What can bother a child at night? Knowing this is very important not only for your own comfort, but also for the sake of the child’s health.

The circadian rhythm of a newborn is cyclical. At first, a 90-minute sleep-wake cycle predominates. At 2-8 weeks of age, a 4-hour cycle appears, which is fairly stable until approximately 3 months. After 3 months, the baby can sleep all night, waking up only to feed.

Possible reasons why your child is not sleeping well:

    One of the most common causes of sleep disturbances in newborns is abdominal pain, which usually occurs about two weeks after birth. Half of them will improve by two months, and some will experience pain for up to four to five months. The exact cause of colic is unknown, but cow's milk is believed to be to blame. It is known that abdominal pain is most common in breastfed infants if mothers consume more than 0.5 liters of cow's milk per day. In addition, these pains may be associated with the composition of infant formula.

    Often, chronic sleep disturbances can be caused by an allergy to salicylates, which are contained in aspirin, food additives (yellow dye tartrazine E 102) and some vegetables and fruits (tomatoes, citrus fruits, raspberries). A diet free of salicylates significantly improves sleep within just a few days. In any case, before you risk introducing anything into your child's diet or changing yours, consult your pediatrician.

    Another reason why a child may not sleep well can be teething. In this case, soothing gels and massaging the gums with ice can provide effective help.

    The cause of poor sleep can often be associated with congenital diseases of the central nervous system - encephalopathies. The impetus for their development can be gynecological diseases in pregnant women, your bad habits and stress.

    Poor sleep can also be caused by brain tumors.

    Ear diseases (otitis) and dysbacteriosis also cause severe restlessness in children at night. All this is accompanied by quite severe pain, and the baby does not sleep well.

    Sometimes increased excitability and poor sleep are characteristic of children suffering from pinworms. The child is not only bothered by itching, but his nervous system is constantly poisoned by toxins secreted by pinworms.

    Infectious diseases can also lead to sleep disturbances - influenza, meningitis, encephalitis, and simply high temperature (38-40 degrees).

    The child may be tormented by terrible dreams, leading to sudden awakenings. It has been scientifically proven that a baby dreams in the womb from 25-30 weeks of pregnancy. It is still not known why these dreams occur, what the child dreams about, and what the role of dreams is in the development of the child. According to one theory, dreams in children are their genetic memory, which is viewed like in a movie theater and ensures that the brain is loaded with the necessary information, and also develops feelings and thinking. Poor sleep can disrupt a child's physical and mental development.

    In older children, the cause of “insomnia” often lies behind various night terrors.

    From three to five years old, rarely do any children manage to avoid the fear of the dark. As a rule, during this period the child gets acquainted with book and cartoon negative characters. Their images can be so bright that the child begins to fear meeting them when left alone in a dark room.

    At the age of five to seven, some children begin to think about death. Most often, they avoid frank conversations with their parents on this topic simply because this is a completely incomprehensible and mysterious phenomenon for them. But, if someone close to you dies in the family, the child worries very deeply, although he does not show it outwardly. In some cases, the moment a child falls asleep begins to be unconsciously associated with the moment of death.

    A more common fear for this age is fear of the elements. For today's boys and girls, it is fueled to a large extent by popular and uncontrolled disaster films shown on TV about fires, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, etc.

    Seven years is the age of the first school bell. When the first workdays begin after the celebrations, new fears often come with them: the fear of an unsuccessful answer, the teacher’s disapproval, or the unkind attitude of classmates. The child is afraid of appearing funny, weak or stupid. And if at this moment he does not find sympathy from his parents, fears are easily reinforced, after which problems with sleep begin. When going to bed, the child cannot get rid of the thought that the next morning a school nightmare awaits him again. Trying to stall for time, he deliberately sits in front of the TV and is even willing to sit at his desk until late, doing homework much longer than required.

    Insomnia can also be caused by mistakes in raising a child, when parents themselves create a situation that contributes to the occurrence of sleep disorders. This is non-compliance with the sleep schedule, when the child is put to bed at different times every day, noisy games before bedtime. A child does not sleep well if you raise your voice or shout at him.

A child's restless sleep indicates that something is wrong with the baby, maybe something hurts. Therefore, we must try to find out the cause of poor sleep and first of all try to eliminate it. The causes of restless sleep can be, in particular: colic, rickets or any vitamin deficiency, neurological disorders (or the child is overexcited before bed), teething, weather changes in a weather-dependent child.

Vanga's recipes for restless sleep in children

There can be many reasons for insomnia in children: overexcitement before bedtime, ailments, damage, etc. To treat childhood insomnia, Vanga suggested the following remedies:

  • Early in the morning, when dew falls on the grass, spread a clean white sheet on the meadow and thoroughly soak it with dew. Then wrap the child in a sheet and let him sleep for an hour and a half until the sheet dries on him.
  • Give your child 1/4 cup of pumpkin decoction with honey to drink at night: for 1 glass of water - 200 g of chopped pumpkin and 1 tablespoon of honey. Boil the pumpkin for 15 - 20 minutes and add honey to the cooled broth.

    • Decoction of chamomile: pour one tablespoon of chamomile herb with flowers into one glass of sweetened boiling water, cook for 15 minutes. Give the child 1/4 cup warm one hour before bedtime.

    Valerian root infusion: pour one tablespoon of crushed valerian officinalis root into a glass of boiling water. Boil for 15 minutes over low heat. Leave for 45 minutes, strain. Children take one teaspoon three times a day.

    Valerian helps against the evil eye, fear and insomnia in children. At night, you need to bathe your child in a water decoction of valerian to ensure a smooth and restful sleep.

    You can bathe children in a decoction of bedstraw grass. For a bath you need five tablespoons of bedstraw grass per liter of boiling water. Leave for half an hour, strain into the bath. Immediately after bathing, you need to put your child to bed.

Folk remedies for treating restless sleep

    Pour 1 teaspoon of dill juice and 1 teaspoon of honey with 1 glass of milk. Store in the refrigerator for no more than a day, at room temperature for no more than half an hour. Give children 1 teaspoon after meals, warmed, to improve sleep.

    Place valerian root wrapped in gauze at the child's head to help the child sleep more peacefully.

    Pour 1 dessert spoon of chamomile flowers with 1 glass of boiling water and leave for 1 night. Strain and give the child 1 teaspoon 5-6 times a day so that the child sleeps more peacefully.

    Pour 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped dill or dill seeds with 2 cups of water. Infuse, strain, give the child 1 teaspoon at night.

The “golden” baby sleep is the dream of every parent. After all, when a baby sleeps a lot and deeply, he grows and develops quickly, and at the same time gets little sick. Moreover, a child who sleeps soundly at night is the key to the mother’s mental balance, and therefore the well-being of the whole family. How should you behave with your child during the day so that he sleeps well at night?

Sound children's sleep is the key to happy parenting. After all, while the baby sleeps sweetly and deeply in his crib, his mother and father can enjoy not only good rest, but also each other...

What to do during the day if the child does not sleep well at night?

How your baby sleeps at night directly depends on how he spent his day. Under some circumstances, the same child sleeps “without hind legs” - soundly, for a long time, without worrying and without waking up for night feeding. And in another situation, he falls asleep with difficulty and “concerts”, tosses and turns a lot, grunts and moans, wakes up in the middle of the night and screams “demands his mother”... Sometimes the reason for this is the baby’s well-being: he may not sleep well due to abdominal pain , or from hunger. It is not uncommon for babies to sleep poorly on days when they have. But if the baby is healthy and well-fed, he does not have any problems with his stool, and there is no suspicion of a new tooth, then the reason for his poor and restless sleep most likely lies in the fact that he did not spend the day actively enough.

In order for the baby to sleep soundly at night, he needs to be “rolled” during the day - he must be physically tired by the evening and spend energy. You can do this in two ways:

  • The baby can be loaded with physical activity
  • or “saturate” with emotional stress

Physical activity day and evening, immediately before and - this is an almost one hundred percent guarantee of sound sleep. If the baby is already crawling, sitting down or even walking, crawl, sit down and walk with him, make him move. If the baby is still very tiny and the range of his motor activity is not large, use massage, swimming (bathing in a large bathtub) and gymnastics as physical activity.

Emotional stress“work” individually – active communication with other relatives or children, anyone, etc. They can either tire the baby, ensuring him a sound sleep until the morning, or exactly the opposite - seriously “running” him, giving you a sleepless night, infantile whims and crying. It often happens that a child does not sleep well at night just after an overly emotional day. Therefore, it makes sense to experiment with loads of this kind - one or two times is more than enough for you to make a verdict: emotional overexcitation excites and tones your child, or, on the contrary, tires and “puts him to sleep.”

If your child has trouble sleeping at night, consider creating a ritual of nightly walks. Often babies fall asleep so soundly in the fresh air that they are then able to sleep soundly for most of the night...

Is your little child having trouble sleeping? Think about yourself!

Many parents mistakenly believe that one of the first reasons why a child does not sleep well (especially at night) is that the time for rocking him is chosen incorrectly. Actually this is not true. There is no strictly defined time for rocking children to sleep and preparing them for sleep - while the baby does not yet attend any institutions (kindergarten, school, etc.), his regime, including the time of falling asleep and waking up, is subordinated exclusively to the interests of the family .

If it is convenient for you for your baby to fall asleep at midnight and wake up at nine or ten in the morning, then put him to bed at midnight. And if you personally feel more comfortable for the whole family to go to bed at 22:00 and get up at 6-7 in the morning - exactly at 22:00.

It is clear that while the baby is still very tiny (which means he needs night feeding, and), whatever one may say, at night he will have to jump up to the crib, and more than once. However, if you know, then these forced night vigils will not be a big problem for you. But after 4-5 months, it is absolutely possible to achieve a situation in which the baby will sleep soundly all night, falling asleep exactly when it is convenient for the whole family.

What to do if your child doesn’t sleep well at night: rules for sound children’s sleep

So, in order for a child to sleep soundly at night, he needs to provide the following conditions:

  • 1 The second half of the day and evening should account for the most dynamic physical activity (emotional is questionable, but physical is beyond any doubt).
  • 2 Two to three hours before bedtime, organize a walk in the fresh air.
  • 3 An hour and a half before bedtime - a cool bath (30-40 minutes).
  • 4 Half an hour before bedtime - a hearty “dinner”.
  • 5 The climate in the nursery should be cool and humid: temperature 18-19 °C, humidity about 60-70%.

If a child not only sleeps poorly at night, but also has difficulty falling asleep, come up with and reinforce a kind of ritual bedtime: sing him the same lullaby every time, or play the same quiet, smooth melody when rocking him to sleep; place the same toy in his field of vision (but you need to “use” it only for the time of motion sickness, and the baby should not see it during periods of daytime wakefulness). Gradually, the baby will get used to it, and as soon as you start singing or show him his night bear, the baby will instantly begin to “switch off”...

Does a child need a pillow to sleep?

It is quite difficult for adults to accept “on faith” the statement that children under 1.5-2 years old do not need any pillows in principle. However, you will have to! The fact is that, proportionally, children under the age of about 2 years are very different from older people - they have a large head, a rather short neck and narrow shoulders. Adults use a pillow to compensate for the distance between the surface of the bed and the head, so that the neck does not bend.

But babies don’t have such a need - if you lay the baby on its side, you will see that its head lies on the surface of the bed, but the neck remains straight (because the head is still large and the shoulders are short). However, if it seems to you that your child does not sleep well at night precisely because he is simply uncomfortable, experiment with a pillow, for which a diaper folded several times will be perfect at first.

If it seems to you that it is no longer very comfortable for an older baby to sleep without a pillow, arrange for him a flat, soft hypoallergenic pillow. But its height should be minimal!

If your child doesn't sleep well, should you take him into your bed?

Currently, many progressive pediatricians argue that a mother and her child should sleep together - both physiologically and psychologically this is justified and useful. However, the majority of, let’s say, “classical” pediatric doctors believe that all the arguments put forward in favor do not stand up to criticism. For example:

Sleeping together between mother and baby preserves and supports breastfeeding. Many mothers justify co-sleeping by saying that the baby needs to be breastfed on demand. And when the baby sleeps “next door”, it is much more convenient to do this than when he is in his crib, or even in his room. However, it is quite possible to organize breastfeeding in such a way that you only have to get up to feed once a night, and 4-6 months after the baby is born, you will be able to enjoy a full night’s sleep. And even if you are an ardent fan of on-demand feeding, then even in this case there is a chance that you won’t have to “drag” the baby into the parent’s bed: it’s enough to buy an additional crib. The baby will be nearby, but still in his own crib!

Co-sleeping psychologically protects the baby. Parents often explain the presence of children in their bed by the fact that in this way the children receive psychological protection, they do not suffer from nightmares and sleep better. However, doctors have confirmed that the so-called childhood night terror syndrome “affects” many times more often precisely those children who from birth slept together with their mother (with parents), and at the age of 1.5-2-3 years were “moved” to a separate crib. As a rule, according to psychologists, children who initially slept separately from their parents do not experience nightmares or night terrors at all.

During co-sleeping, there are more opportunities to control the condition of the newborn baby. It's right. As well as the fact that during co-sleeping there are also great risks of disrupting the fragile health of the newborn - crushing him, as well as creating a hot, stuffy microclimate and oxygen deficiency (which can cause). In general, when it comes specifically to newborns and infants, doctors consider the following to be the ideal option for their night sleep: mom and dad sleep on the marital bed, and the child either in an additional crib or in a special co-slipper (a child's sleeping place like "nest") Thus, adults and children sleep very close together, but at the same time each has their own living space and air. But after six months, the baby can be safely “resettled” into a separate crib, and even into a separate room.

On the left is an example of how it is extremely undesirable to sleep with a baby. The risks are too great: you can crush the child in his sleep, he may become too hot or stuffy... On the left is an example of how mother and child can stay close to each other, but without risking the health of the baby and the well-being of his parents.

Most pediatricians, whose opinions have earned a certain authority among parents, are inclined to believe that the child should sleep separately, without violating the “integrity” of the parent’s bed. Each family member should have their own living space - first it is formed at the level of a sleeping place, and then, over time, it grows into a way of life in which an adult child and then an adult respect the needs and desires of other people.

What position is best for a child to sleep in?

After a year, the baby’s position during sleep (from the point of view of parental control) has very little meaning - whatever is more convenient and comfortable for the child, so in the end he will turn. But up to a year - posture is of great importance!

The root cause of this terrible condition is respiratory arrest. But what causes it is still unknown. However, doctors have noticed that children in the first year of life who sleep on their stomachs die much more often. That is why doctors advise placing babies on their backs (the head is turned to the side so that the baby does not choke) or on their side.

On the left is an example of how not to put your baby in a crib. On the right is the opposite, an example of how a baby should lie while sleeping.

If you are sure that your child sleeps poorly on his back or side, but sleeps well when lying on his stomach, then sit vigilantly next to your baby and make sure that sudden regurgitation or choking does not cause the greatest tragedy in the family.

It doesn’t matter whether your baby is only a couple of months old, a year old or three. To sleep soundly at night, at any age, we need approximately the same thing: to be active and productive during the day, to be healthy, and also... to be surrounded by happy loved ones. You can give all this to your child from the very first day of his birth!

Restless children's sleep at night is a problem that all parents face. Why does a 1.5-year-old child sleep poorly at night, why does he cry, constantly ask to be held and does not allow mom and dad to get enough sleep? There are many reasons for violating the rest regime, and not all of them require immediate consultation with a doctor. Let's figure out when you need to make an appointment with a specialist, and what parents can handle themselves.

The main achievements of a child at 1 year 5 months are walking upright, communicating with speech and directed object-based activity. The latter implies the ability to carry something in your hands, pull or push objects, and lift your legs to the next step. It’s not bad if the child can already do the following:

  • build a pyramid from 2-5 cubes;
  • eat on your own;
  • undress, at least partially;
  • imitate the actions of parents.

At this age, children copy what adults do: “talk” on the phone, watch TV, leaf through books and magazines. Dr. E. Komarovsky especially emphasizes that at 1.5 years the child no longer just has to say “give me,” but say “give me, mom.” Even though the vocabulary is still small, the baby understands much more than he can speak.

Sleep disorders in children aged 1.5 years

Everyone has heard the common statement: a child grows while he sleeps. This is 100% true for babies aged 0-7 years. During the rest period, the hormone somatropin is produced, which is responsible for the growth of the entire body. A decrease in the amount of sleep leads to insufficient formation of the element, and as a result, a whole list of deviations may appear:

  • retardation in intellectual development;
  • decrease in mental abilities;
  • slowing down of brain thought processes;
  • delayed reaction;
  • communication problems and much more.

If a child of one and a half years old does not sleep well at night, constantly wakes up and cannot fall back to sleep for a long time, this is a signal to contact a pediatrician.

The concept of sleep norms at this age

Normal sleep includes sufficient duration and productivity of night's rest, after which a person regains his strength, feels cheerful and energetic. For early childhood, medicine establishes the following standards:

  1. From the age of six months, a baby needs 14 hours of sleep, of which 8-10 are at night.
  2. Babies over 12 months old need 13 hours of sleep to grow and develop normally, 9-10 of them at night.
  3. At 18-24 months, children should sleep approximately 12 hours, of which 8-10 are at night.

Manifestations of violations

At night, a child may not only have trouble sleeping, but also toss and turn restlessly, bend over, and jerk his leg. In such a situation, parents may also observe the following phenomena:

  • strong shaking;
  • urinary incontinence;
  • holding your breath.

Startling is usually not a pathological sleep phenomenon, like leg jerking. These are physiological movements that occur when falling asleep. The fact is that until 18-20 months, the baby’s sleep is superficial, the baby often wakes up and falls asleep again, without completely waking up.

It is important to know! Frequent repeated startlings in children with a severe perinatal history may be a sign of epilepsy.

Night terrors are expressed in nervous excitement that occurs suddenly. The symptom appears from 1.5 to 8 years, more often in boys. Impressionable children suffer from fears, they cry, start screaming, rolling on the bed, calling for their mother. If the fear appeared once and lasted no more than 2 minutes, there is no reason for concern, but if the attack occurs frequently or lasts for a long time, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Most often, night terrors are resistant to treatment and go away on their own by the age of 9-10 years. Sometimes the phenomenon becomes a response to a strong daytime fright.

Prerequisites

If the baby does not sleep normally for 1-2 nights, there is no need to worry too much; the alarm should be sounded after 4 or more nights of insomnia. There are several reasons for restless, disturbed rest:

There are plenty of reasons why a child may not be able to rest; the main thing is not to miss the onset of the illness and help the baby in time.

Options for solving the problem

Depending on the causes of insomnia, there are several solutions. The main thing is not to panic and calmly identify and eliminate the factors that prevent you from getting enough sleep. If the child does not have a fever, does not have diarrhea, or is not teething, look around the room: heat, dryness, high humidity, too cold air or the moon shining on the window - all this can cause concern.

Sedatives

This group can be divided into two types of drugs: medicinal and folk. The first include:

  1. "Glycine" is a mild sedative that is not addictive.
  2. "Persen" is a safe drug for children that can be given from 12 months.
  3. Phenibut is a medicine with a wide spectrum of effects.

It is important to know! It is strictly forbidden to give medications without prior discussion with the pediatrician. All medications always have side effects that affect the development and emotional background of the baby.

The second group is folk and herbal medicines; it is quite extensive. This includes essential oils, herbal infusions, pharmaceutical compositions:

All dosage forms are a last resort measure of sedation, which is used in the absence of effect from other options for solving the problem.

Compliance with regulations

A very important factor for the healthy development of a child is sleep patterns. Here are some tips for parents to take note of:

  1. Set priorities as soon as the baby arrives at home. You will have to try, but determine the time for the whole family to sleep. Of course, a small child will wake up from hunger, but the time frame for going to bed during the day and night, as well as waking up from rest, should not shift.
  2. Determine a place to sleep. Doctors believe that until the age of 3, children should sleep in their own small crib, even if it is in their parents’ room.
  3. Maintain a strict daytime sleep schedule. Of course, while the child is resting, mommy has time to do a lot of things, but an “extra half hour” during the day can result in an hour or two of wakefulness at night. Therefore, wake up without regret. There is a time allotted for sleep, you need to stick to it.

Sufficient physical activity

What to do with a one and a half year old baby? Perhaps this is the age when a child is already learning about the world, but still cannot run far. Parents only need to think about what exactly will be interesting to the child: walks, outdoor games, pyramids, various bags of balls, small and large sound toys. At 1.5-2 years old, the baby intensively absorbs everything new, learns to recognize smells, shapes, colors, imitates adults and takes part in any games with pleasure.

Staying outdoors

How long should walks take? As much as possible. An hour and a half nap outside in the park is much better than a room at home. If you can’t go out for a walk, take the stroller out onto the balcony, but protect it from the sun, wind, and rain.

Emotional balance

In order for your child to fall asleep well in the evening, you need to create a calm atmosphere 30-60 minutes before bathing. No fast games, no wild fun. Reading, playing pyramid, eating something healthy and tasty, giving your baby a massage are simple tips that help stabilize a child’s emotions.

At this age, the child is taught to eat at a common table, combining the menu in such a way that the baby receives enough vitamins and foods that are easy to chew and drink. In order to ensure normal sleep, the child needs to eat often, about five times a day, but in small portions. The last dinner is 30-40 minutes before swimming, and the snack should consist of light foods that are quickly digested. This could be bifidok, kefir, a little cottage cheese, yogurt, egg dishes, boiled vegetables. It is strictly forbidden to offer fruits, meat, or cereals - the former begin to ferment, the latter are poorly digested, and cereals have a high glycemic index.

Depending on individual characteristics, at 1.5-2 years old a child should drink 750-1100 ml of water per day.

Eliminating health problems

If the baby does not sleep for 3-5 nights in a row, immediately consult a doctor! Only a pediatrician will identify a health problem and determine the cause of insomnia. In the case when the baby begins to cry, throws itself from side to side in the crib, without waking up at night or waking up screaming, in sweat, the reason may lie in diseases of the genitourinary, cardiovascular, and endocrine systems.

Creating comfortable conditions for a child's sleep

In addition to a sufficient level of silence and darkness, children need fresh air, cleanliness and comfortable-feeling underwear. Pediatricians advise adhering to the following parameters: room temperature +18..+20 C, humidity 50-70%. It is necessary to install valves on heating radiators to regulate the heating level.

Co-sleeping with parents: benefit or harm

Doctors' opinions were divided on this issue. Some believe that sleeping with parents until the age of 2-3 is good and beneficial, others believe that it is harmful.

The benefit is that the baby feels mom and dad nearby, feels warm and safe. In addition, it is easier for the mother to feed the baby and calm her down. But feeding at night at 1.5 years is not the norm, so it’s time to move the child to a crib.

The harm lies in the child's continued dependence on his parents. In the future, it will be much more difficult to move the child into a crib. It doesn’t hurt to remember that parents need time for communication and normal sleep.

Advice! According to E. Komarovsky, after 12 months from birth, the child must be given not only a separate bed, but also a room (if possible). The baby must get used to sleeping alone. If your sleep is poor, you can leave the night light on and the door open, but it’s still better to move out of the shared bed.

Conclusion

Finding out why a 1.5 year old child sleeps poorly at night is necessary to eliminate the risk of developing pathologies. Monitoring diet, sleep, and activity will help improve rest for both children and parents. And remember: a little person comes to a big family, which has its own rules and priorities.

Changing all the parameters radically is wrong. It will take patience, there will be a lot of tears and fatigue, but if you accustom your baby to a routine, you can avoid many problems in the future.

A child's restless sleep is a frequent cause for concern for parents. The baby fidgets all night, falls asleep for a short time, but his sleep is weak, restless, and any rustle can disturb it. What's happening to the baby? Experienced parents with experience, as a rule, are well versed in the needs of their child, but even they sometimes have questions related to the baby’s restless sleep.

Causes

There may be several reasons. Both physical and psychological.

  • The child sleeps restlessly at night if he starts to get sick. The disease has not yet manifested itself on a physical level, and outwardly the baby is quite healthy. But he already feels unwell and begins to worry in advance. If the baby is already 5 months old or more, then teething may be the reason for troubled sleep. In any case, it makes sense to show the little one to the pediatrician so as not to miss the onset of the disease.
  • Poor sleep can be caused by increased intracranial pressure. Only a doctor can detect this problem and prescribe treatment. Restless sleep in a small child can also be a consequence of serious illnesses - encephalopathy, rickets or a brain tumor. Otitis media, dysbiosis, and various infectious diseases prevent you from sleeping normally. Therefore, the search for the cause of disturbing sleep should begin with a visit to the doctor to rule out the disease.

  • In newborns up to 3-5 months, a common cause of restless baby sleep is intestinal colic. The intestinal microflora of the toddler is not yet fully formed, and his body is still just adapting to independent life. These processes are accompanied by increased production of gases. The baby's tummy swells, especially severely in the evening and at night. Having barely dozed off, the baby wakes up, screams shrilly, turns purple, and presses her legs to her tummy. You can relieve his discomfort with the help of various drops and syrups based on simethicone, dill water, and a gas outlet tube.
  • Your baby may have difficulty sleeping if he is cold or hot. Many young parents, having listened to enough “good” advice, strive not to spoil the baby, so they once again try not to take him in their arms, and many mothers and fathers generally have a negative attitude towards sleeping in the same bed with the child. But in vain. Because the baby may be worried because he feels “cut off” from his mother. And he needs physical contact with her. In addition, at night the body temperature drops somewhat, and the baby needs to be warmed by his mother's hands. The other extreme is that the baby is hot or stuffy. Mothers are afraid of catching a cold in their child, so they tightly close the window in the room and wrap the baby up.

The room where the baby sleeps must be ventilated. The temperature in it should ideally be about 19-20 degrees with an air humidity of 50-70%. These are the most comfortable conditions for a small person.

  • Another reason for restless sleep is hunger. Perhaps the baby did not eat enough at the previous feeding, and in this situation there is no need to give up night feedings. A baby may need night feeding until 6 months of age. After this age, according to pediatricians, the child has no physiological need to eat in the middle of the night.

Breastfed babies may experience hunger if their mother's milk is not nutritious enough. Review your diet. And also contact your pediatrician with a request to conduct a control feeding by weighing the child before and after meals to determine how much the toddler eats. If he doesn't have enough of your milk, the doctor may allow "complementary feeding."

  • “Artificial babies” often swallow a lot of air when feeding, this creates a false feeling of fullness. Hunger returns again when the little one relaxes and tries to fall asleep. Therefore, babies fed with adapted formulas must be allowed to burp air after eating. Minor regurgitation is normal. The nipple on the bottle should please the baby and be comfortable. Some babies prefer latex nipples, others prefer silicone nipples. Choose for your baby the option that he will perceive best.

The cause of restless sleep may also lie in a violation of the daily routine. For example, the baby slept well during the day, or even confused day and night. The baby's regimen should be adjusted in accordance with his age needs.

  • A baby aged 1 to 3 months needs 17-20 hours of sleep per day.
  • Sleep requirements for children aged 6 months are 14 hours a day.
  • At 1 year of age, a child should sleep at least 13 hours a day.
  • At 2 years old, the daily sleep requirement is 12.5 hours.
  • At 4 years old, the baby should sleep at least 11 hours a day.
  • At 6 years old, the need for sleep is 9 hours.
  • At 12 years old, a teenager needs 8.5 hours of sleep per day.

Tips from a popular pediatrician on improving the quality of sleep for babies in the next video.

Lack of vitamins also leads to disturbances in night sleep in children. Children are also very sensitive to weather conditions - they react to changes in atmospheric pressure and precipitation, and often “anticipate” them.

Psychologists say that a baby’s restless sleep may be due to age-related characteristics. The fact is that the sleep structure of children at 2 months and at 2 years is different. From birth to 1 year of age, shallow sleep in babies predominates over the deep phase, which is why babies often wake up. Only some fall asleep easily again on their own, while others require parental help.

It happens that a calm baby begins to wake up and toss and turn restlessly at 7-9 months of age. At this age, the baby develops the first psychological problems that interfere with normal sleep - the fear of being away from his mother. If parents sleep in the same room with the baby, then the child will not experience a sense of defenselessness and such disturbing night awakenings will gradually disappear.

At 2-3 years of age, sleep can become anxious and restless due to the development of the baby’s imagination. He already knows how to fantasize; it is at this age that nightmares and fear of the dark appear. A cozy night light by your baby’s crib and a favorite soft toy that he can take to bed will help you cope with this.

Another “critical” age is 6-7 years. At this time, the child's sleep may be disturbed due to worries associated with starting school.

At any age, children are very sensitive to the psychological climate that reigns in your home. If they often quarrel, get nervous, or worry, this will definitely affect the quality of the child’s sleep, and not for the better.

Restless sleep can also be an “echo” of the baby’s innate character traits and temperament. It is known that choleric children sleep worse than phlegmatic children, and sanguine children have a harder time waking up in the morning. Each child requires an individual approach, taking into account all his personal characteristics and general factors affecting the quality of sleep.

Consequences of sleep deficiency for children

If the problem of a child's restless night sleep is ignored, pretty soon the baby will begin to suffer from lack of sleep. A lack of sleep will affect all functions of his body. First of all, disorders occur in the nervous system. Then the hormonal levels will “fail.” The fact is that the growth hormone STH (somatotropin) is better produced in children during sleep. If a child does not get enough sleep, he lacks growth hormone, and, as a result, he grows and develops more slowly not only physically, but also intellectually.

Another “night” hormone, cortisol, helps the body cope with stress. If a child sleeps little, his cortisol level is low, which means the baby’s psyche becomes vulnerable.

Chronic lack of sleep reduces a child’s mental and intellectual abilities; such children have difficulty learning and have severe memory problems.

How to improve your child's sleep?

If your child's restless night sleep is not the exception, but rather the rule, you need to contact your pediatrician. He will recommend a way to improve your baby's sleep, taking into account age-related characteristics.

If the cause is illness, treatment will be beneficial and the baby will begin to sleep normally.

If the child is healthy, then you can “even out” his sleep on your own.

  • Bathing before going to bed and a light soothing massage help a lot. You can add a few drops of valerian or motherwort to the water in which the baby bathes.
  • In the evening, it is better to avoid increased activity; try to arrange all noisy games and educational activities with your child during the daytime. An excited toddler, by definition, cannot sleep soundly.
  • Don't forget that walks are important for your baby. Children who don't get enough walks are more likely than others to suffer from sleep disorders. If the weather and season permit, take short evening walks.
  • The bedding in the baby's crib should be made only of natural fabrics, the mattress should be smooth and moderately soft (the best option is an orthopedic mattress), and the diaper should be proven, high-quality and reliable. Children under 2 years old do not need a pillow.

Special rituals help improve nighttime sleep. Every mother can come up with them, taking into account the needs of her child. In my family, it is mandatory to read one fairy tale after bathing before bed. Make your ritual mandatory. Whatever happens, it should be strictly followed. This will allow the baby to quickly understand what his parents want, and he will wait for events to occur in a certain order. This reduces stress levels and makes bedtime softer and smoother.

  • It is better not to experiment with aroma lamps that are fashionable today, because babies are very sensitive to odors, and the baby may get a headache.
  • Doctors often recommend glycine to restless children. This amino acid protects against nervous tension and saturates the blood with oxygen. It has a cumulative effect, that is, it must be taken systematically. Glycine does not cause harm, and therefore it is prescribed to both infants and older children.
  • Under no circumstances should you put pressure on your child. Phrases like “Go to sleep quickly, I said!” shouldn't be in your vocabulary. Otherwise, the baby will soon begin to perceive night rest as a duty.
  • Usually, sleep disturbances in children are not caused by any one reason, but by a complex of factors. Install them, eliminate them and help your baby cope with insomnia. The main thing in this difficult task is patience and parental love. They are the main “doctors”.

The sleep schedule of the parents themselves is also important for the child. Experts have long noticed that in families where mom and dad sleep little, do not get enough sleep, and work at night, children also suffer from sleep disorders. Normalizing your child's sleep is not as difficult as it seems. It is enough to listen to the baby himself. Believe me, he is ready to cooperate with you, because he himself needs proper rest. And let your little one’s sleep be sound and calm!

From the following video you will learn 10 rules for healthy children's sleep from Dr. Komarovsky.

  • Doctor Komarovsky
  • Advice from psychologists
  • Cries or screams in his sleep
  • Snores
  • How to put you to bed?

You can hear from many mothers that their baby does not sleep well at night. What should parents do in such a situation, when and why does this happen?

Most absolutely healthy children sleep restlessly in infancy. This fact does not mean that the situation should be accepted. If your child is sensitive and restless, the night awakenings will most likely not stop soon. When they understand why this happens and what to do, parents will be able to correct some points and provide themselves and their baby with a more fruitful rest.

Classification of causes

The causes of nighttime restlessness can be divided into primary and secondary. Primary are those that arise on their own. Secondary are concerns that appear as a result of any disorders, symptoms, or diseases.

If, against the background of general normal behavior, any symptoms suddenly appear, and the child’s previously fairly prosperous sleep is suddenly disrupted, this is a reason to consult a doctor. A possible reason for the baby waking up frequently may be pain associated with an underlying illness.

In this case, the actions of the parents should be aimed, first of all, at eliminating the primary problem.

Possible reasons

Why can a healthy baby suffer from sleep disorders, and what to do about it? Periodically occurring sleep disturbances against the background of the child’s generally good behavior can be caused by conditions that are not related to the disease, but cause discomfort to the child. When the baby becomes restless, the feeling of discomfort intensifies at night.

Causes of concern may be:

  1. Intestinal colic, bloating.
  2. Teething.
  3. Allergic reactions.

Food allergies are common among children under one year of age. An allergic reaction can be characterized not only by skin rashes, but also provoke itching and eating disorders.

More often, these manifestations are not associated with a true allergy, but arise due to the immaturity of the digestive tract. The child’s enzymatic system does not yet cope with the digestion of food fully, and any large molecules that enter the baby’s esophagus with mother’s milk or as part of infant formula can provoke responses. Specific immunity to any food can be observed during the introduction of complementary foods.

During teething, the baby's gums swell. Often the baby experiences increased salivation. When a baby is teething, he tries to chew something all the time.

Infants often experience eating disorders due to gastrointestinal immaturity. Your baby's digestive system may react negatively to any sudden changes in diet.

If these factors during daytime wakefulness may have an insignificant effect on the baby’s behavior, due to the fact that the child is constantly distracted by something, then at night the baby begins to concentrate on his problems. He sleeps restlessly, constantly wakes up, screams and cries.

If it is established that these problems are the causes of restless sleep, and in their absence the child has no problems falling asleep and resting at night, then, first of all, it is necessary to deal with the symptoms that prevent the baby from sleeping.

During allergic manifestations, itching is well relieved with antihistamines and special ointments. Chamomile infusion, dill water, or medications that reduce bloating will help improve digestion. Lidocaine-based gels reduce pain in the gums when teeth begin to cut.

Before using any medications, you should consult your doctor.

Factors affecting sleep

It happens that a child constantly or for a long time experiences problems with night sleep. And the reasons for this are not diseases or the above-mentioned conditions, but other factors, for example:

  1. Physiological characteristics of infant sleep.
  2. Lack of a clear regime.
  3. Low activity during the day (the child spends little energy).
  4. Overexcitation of the nervous system.
  5. Uncomfortable sleeping environment.
  6. Dramatic changes in the life of a baby.

These are just some of the reasons that answer the question of why a child sleeps poorly at night. In fact, there may be much more. Everything here is individual for each child. What can parents do? Try to discover the main factor that prevents their baby from resting peacefully, and do everything possible to make the child feel calm while sleeping.

A baby's sleep has its own characteristics. Like an adult, an infant has two main phases of sleep:

  • Slow sleep.
  • Quick sleep.

During the first phase, the body is more relaxed, breathing and heart rate are slower. A person is able to respond to external stimuli and wake up.

REM sleep is deeper. During it, an increase in heart rate and breathing is observed. There is arrhythmia. Muscle tone is reduced, twitching of body parts and movement of the eyeballs are observed. A man dreams. The brain analyzes the information accumulated during daily activity.

Each phase of sleep in an adult lasts from 90 to 100 minutes, while in an infant they last no more than 40 minutes.

A baby's slow-wave sleep is more superficial and sensitive. A child experiences a greater number of sleep cycles per night. Unlike an adult, it is absolutely natural for a baby to wake up at night.

If a baby is characterized by increased nervous excitability, he will wake up easily and often at night. Physiology explains why infants often wake up at night. What can parents do?

A newborn baby spends most of its life sleeping, up to 20 hours a day.

For him there is still no clear division between daytime and nighttime sleep. He wakes up every time he wants to eat. And this can happen in 2 hours, or in half an hour, and even more often. By about 2-3 months, the baby will develop a certain pattern of alternating periods of activity and sleep. What should mom do until this moment?

Set up feeding

Sleeping together will help make life easier for mother and baby during the newborn period. The feeling of a mother nearby gives the child a feeling of confidence and calm. It has been proven that when sleeping together, children sleep more peacefully and wake up less often.

If your baby is breastfed, feeding on demand, especially at night, will help get your baby to sleep faster.

You should not wait for the awakened child to begin to speak with all his might. It is best to offer the breast when the baby first begins to express anxiety. This will help get your baby back to sleep faster.

It will be easier to teach an artificial baby to sleep peacefully if you establish a feeding schedule. In this case, the intervals between night feedings should be made as long as possible. The child, getting used to rarely eating at night, begins to wake up less and sleep more peacefully. Over time, after 6 months, you can try to eliminate night feedings. However, you need to stop feeding your baby at night gradually.

Follow the regime

A well-established daily routine helps teach your child to fall asleep on time and quickly. You can build a routine by observing your baby’s biorhythms. During the day, the child alternates between periods of activity and rest. Having noted at what time the baby wants to sleep, what time he falls asleep better and at what hours his sleep is most sound, you can establish a certain regime that will need to be strictly followed.

If you teach your baby to fall asleep at the same time, it will be easier to put him to bed in the evening. By getting ready for sleep in advance, your baby will sleep more soundly and wake up less often at night.

Failure to comply with the regime leads to difficulty falling asleep. When parents try to get their child to sleep, the child may still want to stay awake and play. As a result of falling asleep for a long time, the baby becomes overtired and then often wakes up at night.

Ensure normal activity

According to one version, children who have spent little energy during the day sleep poorly. The child may refuse to sleep if he is not tired enough. Therefore, parents need to create conditions for the baby under which he will move the required amount of time during the day: do exercises with him, do gymnastics, active games, and walk for a long time in the fresh air.

It is also important to ensure that your child does not become overtired during daytime activities. For the strongest impressions, it is better to reserve the first half of the day.

Nervous overstimulation received during the day has a bad effect on night sleep. Having become overexcited, the baby often wakes up and cannot fall back to sleep for a long time.

Create an environment

A comfortable environment will help teach your baby to sleep peacefully. First of all, you need to remove all the circumstances that prevent the baby from sleeping: ventilate the room, make sure that the child is not hot or cold, straighten the bed linen, remove any wrinkles on clothes and diapers that cause discomfort to the baby, give him something to drink or eat before going to bed.

All active games should be completed long before bedtime. When laying the baby down, the mother herself should be in a calm, balanced state. Some babies sleep better in complete darkness, while others, on the contrary, feel calmer under the light of a night light. It is easier to teach a child to sleep through the night by creating the most comfortable circumstances for him.

Stop hysteria

When parents respond to their child’s requests in a timely manner, the child feels more confident. If you approach him as soon as he begins to be capricious, without allowing him to scream, over time the baby begins to behave calmer. He has confidence that his requests will not go unnoticed. The need to scream loudly and continuously disappears by itself.

The baby may experience stress from any sudden changes. A change of environment, a long journey, the abolition of breastfeeding, etc., affect his psychological state, including the state of night sleep.

Parents should understand that it is normal for an infant to wake up at night. All they have to do is be patient and try to create comfortable conditions for the baby to fall asleep and sleep, wisely alternating periods of activity and rest for the child during the daytime. And be sure to follow and adjust the regimen on time.