The baby does not fall asleep. The child may wake up because the diapers or diapers are wet. Possible causes of insomnia in young children

A peacefully sleeping baby is a joyful and trembling sight. The baby snores and smacks his lips in his sleep, and adults finally have some free time for relaxation and household chores. What should those whose babies sleep poorly and wake up often?

There is no sight more beautiful and touching than a soundly sleeping baby. It would seem - this is it, happiness - so simple and so huge... And only the parents of this sleeping baby know what this “happiness” sometimes costs them, and how difficult it is to maintain presence of mind and patience if the baby does not sleep well...

Baby doesn't sleep well: mom's school?

What do parents need from their child? Falling asleep quickly and restful, long sleep. Surprisingly, children need the same thing from their parents. Moreover, they begin to need it much earlier than you might think. Yes, yes, many babies are very sensitive to their mother’s routine and, most importantly, to her lack of sleep. And what’s surprising is that not only after birth, but also before it!

It turns out that the sleep-wake rhythm is established in future infants in the prenatal period, from about 18 weeks of development. At this age, the tiny fetus depends on the mother for everything, so pregnant women should definitely try to get enough sleep, especially at night. It is also extremely useful for expectant mothers to go to bed and get up at the same time. In the future, this habit will help create correct mode sleep in a newborn, and later in an infant and an older child...

Thus, if your baby does not sleep well, falls asleep “hard” and wakes up restlessly, it is quite possible that he is “walking in his mother’s footsteps”...

Norms in numbers: how much sleep an infant should sleep

A newly born baby usually sleeps most of the day: 20-22 hours. He wakes up for 20-40 minutes to eat and interact with mom, and falls back to sleep almost immediately. With age, the amount of sleep decreases, and a 1-3 month old baby sleeps 15-18 hours a day (3-4 times for 40-90 minutes day and night).

By the age of 6 months, babies switch to two naps during the day, and total time sleep decreases by another 1.5-2 hours. In the period from one year to one and a half years, the baby gradually switches to 1 nap during the day and sleeps about 13-14 hours a day.

If a baby sleeps poorly on a regular basis, without getting his/her hours, this can negatively affect the health, growth and development of the baby.

What are the dangers of sleep deficiency?

A lack of sleep, even for 1-2 hours a day, immediately affects the child’s condition. Mood deteriorates, whims appear (and sometimes even, from which every mother’s heart breaks into fragments), appetite decreases. Chronic sleep deficiency can provoke not only psychological, but also somatic disorders. There is evidence that children who are constantly sleep-deprived get sick more often, develop worse, and are prone to obesity in the future.

Moreover, the fatigue that accumulates due to lack of sleep negatively affects... next dream, preventing you from falling asleep quickly and soundly. It turns out vicious circle: a baby who is tired during the day has difficulty falling asleep, sleeps poorly, often wakes up, cannot rest during the night, greets the morning with sleepiness, whiny and capricious, then again sleeps poorly during the day and again cannot sleep at night. Therefore, the first rule (not only, by the way, for infants, but also for children up to 5-6 years old) is a sound and sufficient daytime sleep.

Lack of sleep in an infant often leads to prolonged hysterics, which, in turn, prevent the child from falling asleep soundly and on time... The task of parents is to stop this unhealthy “carousel” by any means...

If your baby is not sleeping well, you need to check and review:

Daily regime. Each baby has its own daily routine: the mother just needs to pay closer attention when the baby begins to develop obvious signs drowsiness. This usually happens at about the same time both during the day and in the evening. Having calculated this natural bedtime for the baby, parents should regularly put the child to bed at this exact hour. Naturally, if at this time you have already planned trips to the baby pool, massage or developmental classes, you will have to reschedule or cancel everything, because now for the baby sleep is more important than anything else. The main thing is to start at the same hour every day, accustoming the child’s body to the fact that at this time it’s time to go to bed...

Comfortable place to sleep. The baby should be comfortable to sleep. This means that the bed should not be overly soft, the blanket should be light, and the pillow should be completely forgotten for the next 1.5-2 years.

The temperature in the nursery should not exceed 19 °C, air humidity should reach 60-70%. In spring and summer, the window in the room can be left open (just cover it with insect netting!); in autumn and winter, the room where the child sleeps should be ventilated 30-40 minutes before bedtime, and then close the window.

Many children spend their daytime naps on the balcony or outside while walking.

Ritual of falling asleep. Monotonous actions, as well as familiar sounds, phenomena and objects have a calming effect on children. One can even put it more precisely - “soporific”! It’s not for nothing that kids demand to read the same fairy tales to them, to sing the same songs, and woe to the parent who tries to deviate even a word from the text familiar to the child. Same with falling asleep. In the first 6-8 months of life, most children fall asleep during the day while being fed: at their mother's breast or with a bottle. After six months, it is better to gradually wean the child off the food-sleep connection by introducing other rituals. Everyone has their own: the same lullaby, reading a favorite book or the same massage - there are many options. In the evening, as a ritual, it both calms the baby’s nervous system and brings physical fatigue.

Using a pacifier directly at the moment of falling asleep is also a kind of ritual, very effective and useful if the baby does not sleep well.

And don’t be afraid that the baby will get used to it and then won’t be able to sleep at all without a pacifier - .

Feeding for bedtime. And, of course, when a child goes to bed, he should be well-fed: hungry children fall asleep worse (if they fall asleep at all) and more often wake up crying and restless. Therefore, 20-30 minutes before putting the baby to bed, you need to feed it - or they will give the baby not only a feeling of fullness, but also physical fatigue, which also helps you fall asleep quickly.

All these seemingly simple tips can be of great service to a parent whose baby does not sleep well both day and night. Adjust your daily routine, take your baby for more walks fresh air, bathe him before bed, and then after a well-fed evening feeding - try to smoothly lull him to sleep with the same melody or lullaby, which you have used more than a dozen times. You yourself will be surprised how useful these tips will be for you if you show the proper parental patience, affection and love...

Oh, what a familiar situation this is! How often do I receive letters from you with complaints and questions: the newborn does not sleep at night, what should I do?

After all, at the same time he gets out of the right rhythm himself (but he’ll get his sleep later, he’s got a lot of time!), throwing everyone in the household out of their normal rut!

It especially hits mommy, who the next morning, after a sleepless night, has to new day“I won’t sit down.” Agree, a couple of weeks of this regime is quite enough to turn the most balanced and loving mother into a bitchy, inadequate hysteric...

I hasten to reassure you: in most cases, the problem of a newborn’s sleep at night is quite easy to solve if you understand the reasons and understand how to eliminate them.

How to find and eliminate the cause?

So, let's figure out why a newborn doesn't sleep at night. The most common reason is any discomfort.

• For example, hunger, wet diapers, colic;

How to help your baby cope with colic without using medications, see the online seminar Soft Tummy >>>

• Perhaps the baby was “overly awake” and is now immature nervous system cannot calm down and adjust to sleep;

Know! The newborn should not be kept awake for more than 40 minutes.

• Another important factor in sleep disturbance is adaptation to new conditions. To sleep, a newborn needs noise, rocking, tightness - everything that he has become accustomed to after 9 months of living in his mother’s tummy.

Having understood these features, you can easily guess what can be done if your newborn baby does not sleep at night and begin to correct the situation by applying the following tips:

1. Change diapers, feed, try to relieve colic;
2. Start pronouncing sound sh-sh-sh-sh(this is what babies hear most often in the womb), or turn on a quiet hair dryer, white noise - to compensate for the lack of sounds, creating a constant monotonous background (read the article: White noise for a newborn >>>);
3. At night, before going to bed, be sure to swaddle the newborn - to imitate the usual tightness, which the baby associates with calmness;
4. Rock anyone before bed in an accessible way: on a fitball, on your hands, in special rocking cribs - create habitual movement;
5. If your newborn does not sleep in a crib at night, but sleeps in your arms, under your chest, or next to you, then he needs close contact with you. On this issue, read the article The child sleeps only in his arms >>>.

Remember that a newborn does NOT get used to you, but gradually weanes off you!

9 months of the child's life have passed inside you. He has no other experience. He is used to being warm, in a cramped space, receiving food around the clock and not being separated from you even for a minute.

The whole life of a child, from the very first day, is not an addiction or excessive attachment to you, but a smooth separation.

• Make sure that the break between sleeps does not exceed 40 minutes in the first month. This includes everything: feeding, changing diapers, air baths, “go-go-go” with mom, etc. Otherwise, the newborn will become overtired. And this is the direct reason for lack of sleep at the right time;
• Dose your baby’s daily, and especially evening, impressions.

Crowds of visitors lisping with the baby, noise, permanent shift persons, the desire of each guest to touch the baby, rock, etc., all this is an excessive burden, under which the child’s sleep will inevitably be disturbed.

Important! Don’t be afraid to teach your baby to sleep now, with the help of rocking or breastfeeding, without which he will later not be able to: until 3 months, children do not develop any habits. There are needs! And we satisfy them.

“Inverted mode”: how to debug?

It often happens that a newborn does not sleep at night even after feeding. And here you need to look at his behavior.

1. If he cries, is capricious, smacks his lips, most likely he is not full;
2. However, if the newborn is calm, active, does not show signs of illness or discomfort, is clearly determined to stay awake, without the slightest hint of sleep - most likely, we are dealing with an “inverted mode” when the baby “confused” day with night.

Of course, he still cannot confuse them, in the literal sense of the word, because the “day-night” rhythm itself is just being developed. This means that his body has not yet learned the difference between the purpose of each time of day.

This creates, to put it mildly, an inconvenient “schedule” when the newborn does not sleep at all at night, but during the day sleeps “like a baby” - calmly and serenely, exhausting the mother’s last strength with “night vigils”.

This means that our task in such a situation is to “explain” the difference to a small organism: night is for sleep and rest, day is for games and fun. Of course, the problem will not be solved overnight; the baby needs to be given time to “learn the material.”

Therefore, systematically, every day, we demonstrate to the newborn the maximum difference between day and night:

• Any activity, noises, screams, TV, bright light, games are the day;

Therefore, at night, even if the child wakes up and makes it clear with all his appearance that he wants to play, it would be a big mistake to turn on the light, talk loudly to the baby, touch him.

Let him fiddle around in semi-darkness and silence. If he starts acting up, his mother is nearby. But when calming the baby, you also don’t need to make too much noise or turn on the lights. Quiet and dark. Night is a dream.

• During the day, on the contrary, try to saturate his body with the maximum feeling of wakefulness.

Turn on the lights if the day is cloudy, open the curtains to let more light into the room, go for walks with your baby more often - it’s bright and noisy outside, just the right thing to feel the purpose of the day.

Not immediately, but quite quickly you will notice that a shift in the right direction has occurred: the baby is adjusting to the desired biorhythm.

Note! If a newborn does not sleep at night, screams for a long time, it is impossible to calm him down even with the breast, rocking or pacifier, he is tense, arches, his lips turn blue or his chin trembles, he throws his head back or gives any other eloquent signals - this is a reason to contact neurologist.

Probably in in this case the cause of insomnia is some hidden problems (most often neurological or cardiac). It is important to identify them and begin to eliminate them as early as possible in order to avoid serious problems in future.

This is how fragile, a little incomprehensible, chaotic this newborn’s dream is. It is extremely easy to both establish and disrupt it.

How is your newborn sleeping? Write and share in the comments.

Lyudmila Sergeevna Sokolova

Reading time: 9 minutes

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Last update articles: 04/15/2019

The question often arises about how much sleep a newborn should sleep. Many mothers worry - why does the child sleep little, what are the reasons, how to fix this problem? And how can you find out whether your baby actually sleeps little, or is this a variant of the norm?

The question “a lot or a little” is relative. How much is little? Perhaps the child sleeps not a little, but restlessly and intermittently. In addition, whether this fact will upset or delight parents, modern children have objectively begun to sleep fewer hours. Pediatric science has recognized this phenomenon as normal.

When is a consultation with a neurologist necessary?

In any case, if a mother thinks that her child is not sleeping enough, it is necessary to show him to a neurologist. The duration of periods of sleep and wakefulness directly depends on the state of the baby’s CNS (central nervous system).

Many neurological pathologies lead to sleep disturbances. If not in quantity, then in quality. Problems discovered in time are easier to fix.

A number of neurological problems can be easily corrected before the age of one year, especially if the mother contacted her in the first month of the baby’s life, and it is much more difficult to do this in more late age. Neurological problems are bad because once you have them, it will be difficult to say goodbye, and there is also a chance of exacerbation in stressful situation or when the child reaches puberty.

A modern view of the sleep duration of newborns

If just a few decades ago it was believed that a newborn should sleep at least 21 hours a day, today the norm is about 16 hours a day.

• On night sleep In the first months of life, you should have between 9 and 11 hours of total sleep time.
• Up to six months, the baby should sleep 4 times during the day, between 6-9 months - 3 times, and after 9 months to a year and a half - 2 times. The duration of each sleep should be from 1.5 hours to 2.

At the same time, according to the Union of Pediatricians of Russia:

• At least one daytime nap should be 1.5 hours, and the rest can be within 40 minutes;
• Total sleep duration should be between 16-20 hours for a newborn.

Main signs of sleep disturbance

There are many misconceptions among mothers about newborn sleep.

Erroneous judgment: assume that the baby only eats, sleeps and poops, and mostly sleeps. Even if we are not talking about a baby, but about a newborn. The child begins to learn the world from the first seconds of life. He perceives the world differently than adults (color, sound, and objects are different for a newborn than for an adult and even an older child). But this does not prevent the baby’s healthy curiosity. He looks with interest at everything that comes into his field of vision.

Correct judgment: Normally, newborns sleep most of the day.

The main signs of sleep disturbance in infants:

1. The total number of hours a newborn sleeps is less than 15 hours;
2. The child is in a state of clear wakefulness for more than 5 hours in a row (not only does not sleep, but also does not doze);
3. The child sleeps restlessly, waking up every 5-15 minutes. It's hard to put him down long time is in a state of overexcitation.

Why does your child sleep little? In order to answer this question, you need a face-to-face consultation with a pediatrician and neurologist. Experts should check everything possible deviations and, based on this, identify the cause.

If a baby is fed mother's milk, it is better to breastfeed on demand, rather than by the hour. The child is able to regulate his own nutrition. If he sucks on one breast and cries, you can let him suck on the other. If he eats, falls asleep peacefully, and does not spit up more than normal, it means he was hungry, and this was the reason for his poor sleep.

If the baby sleeps in daytime more than 4 hours, it is advisable to wake him up and feed him.

Intestinal colic

Accumulation of gases and intestinal colic worries all kids. For some, in the process of adapting the intestines to food and populating it beneficial microflora Even constipation develops. Pain and bloating make it very difficult to sleep. The baby must be placed on the tummy - this stimulates peristalsis and facilitates the passage of feces and gases. If the baby is very restless, pediatricians recommend carminatives.

High room temperature

Why do children wake up from the heat? Children infancy have an immature thermoregulation system, therefore they react very poorly to elevated temperature environment. The comfortable range for them is 22-25°C.

If the room is cool, then it is better to dress the baby warmly than to turn on the heaters.

Dry and dusty air leads to swelling of the nasal mucosa, its cracks and increased symptoms of a physiological runny nose. In this case, the child does not rest fully and often wakes up.

Neurological diseases

Neurological pathologies, for example increased intracranial pressure, as written above, strongly influence the processes of excitation and inhibition, and the state of the child’s nervous system determines his ability to have a full and high-quality sleep.

Infections

In some cases, if the parents abused drugs, alcohol or tobacco, the child may sleep very poorly. If an intrauterine infection has occurred, the baby's brain may be damaged, which affects the quality of his sleep.

When a child gets sick, his temperature rises, something hurts, he cannot sleep, cries and is capricious. If rhinitis develops, the nasal passages become blocked or crusts appear, it becomes difficult to breathe. It is difficult to fall asleep in this state. The baby will fall asleep, but sleep little and wake up often.

In order for a baby to develop correctly and comprehensively, he needs a full-fledged day rest. Often young mothers are upset because the baby refuses to sleep. How valid are parental concerns? Why does the baby sleep little during the day or not fall asleep at all?

Why do you need to sleep during the day?

Daytime rest is necessary for children for several reasons:

• strengthening the immune system;
• helps the nervous system cope with new impressions and emotions received during the waking period;
• improves concentration;
• promotes mental physical development infants, prevention of hyperactivity.

How much sleep do you need?

Quantity taken into account daily rest, and not just daytime. The norm immediately after birth and up to 4 months is considered to be 17-20 hours per day. The amount is distributed evenly throughout the day.

At four months the regime was established, duration daily sleep gradually decreases to 17-18 hours. By 6 months – 16 hours, by 9 – 15 hours. At the age of 1 year Small child sleeps approximately 13 hours per day. This amount of time is distributed between 2-3 daytime sleeps with breaks for wakefulness. By the year, this number is reduced to 1 time per day.

To determine whether a baby is sleeping normally, you need to know what is considered normal. Up to 4 months, children are in this state almost constantly, waking up to eat, or feeling discomfort. You should know - normal sleep children under one year old are intermittent and restless.

Considering that normal rest at night lasts 8 hours, during the daytime a newborn should approximately sleep:

Most children tend to shudder, turn, cry, and open their eyes in their sleep. These movements are called the Moro reflex. By 5 months it disappears.

Sleep phases

There are four phases of sleep: falling asleep, shallow sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep. IN infancy each stage lasts 15 minutes, the full cycle is 45-50 minutes. The superficial prevails over the deep. At fast stage the child’s eyes are closed, the eyelids visibly tremble, eyeballs moving quickly, breathing unevenly. Infant can smile, twitch, awaken from any rustle or sound.

When going to slow stage breathing becomes deep, measured, eyeballs are motionless, muscles relax, sweating is activated. It is difficult to wake up the baby.

What is a violation?

What to do when your baby doesn’t sleep well during the day or at night? These standards serve as a guide and depend on the characteristics of each individual baby. Often a mother, not knowing the differences between normal and pathological, worries in vain. To determine the background of what is happening and understand why the newborn sleeps poorly, it is important to understand what disorders indicate trouble.

Disorders are divided into primary and secondary.

Primary disorders

A primary disorder is said to occur when a child sleeps poorly and the sleep pattern is altered. There are no accompanying illnesses, obvious root causes of violations.

Secondary disorders

If sleep has become disturbed due to illness, they speak of secondary disorders. Changes appear due to congenital anomalies functioning of the nervous system, brain tumors.

What to do if you suspect possible problems? Immediately consult a neurologist, establish an accurate diagnosis, and begin treatment. It is better to be overly suspicious than careless.

Consequences of lack of sleep

When a baby sleeps poorly after 4 months of life, this can negatively affect health and proper development. During the rest period, the baby’s body intensively produces growth hormone, improvement occurs neural connections brain. A baby who lacks sleep day and night is anxious, cries, and hyperactive due to exhaustion of the nervous system.

Possible causes of violations

Among the most common root causes of why a baby does not sleep well during the day are the following.

Unsuitable room temperature, humidity

In the room where the baby sleeps, it is important to create optimal temperature and humidity conditions. The desired temperature is 17 - 20 degrees Celsius, humidity 50-70%.

Hunger, thirst

If quite a lot of time has passed since the last feeding, if the baby does not get enough food due to lack of breast milk, this can also cause the baby to cry and refuse to fall asleep. In summer and spring, children may be thirsty. Feeding a 3-4 month old newborn salty foods before bed is likely to cause fussiness, frequent waking up, whims.

Bright lights, loud sounds

In order to sleep peacefully during the day, you need a comfortable environment. Bright sunlight Due to loosely closed curtains, artificial lighting interferes with rest. A running TV, radio, car horns, dogs barking on the street, or loud knocking can disrupt day or night sleep.

Wrong clothes

Tight, uncomfortable underwear, tight seams, tight elastic bands, and laces cause discomfort to a newborn. Choose light, breathable fabrics, a simple cut of linen with a minimum of seams. It is advisable to select clothing appropriate to the ambient temperature.

A wrapped baby overheats and sweats, which can result in heat rash and diaper rash. Hypothermia leads to active movements, sneezing, skin become cool to the touch.

Wet diapers, uncomfortable diaper

Children's skin is sensitive and reacts to the slightest irritation. Diaper dermatitis, allergic rashes, other skin damage, a wet diaper can cause discomfort, irritation.

Unsettled routine

A 4-month-old baby may be reluctant to fall asleep during the day because she is simply not accustomed to going to bed at the same hours. Sometimes children confuse day and night, which causes a lot of trouble for their parents.

Emotional overload

An imperfect nervous system does not provide the necessary processes of excitation and inhibition. It is difficult for the baby to calm down and switch to falling asleep.

Painful conditions of the body

Accumulated in abdominal cavity gases and pain prevent you from sleeping peacefully and soundly. If you have intestinal problems or colic, do regular light massage belly, put a warm diaper on it, give the baby something to drink.

Incorrect parental bedtime behavior

Many parents place their baby in their arms. Others rock him night and day. The mechanism of “sickness” is simple - the newborn becomes dizzy, and quickly gets used to this state. When placed on the crib, the baby wakes up, refuses to go back to sleep, and asks to be held. Some people go to bed exclusively with a bottle or pacifier. In the absence of familiar objects, it is difficult for a child to fall asleep. Often, the prerequisites for such behavior are the mother’s overprotection and insufficient attention.

How to set up the process?

In the absence of somatic or neurological problems, in order to provide your baby with a healthy rest day and night, follow these simple rules:

1. Maintain good sleep hygiene. Create a comfortable temperature in the room, dim the bright lights, loud sounds. For the crib, choose a hard mattress. Give preference to comfortable, comfortable clothes;
2. Plan your routine so that your baby goes to bed immediately after feeding. Adjust the hours of falling asleep according to the needs of the baby;
3. Lay down when the first signs of fatigue appear. If he is tired and rubs his eyes, put him to bed early, do not wait for the allotted time;
4. Create a bedtime ritual. Before each fall asleep, sing lullabies to your baby, stroke her head, kiss her;
5. Use special cradles, cribs, “cocoons”, “nests” for motor motion sickness;
6. Provide sufficient motor activity while awake. Take him for walks in the fresh air more often. Most children who have difficulty falling asleep in a crib do just fine outside in a stroller;
7. If the baby moves and makes sounds during sleep, this does not mean that he is awake. You shouldn’t immediately take the baby in your arms and finally wake him up. The baby probably dreamed something and will continue to sleep;
8. Use quality ones in size;
9. With the permission of the pediatrician, it is recommended to give the newborn special children's supplements.

Daytime nap- deposit proper development baby. Show a little patience and persistence and everything will return to normal. Along with this, positive changes will occur in the baby’s mood.

Remember: healthy, normal developing child knows how much rest he needs. If you suspect that unhealthy sleep during the day is associated with illness, consult a doctor immediately.