Healthy sleep for newborns and infants. The child sleeps for a long time: reasons and actions of parents

A newborn baby spends almost all of its time sleeping. He is still very small and not accustomed to the world around him. Parents should take care of the baby and provide him with a healthy and comfortable sleep. In what position should a newborn sleep? The article will discuss the issue of creating conditions for proper rest for the baby.

How to sleep in a crib for a newborn

The baby may feel discomfort in the first days after birth. However, for safety reasons, he is given a separate place to sleep. For these purposes, a standard crib is suitable, in which he can rest for several years.

What should be the position of a newborn during sleep? The baby can sleep in the crib as follows:

• The most comfortable position is on your back. The head should be turned to the side.
• You should not cover your newborn with duvets. It is best to wrap it in a thin blanket or sleeping bag.
• Can a newborn sleep on a pillow? The baby does not need it until the age of 1-1.5 years, so as not to cause spinal deformation.

For proper development The newborn should sleep on a hard surface. She is the safest for him. The mattress must be elastic. If the child buries his nose in it, it will not impede his breathing. Co-sleeping with parents should also take place on a hard surface. After all, the formation of the skeleton and the safety of the baby depend on this.

An important issue is the choice of a children's mattress. The material must be hygienic and safe; it is better to use coconut fiber as a filler.

If the mattress is double-sided, then children under one year old need to sleep on its hard side.

Why does my child sleep poorly?

The main problems parents have with their babies are trying to get them to sleep. These include the following:

1. The baby cannot sleep more than 3-4 hours. He wakes up, cries and goes back to sleep.
2. It is impossible to put the child to sleep.
3. The baby wakes up at night and cannot fall back to sleep.

To understand why this happens, it is necessary to understand the structure of nighttime rest. It consists of several phases. Sometimes your baby may be awakened by a loud noise or bright light. To prevent this, it is necessary to provide him with comfortable sleeping conditions.

How to get good sleep

In what position should a newborn sleep? Before you fully decide on this issue, you need to create comfortable conditions:

1. The temperature in the newborn's room should be between 18-22 degrees.
2. The room must be well ventilated. IN warm time It's better to leave the window open. The main thing is not to put your newborn to sleep in a draft and dress him according to the weather.
3. The optimal humidity in the room should be 60%.
4. The mother of a newborn will have to face a choice between diapers and undershirts. A baby born in the summer can sleep in a light vest. Newborn in winter time diapers will be needed. A hat is not needed indoors at temperatures above 18 degrees.

You need to create comfortable conditions in the room. To prevent the sun from shining into the baby's eyes, the curtains must be closed.

Which pose to choose

Can a newborn sleep on his back? It is necessary to choose the resting position correctly. A physiologically comfortable position for sleeping is the baby's pose with legs spread apart and arms thrown behind the head and clenched into fists. This position with the head turned to one side is safe and suitable for resting both during the day and at night.

Sleeping on your back

In what position should a newborn sleep? The position on the back is one of the safest and most acceptable for a baby. The baby's head should be turned to the side so that the baby does not choke if he burps.

Many parents practice placing their newborn in this position. The parties in which head turned, needs to be changed. This is done to prevent torticollis from forming. If the baby turns to one side most often, then you can place a diaper folded in several layers under this cheek.

When the baby prefers to sleep towards the light, it is necessary to change the position of the pillow. To do this, alternate the headboard and legs, so the baby is turned towards the window, but at the same time sleeps on different sides. The direction of rotation must be changed constantly: day and night.

Can a newborn sleep on his back? Despite the convenience of this position, this position is not always the most suitable. At increased tone muscles, the child moves his arms and legs, so he constantly wakes himself up. In this case, some mothers use swaddling, but not all babies like the restriction of freedom and therefore are capricious. Then they change their sleeping position. At pathological development hip joints Sleeping on the stomach is suitable for the baby.

If a newborn is tormented by gases, then this position improves their release. A warm diaper is also placed on the tummy to ease the baby’s condition.

On the stomach

In what position should a newborn sleep? For the full development of the baby, experts advise placing it on the stomach every day, and it is advisable to do this several times. Baby in this position:

• lifts and holds the head;
• back muscles are developed;
• sees the world on the other side;
• the ability to navigate in space develops.

What is a safe sleeping position for a newborn? When he sleeps on his stomach, his intestinal gases pass normally. This helps improve his condition with colic. It is possible for a child to sleep on his stomach, but only under the constant supervision of his parents. After all, the baby can bury his nose in the pillow and suffocate. SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) may also occur. Typically, the danger increases if the surface under the head is soft. Therefore, babies under 1 year old should not sleep on a pillow; it is usually replaced by a diaper folded several times.

If a newborn sleeps on his stomach, then it is necessary to follow some safety rules:

1. Place the newborn on a smooth and hard surface.
2. No foreign objects (toys, clothes) should be left near it.

To control the breathing process, the baby must be under the supervision of parents. If they cannot keep an eye on the baby during sleep, then a less dangerous position should be chosen.

On the side

This position is quite safe for the baby, but it is necessary to prevent the possibility of turning over onto the stomach.

Can a newborn sleep on its side? To do this, the baby is laid down with a cushion of twisted blankets or towels placed under his back. When the baby lies on his side, he presses his legs towards his stomach, which helps the gases escape. In this case, the baby’s hands are in front of his face, and he can scratch himself. To avoid this, parents need to wear a vest with closed hands or special non-scratch mittens. This position is especially favorable for babies who constantly spit up.

When the newborn is positioned on his side, there is an increased load on pelvic bones. This position is contraindicated for babies in the first 3 months, as well as for those with hip dysplasia.

It is imperative to regularly change the position of the baby’s body to avoid the development of torticollis.

How to place your baby correctly

Can a newborn sleep on its side? As we have already said, it is better to lay it on the half-side. This position reduces the risk that the baby will choke when burping, and reduces the load on his hip joints. This position combines the positive aspects of sleeping on the side and back, and also prevents negative consequences.

The child must be shifted on different sides to avoid the appearance of torticollis. To avoid confusion, parents can use a hanging toy that is repositioned when the baby’s position changes.

After feeding, it should be as follows: it is best to carry the baby vertically in your arms so that the air comes out. Only after burping can the child be placed in bed on his half-side or on his back, making sure to turn his head at the same time. This way, his sleep will become more sound, and the baby will not be bothered by colic and gas.

A newborn should not be swaddled tightly. You can use a sleeping bag, the baby will be able to move his arms and legs freely. At the same time, it is guaranteed not to open, and the mother will not need to worry that the child will freeze.

If parents cover the baby with a blanket, it should be at chest level.

Within 2-3 months after birth, the mother is recommended to use two positions for sleeping the baby: on the back and on the side. In the first position, you need to turn your head to the side. This is necessary so that saliva and milk mass flow out after regurgitation.

If you decide to place your baby on his side, you need to make sure that nothing interferes with him.

Baby's sleep duration

Newborns include babies whose age does not exceed 1 month. After this period, he becomes an infant.

How long does a newborn baby sleep before one month? The birth process has a stressful effect on the baby, so he needs to regain his strength as quickly as possible. The daily routine of a newborn is as follows:

• in the first weeks after birth, the baby sleeps for 20-22 hours;
• the rest of the time, until the month is completed, the baby rests for 18-20 hours, taking short breaks to eat;
• gradually the duration of sleep decreases to 16-17 hours.

How long does a newborn baby sleep after feeding? If the baby is full and nothing bothers him, then he can rest for 4-8 hours, this depends on the amount of food eaten and the nutritional value of the mother's milk.

Very convenient if most of your sleep occurs at night. This allows not only the baby to rest, but also his parents. To achieve this, pediatricians recommend reducing the duration of daytime sleep.

How long does a newborn baby sleep for up to a month during the day? Babies do not distinguish the time of day very well; most often they wake up at regular intervals in order to eat. But it is worth remembering that every baby is individual.

Is it necessary to rock a newborn?

Many parents believe that the baby should sleep in his own crib. However, some children begin to be capricious, ask to be held and cry. This happens because the newborn is frightened by the world around him. Everything here seems unusual and dangerous to him. The dearest creature at this moment is the mother. In such situations, psychologists recommend picking him up and rocking him to sleep. Feeling the mother's presence and her smell, the baby immediately falls asleep. You should not put your baby straight into the crib. He needs to be given time to fall asleep soundly.

In the first months, he needs to be placed in a crib, which is located in the parents' room. The more time the baby feels his mother’s presence, the higher the chance that he will grow up healthy and balanced.

What will help your child sleep

From the first days of life, most babies quickly fall asleep immediately after feeding or begin to doze already during the breastfeeding period. If this does not happen, then perhaps something frightened the baby or he was overexcited from new impressions.

Most common problems with motion sickness one month old baby does not occur if he does not have any health problems.

Contraindications for various sleep positions

When putting the baby to bed, parents should worry about the safety of the position in which he is located. There are some contraindications:

1. It is prohibited for infants who have been diagnosed with abnormal development of the hip joints to fall asleep on their sides and back.
2. Night and day rest on the back is prohibited in case of muscle hypertonicity (tight swaddling is recommended) and colic.
3. The head should not be higher than the body.

For correct formation The baby's spine is placed on a flat and hard surface.

Conclusion

To ensure that your newborn has sound, long-lasting sleep:

• the bed should be firm and level, a pillow is not required;
• it is necessary to surround the baby with care and attention;
• It is imperative to create comfortable conditions for sleeping.

After the birth of a baby, the life of a family changes dramatically. Now, in addition to the role of a wife, a woman is obliged to fulfill other responsibilities - to care for the child, feed him and develop him. At first, a young mother is worried about many things. In addition, she needs to somehow combine motherhood and daily chores, so the question of the baby’s sleep is always acute. The daily routine of all other household members depends on him. What to do to ensure a comfortable sleep for a newborn? And what are the causes of sleep disorders?

How long do newborns sleep?

Duration daily sleep is rarely an indicator of its normal growth and development, because it is necessary to rely on individual characteristics body. We can only talk about statistical data that speaks of average standards, which is 16-20 hours a day. At the same time, if the baby’s behavior does not bother you, he has a good appetite, regular bowel movements and no increase in body temperature, then let him sleep as much as he wants.

The average number of hours a newborn sleeps at night is 8-9. But this indicator also depends on many factors:

What to do if your newborn doesn't sleep well

It’s worth noting right away that the opinion that in the first month of life you should sleep for days, waking up only when you’re hungry, is erroneous. Of course, children are all different, but most of them open their eyes and grunt approximately every 2 hours, and while awake, children are happy to get acquainted with their surroundings, although their perception is still very different from adults.

For normal development For a child, communication with his parents is necessary even at this age, and the more, the better. However, there are certain limits by which you can determine whether the newborn is sleeping enough or whether it is worth worrying about. If your baby sleeps less than 14 hours a day and is awake for about 5 hours at a time, is restless, appears agitated, cries for no apparent reason, and wakes up every 10 minutes after falling asleep, this may be the cause of some problems. The most common of them:

Newborn sleeps a lot

Good nutrition and sleep are two important components of the proper development of a baby, both physical and psychological. Many parents are happy if the newborn sleeps for several hours in a row without waking up to feed. This is the norm if the baby looks calm and well-fed, receiving mother’s milk during sleep, but if not, after 4-5 hours, pediatricians recommend waking up and feeding the baby (you need to wake up only in the sleep phase). REM sleep).

But it could also be alarm signal, threatening the newborn with dehydration and problems with lactation.

What affects a baby’s excessive sleep?

What to do if a newborn does not sleep and cries

Having heard the plaintive cry of your baby, first of all, rule out the most common reasons for crying; they are usually physiological - hunger or the need to change a diaper.

There are many babies who cry most of the day and even at night, and their screaming is replaced by deep and prolonged sleep. This may not indicate the presence of an illness; this is how hyperexcitable children behave.

The psyche of young children is very “mobile”. Any event can cause stress and, as a result, loud, inconsolable crying. Do not tire the baby with long conversations with relatives. Fatigue and emotional overexcitation do not allow him to sleep peacefully.

In the first 3-4 months of a child’s life, colic is often tormented due to sharp pain in the tummy he can cry for several hours in a row, often at the same time, for example, in the evening. The baby tightens its legs or, conversely, stretches out like a string. At the same time, the baby eats well and gains weight according to norms.

To ease the condition of a newborn, lay him on his tummy, and each time after feeding, carry him in a column, giving him the opportunity to burp air. But it is better to coordinate the use of medications with your pediatrician.

How to put a newborn to sleep

A child's sleep during the first year of life occupies a significant part of his daily routine, so any pediatrician will tell you that there are some rules when putting the baby to bed.

• The room in which one sleeps must be cleanly washed - no dust or dirt. If possible, ventilate the room in advance and draw the curtains.
• The air temperature should not exceed 20 degrees, and humidity - 70%.
• Until one year of age, it is recommended to put a child to sleep on a hard surface, for example, on a mattress with natural filling; do not cover children warm blanket and do not use a pillow; it can be replaced by a diaper folded several times.
• A good alternative to a mattress can be considered a special cocoon for sleeping or a sleeping bag; the baby will be comfortable in it, like in a mother’s belly.
• If parents practice co-sleeping with their child, for hygiene reasons they should have a separate sheet (diaper) and a light blanket.

If we talk about laying methods, then parents can and should use the stroking technique. To do this, find the point between the baby's eyebrows and stroke with light clockwise movements.

If laying down takes place in a crib, then a pendulum mechanism and a musical mobile come to the rescue.

How to sleep properly for a newborn

Experts still cannot decide - what is better, separate or joint sleeping between a newborn and his parents? Some argue that childbirth is a strong shock for a baby, and the subsequent separation of him from his mother can aggravate the situation. In addition, this option will allow a woman to breastfeed her baby without getting up several times a night.

Others assure that a baby does not belong in the mother’s bed, only the father can sleep there, and purchasing a crib or cradle is a vital necessity.

There is even more controversy regarding baby rocking. Our mothers and grandmothers, as a rule, agree that it is absolutely forbidden to do this, as the child gets used to the hands and later has problems falling asleep.

Many pediatricians and neurologists do not agree with this and claim that while swinging, one trains vestibular apparatus crumbs. In addition, babies often suffer from colic, and rocking distracts them from the pain and allows them to relax, and allows the mother to take a break from emotional stress and crying.

Doctors recommend regular sleep as a form of hardening. fresh air, so the child falls asleep faster and sleeps more soundly. The place and time should be chosen depending on weather conditions. At strong wind It is possible to lay it on the balcony, and during snow and rain - under the roof.

Hello, dear readers, Lena Zhabinskaya is with you today! The question of how a newborn baby should sleep has divided mothers into two warring camps. Moreover, judging by the comments on popular articles and forums, the struggle for an idea is life and death.

The cornerstone in this struggle is the question of whether it is permissible for a newborn to sleep together with his mother, or is it better to immediately teach the baby to sleep in a separate crib.

Meanwhile, there are certain points regarding baby sleep, in which representatives of warring opinions converge. There are also cases in which the baby should not sleep with his parents in order to avoid getting serious problems with health. We'll talk about all this in detail below.

Where should a newborn sleep? Most pediatricians recommend separate sleeping area for the child for the following reasons.

The advantages of having a newborn sleep in a separate crib:

1. It is safe and there is no risk that the child will be crushed by adults.
2. It’s hygienic: there is clean bed linen in the baby’s crib.
3. The baby immediately gets used to independence and personal space.
4. There is no third wheel between adults in bed, which ensures the possibility of regular intimacy between mom and dad.

Sounds good, right? Therefore, focusing on theory, for the birth of the baby, I also purchased a beautiful crib with soft sides, Italian bed linen, carousel and other bells and whistles.

However, this whole theory in my case was shattered by practice: my firstborn did not sleep well in his crib, and I also had to make a lot of unnecessary movements at night: get up, pick it up, feed him, put him back if he woke up, feed him again, lull him to sleep, put him down again, come back in bed.

But the baby slept terribly restlessly, he woke up every thirty minutes. We tried everything: a heating pad in the crib, swaddling (according to some reports, this helps the child not wake himself up with his hands), gymnastics, bathing in a large bath, airing before bed - nothing helped.

As a result of chronic lack of sleep, I began to wake up in the morning in my bed with my peacefully sleeping baby. At the same time, sometimes I didn’t remember at all how I took him at night and fed him. So Leva moved into our bed, but began to more or less sleep at night, waking up a couple of times a night to feed his breast and immediately fall asleep.

I have studied a lot of information on this topic. The fact that a newborn sleeps much better next to his mother is even scientific explanation. It's all about natural instincts. A newborn is not able to survive alone, so nature has endowed him with the instinct to be able to cry for help when he feels that he is alone.

Thus, choosing between the theoretical advantages of the fact that the child will grow up to be an independent person in his own crib and the basic need to sleep and not rock anyone to sleep at night, I chose the second.

Sleeping together with a baby did not stop my husband and I from making him a sister - this is related to the question of whether the baby in the parent’s bed is interfering with something. There would be a desire, and imagination will tell you how to realize it.

Pros of co-sleeping with your baby:

Rules for sleeping with a newborn:

1. The baby should lie against the wall, between the parents, and be securely covered with a blanket, pillows, etc., to prevent any possibility of falling to the floor.
2. Mom and dad must be of sound mind and sober memory: it is unacceptable to sleep with a baby in a state alcohol intoxication or any other altered consciousness - in this case the risk of crushing the baby increases many times over. Moreover, such a probability in common sense tends to zero and is practically excluded by natural instinct.
3. Lay a clean diaper under the baby for hygienic reasons and ease of feeding so that droplets of milk fall on it, because it is easier to wash than sheets.

Many parents fear that if they let a newborn into their bed, he will then sleep with them almost until school. This is wrong. At about the age of 1.5 - 2 years, you can already begin to negotiate something with your child.

The moment of moving into your crib needs to be planned, timed to coincide with something. For example, we specially bought a bigger bed for our eldest son, laid out elegant new bed linen with cars, and explained that this is now his beautiful new crib. It took literally a couple of days, and he began to sleep separately, calmly, but consistently.

If you decide that your child will sleep in his crib, be sure to check on what surface he will do this, namely, that it has a safe, high-quality mattress that will not cause harm to the baby. I wrote about what mattress a newborn should sleep on.

Also read carefully to make sure your crib does not contain typical baby hazards.

How

In what position should a newborn sleep? Pediatricians are unanimous: on the back.

It is impossible to specifically lay a baby on his stomach to sleep due to the danger of the syndrome sudden death baby. The essence of this syndrome is that physically healthy child dies in his sleep due to respiratory failure.

There is no scientific explanation for this terrible syndrome. But statistics show that most often this happens when sleeping on the stomach at the age of 1.5 - 3 months in boys.

If a baby turns over on his tummy or on his side in his sleep, and the mattress on which he lies is quite hard, the room is cool and humid (more on this below), there is no pillow - there is no problem, in what positions the little one sleeps - let him do it the way it suits him.

If your baby prefers to rest on his side or stomach, it is advisable to keep track of which side he does this on and try to change them from time to time.

The use of any pillows for children under two years of age is unacceptable, firstly, because of the large size of the head in relation to the rest of the body and the lack of need for a pillow, and secondly, because of the risk of suffocation when turning over on their tummy.

Modern pediatrics does not support tight swaddling of infants, as it is constricting and restrictive. natural movements the baby and thereby hinders its development. In addition, a baby who is tightly swaddled in several diapers runs the risk of breaking his neck when trying to roll over.

Conditions for comfortable sleep

The optimal air temperature in the room in which the child sleeps is 18-20 degrees. The required air humidity is 50-70 percent (provided using an ultrasonic humidifier and controlled using a hygrometer).

Before going to bed, the room should be thoroughly ventilated and, if necessary, wet cleaned.

It is advisable to minimize in advance all possible dust accumulators: carpets, mountains of soft toys. Wash curtains, vacuum upholstered furniture.

Little Eva has been sleeping with me since the maternity hospital - she refused to sleep separately there, and it didn’t take long to persuade me. The crib is still empty and only there for decoration. But now I’m already sure that I’m doing everything right, so I just enjoy sleeping with her, which is what I wish for you, regardless of which option you prefer, the main thing is to love your babies, the fact that we have them is a great happiness!

Happy Lena Zhabinskaya was with you, bye-bye!

Mothers try to think through everything even before the birth of their child. important questions, among which - where he will sleep. After birth, another question arises: what should be done to ensure that the baby sleeps all night? What is the reason for what is observed restless sleep in a baby, and how to deal with it? Depends on sleep general state organism and its development.

Establish a daily routine from birth - important task. Not only the child, but the whole family will have a rest.

How long should you sleep? infant in the first month? A newborn baby sleeps about 17-18 hours a day. Children at this age never sleep more than 3-4 hours - neither day nor night.

Close observation of your baby will help you establish a rest routine. What matters is how long he stays awake. The waking time is no more than 2 hours. If you don't keep track of time and put your child to bed later, he will become overtired. Signs of drowsiness include yawning and touching your face. At this time, you need to put the baby in the crib. You can sing a lullaby, or just talk quietly, monotonously. Such attentiveness will help teach the baby to sleep in its place.

IN daytime You need to communicate with the newborn more often, carry him in your arms. If a child wakes up at night, you should not play with him or talk for a long time. No need to turn on the light. These actions will help establish a routine, and it will be easy to teach the child to distinguish between day and night.

How long does a 2-3 month old baby sleep? By 3 months, sleep duration decreases to 15 hours.

The baby sleeps twice a day. Children's daily routine should be supplemented with rituals of waking up and going to bed.

How long should a one year old baby sleep? By the end of the 12th month, your baby should sleep about 12 hours a day. At this time, the transition to one-day sleep occurs.

If you have managed to establish a sleep-wake schedule, the child eats well, walks a lot, but still has difficulty falling asleep and sleeps little (less than 40 minutes), you should consult a doctor for advice.

What problems might you encounter?

In order to teach your baby to sleep through the night, you need to understand the reasons for waking up.

1. During the first month, the baby wakes up from hunger. If parents want to solve the problem with a large portion of food before bed, then this will not save the situation. Sleeping on a full stomach is even worse. Children who are breastfeeding, and sleep with mom, can wake up every 40 minutes.
2. Too much bright emotions During the day, the baby sleeps for only 30-40 minutes. Children's nervous system is very weak, they can see bad dreams and wake up.
3. Sleep disturbance can occur due to poor health: colic, teething, colds. In this case, the baby sleeps for only 30-40 minutes.
4. The day and night routine in children is disrupted.
5. Uncomfortable clothing can cause short nap– 30-40 minutes. Clothes should be made from natural and high-quality material, there should be no rough seams or unnecessary details.

During healthy sleep, the child should not breathe through his mouth. Breathing through the nose allows the air to warm up and clear dust particles. The lungs work actively and saturate the blood with oxygen. In the case when the baby sleeps with open mouth, the air enters the lungs cold, and there is a risk of colds.

It is important to understand why a child sleeps with his mouth open. This can lead to problems such as sleep disturbance, anemia and hypoxia. The older the child gets, the more difficult it will be to wean him from this habit.

• The child sleeps with his mouth open due to an uncomfortable position.
• Perhaps the nose is clogged with mucus or crusts have formed, and the child is forced to breathe through the mouth.

If all possible reasons eliminated, and the baby still sleeps with his mouth open not only at night, but also during the day, then we can talk about a habit. Parents will have to make efforts to teach their baby to sleep with his mouth closed.

Falling asleep with mom until one year of age is normal occurrence. If the baby falls asleep during breastfeeding, you can try to wean him off.

In the evening, before going to bed, you just need to put him in the crib and leave the room. He will cry for 20-30 minutes and fall asleep. You can sit next to the crib, but not respond to crying, or use a pacifier.

It happens that the baby sleeps only in his arms. As soon as he is placed in his crib, he opens his eyes. In the arms of the child he feels the warmth and protection of his mother. To wean him off this without hurting him nervous system, you need to hold the baby in your arms more often during the day when he is not sleeping. Or you can replace the desire to sleep in your arms co-sleeping with mom.

It is worth being patient to teach your baby to sleep in his own crib. How long it will take depends on the baby’s temperament, his health characteristics and the atmosphere in the house.

Helper for a long and healthy rest

When children wake up every 30-40 minutes, a sleeping bag can help solve the problem. A child in a dream, moving his legs and arms, wakes himself up and opens up.

How a sleeping bag can be useful:

• you will feel warm and cozy all night long;
• while feeding in your arms, the baby will also feel comfortable;
• the bag will not be able to fall;
• The sleeping bag is convenient to take with you on a trip.

The sleeping bag should be used immediately after discharge from maternity hospital. If this is done later, it will be more difficult to teach the child to sleep in new conditions.

The only disadvantage of a sleeping bag is the inconvenience of changing a diaper or changing a diaper.

How to choose the right sleeping bag? It must match the size of the baby. The neckline should not fit too tightly around the neck. A sleeping bag can have sleeves. It would be better if it had a zipper. When choosing a sleeping bag, you need to take into account the air temperature in the room.

The sleeping bag has become a popular product for newborns. You can buy it at any specialized store, or sew it yourself.

Basic rules for putting your baby to bed

If you properly establish a daily routine, this will help parents put their child to sleep quickly and throughout the night. Otherwise it will wake up every 30 minutes. Consistency and consistency will help improve the process of going to bed.

1. You need to decide what time you plan to go to bed each day.
2. A few hours before bedtime you should avoid active games, loud sounds, vivid impressions.
3. Taking a bath in a warm bath will help you get ready for a good night's sleep.
4. A massage will help relax your muscles and calm your nervous system.
5. After putting the baby in the crib, you need to sit next to him for some time. You can read a book, sing a lullaby.

By doing several similar sequential actions every day, you can teach your baby to fall asleep quickly.

Most babies can sleep through the night by six months. Some parental mistakes lead to the newborn waking up every 30–40 minutes. To change the routine and teach him to sleep through the night, parents need to make every effort and patience.

• Night feeding (many children have only a habit by this time).
• Wrong mode: sleeps a lot during the day, little activity.
• There is no ritual before bed.
• You should not hold your baby in your arms for a long time before going to bed.

If your baby is 7 months old and continues to fall asleep in your arms day and night, you can begin to patiently explain to him that he needs to sleep in a crib. At this age, children are already able to understand the speech of an adult.

It is easy to train your baby to sleep next to his mother. This way he calms down and falls asleep faster, especially if he is breastfed. If the mother allowed the child to sleep with her for the first few days, she will have to face the problem of how to wean the child from similar dream. It doesn’t matter how many months the baby will be at this moment. Need to choose right moment When is it better to teach your child to sleep separately?

• The most best time– when the baby stops breastfeeding or eating breast milk only during the day.
• It is easier to teach children who have established deep and long sleep.
• During the day he can play on his own for a long time without requiring attention.

Experts advise not to leave your child playing in the crib during the day. To do this, you need to allocate special places: a corner for games, a playpen. The crib is designed for relaxation.

It is this idea that needs to be formed in the baby.

Rest too short. What to do

Healthy sleep consists of slow and fast cycle. During the fast (superficial) phase, a person dreams of vivid, emotional dreams. Deep (slow) sleep is characterized by relaxation of the body. In adults, sleep begins with a rapid phase, and then the slow phase begins. In infants the opposite may be true.

Children have a short sleep cycle, and the baby can sleep through one phase. How long does the fast phase last in infants? Fast phase lasts 20-30 minutes. It is better to rock your baby in your arms before he or she appears. deep dream. Otherwise, when changing the place of laying, the baby will immediately wake up.

During REM sleep, you experience what happened during the day. In phase slow sleep is happening physical development. This is why sleep is so important for children.

Healthy sleep for children depends on their internal state. External factors(light, sound) have little effect on the quality of sleep. It is important to establish emotional contact with your baby in the first month.

If a baby's sleep lasts only 30–40 minutes, it is considered short. During this time it is impossible to regain strength. The child will wake up cranky and look overtired during the day.

Some children begin to lengthen their sleep at the end of the 1st or 2nd month, while others sleep short periods(about 40 minutes) up to 8-9 months.

Does the baby have dreams? There are many signs that indicate that a child is dreaming. This is eye movement, crying or smiling in a dream. The baby cannot talk about his dreams. Therefore, experts can only guess what babies might dream about. Dreams include experiences that a person experiences during the day. For young children, this may be their mother’s breasts, the faces of relatives. Dreams can also contain nightmares: quarrels between parents, illness.

How much the baby sleeps depends on his general health and development in general.

It is very difficult for babies to achieve a clear daily routine. The baby is just getting used to living and this is a huge burden for him, but chaos cannot be allowed. It is important to comply daily norm sleep. It is 18-20 hours. At night, a toddler can wake up to eat on average 2-3 times. After a few months, when the baby gets used to it a little, he can sleep 2 hours a day less, that is, 16-18 hours.

It makes no difference to a newborn when to wake up or fall asleep. That's why the best option will try to accustom the baby to the family daily routine. Of course, you will have to listen to the baby’s biorhythms. A clearer regime will be established after three months.

Restless sleep of a newborn and its causes

About strong healthy sleep they say - “like a baby.” But baby wakes up several times during the night.

The baby closes his eyes and falls asleep. His face makes cute grimaces. This period is called the superficial sleep phase or active phase. Its duration is on average about 40 minutes. During this time, some babies may appear to be fast asleep, others twitch eyeballs, move their arms and legs, and shudder, which confuses the parents. At such moments it is very easy to wake up the child.

After this, the deep sleep phase begins. Outwardly, she can be distinguished by her relaxed posture and calm facial expression. The duration of this period is no more than an hour, but as the baby grows up, the duration will increase.

In one-month-old babies, shallow and deep sleep alternate up to 6 times during the night. Active phase sleep predominates, so the baby wakes up even with a minor irritant. Such as hunger, for example, or your own involuntary movements, shudders.

Mom should not be afraid to take her baby to her bed after he wakes up at night. She will be able to cuddle and feed him, and he will quickly fall asleep.

It often happens that a mother, having just put her seemingly sleeping child in the crib, leaves the room, and immediately hears crying, notifying that the baby has woken up. Most likely, the baby has not yet had time to fall into deep sleep. It's worth spending a little more time with your child than usual.

The bed is not a place to play

The reason for lack of sleep in young fathers and mothers is often night games, when the baby wakes up and remains awake for a long time. If this becomes a habit, parents will forget about normal sleep. One explanation may be that the child is taught to play on the bed, and he considers it a field for entertainment. It is important to make it clear to the baby that the bed is a place to sleep.

Of course, there are more serious reasons that interfere. First of all, it is a pain in the tummy, a stuffy nose.

Parents are sometimes tormented by the question of what position their child should sleep in. On the one hand, everything is simple - the child can sleep in the way that is most convenient for him. On the other hand, many of you have probably heard that sleeping on your side is dangerous.

A peacefully snoring sleeping child is a very touching sight. However, many parents find it very difficult to put their children to sleep, and they have to resort to various tricks.

In what position should a very young child sleep?

If you don’t know how and in what position it is best to put your baby to sleep, remember that it all depends on the age of the child. So, on the contrary, it is recommended to lay children under six months on their side. When lying on your back, you may burp and choke afterwards. Moreover, such situations are not at all rare. In a lying position, the child is also not always comfortable, and there is also a danger that the baby will bury himself in the pillow and also suffocate. All that remains is to place the child on his side and turn him over regularly so that the side of his body on which he lies does not become numb.

You can turn the sleeping baby either on the left side or on the right.

Also, you should know that small child Do not place your head on the pillow, as this can cause curvature of the spine.

In what position can older children sleep?

For older children, discuss possible positions for quality sleep is already underway long time. Each doctor has his own idea of ​​how and in what position a child should sleep. Sleeping on the left side puts serious strain on the heart and impairs blood circulation. At the same time, scientists conducted some research and found that sleeping on the left side prolongs life.

An example would be Tibetan monks who sleep on their left side and keep good health almost up to 120 years.

This sleeping position is not recommended for children who are predisposed to cardiovascular diseases. The fact is that the entire load when falling asleep on the left side is immediately transferred to right lung, and this can negatively affect the functioning of the right hemisphere of the brain and blood circulation. In addition, when a person lies for a long time on his left side, his liver function is activated and the metabolic processes, since through right side the body passes the main energy, which increases the load on the heart. Therefore, pediatricians speak very categorically about children sleeping in this position. Sleeping on the right side, on the contrary, is recommended, especially with straightened legs. This position allows you to overcome feelings of sadness and anxiety. It is recommended to place sensitive and nervous children in this position. When falling asleep in a position on the right side, blood circulation is regulated and the load on the heart is reduced.

Baby sleeps on the right side with a little legs bent has a beneficial effect on the activity of all digestive organs.

Sleeping on your side

Sleeping in the fetal position is most often chosen by newborn babies. At the same time, they press the legs to the tummy, and the arms to the chin. As a rule, children wean themselves from this position after the first month of life.

Sleeping on your stomach

Sleeping on your back

An infant sleeps in the position in which his parents place him, since he does not yet know how to roll over. That is why a mother’s task is to teach her baby to fall asleep in the correct position from infancy.

How to help your baby get a good night's sleep

Sometimes children use very unusual positions to sleep. If, in your opinion, it is safe, do not shift the baby, let him rest in a way that is comfortable for him.