put them in place. You can choose or come up with an optimal ritual suitable for your child. It is important to observe regularity and perform these actions every time before bedtime (an interesting article on the importance of rituals);
- Pay attention to how the child behaves after an evening swim. If after washing he becomes vigorous and immediately runs to play, then soothing decoctions of healing herbs, aromatic drops and essential oils can be added to the water for evening bathing. For example, an infusion of lemon balm leaves, mint or chamomile flowers will help relax the child's psyche and relieve overexcitation;
- It is important that the children's room has a comfortable temperature. And shortly before laying down, it is worth ventilating the room so that the child has a deep night's sleep and breathes fresh air easily (pediatric experts advise keeping the temperature in the room with the child within 18-22 degrees - here is more about that);
- Use prevention of deficiency of important micronutrients in the baby's bodyGive your child drops of vitamin D once a day;
- Pay attention to the position in which your baby likes to sleep. Some children like to fall asleep exclusively on their stomachs. By the way, this pose is great for relieving pain and bloating with colic!
- If a small child is worried about abdominal pain and intestinal colic, then you should give him a special remedy before bedtime so that at night the baby does not suffer and does not cry from pain. Espumisan baby drops helped us a lot, which effectively and quickly eliminated bloating (here is a list of drugs for colic);
- The same applies to the situation with teething teeth. Don't make your child feel uncomfortable. Relieve him of unpleasant sensations by anointing sore gums with a special soothing and cooling gel. For example, Kamistad or Dentinox (another TOP - 7 gels for gums);
- Ensure that the child's daytime sleep is sufficientso that the baby does not overwork;
- In some cases (especially if the child is afraid of the dark or reacts sharply to the mother leaving the room), you can offer the baby a joint sleep. Many children immediately calm down, feeling their mother's presence nearby, begin to sleep much more calmly;
- Try to leave the child to fall asleep by himself, maybe you are the one who distracts him .. Sometimes it is the mother who distracts the baby, preventing him from sleeping soundly!
- Do not force your child to overeat before bed, as a full stomach often interferes with falling asleep., the body cannot rest fully if it is forced to digest food!
It's brilliant 🙂
Sometimes you just need to be patient and wait for the cause of your bad sleep to go away. For example, the teeth will come out sooner or later, and intestinal colic will go away on their own when the baby reaches the age of three months. You can help the child to endure such unpleasant periods easier, to sympathize with him more. Provide all possible help with colic, often spreading the baby on the tummy.
And do not forget that it is very important to always put children to bed. at the same time, observe the daily routine! It is easier and easier for young children to fall asleep in the evening if the time for going to bed is the same every day. Your baby's biological clock adjusts to your routine. And if you send the child to bed every evening at 9 o'clock, then by this time his whole body has already begun to slow down and prepare to fall asleep by itself, no additional tricks are needed.
