When is the best time to stop swaddling your baby and should he be rocked?

Time passes quickly, and your baby is growing by leaps and bounds. It seemed that he was born only yesterday, but three whole months have passed, and he has already grown up, you think that the time has come to teach the baby to fall asleep without diapers. How to be? How to teach a child to sleep "like an adult"?

All the impressions that the child absorbs during wakefulness accumulate and involuntarily "reproduce" in a dream. The nervous system of a newborn is not yet fully formed and reflexes are not controlled while he sleeps, and therefore the baby involuntarily moves. The baby's sleep depends on its genetic and individual qualities and character. The more active the baby is, the more often he wakes up due to the fact that he can move freely in his sleep. The child often shudders, moves his arms abruptly and therefore wakes himself up.

Quieter babies, respectively, sleep better, and therefore the need for swaddling such children is much less. It also happens that babies like to sleep more comfortably on their stomachs. These babies sleep better than those who are used to sleeping on their sides or backs. They do not wake themselves up with the movement of their arms and legs and do not require swaddling from birth.

Sleep as an important part of a newborn's life

Contrary to the opinion of child psychologists that newborns simply need warmth, affection and parental involvement, some of the mothers believe that you can teach your baby to sleep on your own without taking him in your arms. Let him, they say, scream for a couple of nights, and then he will get used to falling asleep himself, there is nothing, they say, to accustom him to hands.

Unfortunately, it is not so rare to hear from parents: “I will not swing and swaddle him. Let him cry for a couple of nights, then he will fall asleep ”. Or: “I let him cry - it will stop anyway. It shows character! "

But what can this attitude lead to? Definitely - to bad sleep and undermining trust in parents. The child understands only one thing: that he is all alone, that they do not sympathize with him. Remember: the most likely result of using the “let the yell” method is a shattered psyche of the child.

A baby who has just stepped into this world needs the protection and love of his parents, and he can get this only when he is taken in his arms and warmed.

The information that an infant receives in the first months of life at the time of activity is processed by him in sleep, and therefore the moment of falling asleep is very important for a child at this age. Impressions received while awake can become a "brake" and affect the process of falling asleep. Mom needs to help the baby fall asleep. Sleep in the first months of a little person's life is an important component of the psychological and physical development of a child.

While the baby is resting, he has:

the nervous system in general and the neurons of the brain in particular are formed;
hormonal growth is activated;
there is a "tuning" of the precise and correct functioning of the nervous system;
the speech and motor apparatus is formed;
there is a balanced mental development.

Even adults cannot feel vigorous and healthy if they sleep poorly. What then can we say about the baby. In order for a child to grow and form correctly, it is necessary to provide him with a full and correct sleep. It is unacceptable to disturb the rest of the baby and thereby deprive him of normal psychophysiological development.

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5 ways to teach your baby to fall asleep without swaddling

Now that it is clear what role sleep plays in the baby's life, it is necessary to answer the question of when and how to teach the baby to sleep without swaddling and should he be rocked when laying down? Of course, there are many more ways to accustom an infant to "adult" sleep. Everything will depend on the character of the baby and the patience of the mother. Experienced mothers advise:

You can start with free swaddling, slightly tightening the child's arms so that in a dream he can free himself. Further, do not swaddle him during the daytime sleep, and subsequently abandon the night swaddling;
At night, you can carefully unfold the baby and lay him side by side on your bed, covering the baby with a blanket;
You can immediately put your baby with you without wrapping it in diapers. After a while, he will get used to sleeping unpeeled.

How to swaddle a newborn baby correctly
Swaddling a newborn: "FOR" and "CONS" - types of swaddling a baby

To swaddle or not to swaddle your baby?

By the age of three months, the baby is already growing so much that mom can hardly wrap it up completely. The activity of the baby does not allow him to fall asleep quickly, so it is just necessary to start the process of weaning from diapers. But how to do that? Quickly, cutting off all escape routes and solving this issue in one fell swoop, or gradually?

There is no definite answer to this question. Everything is decided individually. You need to solve this issue yourself by trying several methods and choosing the one that suits you best. But the main thing in this difficult task is still the mother's patience. Patience and, of course, love.

Here are 5 basic tricks to wean your baby from swaddling:

We fall asleep on the arms of mom. There is an opinion that the baby should not be taught to fall asleep in the arms of the mother, this will become a "bad habit" and waste of energy for the mother. Nothing like this. The mother's hands are protection, and falling asleep on them, the newborn feels safe. But if you are afraid that the child will never be able to become "independent" and fall asleep without your presence, then you can put him in bed without waiting for the stage of deep sleep, but not go far. And if the child wakes up, then calm him down, making it clear that you are near.
We sleep with mom. Moms get tired too and want to rest. So why not put the baby next to you? Mom's warmth, her smell, the beating of her heart and her mother's hands will quickly soothe the baby, and he will sleep peacefully. Later you can put him in a crib and cover him with a blanket, just as he was covered when he slept next to his mother. This method will teach him to fall asleep and sleep separately in his bed.
Gradual gaining of freedom. This method of gradual weaning from the "shackles" of diapers is quite effective and suitable for patient mothers. It is necessary to loosen the swaddling every time, watching the crumbs sleep. Mom's patience will be rewarded. Soon, the child will get used to sleeping in an unfolded diaper, not only during the day, but also at night.
We are tourists. The main thing for a child during sleep is warmth and comfort. It is quite possible to replace the diaper with a blanket by folding it into an envelope. You can also use a real baby sleeping bag or an envelope blanket. It is clear that being in a blanket that is too warm all the time is harmful for the baby, and therefore the mother can unbutton the bag and give freedom to the little "tourist". This method of "napkin" helped more than one mother.
We hold the pens. This method of weaning from diapers is also for diligent and patient mothers. Perseverance will help to be close to the baby and hold his handles while he falls asleep. And since the time of falling asleep is different for all babies, then mothers should have enough patience. You can remove your hands only when you are sure that the baby is fast asleep. But then you shouldn't go far from it. After all, he can accidentally wake himself up, and then you will have to calm him down in a quiet whisper and again put your hands on his hands.

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Well, every mother chooses for herself how to wean her baby from swaddling and decides for herself what is better and more comfortable for her and her child - fast or slow weaning. Some babies, for example, fall asleep quickly during motion sickness. But not all mothers are for this method of sleep training. What to do, is motion sickness necessary or can you do without it?

It is believed that by the age of three months the cognitive activity of the baby grows, the diaper constrains its movements - as a result, development slows down. In fact, you need to turn again to the individual characteristics of the child. If he sleeps much better in a diaper, it means that it is so comfortable for him. And that is much better than constantly waking up all night and then being whimsical during the day (just because the parents suddenly decided to stop using the diaper).

To get seasick or not: looking for a compromise

Let's start with the fact that while still pregnant, my mother unwittingly rocked her baby while walking. And so the baby, when he is already born, psychologically perceives the pitching as a rhythm of calm. From ancient times to the present day, the tradition has come down to rocking babies in cradles, cradles or carrying them. Indeed, while walking, the child, being on the breast or on the back of the mother, feels calm not only because of the heat emanating from the mother, but also from the rhythmic swaying.

In general, rhythm, as such, plays an important role in the psychological formation of a child. It not only gives the baby confidence and security, but also balances the work of all organs, including the work of the brain. But the constant, erratic and intense rolling will not benefit the baby. You should always remember that you are not preparing a child to become an astronaut, and be moderate in your aspirations to put the baby to sleep by any means. Moreover, not all children love to be rocked.

Each mother has her own way to rock and lull her baby. Someone carries a baby in their arms, and someone - sitting in a rocking chair, someone in cradles Older children can be put to sleep by rocking them in a special rocking chair. When the child falls asleep, the mother puts him either in the crib or in her bed, or you can shift him in other ways. After all, not all children immediately fall asleep soundly and therefore they can:

Transfer in 2 steps. Put it first to your bed, and then, after making sure that the baby is sleeping, into the baby's crib;
Lay in half asleep. As soon as the child begins to doze, he can immediately be put to bed. It's good if instead of a crib there is a cradle, and you can shake it. If not, then you can quietly sing a lullaby.
Always be nearby. You can put the child on the sofa or in his crib, and just sit next to him, holding the baby by the hand;
Help relieve tension. Light stroking on the back will help the little man relax and fall asleep.

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True, it is not uncommon for babies who were put in a crib to wake up and cry without seeing their mother nearby. What to do? Most importantly, do not ignore this cry, believing that the child himself can calm down; do not injure the psyche of the crumbs and make him think that he was abandoned. Walk up to the baby and calm him down, let him know that you are near. Over time, he will get used to this thought and learn to fall asleep on his own.

If the child is excitable or hyperactive, wakes up immediately after motion sickness and cannot sleep for a long time, then do not be discouraged, this will pass over time. The main thing for these children is to be near them and to teach them to remain calm after motion sickness. This will help your personal example and the development of a certain ritual of going to bed. A bedtime story or a lullaby will soothe and relax your baby, while a soft toy under the barrel will instill confidence and a sense of security in him.

Tip: Introduce a bedtime ritual. Up to 1.5 years old, this is bathing, feeding, rocking under a lullaby. From 1.5 years old - “put” your favorite toy, take a dip in a warm bath with herbs, listen to a short good fairy tale or a quiet song, take with you a “guardian” soft toy (already without motion sickness). The ritual for excitable children should be the longest and most consistent, so as not to disturb sleep.

High excitability of a child can be a problem for the whole family. For example, after some time after swinging on his arms and, as it were, a quiet transition to sleep, the baby suddenly wakes up, gets on all fours, sits down or crawls quickly. Such phenomena do not need to be treated; they disappear in the course of natural development. But if the baby has been sleeping restlessly for a long time and this is accompanied by other disturbing behavioral phenomena (not only at night, but also during the day), it is better to consult a specialist.

Well, weaning a child from swaddling and motion sickness, you should be patient and understanding. Your baby is still very difficult to perceive any changes, and therefore for him these changes will be one of the first steps in his long life. And help to take the first step must be as tactful and accurate as possible. Otherwise, you can injure the still fragile child's psyche.