In the article we will talk about what motion sickness is, what benefits or harms it has, how to understand that a child wants to sleep, and we will give some tips on preparing a child for sleep.
Proper sleep is the key to a child’s physical and mental development. But children do not always fall asleep quickly. This happens due to improper routine, insufficient physical activity or overstimulation during the day. To put a child to sleep faster, parents use an old technique - motion sickness.
Why does my child sleep poorly?
Typically, parents rock their child to sleep when he has trouble falling asleep or often wakes up in the middle of the night. Causes of poor sleep in children:
- improper daily routine and insufficient physical activity;
- violation of the temperature regime in the room, low or high humidity;
- unventilated or noisy room;
- a lot of light falls on the child’s bed through the window;
- the baby sleeps too much during the day;
- insomnia, which is characterized by difficulty falling asleep and insufficient sleep duration. This disorder affects 1% to 6% of children. Insomnia in young children occurs due to the fact that parents cannot put the child to bed and wake up at the same time;
- breathing problems during sleep, such as snoring or sudden short-term cessation of breathing. These disorders occur in 27% of children;
- restless legs syndrome, in which a child jerks his legs involuntarily during sleep, which is why he does not get enough sleep at night and feels drowsy during the day;
- autism spectrum disorders, in which children produce less of the sleep hormone melatonin than healthy children;
- pathological conditions or diseases, for example, intoxication due to infections.
Babies also have trouble sleeping due to nightmares. Children's night terrors most often arise as a result of family conflicts, excessive impressionability and increased anxiety, for example, when during the day the baby asked to be held several times, but the mother did not pay attention to this. If you find that your child is systematically sleeping poorly, consult a neurologist or child psychiatrist.
Rocking a baby: PROS and CONS
Having been in the stomach for nine months, the baby swam in the amniotic fluid, swaying smoothly to the rhythm of his mother’s steps. Therefore, according to supporters of motion sickness, this method is a natural way to calm the baby and put him to sleep. In the process of motion sickness, the vestibular apparatus of the baby is strengthened, and the work of internal organs is synchronized. Being in close contact with the mother, the little one feels comfortable and safe, which is vital in early infancy.
Answering the question: “Is it possible to rock a child?”, opponents of this method are categorical. In their opinion, active rocking of the baby often leads to fainting, which is mistaken by parents for deep sleep. The child gets used to this way of falling asleep, and it is quite difficult to retrain him to fall asleep differently in the future (when the child sleeps only in his arms, and when you start to put him in the crib he wakes up). There is an assumption (not yet scientifically proven) that motion sickness can become a platform for the formation in the future of such harmful addictions as craving for extreme entertainment, alcoholism, and smoking.
From the first weeks of a baby’s life, young parents need to determine their position on the question: “To rock or not to rock?”, focusing on the behavior and inclinations of the baby. If your parent's instinct tells you that motion sickness can harm your baby, try other ways to put your child to sleep. If your little one is a restless, easily excitable child, perhaps gentle rocking will be the ideal way to go to sleep.
The harm and benefits of motion sickness
One of the main benefits of motion sickness is strengthening the psychological bond between the child and the mother. In your arms the baby feels protected. The need for basic security is satisfied. This helps the child grow up with confidence and interest in the world around him. It is easier for him to meet and communicate with people, perceive new information and learn.
The second “plus” of motion sickness is that the child falls asleep faster. Any rhythmic sound or movement puts a person into a trance - attention is directed to the inner world, images, fantasies and sensations. This speeds up falling asleep. In adults, an analogy can be made with counting sheep, concentrating on one object, or breathing.
However, this is only useful if parents rock the baby correctly: sitting and in silence. Fast and sharp movements, on the contrary, stimulate the child. Within a few minutes of slow and rhythmic rocking, you can feel that the baby's muscles are relaxing - the baby is falling asleep, but not yet completely. At this point you need to put him in his crib. Do this before your baby falls asleep completely in your arms, otherwise he may wake up. While rocking, try to quietly hum a pleasant melody so that the baby feels your presence.
Improper rocking can harm the baby. There is Shaken baby syndrome or baby shake syndrome. This is a pathology in which the baby's brain is damaged due to strong shaking. Most often, such situations arise when the emotional state of the parents is at the limit, and they involuntarily shake the child so that he falls asleep faster.
Putting a child to sleep without motion sickness - dream or reality?
10.10.2014
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Do you know what the second most common problem after falling asleep on the chest is when it comes to putting babies to sleep? That's right, sleep without motion sickness. This question often arises among mothers whose babies are bottle-fed, and instead of the habit of falling asleep with the breast, these babies have developed the habit of falling asleep after prolonged rocking, and in extreme cases, riding in a car or in a stroller. Naturally, by the time your little bundle of happiness has already gained a weight of 6-7 kg, the process becomes labor-intensive, and by the year when the baby’s weight approaches 10 kg it is already dangerous for the mother’s health.
Why do babies need motion sickness?
Yes, yes, they often require it! If a mother suddenly decides to save a couple of hundred calories and try to sleep in other ways, she often faces fierce resistance from her child. The fact is that such children most often fall asleep through rocking for a long time and now they simply don’t know that it is possible to fall asleep in another way.
“A habit has been given to us from above - it is a substitute for happiness,” said A.S. Pushkin. And he was right - having a comfort zone in an already well-known situation, we rarely dare to just change the established rules. And children are especially sensitive to changes in the “rules of the game” and resist it as actively as they can.
The baby’s lack of experience and other tools in the arsenal of falling asleep also adds to the general protest - how can you hammer a nail without a hammer (sorry - fall asleep without motion sickness)? And this is where mom’s work begins, where she explains and shows alternative options: if there is no hammer, take a stone, try a heavy brick, etc.
How to put your baby to sleep without motion sickness
First of all, it is important to tune in and decide not to download. Often this step is more difficult for the mother than others - she, like the baby, simply cannot imagine how he will fall asleep differently! Here it is worth remembering two wonderful phrases of Dr. Komarovsky: “The child cannot help but sleep” and “The baby needs a healthy mother” - it’s hard to argue, you will agree.
The next step is to make sure that, in addition to rocking to sleep, you have other elements of the bedtime ritual by which the child understands that next it will be time to sleep - a book, a lullaby, changing into pajamas are good options. Offer your baby a full-fledged relaxing massage, feed him (not until he falls asleep), pat him on the back - your efforts should be aimed at making the baby relax.
Be patient and persistent. If you decide to change something, you should not retreat. If you rush between rocking and laying down without rocking, you will only confuse the child - he will not understand at all what you want from him.
Offer options that do not involve rocking: sit next to him, pat him on the back, hiss, sing a song, put your favorite bunny down together.
If you have been trying for a long time (at least an hour), then arrange a “reboot” - leave the room for 20-30 minutes, get distracted, repeat the ritual in its shortened format and start again: repetition and your consistency will help the baby learn the new regime faster.
Don't be afraid of the baby's crying - you are not mocking the baby or forcing him to do something he cannot do. Protest when changing the usual order is normal, and you should see things in perspective: your baby will not cry endlessly, in a few days everything will be over, but if you leave everything as it is, you risk earning an intervertebral hernia (and then you will definitely stop pumping, but at what cost!) – who will benefit from this?
Start your efforts with evening bedtime - at this time the baby is most ready for sleep, his body naturally produces sleep hormones and, thus, the work on mastering a new skill will be as productive as possible. In principle, it is more difficult to fall asleep during the daytime, and even more so without the support of a familiar instrument.
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Are you hesitant to tackle such a delicate issue yourself? You can count on help and support! In fact, a mother often wants specific step-by-step instructions and answers to questions precisely in her difficult situation - this is where my work comes in. If you need to lean on someone's shoulder, get a clear plan and make sure that you are not experimenting on your baby, but doing productive work, sign up for an individual consultation and together, we will definitely fix the situation!
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How to understand that a child wants to sleep
In order for your child to be active, healthy and well-rested, you need to put him to bed on time and follow the rules of children's naps. To do this, you need to be able to recognize the signs that indicate that the child wants to sleep:
- rubs his eyes;
- yawns;
- looks for a pacifier or breast to suck, sucks his own finger;
- rubs ears, nose, head or pulls hair;
- does not want to play, tries to climb onto the crib or into your arms.
These are signs of fatigue at which you need to put your baby to bed. If this is not done, fatigue turns into overwork: the child begins to be capricious, cry, throw toys, and refuse the breast or pacifier. In this case, it will take much longer to fall asleep.
Weaning a child from motion sickness
Very often, in order to calm a child with tummy pain or during illness, mothers take their children in their arms, rock them and thus calm them down. But this becomes a habit for children, and each time they call their mother more and more insistently by crying and do not want to go to bed without being rocked. Children grow up, but habits remain. And we need to get rid of them.
When parents decide not to rock their children to sleep, a minority of them accept it after five minutes. There are not very many such lucky ones. In the majority, however, those families are those in which the parents’ decision to refuse the child the usual rocking motion is accompanied by tears, screams and hysterics. Such panic in a child is caused by the absence of his mother nearby, her warmth, hands and smell.
If you start weaning your child from motion sickness earlier, then there will be less hassle. In this case, the period will be less painful for both you and the child. The whims that he will demonstrate must be endured. Otherwise, the child will need to be rocked to sleep for up to two years, when he can be convinced with words.
Motion sickness can not only be canceled, it can be gradually replaced with something else. For example, the same stroking, lullaby. After feeding, the baby will be more sleepy, and therefore stroking will be more pleasant than rocking. Many doctors agree that stroking and lullabies are much more beneficial for the development of a baby’s intelligence than rocking.
Don't be afraid to wake up the sleepyhead
It happens that during the day the baby gets too sleepy, but the mother doesn’t want to wake him up. Firstly, because it's a shame. And, secondly, how many things can be done during this time.
But in the evening it is impossible to put the little one to bed. Because he used part of the time allocated for sleep by his biological clock during the day. And now I am cheerful and cheerful.
So, if you don’t want to spend half the night nodding off next to a croaking baby or rocking him in your arms, then feel free to wake up your “sleepyhead” during the day.
Prepare your bed and sleep clothes properly
Falling asleep in a comfortable bed is much more pleasant and easier. Therefore, the mattress should be smooth and dense and not sag under the crumbs. Until the age of 2 years, the baby should be laid down without a pillow, and then make sure that its thickness does not exceed 5 cm.
Choose bed linen only from natural fabrics, washed with special baby powders without any fragrances.
Up to 3 months, it is best to swaddle the baby loosely at night so that he does not wake himself up with his hands. Older children should wear comfortable pajamas without buttons or ties, which can get tangled and squeeze.
