The baby does not sleep well at night: what to do, causes, methods of sleep correction, advice from pediatricians

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

The baby does not sleep well at night, what should I do? This question is often asked by parents at a pediatrician's appointment, especially immediately after birth. If the baby is very often naughty, wakes up and starts screaming at night, then this is a reason to see a doctor.

This can be quite a difficult problem, so don't leave it unattended. Therefore, parents should definitely find out what is the reason for their baby's restless behavior.

What sleep is for

Babies sleep a lot, especially immediately after birth. Babies need small breaks only for snacks. Scientists are of the opinion that certain substances accumulate in the human body during wakefulness, provoking fatigue and unproductive brain activity. A full night's rest is required to neutralize and destroy them.

Only after that the brain gets the opportunity to work further in normal mode. The baby's body lives according to its own special biological rhythms. On the occurrence of a desire to sleep, on the durationrest and its depth is influenced by many different factors, namely:

• weather conditions;
• biological rhythms;
• lifestyle;
• presence of diseases.

Most pediatricians are of the opinion that children should not be forced to sleep when they do not want to. The longer the preparation and bedtime ceremonies take place in the family, the more problems appear. In order for a child to sleep well and peacefully, he must definitely spend enough energy and get tired.

For newborns, you need to properly organize the daily routine. However, nothing can be imposed on the baby, since from a very early age it is already a person with his own desires and needs.

Sleep norms for a child

To understand that the baby sleeps little, you need to know exactly the main features of the baby. A newborn is called a child up to a month. It is very important to know and understand exactly in order to determine the age characteristics and needs of the baby.

It is believed that a child up to a month should sleep about 20 hours a day. Then gradually the need for sleep decreases. The baby needs to sleep day and night. The duration of sleep in children may vary slightly.

A baby at 1-3 months old should sleep 18 hours a day, at 6-12 months sleep lasts 14-15 hours. During the day, the baby sleeps 2 times for 2 hours, and at night - for 10-11 hours. All these norms must be guided by the individual needs of the baby. If a small child sleeps much less than other children and still feels fine, then there is no need to worry.

However, it happens that the baby does not sleep well at night, tossing and turning, crying and shuddering. It is very important to determine exactly why this is happening, and also to try to fix the problem as soon as possible.

Often, an attentive mother can understand why a baby does not sleep well at night, if, of course, she was preparing for the birth of a child and attended courses. To do this, you need to analyze all the available factors that can affect the baby's sleep. Otherwise, you need to seek help from specialists.

Causes of sleep disturbance in a newborn

Many parents wonder why the baby does not sleep well at night and what to do about it. Some children are restless at night, may wake up and then fall asleep for a long time, throwing tantrums. Parents are very worried if a newborn has sleep problems. If the child does not sleep well at night and often wakes up, then this may be for reasons such as:

• baby hungry;
• uncomfortable conditions;
• overfilled or incorrectly fitted diaper;
• tummy ache;
• loud sounds around baby;
• skin problems.

Basically, this problem occurs because the child is hungry. The baby does not eat up if the milk is not very fat or it is not enough. It is important to analyze the entire feeding process and review nutrition.

If the baby does not sleep well during the day and at night, then the problem may lie in the uncomfortable conditions in the room. BeforeWhen laying the baby, the room must be ventilated. During the heating period, it is recommended to use an air freshener. The optimal parameters are considered to be a temperature of 20 degrees and an air humidity of 50%. It is better to dress the child warmer, but leave the window open.

Mom should definitely pay attention to whether the baby's gas is moving normally, and what kind of chair he has. Bowel movements can be after each feeding. If the gaziki do not move normally, then the child cries and tightens his legs. Pediatricians advise parents with colic to do a light massage of the tummy, making movements in a clockwise direction.

If all these reasons are excluded, and the baby does not sleep at night and behaves restlessly during the day, then you need to show the baby to the pediatrician. He will refer you to a neurologist to identify possible pathologies.

Bad sleep in a child under one year old

Children definitely need a full night's sleep, as it gives strength and helps to recover from an active and eventful day. If problems are observed, it is very important to determine why the baby does not sleep well at night and correct the existing violations. In particular, provoking factors can be such as:

• age-related changes;
• wrong lifestyle;
• baby temperament;
• discomfort during sleep;
• not feeling well.

It happens that a baby at 2 months does not sleep well at night, and this may be due to age-related changes. This is due to the fact that in babies mostly superficial sleep prevails. In addition, babies require night feeding, whichalso affects anxiety.

The temperament of the child has a great influence, since active children sleep much more poorly than calm ones. They need much more time to get ready for sleep and the process of falling asleep is more difficult. The baby needs special attention and the presence of an adult, even during sleep. With age, such a child becomes more impressionable and often has nightmares.

If a baby at 6 months does not sleep well at night, then this may be due to the process of teething, which causes significant discomfort. The problem can provoke a sedentary lifestyle, very rare walks. The child can be as active as he wants during the day, so that he can sleep peacefully at night.

Children, especially boys, react quite sharply to changing weather conditions. The main factors of concern include mild malaise after vaccination, illness, weakness. Even a change in the environment familiar to him, moving to a new apartment can negatively affect the baby’s sleep. Usually, this condition disappears in just a few days, and the child's sleep immediately returns to normal.

Psychological problems

Kids fall asleep quite normally to the noise of a working TV, soft music, conversations. However, a loud enough sound or a very bright light can disturb your sleep. To make the child sleep more comfortably, you can darken the room with curtains.

When a baby at 3 months does not sleep well at night, this may be due to the emotional statemothers. Excessive activity, bad mood and nervousness are transmitted to the baby. During pregnancy, the baby gets used to hearing the beat of the mother's heart. Childbirth is stressful not only for the woman, but also for the baby. In a completely new environment for him, he does not hear his mother's heartbeat and begins to experience a feeling of loneliness.

Therefore, you need to talk with the baby as often as possible, hold her in your arms, fall asleep next to her so that she feels secure. After a while, the child will get used to the new state, calm down and begin to fall asleep normally at night.

Physiological problems

If a baby does not sleep well day and night, then this may be due to pain, discomfort and discomfort. The most common causes are:

• intestinal colic;
• motion sickness;
• discomfort provoked by a wet diaper, overheating, cold.

Colic is often caused by excessive gas production. During crying or in the process of feeding, the baby captures too much air. Gases gradually accumulate in the intestines and provoke severe pain. The difficulty with the normal discharge of gases is provoked by the fact that the gastrointestinal tract is not yet fully formed. Very often, children wake up from discomfort at night and start screaming.

It is quite possible to understand that anxiety is provoked by intestinal colic by the behavior of the baby. His tummy is tense, the child tightens his legs and cries. Usually, colic begins to torment the baby at 3 weeks of age and ends at about 3 months. Parents should help their child get through this.period. When breastfeeding, the mother needs to stop consuming foods that provoke an increased formation of gases. During feeding, it is important to ensure that the baby does not swallow excess air. After eating, you need to hold the baby in a column until he burps the accumulated air. If colic has already appeared, then massage or a warm diaper attached to the tummy helps very well.

Discomfort provoked by prolonged stay in a diaper, cold, overheating can lead to the fact that a baby at 4 months does not sleep well at night. When overheated, the skin begins to turn red. The fact that the baby is cold can be understood simply by touching his cheeks. If they are cold, then you need to cover the child or dress warmly.

Prolonged exposure to a wet diaper can cause quite severe skin irritation and even diaper rash. The skin of a newborn is very thin and delicate. It is best not to allow the use of diapers constantly. It is recommended to periodically use diapers.

Diaper rash is accompanied by burning, itching and causes significant discomfort to the baby. After each washing of the child, the skin should be dried, avoid strong wrapping, carry out air baths.

Many parents rock their baby to bed before bed, but pediatricians do not recommend this. In a baby, the vestibular apparatus is not yet fully formed, so during motion sickness, he can feel like on a carousel, which makes him cry even more. It could make him feel really bad.

Wrong atmosphere

Comfortable forthe baby is considered to have a temperature of 18-22 degrees. If the room is very hot, then you need to ventilate the room as often as possible. The crib should be placed away from windows and heaters.

After birth, the baby is not yet aware of the difference between day and night. In order for him to quickly join the daily routine, you need to create for the child all the required laying conditions that will help him understand this difference. During the day, you need to lull the baby in the semi-darkness. At night, make sure the room is as dark as possible.

Increased activity will prevent the child from falling asleep normally. The baby will not react to background noises, but if there are always a lot of people next to him and they are talking, then there will be no normal sleep.

The impact of disease on sleep

Regardless of the age of the baby, a good sleep in a child is considered one of the most important diagnostic criteria for the state of his he alth. An attentive mother will be able to determine his well-being literally immediately by changing the behavior of her baby. If the baby began to sleep poorly at night, then this may be a sign of poor he alth. Significant deviations are considered as follows:

• unexpected awakening in the middle of the night crying - signs of neurological problems and other pathologies;
• desire to sleep at an unusual time for a baby - the first symptoms of an infectious disease;
• lethargy and drowsiness are manifestations of intoxication, dehydration, high temperature.

All these signs require increased attention and care of parents. The kid needs to take the temperature, call the doctor. Atinability to meet all medical requirements, if the child refuses to take medication, hospitalization is required.

During the course of any illness, especially during the course of acute viral infections, do not forget about creating the most comfortable conditions for the baby in the nursery. To prevent constant drying of the mucus in the nose and respiratory organs, regular ventilation of the room is required. If this is not done, then the baby will sleep very poorly and risk getting a bacterial complication.

During the acute course of the disease, the day regimen of the crumbs can change significantly. This means a shift and an increase in the duration of the usual rest period. The restoration of the previous sleep pattern is considered a good sign of the onset of recovery.

How to speed up falling asleep

If a baby of 5 months does not sleep well at night, then you need to develop your own approach to lulling the baby. It is important to develop rituals for laying the child down, as well as accustom him to the daily routine. After a while, the baby will himself want to sleep at certain hours. It is best to work out the following sequence: feeding, bathing, sleeping.

It relaxes and soothes bathing in a warm bath with the addition of herbal decoctions. If the child is worried about colic, then you can give him dill water or massage the tummy. So that the child does not interfere with himself, he can be swaddled at night. Darken the room and sing a lullaby or just talk to a quiet and calm babyvoice. Experienced mothers recommend repeating the same words or phrases. The same actions will sooner or later form the habit of falling asleep. You also need to remember about the temperature regime.

Getting used to falling asleep takes a lot of time. It must be borne in mind that each child has his own character. During laying, do not strongly accustom the baby to hands. It's better to just lie down next to him, pet him, talk.

How to ensure a good sleep

When a baby does not sleep well at night, absolutely all parents want to know what to do, as they are very worried about this problem. If no serious pathology was found in the child, then special treatment is not required. In this case, parents themselves can take care of their baby's sleep.

What to do, the baby does not sleep well at night? You need to prioritize first. A he althy child should sleep at the same hours as the rest of the family. It is also necessary to ensure well-being in the home. If a mother gets tired of the constant sleep deprivation of the baby, then she cannot fully care for him and do housework.

It is important to adhere to the optimal mode. It should be comfortable for both the child and the parents. How much you need to put a child to bed depends largely on his lifestyle and biological rhythms. The accepted routine must be followed.

Not the best way to sleep with your baby. It is best if he rests in a separate bed in the bedroom with his parents. No need to be afraid to wake up a sleepy baby during the day, if he is very longsleeps, because then the child will not let you sleep well at night.

It is important to optimize your feeding schedule. Children react differently to the process of eating food. Some want to sleep after eating, while others want to play. In the first case, the child should be fed densely and satisfyingly in the evening. If the baby plays after eating, then you do not need to feed him a lot.

If an 8 month old baby does not sleep well at night, then you should try to actively use it all day. The child should be busy all the time during wakefulness. Babies also need new information and communication. Be sure to spend some time outdoors. In bad weather, you need to take a walk outside for at least half an hour.

At home, it is important to create the most comfortable conditions for sleep. The air in the bedroom must be fresh. There should be no dust collectors or heaters.

A child's mattress should be flat, firm and moderately firm. No pillow needed for children under 2 years of age. You can just raise the head of the crib a little. Babies put a diaper folded several times under their heads. Don't wrap your baby too tightly. Better wear warm pajamas.

Following these simple rules will allow the whole family to sleep peacefully throughout the night.

Tips from pediatricians

Not everyone knows what to do: the baby does not sleep well at night. Komarovsky recommends initially finding out the cause of the problem and only then fixing it.

Some parents turn to pediatricians with concerns about changes in sleep in the baby. A baby around 9 months old may begin to flinch, sob, or laugh. Doctors consider this to be the norm, since the child perceives a lot of information and tries to analyze it during sleep.

If the baby does not sleep well at night and often wakes up, Komarovsky recommends watching him during the daytime. If nothing bothers the child during the day, he eats well, develops normally, then you should not worry about minor changes in night sleep.

Experts recommend replacing active games before bedtime with more relaxed activities with the baby, for example, reading fairy tales. Massage is also recommended. Smooth movements of mother's hands will help to relax and calm down.

When a baby does not sleep well at night, all parents should know what to do. It is very important to normalize the sleep pattern, and if there are any problems with the baby, then immediately contact the doctor.