How To Get Babies To Fall Asleep
Anyone who has or has had young children knows how difficult it can be to get babies to fall asleep. Sleep is extremly important for the health, physical and mental development of a baby.
Many things can help a baby fall asleep including being able to swaddle, providing a comforting sleep enviroment, and having a comfortable nighttime routine.
Each Child Is Unique
Sleep in newborns and young children is a very individual matter. It’s impossible to tell exactly when the baby will start sleeping for more hours or all night in one piece so that even the parents can rest.
Patience and perception of the needs of your own child are very important in this case. There’s no point in comparing yourself to other children and trying to force yourself against an ideal. But there are a few things worth trying that have worked for many.
Best Conditions For Children’s Restful Sleep
In the sleeping room we try to ensure the best possible conditions. In order for the baby to develop and grow properly, three things are important at night – darkness, pleasant temperature and fresh air.
Dark
The child’s sleep should not be disturbed by any artificial light from the outside (street lamps) or inside (electronics, alarm clock, night lamp). Suitable curtains, blinds or blinds prevent lighting from the street.
Removing all distracting illuminated objects from the room will allow you to sleep peacefully. There shouldn’t even be a cell phone in the bedroom where the baby sleeps.
Suitable Temperature
A temperature below 20°C is generally suitable for sleeping. A newborn baby has the need to be warm, some have problems with thermoregulation, while larger babies kick themselves, sweat and sleep worse. Schoolchildren only need a temperature of around 13-15°C. It is best to try the right temperature at which the child will sleep best, gradually trying.
Fresh Air
Maintaining the correct temperature is related to ventilation. The bedroom needs to be ventilated in the evening to replace the carbon dioxide we excite with oxygen. The length of ventilation, in turn, is related to where we live (in the village or in the city, with the season, how many live plants we have in the apartment, etc. With the supply of fresh air we will prevent headaches and fatigue when waking up, we will affect quality sleep.
Evening Rituals
Evening rituals and regularity help children (and adults) to fall asleep better. The baby and small child will get better used to a certain daily rhythm, which will help them gain awareness of what will follow. Typical pleasant soothing activities that prepare young children for a happy sleep include bathing.
Contact with your mother, warm water, a soft massage with a light smoust of oil will create pleasant feelings. Breast milk, evening porridge, in larger children the choice of a suitable dinner from the right foods will contribute to a smooth fall asleep. We should avoid sugars or bad fats that affect the production of sleep hormone.
Rituals According To The Age Of The Child
For The Restful Sleep Of Babies
The little baby is just getting used to the world around him and his biorhythms. He is most often helped with falling asleep by the sensations that come from his mother through different senses. The main one is the taste of breast milk. He likes to feel her toes – a quiet sleep induces gentle cuddling, swinging in her arms. Don’t worry, you won’t smear him.
Singing is also suitable for sleeping, there have been a lot of lullabies in the past, you may remember one more. Be cool, don’t rush. Babies can sense your stress or well-being.
For The Restful Sleep Of Toddlers
An active toddler who doesn’t sit, stand up and spends a lot of time exploring and exploring also needs a lot of sleep. However, most toddlers do not fall asleep alone, requiring the help of their parents. Regular bed time is essential. We shouldn’t let the baby talk us into delaying falling asleep.
For The Restful Sleep Of Smaller Children
Another problem can occur with a child who is a preschooler or already goes to kindergarten. Some children don’t need to sleep after lunch from about two years old (but if you can, try not to avoid the rule of sleeping at such a young age).
When they still sleep in kindergarten, they are at home longer than if they didn’t have to sleep in the afternoon. This causes problems especially where there are two (or more) young children in the family. For example, a freshman is tired after a day at school and a younger child is lively, sleeping out of kindergarten. It’s hard to combine evening rituals.
Bedtime Story
Pleasant evening rituals include reading a bedtime story together. This habit from an early age will bring several benefits to the child. Every day he can look forward to a quiet moment together with his mother, with his father (grandmother, grandfather, someone close to him).
Fairy tales bring a child a view of the world using symbols that children understand. At the same time, they are sure that the fairy tale always ends well, which is also important for a quiet night. In addition, reading together will help children from a young age to create important skills, such as text understanding, concentration, attention-seeking, etc., much needed for life’s success.
A Good Place To Sleep
Every person, including a child, should have a quality place for undisturbed sleep. That means having the right bed, mattress, pillow, sheets… As children grow up, we must make sure that they always have the right bed size and, above all, a suitable mattress. This should be the focus of this especially if things are inherited from children (which is understandable).
We should check that the mattress is hygienically sound, not lying down or otherwise destroyed. Comfortable MATTRESS made of PUR foam and high-all foam will provide children with a firm support when positioned on their back and tummy. At the same time, they create a reasonably dry microclimate, thanks to which the baby is calmer at night, and take care of the antibacterial and anti-allergic protection of the child.
Choose from quality baby mattresses. Don’t forget the appropriate pillows and blankets. Materasso sews blankets and pillows from antiallergic materials. The coating fabric is made of soft, non-irritating material that has a pleasant effect on children’s skin.
Co-Sleeping Or Babies & Young Kids Sleeping In Bed With Parents
Parents of the youngest children often solve the question of whether the child should sleep alone in his crib or in the same bed with the mother. Both have their rationale and supporters. The important thing is to put your own intuition and reason on it.
Any extreme can be harmful to a child, everything has its pros and forths. The breastfed baby feels safe with her mother, and the mother does not have to get up every moment to feed them, put them back to sleep and then fall asleep themselves. It can be dangerous if the mother is too tired or even drunk, or under the influence of drugs, or if the bed is not large enough and secure enough, etc.
Likewise, a newborn sleeping in their own room on another floor of the house with only state-of-the-art babysitting equipment is also not quite right.
What Else Can Help With Getting Babies and Children To Fall Asleep?
If previous advice does not help and problems with poor sleep persist, it is probably better to contact a specialist. The problem may be frequent urination of the child. For babies, it is enough to change the diaper or change its type.
If problems persist in large children, it is necessary to look for a cause with a doctor or psychologist. It is always necessary to proceed sensitively and with love for your own child, who is in one family each other.
