Causes of sleep disturbance in newborns. Doctor Komarovsky about what to do if a child does not sleep well at night and often wakes up. How many hours does a newborn sleep?

One of important indicators good health the baby is his dream. At every age, a toddler should rest for a certain time, but many mothers complain that their child does not sleep well. The doctor, when he calculates the required amount, explains to the young mother that everything is in order. However, the sleep schedule is not observed, the baby often wakes up, and the woman does not have time to do anything around the house and rest. Let us examine in more detail why a newborn does not sleep well, and what can be done in this case.

Sleep norms for different ages

First you need to know how many hours a child should spend sleeping, in at different ages. From birth to three months, the baby sleeps, on average, 17 hours a day, from three months to six months he is entitled to rest approximately 15 hours, from seven months to twelve he needs to sleep approximately 14 hours. And starting from the age of one year, the toddler rests for 12-13 hours.

However, these data reflect average statistics, so you need to understand that each child is an individual who has his own characteristics. And therefore, parents’ panic about the fact that the baby sleeps only 16 or 15 hours is unfounded. For him this is an individual norm.

You need to worry if the actual amount of sleep differs by 4-5 hours, up or down. In this case, the child practically does not sit during the day or sleeps only during the daytime. If this happens, you should consult a neurologist. Perhaps the baby has certain health problems.

Causes of poor sleep

Why does my baby sleep poorly? In the vast majority of cases, young children have normal sleep, and abnormalities are uncommon. If problems do arise, this means that the baby is experiencing some discomfort or something is bothering him. Usually such lack of sleep is accompanied by whims and crying. If you take action, everything will return to normal, and the duration and quality of sleep will be restored.

A newborn does not sleep well at night for the following reasons:

1. Lack of comfortable conditions in the room. The fact is that thermoregulation in a baby is still very imperfect. Therefore, if the room is cold or hot, he will become ill and will not be able to sleep soundly. The situation can be corrected by installing an air conditioner and a battery. It is definitely recommended to ventilate the room frequently, but avoid drafts. Best Temperature environment for a baby it is about 18-20 degrees.
2. Colic is often the cause of crying and lack of normal sleep. This is usually the main reason why a 2 month old baby does not sleep well during the day, and about 80% of babies suffer from this. By three months this problem usually goes away. But while it exists, you can go to the doctor, and he will prescribe the necessary medications that will reduce gas formation and intestinal spasms. In addition, it is necessary to feed the baby according to the daily routine and not overfeed. To help, you can give him a little dill water, or install a gas outlet tube.
3. From time to time the baby may wake up due to unpleasant sensation when his diaper or diaper gets wet. If you eliminate this problem, the baby will calm down and fall asleep.
4. Another reason why a newborn does not sleep well at night is hunger. It is especially difficult for a young mother when the baby wakes up at night, because she really wants to sleep on her own, and she may miss the prescribed feeding. But in the case when the child eats on time, and nevertheless constantly asks for food, the diet of the nursing woman should be reconsidered or the portion of milk he receives should be increased during artificial feeding.
5. Noise or bright light can interfere with normal sleep. Therefore, it is recommended to close curtains or blinds during daytime sleep. You should not constantly tiptoe so as not to wake up the little one. He should be gradually accustomed to normal noise throughout the day. This is especially important if the apartment is small and there are other children in it. But you shouldn’t play loud music or shout loudly. This way you can not only wake up the baby, but also negatively affect his condition. nervous system.
6. A newborn baby does not sleep well at night and during the day when his mother is not near him. In order to make sure of her presence, the baby may sob and whine in his sleep. If at the same time he does not receive his portion of rocking, stroking or encouraging voice, then he begins to cry quite loudly. Therefore, you should try, especially at first, to be as close to your child as possible in order to be able to calm him down in time. For this, it is better if the baby’s crib is located near the bed of his parents, on the mother’s side. This will allow her to calm the baby without getting up.
7. A common cause of poor sleep is an unfavorable family environment. If the mother is constantly nervous and stressed, then the baby, who at first has a very strong connection with her, suffers no less from this. Therefore, taking care of the mother’s peace of mind is a guarantee of normal sleep in the newborn.
8. When a 1 month old baby does not sleep well, it is also due to startling in his sleep, or involuntary movements of the arms. At this age, he may scratch his face or get his finger in the eye. After this, he wakes up from pain. This problem can be avoided by swaddling. At first, a tight method is recommended for such a child, then, as he grows up, you can only swaddle his arms. And then switch to special mittens and simply place the baby under the blanket.

In order for your baby to sleep soundly all the time appropriate for his age, you should use a number of tips:

1. It is good to have daily rituals for going to bed. This will help your baby develop a special reflex for falling asleep quickly. A fairy tale, a quiet song, swimming, or a light massage are suitable for relaxation.
2. For better sleep, you can use valerian. It is recommended to sew it in crushed form into small pillows and put it in the crib.
3. If a child of 5 months sleeps poorly, then at this age a soft toy will help him. He will be calmer if you put a bear or other animal nearby. When waking up, the child will see or feel his friend, and will calmly fall asleep again.
4. Before going to bed, you can take a bath with the addition of decoctions of soothing herbs (chamomile, lavender).
5. Before going to bed, you should not play too actively, watch TV, or listen to loud music.
6. To rest while sleeping, the child should create comfortable conditions. They consist in always using only clean bed linen, made from natural fabrics, and the absence of bright lights that hit the face and harsh sounds.
7. The sleeping room must contain oxygen, so it must be ventilated in advance, and when the baby gets older, it is best to sleep with the window open, especially in the warm season.

In the case when all methods have been tried and measures have been taken, and the baby still sleeps poorly, restlessly, and often wakes up, then you should go to a specialist and identify the cause of this phenomenon. The child may need qualified help.

The reasons leading to this condition depend on the age of the baby.

Insomniaatmonthlybaby called:

• hunger and thirst;
• overfilled diaper;
• and gas;
• high temperature;
• nasal congestion;
• sore ears or throat;
• itching;
• dry indoor air;
• tight, uncomfortable clothes;
• lack of routine - the baby confuses day and night.

Insomniaatone year oldbaby due to:

• strong impressions, excitement during the day;
• diseases causing discomfort from internal organs;
• uncomfortable position during sleep;
• a large meal at night;
• fear due to the absence of the mother nearby (if the child is used to sleeping with the mother);
• nightmares;
• extraneous noise, bright light, stuffiness, cigarette smoke;
• disruption of the usual ritual of falling asleep when moving to another place.

Insomnia in an infant: what to do?

Insomnia in newborns and infants can manifest itself as follows:

• the baby cannot fall asleep for a long time;
• often wakes up at night, shallow sleep;
• Some children do not sleep all night long and only fall asleep in the morning.
• What to give a child for insomnia? You should not start with medications right away. If the condition is not caused by somatic or infectious diseases, the following measures can be taken:
• Set up, feed and put the child to bed at a strictly defined time, do not allow a newborn to sleep during the day for more than three hours in a row, and an older child - no more than twice a day.
• Take a walk with your baby 2 hours before bedtime.
• Before bedtime, create a calm environment for your baby, turn on the night light, listen to quiet music, read a fairy tale, or sing a lullaby. Let going to bed become a ritual for your little one.
• Have a relaxing massage, a bath with chamomile, mint, hops, lavender, which have sedative properties.
• Do not overfeed your baby at night. Do not give stimulating drinks - coffee, strong tea. Prevent the baby from being hungry: if there is not enough breast milk, add formula. Do not teach your baby to eat at night: it is better to give her a bottle of soothing tea instead of the breast.
• Ventilate the room well and do a wet cleaning.
• Change the diaper more often and wash the baby's genitals with warm water to avoid diaper rash and itching.
• Put your baby in spacious cotton pajamas, make sure the bed is comfortable, not too hard and soft.
• Make sure that older children do not become overexcited during the day, do not overload them with too much new information, do not create stressful situations. At home, relationships should not be sorted out in front of the child.
• Do not allow watching TV or using mobile and computer devices before bedtime.
• Do not teach your baby to sleep in his own bed; he must get used to sleeping separately from his mother.

If insomnia is caused by a medical condition, you should consult a doctor and treat the underlying cause.

Treatment of insomnia in infants

For colic, it is recommended to place the baby more often on his stomach, on a hard surface for better release of gases. After feeding, hold the baby upright and wait until there is a burp (so that gases do not linger in the tummy and intestines). Give him dill water, which relieves flatulence and has a sedative effect.

If the nose is stuffy, clean the nasal cavity from mucus and crusts with cotton swabs, and do wet cleaning daily.

For ear pain, make cotton compresses with camphor oil.

For diaper rash and itching, wash the genitals with warm water and herbs that have a disinfectant effect - string, chamomile. Use special antiallergic creams and ointments for newborns.

If all of the above measures do not have the desired effect, insomnia continues, you can resort to help:

• soothing decoctions and herbal tinctures. These are lemon balm, mint, valerian, motherwort, chamomile. The tincture is prepared as follows: 2 teaspoons of dry raw materials, pour 1 glass of boiling water, leave for 15 minutes, strain. Drink 1 teaspoon to the baby and mother during the day;
• special methods of muscle relaxation and acupressure of the baby, which can be learned in courses for young mothers;
• for older children - calming exercises;
• aromatherapy - massage, baths, aromatic pillows, sticks with essential oils from lavender, mint, hop cones, geranium, oregano, roses.

Can infants take sleeping pills?

Sleeping pills of the group of barbiturates, benzodiazepines, non-benzodiazepine and bromide derivatives, antihistamines are strictly contraindicated for newborns and infants. These medications have a toxic effect on a child's developing brain, which can lead to irreversible consequences in the future.

Is there a special sleeping pill for newborns?

There are no special sleeping pills, you can use some homeopathic medicines, facilities traditional medicine. Even herbal-based combination preparations “Novo-Passit”, “Persen”, “Hare”, “Bai-Bai” are not recommended for children under one year of age. Magne B6 is also contraindicated.

You should always remember that not a single remedy, even the most harmless at first glance, should be given to a baby without consulting a doctor! The doctor will evaluate the effectiveness of the drug, possible adverse reactions, determine the optimal dose and duration of treatment.

Sleeping pills for infants: list of the best drugs

• "Dormikind" is a homeopathic remedy that has a hypnotic and sedative effect.
• “Glycine” is an amino acid that helps improve brain function and relieve psycho-emotional stress. Before use, you must dissolve the tablets in 1 teaspoon of water.
• Calming teas - “Evening Tale”, “Calming for Children”, “Calm down”. They have a sedative effect and have a beneficial effect on digestive processes. You need to pour 1 tea bag with a glass of boiling water, cover with a lid, leave for 5 minutes. Give your child water 30 minutes before bedtime.

Alina Veyts, psychoneurologist, candidate of psychological sciences, especially for the site

Useful video

Sleep plays a key role in the development of a growing body. Therefore, in childhood, approximately a third of the day is allocated to him. The duration of rest for a child in the early period of life is almost twice as long as for an adult. IN last decades Many infants sleep little, and their waking hours increase. As a result, this affects the behavior of the newborn and his general health.

In a state of rest, all people experience cell growth and the formation of the nervous system. These processes are especially important for infants. At this age, it takes about 16 hours to rest. In the first two months, the child may be capricious for unknown reasons and experience a feeling of hunger at irregular intervals. The individual rhythm of nutrition is just being established, so the body does not have time to get full in one feeding.

A clearer daily sleep and wakefulness pattern is established at 8–9 weeks of life. Gradually, the duration of rest in infants is reduced, and the intervals between meals increase.

It is important to know! The biorhythm of newborns is influenced by the habits of loved ones. It is physiologically important to go to bed before 10 pm, this will also affect your daily routine.

Normally, for full development, rest should alternate with 2 hours of wakefulness. Taking into account the individual characteristics of the baby, parents gradually understand how much they need to walk and sleep, and when to eat. Often in infancy, problems arise related to the duration of sleep, disrupting routine moments at night and during the day.

Short sleep in a baby

Normal sleep consists of several cycles, each of which has a deep and superficial phase. In childhood, this cyclicity is supplemented by short-term awakenings at fluctuating intervals of about 30 minutes. When children wake up, it is difficult for them to return to their previous state, unlike adults. Why do babies have this feature? Their unformed psyche and other factors play a role here.

Reasons for violations

All babies are individual. Some sleep a lot, others a little less. Those situations seem unusual when the baby does not want to sleep at all or begins to scream or cry. Such disorders in newborns can be caused by the following factors:

Sometimes the cause of pathology is physiological changes in the developing organism. The growth of teeth, bones and organ systems can be painful. The process of adapting to a new food at first causes intestinal colic, stool disorders, and bloating. Therefore, the baby is capricious and cannot fall asleep.

It is important to know! Often this symptomatology is a consequence of the fact that the parents had bad habits (alcoholism, smoking, drug addiction) or the mother gave birth after an infection.

Like an adult, a newborn child sleeps little if he has a somatic illness. Due to his age, the baby cannot complain about the existing discomfort.

The following disorders may be the cause of anxiety:

1. Lack of vitamin D, leading to neuro-reflex excitability.
2. Anemia.
3. Allergic reactions accompanied by skin itching.
4. Runny nose.
5. Cough.
6. A sore throat.
7. Otitis.
8. Increased intracranial pressure.

Occurring sleep disturbances are also noted when the baby wants to eat. Therefore, when he wakes up, he can give signals about what he is experiencing strong feeling hunger.

Dangerous

It is important to know! The situation is alarming when a baby constantly cries and refuses to sleep without good reason: the environment around him is comfortable, there are no signs of poor health. Such cases require special attention, as they may indicate the development of neurological disorders.

Harmless

It is considered normal and natural for infants to whine and sob when they wake up. In such cases, the mother's touch and hug will be sufficient.

The following are considered harmless reasons that do not require seeing a doctor:

1. Excessive daytime sleep. If a child sleeps a lot at lunchtime, he may be capricious at night.
2. An excess of impressions and information received during the day.
3. Presence of external stimuli.
4. Overwork.
5. Parental attention deficit disorder.
6. Changes in eating schedule (started weaning, ate dinner late).

It is important to know! Dr. Komarovsky believes that sometimes mothers themselves create problems for their children by allowing them the unacceptable: long periods of motion sickness, active evening games. This will have a bad effect on your vacation. Usually the regime is improved by making adjustments to the baby’s lifestyle.

Associated symptoms

If the situation does not change within several weeks, this is an alarming signal. The appearance of dangerous symptoms at night should be even more alarming.

1. Excessive daytime sleepiness.
2. Convulsions.
3. Screams.
4. Changes in breathing as a sign of primary apnea.
5. Confusion when excited.
6. Fear of falling asleep.

Some babies are initially born with disabilities. Such symptoms indicate the development of pathology and require careful diagnosis in the early stages.

Ways to solve problems

It is necessary to resort to solving the problem of poor sleep in infants when the cause of the disease is identified. If the violations are not serious, parents usually try to cope on their own. Other situations require qualified assistance.

Independent actions of parents

Most parents understand the importance of proper rest during infancy and are concerned about why their newborn baby is getting so little sleep. Before contacting a pediatrician, some resort to a set of measures that create a comfortable environment.

Among them, the following will be useful for infants:

Ventilate the room regularly.

1. Establish an evening and daytime sleep routine: go to bed at the same time.
2. Dim the lights.
3. Wear clothes that are not too warm.
4. Organize a proper sleeping place. It must be individual and permanent.

When parents eliminate external factors, the child quickly falls asleep. If such actions do not help, signs of serious pathologies should be suspected. These may include central nervous system or respiratory disorders. Therefore, it is better, without delay, to seek help from a doctor.

Seeking help from specialists

The cause for concern is those cases when the problem cannot be solved on its own. In this case, the symptoms of the pathology may become more pronounced and last longer.

It is worth paying attention to the following changes in the baby:

1. Turning the head in a certain direction or throwing it back.
2. Enlargement of the orbit of the eyes, reminiscent of surprise.
3. Twitching of the chin.
4. Crying with active mobility of the limbs.
5. Sleep disorders accompanied by changes in mood and behavior.
6. Breathing problems.

Such symptoms require timely consultation with a neurologist. The doctor selects medications that have a hypnotic effect and reduce the frequency of night awakenings.

The most popular pharmacological groups in this therapy are:

1. First generation antihistamines.
2. Antidepressants.
3. Benzodiazepines.

Attention! Drug therapy should be carried out under the supervision of a doctor. You should not use such medications for a long time, as they tend to cause addiction. Experts often come to the conclusion that the best effect is achieved by a psychological approach.

Consequences of sleep disorders in a newborn

Progressive symptoms in an infant make him moody, irritable, and cause loss of appetite, since he is awake most of the time. The consequences also affect the mother. Due to her worries and fatigue, her milk level decreases.

Daytime rest is also important for the full mental and physical development of a newborn. If it is absent or short-lived, the growing organism will suffer.

Over time, negative consequences appear:

1. Increased emotional excitability.
2. Decreased immunity.
3. Fast fatiguability.
4. Memory lapses, inattention.
5. Obesity.
6. Risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
7. Delayed mental and physical development.
8. Hallucinations.

The physiology of a child's body requires more rest. In the process of human growth and development, difficulties arise that should not be overly worried about. But if there are serious changes in the behavior of the newborn, it is necessary to see a pediatrician as soon as possible.

Hello, dear readers! With you today is Lena Zhabinskaya and the problems of children's sleep. The more serious the question, the more acute it is in each specific family and the less mommy sleeps at night.

Can a problem always be solved once and for all with the help of some magic golden pill? Of course not. If the problem is in the baby’s temperament, psyche, or health, then we need to look into this in more detail.

But often the problem is not this at all, but the objective conditions of children’s sleep, which parents can and should influence.

Actually, answering the question of why a newborn sleeps poorly, you need to begin to consistently identify and eliminate these very factors. In 80 percent of cases, the family then begins to sleep happily through the night. This is what we will do today!

Babies sleep completely differently than adults, because the very structure of their sleep is different from the sleep of an adult. Unlike adults, babies have a longer phase of shallow sleep than a phase of deep sleep, and this is their physiological feature.

Nature has provided that in case of danger a baby can easily wake up and scream for help. This is the key to the survival of even small and helpless cubs. Therefore, in the phase of superficial sleep, a newborn is easily awakened and frightened by a sharp noise, sound, or bright light.

With age, the deep sleep phase increases, and this, in turn, leads to the fact that the child begins to sleep more soundly and does not wake up several times a night.

These features should be taken into account and try, if possible, to eliminate loud and harsh sounds near the sleeping toddler.

How many hours does a newborn sleep?

The sleep standards of a little man are very conditional and have many features.

But if we talk about the approximate number of hours, it is as follows.

What does it mean to have trouble sleeping?

Often young parents ask themselves the question: is it their newborn who sleeps poorly, or is it that all babies sleep like this at this age, and is this normal?

Pediatricians talk about sleep problems if:

• The newborn wakes up at night every 3 hours or more, and during the day more often than every 30 minutes;
• Cries a lot;
• Doesn't calm down after eating.

If the baby wakes up every three hours to eat and then immediately falls asleep, this situation is normal and may not require correction.

12 main reasons for poor sleep in newborns

The room is hot.

To begin with, let us remind young mothers that a newborn’s metabolism in the body occurs several times faster than in the body of an adult. This means that much more heat is generated per unit time. As a result, the child is always hotter.

Remember! If you feel cool, it's fine for babies. If you feel normal, the baby is warm. If you are warm, the baby is hot!

The optimal temperature in the room in which a newborn sleeps is 18-20 degrees. Moreover, if the room is more than plus 23 degrees, then the child’s poor sleep is almost guaranteed.

The room is dry.

IN Lately modern pediatricians are paying more and more attention to the importance of such a parameter as indoor humidity. A special device helps maintain it - an ultrasonic humidifier.

This is very relevant for our country, given that most of the year the batteries are turned on and working in apartments. The latter dry out the air very much. As a result, the air humidity in the room in which the batteries are turned on remains at 10 percent.

While the optimal air humidity in a children's room is 40-60 percent.

What are the dangers of sleeping in a room with dry air?

1. The body spends huge reserves of water to humidify the inhaled air. Therefore, a feeling of thirst sets in very quickly. The baby wakes up and cries because he is thirsty.
2. The mucous membranes of the nose and mouth dry out, and there is a feeling of “sand” in the nasopharynx. The baby wakes up at night and cries.
3. As a result of large losses of moisture, the body becomes dehydrated. The stomach juices become thick and cannot digest food eaten at night. Colic, gas, and a newborn develop.
4. If the baby sniffles or coughs even a little, then the next morning after sleeping in a dry room you are guaranteed bronchitis, laryngitis, tracheitis and lack of nasal breathing. Why? Because all the mucus (snot in the nose and phlegm in the bronchi) will dry out, and it will become impossible to cough it up on your own.

The room is stuffy.

Remember that feeling that covers you in a stuffy room: the feeling of lack of oxygen.

Need I say that in such conditions children sleep very little and often wake up and cry?

Therefore, mandatory airing of the nursery before bed for at least 15 minutes should become a habit.

It is through ventilation that the air is saturated with oxygen, which is necessary for comfortable sleep.

Wet or soiled diaper.

Some children are extremely intolerant of a soiled or even slightly damp diaper.

In addition, contact between feces and urine is a real thermonuclear mixture for delicate baby skin.

Modern high-quality disposable diapers have a high degree of absorption compared to reusable diapers or diapers. Needless to say, before going to bed you need to make sure that the diaper is dry, the skin is clean, without traces of feces, diaper rash and other troubles.

If there are any problems on the skin - diaper rash, irritation, redness - be sure to treat them with a special ointment with dexpanthenol (Bepanten, Panthenol D, etc.) before going to bed.

If such irritation occurs constantly, while the temperature and humidity in the room are maintained, it may be worth changing disposable diapers to better and more expensive ones, and using them at least during night sleep.

My tummy hurts.

Infantile colic is one of the most common reasons baby anxiety. As a rule, they appear at the age of 3-4 months, and disappear without a trace by six months.

It manifests itself like this: a newborn cries day and night for no reason (dry, well-fed), loudly, with anguish, blushes, and does not calm down, even if he is picked up. At the same time, after a few minutes, he just as suddenly calms down.

Not all children have colic, and are largely determined by the individual characteristics of the body. Statistics show that boys are more likely to suffer from colic than girls.

You can alleviate the condition by eliminating fluid loss from the body (provide air humidity of 40-60 percent, air temperature of 18-20 degrees, offer water.

Also, special children's drops with simethicone (Espumizan-baby, Bobotik, Sub-simplex, etc.) can partially relieve the symptoms.

The baby is scared and lonely.

The question of whether it is right to sleep with a child has long been classified as eternal and rhetorical.

Pediatricians do not recommend this practice. Consultants for breastfeeding hold the opposite opinion.

Personally, I believe that the truth, as always, is somewhere in the middle.

A newborn is not able to survive alone without the help of an adult, so he has a natural instinct to cry when he feels that he is alone, abandoned or abandoned.

The best option is when the newborn sleeps in his crib next to his parents’ bed or placed close to it with the side wall removed.

This is exactly where we started. However, in my case, Lyova slept much worse in a separate crib. When I took him to my place in the middle of the night and fell asleep during the night feeding, we sometimes woke up only in the morning.

Without being a fanatical supporter co-sleeping, I chose it from a purely pragmatic point of view - to get better sleep myself. I also feed Eva almost half asleep, sometimes I even wake up from the fact that she, without unnecessary noise, herself finds what she needs, eats and sleeps on.

Therefore, if the problem with mom’s sleep is quite acute, I still recommend trying co-sleeping as one of the ways to solve it.

Thirst

If the air parameters in the room are not met: the air temperature is above 22 degrees, and the air humidity is less than 40 percent, the child loses a lot of fluid simply in the process of breathing.

In this case, he easily wakes up, is capricious and cries not because he is hungry, but because he is thirsty.

In this case, first of all, you should offer the baby a bottle of water.

Hunger

Of course, this happens, and quite often. It is worth trying, if possible, to feed the baby as closely as possible before going to bed at night. Breast, formula, milk porridge.

The baby confused day with night

This situation is characterized by the fact that the child sleeps poorly at night, but well during the day.

As a result, mommy goes about her business all day and cannot get enough of her little angel, who behaves perfectly.

But as soon as night falls, it feels like the child is being replaced! But is it any wonder - simply, having slept during the day, at night he wants communication and attention! What should a mother who wants to sleep and literally falls off her feet do?

Be patient and act the next morning. I have already written in more detail about how to recognize and correct this situation in just 2-3 days.

Overexcitement

As a cause of restless sleep at night, it is quite common, especially in sensitive and easily excitable children. It is quite easy to recognize this condition by the child’s hysterical behavior before bed: the baby is capricious, whining as if for no reason.

What preceded all this? Maybe, active games, massage, gymnastics, watching cartoons, etc.

If you suspect that this is the problem, start getting ready for bed three hours before. Transfer all procedures to more early time so that after them the baby has time to calm down. Avoid active games and cartoons 2 hours before bedtime.

About an hour before going to bed, dim the lights everywhere and eliminate loud sounds. Talk to your baby or read a book to him. Even if he doesn’t understand everything yet, just the sound of your voice can have a calming effect.

As an alternative, you can try listening to calm music, such as sounds of nature or children's lullabies. However, not all newborns like this, so you need to search and try what works for you.

Newborn sick

Red cheeks, tearfulness and a hot forehead will give you a reason to immediately measure your baby’s body temperature.

Although the body temperature of a newborn is unstable, its increase above 37.5 degrees in any case should raise suspicions and serve as a reason for consulting a doctor.

Most likely, the pediatrician will prescribe antipyretic and plenty of fluids. As an over-the-counter antipyretic for children in the first year of life, pharmacies offer syrups and suppositories with paracetamol (Panadol, Cefekon, etc.) or ibuprofen (Nurofen, Ibufen, etc.).

Individual characteristics of the nervous system and temperament

It may happen that all of the above recommendations do not significantly improve the situation.

Even when created, it would seem ideal conditions for sleep, some children, in spite of everything, sleep restlessly. At the same time, it happens that others sleep well despite the heat, stuffiness and scalding radiators. Why?

There are features of the mental makeup and nervous system that make some children overly sensitive, hyperexcitable and unbalanced during certain periods. This is often the case with choleric children and a decent portion of little sanguine children.

This is a feature of the nervous system that cannot be treated at all and goes away with age, when the child gradually learns to control his emotions without bursting into screams for any reason.

In this case, all you have to do is be patient and love and wait.

What to do if your newborn has trouble sleeping at night

1. The first step is to optimize the air parameters in the children's room. The air temperature should be 18-22 degrees and humidity 40-60 percent. These parameters are controlled using a thermometer and hygrometer. This is achieved by installing taps on the batteries, which will allow them to be regulated and purchasing a device such as an ultrasonic humidifier. All other methods of moisturizing (wet rags, bowls of water, plants) are ineffective.
2. Before going to bed, be sure to thoroughly ventilate the nursery for at least 15 minutes.
3. Spend time with your child in a calm environment with dim lights and sounds 2-3 hours before bedtime.
4. Feed your baby firmly and make sure the diaper is dry and clean.
5. If the previous tips don't fix the situation, try co-sleeping.

Personally, I know first-hand about children’s sleep problems. Moreover, I had the most of them with my eldest child. Lyova slept very restlessly. And it was cool and humid air and sleeping together that could partially solve this problem.

The youngest Eva slept well from birth. Perhaps because all the conditions that worked with Leva were initially met. Be sure to bookmark the site and the article to your wall on social networks so as not to lose it! I really hope that today’s article will help someone start sleeping at night, and I say goodbye to you!

Introduction

Baby sleep and newborn sleep patterns are very popular topics among mothers. Indeed, the statistics of queries in Yandex on this topic: “A one-month-old baby is not sleeping well, what should I do?” , “A month-old baby doesn’t sleep”, “A month-old baby doesn’t sleep well”, “How should a month-old baby sleep?”, “Why doesn’t a month-old baby sleep or often wakes up?”, “A month-old baby doesn’t sleep at night”, etc. numbers in the thousands.

I will say right away that I am not a specialist in sleep disorders in newborn infants, so I do not claim to be an expert. I am a loving mother who really wanted to help my baby not wake up every hour and make my baby sleep peacefully. I just want to share my experience and really hope that it will be useful.

My situation.

I’ll describe it briefly, maybe your situation is similar to mine and it will be easier for you that you are not alone.

The birth of the first child was successful. A good maternity hospital, the newborn’s Apgar score is 9-10. The child is healthy. Everything is fine, with some exceptions... my restless child, in my understanding, does not rest (baby rest for me: he ate, fell asleep and sleeps for 3-4 hours before the next feeding), constantly screams, cries, demands the breast and “hangs” on it for hours. As soon as I put him, seemingly asleep, in his crib, he screams and smacks again, demanding the breast, and so on CONSTANTLY!

I couldn't do anything. NOTHING! Even brush your teeth and eat. I was NOT READY for this! HONESTLY!

Like many mothers, after reading articles about the sleep norms of a newborn baby and learning that a newborn sleeps most of the day, I grabbed my head, because my baby slept not 20-22 hours, but 8-10 hours a day! My baby woke up every half hour or hour and cried a lot.

When I asked a neonatologist (a specialist in newborns) about why my baby sleeps so little and wakes up often and how much he should sleep at his age, the specialist answered that there is no such thing that a child sleeps little, there is a concept that parents sleep little.

Yes, I agree that it’s not enough, and I agree that the norms are average and all babies are individual, but it shouldn’t be that the baby wakes up every half hour and asks for the breast. Where is proper sleep and rest for a child? After all Sleep deficiency is dangerous for a child's body.Due to constant lack of sleep, many organs and systems become unbalanced; the child experiences a deficiency of many enzymes and hormones that are produced precisely during sleep. Therefore, the task of improving sleep became paramount for me.

When my baby slept for 1.5 hours at night, I was happy. If the mothers with whom we walked in the yard said how much their babies sleep at night (5-6 hours of continuous sleep at night), I was honestly jealous, despite this feeling. It was hard for me.

Due to the fact that I was nervous and practically did not sleep, because... I just didn’t have time to fall asleep, the child woke me up again and again to eat, and milk began to disappear, which was already not enough. About how I restored lactation in my next post (in preparation).

I was on the verge of a breakdown! Lack of sleep, holding a baby all day, literally spoon-feeding me, as soon as I remove the breast and the baby cries... I wanted to solve this issue and I began to look for options.

While I spent hours breastfeeding my baby, I simultaneously studied various sources, read books, and asked advice from similar mothers “for better or worse.” I understood that healthy sleep is very important for a child’s development; the striking deviation from the norm for children’s sleep made me wonder, is everything okay with my baby? And how can I help the baby and myself in this situation? So...

Causes of restless sleep in infants and possible solutions

or “13 T” for loving mothers

1. Injuries. If your child sleeps poorly and wakes up frequently, as in my case, it is important to find the reason. To be honest, we did not identify the reason in time. My experience in this matter was not enough and, unfortunately, we did not find an experienced specialist. All routine examinations revealed nothing. There was no response to my pain and I accepted this as the norm.

I learned that we had a rotational subluxation of the first vertebra of Atlanta (birth injury) at the age of 6, when my child, despite long sessions with a speech therapist, could not hear the sound “R”. It is with this diagnosis that a violation of the venous outflow can be observed, which provokes an increase in intracranial pressure, headaches, tinnitus, pain in the back and shoulders, tearfulness, poor and restless sleep in the baby, tense muscles, cramps, regurgitation after feeding. It was practically all about us. Fortunately, the speech therapist was a guru in his field and referred us to an experienced neurologist, who found the reason for our poor speaking and sensitive sleep in infancy. Before this, no doctor had diagnosed anything like this. The question “why?” remains unanswered. Therefore, look for a specialist who will prescribe the necessary procedures for you, and the sooner the better. In the future, you will avoid many problems (for example, flat feet, inattention, etc.). By the way, later, talking with a breastfeeding specialist and remembering the fact that the baby was hanging on his chest for hours, I learned that in this way nature helps to correct injuries, the baby actively and a lot sucks on the breast in order to bring his body to a comfortable state.

2. Silence. Create silence. In a newborn baby, the phase of shallow sleep lasts longer than the phase of deep sleep; this mechanism is provided by nature itself so that in case of danger the baby can easily wake up and scream for help. As brain structures mature, the deep sleep phase increases and the child begins to sleep more soundly and does not wake up often. These features should be taken into account and try, if possible, to eliminate loud and harsh sounds near the sleeping toddler.

For children who sleep restlessly, it is important to create a competent bedtime atmosphere. After all, in children, the processes of nervous excitation prevail over the processes of inhibition. No TVs, home scandals, bright lights, etc. The room where the baby sleeps lightly should be quiet, period. We don’t listen to any talk about someone’s baby sleeping with noise. Let someone else sleep, but you have your own special baby and your task is to create for him the conditions for proper rest.

3. Darkness. An important condition for sleep. The sleep hormone melatonin is produced in the dark. Let there be thick curtains in the room. No night lights.

4. Warm bath before bed. Helped my baby calm down and relax his muscles. But for some, taking a bath can be an exciting moment. Watch.

5. Warm mother's hands, lightly stroking the baby's back. A light massage soothes, lulls and relaxes muscles.

6. A three-hour walk in a stroller in the fresh air in any weather. My child slept perfectly in a stroller in nature, while you walk, the child sleeps. For me, children's sleep is valuable and we walked a lot and for a long time. Therefore, if a walk helps your baby sleep, go for a walk.

7. Warm and filling food. Mother's milk or formula. The child must be full. If a child is hungry, he will not sleep soundly. If you feed breast milk, remember, he only eats when he lets go of the breast. When my child was full, he could sleep for 1.5 hours. For me it was a fairy tale, honestly.

8. Temperature and humidity in the room. It seems to be a truth that has already set teeth on edge, but it is rarely observed by parents, and how important it is for proper sleep. Therefore, I will dwell on this issue in more detail. A little science to understand why all this is needed.

The infant has imperfect mechanisms for regulating body temperature. Metabolism proceeds very intensively, accompanied by the production of a significant amount of heat. And it is important for the baby’s body to get rid of this heat either through the lungs or through the skin. If T air temperature in the room higher 18-19 degrees, then heat loss is noticeably reduced. It’s important to lose heat! Therefore, the baby loses it through the skin, forming sweat, with which water and salts are lost, and the newborn’s reserves of both are very small. Even with a slight lack of fluid, the functioning of all systems and organs is significantly disrupted. Diaper rash appears, the baby is swollen and his tummy hurts (thick intestinal juices due to lack of fluid are difficult to digest food), a feeling of thirst quickly sets in (the baby wakes up and asks for a drink), thrush appears in the mouth due to thick saliva, due to lack of fluid, it does not perform its functions, there are dry crusts in the nose, making breathing difficult (sometimes the baby cannot even suck), a feeling of “sand” in the nasopharynx, etc. And all this leads to the baby’s restless sleep. Therefore, the temperature in the children's room should be above 18-19 degrees, there should be no feeling of lack of fresh air in the room, and the baby's clothes should be light. It is important that there is enough fluid in the baby’s body. Relative humidity. The drier the inhaled air, the more fluid the child’s body spends to hydrate it, and I wrote above what additional water losses lead to. The optimal relative humidity in a children's room is 50-70%.

All kinds of air humidifiers can help you here. Humidifiers that create “cold fog”, such as an ultrasonic humidifier, are extremely helpful. Ramili Baby AH 770 compact and quiet, as well as wet cleaning, open containers with water, etc. Before going to bed, be sure to ventilate the children's room.

9. Anxiety away. It is important for mom to be calm. Here, use any calming techniques that are acceptable to you and safe for the child. Try to find time for them. Involve your family. Your condition is very important, first of all, for yourself. Tired and nervous mom will not be able to give warmth, love and restful sleep to the baby. We can only give what we have.

10. Something is bothering the child. The baby is very small and cannot explain that he has a headache, tummy, throat or something else. He's just crying loudly! Find out and eliminate the cause. The cause may be a damp diaper, because... feces and urine are a thermonuclear mixture for delicate baby skin. The cause may be itching caused by the baby's allergy to something. Observe, connect all your love and maternal intuition and you will definitely find the reason.

11. Creative musical compositions To help you. Find soothing sleep music for newborns. For some it is the music of W. Mozart, for others the sounds of nature, the sound of rain or birdsong, for some white noise helps. My son was calmed by the composition Eros Ramazzotti and Cher Piu Che Poi. I recommended it to many of my friends with restless children, who thanked me for such a discovery. My loud son was silent even when I dressed him for a walk. Seek and you will find. Music to the rescue.

12. Just breasts or still a pacifier? It's up to you to decide. I was a clear opponent of nipples, because... The doctors scared me that the child would develop an abnormal bite, and I, as a loving mother who does a lot according to science, listened to them. As a result, my anxious son held his breast for hours and was the only way he could sleep for 2 hours in my arms. As soon as I quietly removed my breasts, he woke up. I gave the pacifier after 1 month and my son became much calmer and began to sleep better, but it was already too late, the baby did not suck the pacifier for a long time, as well as the bottle with the mixture. With a pacifier he would be calmer and sleep better, that's a fact... It's up to you to decide what to do. The bite will be fine if you do not use the pacifier for a long time. Who would have said this earlier...

13. Patience, a great desire to help the baby. Every child and situation is different. I noticed a peculiarity in my child: in order to fall asleep again, he needs to create the same situation when he fell asleep and fell asleep. For example, when my son, falling asleep, sucked the breast, then when he woke up, he looked for it again in order to fall asleep. Therefore, I slept with him so that I could get enough sleep myself and give him what he loves so much in time, before the baby had time to scream. One day I managed to move my son to his crib and he woke up in a new place, and not in my arms. His cry was so indignant that it took me much longer to calm down. This is where my experiments with separate sleeping ended.

You have your own way and your own effective recipes. Listen to your maternal intuition and sincerely want to help your baby. You will definitely find the reasons for your baby's restless sleep and ways to make his sleep healthy. Remember that all difficulties are temporary.

Happy mother Olga.