Dreams of babies: when a child begins to dream

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 12:45

Sleep is the best medicine, as the saying goes. For parents of a very young child, there is nothing better than a sound and he althy sleep of a child. Why? Yes, because during this period of time they themselves can rest.

Do babies dream? Let's talk about children's sleep, about what children dream about and about the rules for a good and restful sleep of the crumbs.

I want to sleep

When a child does not sleep, the young mother suffers the most. Firstly, she cannot understand why her well-fed and disguised baby is screaming. Secondly, constant insomnia is very painful. Who better than a mother to know about this. I want to sleep constantly, at night the baby cries. And in the afternoon there is no time to lie down: business and worries. And there is almost no help. Husband works, grandmothers too.

Sound familiar? How can a poor young mommy stay on maternity leave and not go crazy from lack of sleep? Let's turn to Dr. Komarovsky for advice.

Doctor's advice

How are the child's sleep and Komarovsky connected? He gives good advice for new parents. And it must be said that his advicequite easy to implement.

So, the golden rules for young parents deprived of the help of grandparents. The information will be useful not only to them, in fact. For all parents, without exception, the doctor recommends the following:

1. Child should adapt to the mode of parents, and not vice versa.
2. Adults need at least 8 hours of sleep. Therefore, it is necessary to determine a convenient time for parents to sleep and wake up. Go to bed at 9 pm and wake up at 5 am? Please. Sleep from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.? No problem. Determine the time and set the baby for a night's sleep, convenient for mom and dad.
3. Where is the crib? In her parents' bedroom, her term is a year. Children over one year of age should sleep in their own crib, but in a separate room. Sleeping in your parents' bed is the worst option that tired mom and dad invented.

4. You can't let your son or daughter sleep long during the day. If the child sleeps off, it will be more difficult to put him to bed at night. This means that parents will not be able to fully relax overnight.
5. Night feeding in the first three months of a child's life is carried out no more than 2 times. Everything else is a whim of the baby. He does not want to eat, but attracts attention to himself. Why should a mother sacrifice her rest because the child wants to be rocked in her arms? Or does dad stay up half the night singing a lullaby? He has to get up in the morning for work. Wean the baby from whims. Ate and sleep.
6. Daytime walks have a beneficial effect on the children's body. And if there isthe opportunity to take a walk with the baby in the evening is wonderful. Sound and he althy sleep is guaranteed.
7. The bedroom should be ventilated. The optimum air temperature in it is 18-20 degrees.
8. In the evening, it is advisable to bathe the baby in cool water. After active swimming in the bathroom, he will sleep through the night.

9. Don't forget a quality diaper. Often, children wake up at night due to the fact that the diaper could not withstand the attacks on him.

Here are the recommendations given by the doctor so that the child's sleep at night is sound.

How much do kids sleep?

The question of interest to young mothers: how much sleep should a child have? The need for sleep in children under 3 months is 16-20 hours. Thus, the sleep of a month-old baby is interrupted only for feeding and changing diapers.

A six-month baby needs 14 hours for proper rest. At the age of one, already 13 hours.

What does sleep depend on?

Baby sleep well depends on a number of factors. Even what a child sees in a dream is influenced by environmental influences. In particular, the mother of the baby is such a factor.

The child does not sleep well, and cries in his sleep? It is worth paying attention to the emotional state of the mother. Perhaps she is nervous for some reason, tired and irritable. Let's not forget the close bond between mother and baby. Bad for mom - baby suffers.

Why do kids have nightmares? It is possible that this phenomenon is provoked by the situation in the apartment. AndIt is not necessary for parents to fight. Harsh and loud sounds during baby's sleep, bright lights, talking in full voice - all this affects the quality of sleep.

Breastmilk is the key to good sleep?

There is an opinion that a child's sleep depends on the composition of milk. If the mother adheres to a strict diet, does not violate it, then her milk is good. Having eaten, the baby will sleep soundly. These babies have good and kind dreams.

Depends on the condition of the mother as mentioned above. When feeding takes place in a calm mode, the mother is all directed to the baby, sings a song to him, and the room is twilight - the child will relax and sleep well.

If a mother is feeding her baby while she is talking on the phone, watching TV or just crying from fatigue, this is unlikely to contribute to a good sleep for the child.

Some believe that breastfed babies sleep much better than their formula-fed peers. But this is a very controversial statement.

What do babies dream about?

Scientists have come to the conclusion that very tiny children in a dream see their life before birth. The older the baby, the faster he forgets the "past". A child at the age of six months sees people around him in a dream. This is what babies dream about up to a year old.

During the REM phase, you can see how the child is actively wrinkling his face, waving his arms and legs, trying to roll over. This phase comes before awakening.

If we talk about deep sleep, here the opinions of scientists are divided. Aloneinsist that the baby grows at this time, the second argue that the baby's body relaxes.

Child's sleep a year

American scientist David Fulkes studied the dreams of babies of different age groups. Based on his observations, he came to the conclusion that one-year-old children see completely different dreams than very small ones. This is due to the ability to emotionally respond to environmental stimuli. This leads to both positive dreams and nightmares.

Two to three years

When talking about the dreams of babies at this age, they are usually sketchy. In the dreams of such young children, there is no single storyline. They are built on emotions and impressions, and since children receive them in huge quantities throughout the day, their dreams are incoherent.

Three-year-olds can already talk. Most of them are able to tell what they dreamed about. Children often see themselves in their dreams.

Five - six years

What kind of dreams do babies have at this age? Fairytale, magical. Girls have good dreams, in which they act as princesses, fabulous mistresses of animals. They ride little ponies, meet characters from various cartoons.

And boys, oddly enough, most often dream of conflict situations in which boys are the main characters.

By school, such differences in dreams disappear.

What affects children's sleep?

Dreams of babies, as we found out, depend on a number of factors. Mom influences babies,older children - environment.

It is believed that "garden" children see darker dreams than those at home. They are affected by stressful situations in the group that occur very often. Those children with whom mothers or grandmothers sit are in a more relaxed environment. That's why they have good dreams.

Let's highlight the main factors affecting the dreams of babies:

• Furniture at home. If everything is calm in the family, the child is loved and their voices are not raised once again, then he sleeps sweetly and well.
• Kindergarten or school environment, depending on the age of the child.
• Stressful situation.
• Impressions of the day.
• Weather.
• Microclimate in the room.
• Baby feeling.

When a child has a fever, this is reflected in restless sleep, for example.

Or, if the baby has been outdoors all day, playing and being naughty, then he will sleep very soundly. This applies even to adults, what to say about kids. Camping has never hurt anyone.

If the baby lost sleep

Kids also suffer from insomnia. But what should parents do in this case? Try to find out the reason. Maybe something is preventing the child from sleeping properly. Even a poorly ventilated room can cause insomnia.

Do you remember if the child fell in the last few days? Wasn't injured? If the baby is older, it is possible that hissomething oppresses him to such an extent that he cannot sleep. Talk to him, carefully find out the reason.

Nothing helped? I'll have to go to the pediatrician, nothing else remains. Never give baby sleeping pills to your baby without a doctor's prescription.

Summarizing

In the article we talked about how important it is for parents to set a daily routine for their baby. We talked about the factors that affect children's sleep. And most importantly, we learned what children of different age groups dream about. Let's highlight the main aspects:

• He althy and well-rested parents are the key to happiness for the child. Mom and dad should adjust the baby to their daily routine, but not vice versa.
• Mom's night feedings are necessary for babies up to 3 months. And not 5-6 per night, not more than two. Do not indulge your child with excessive attention if you do not want to forget about your own rest and sleep.
• Children under six months dream of their life before birth.
• At six months, the child dreams of people around him.
• At the age of two, babies have episodic dreams that are not connected by any coherent line.
• At the age of three, dreams are already more emotional and structured.
• Five-six years - the time of fabulous dreams with beautiful princesses and scary dragons.
• The emotional and mental state of the mother affects the sleep of the baby.
• Older children are affected by environmental factors. Stress, new impressions and emotions are reflected in dreams.

Conclusion

Now readers know what affects a child's sleep. And what kids can see in their dreams.

How to protect the baby from a bad dream? Walks in the fresh air, minimal activity in the evening and a relaxed atmosphere in the family.

We do not neglect the advice of Dr. Komarovsky: parents should sleep for at least eight hours. A child needs a happy and balanced mom and dad. You can hardly call a balanced mommy who gets annoyed with her baby because she can’t get enough sleep. Or a dad who is forced to swing a child for half the night, and in the morning rushing to work. Happy parents - happy children.