A 2-year-old child wakes up at night and cries: what to do?

Why do children cry in their sleep?

Crying is a baby's way of communicating with adults, especially in the first year of life. This is how the baby gives signals of hunger, discomfort, fatigue, pain in order to get help. How to understand why exactly a child is crying? Sometimes this is difficult, especially for young parents.

Let's look at the most common reasons why a baby cries at night.

Babies may cry, sob, scream, or grunt at night. Since crying is the only form of communication for newborns, it makes sense why they cry often. A newborn often cries in his sleep, since his nervous system is not yet fully formed and his biological clock is not adjusted. Therefore, in the first months of life, the baby sleeps mainly in the superficial sleep phase, during which it moves and makes various sounds. This is the physiology of children's sleep.

During this period, the baby will clench his arms and legs, move his eyeballs from side to side with his eyes closed, breathe rapidly and “talk” or cry. Babies are at this moment in a semi-conscious state, when it is difficult to tell whether they are sleeping or not.

As your baby gets older, his sleep becomes more consolidated, but he may still wake up and make various sounds, including crying, as he transitions from one cycle to the next.

Hunger is the most common reason for crying that a mother thinks about. If the baby wants to eat, he will also give other signs: “fussing,” smacking his lips, turning his head towards the hand when stroked on the cheek, sucking a finger or hand. A hungry baby sucks actively, you will hear periodic swallowing. The feeding itself lasts 10-15 minutes.

It is uncomfortable for a child to sleep in a crib due to a full diaper, too high or low temperature and humidity in the room, or an uncomfortable position. It is important to find the factors that interfere with sleep and improve your sleep conditions. When there is discomfort, the child cries sharply, and it seems that it is difficult for him to calm down.

When you remove your baby's clothes to change his diaper, he may protest if he is cold. Babies cry less when they are hot than when they are cold. And at the same time the crying will not be so strong.

During such periods, when the baby wakes up, remain calm and talk as little as possible. Change the diaper, feed if necessary, dress the baby without turning on bright lights or talking loudly.

It is important to maintain a suitable temperature in the room: no more than 25°C in summer and 21°C in winter. Humidity - 50%.

If a child often cries in his sleep and wakes up, this is one of the signs of accumulated fatigue. He may also tremble or shake his head. Fatigue accumulates if the baby’s usual routine is not suitable, leaving at night occurs later than usual, and rest during the day is not enough for him. As fatigue accumulates, the stress hormone cortisol increases. This makes sleep less deep, making it more difficult for the baby to “stick together” sleep cycles. While awake, the baby is usually sleepy, more anxious and moody.

Assess your routine, how well your little one sleeps during the day and whether he stays awake too long for his age.

The baby experiences a strong leap in emotional and physical development, which is accompanied by the development of a new skill: turning over, crawling, standing on all fours, at a support, etc. During this period, the baby actively tries to practice a new skill. The brain is actively working; in the superficial phase of sleep, it can think about a new skill, wake up and try it, and at the same time cry a lot. For example, when he rolls over from his back to his stomach or stands against a support, but does not know how to return to his previous position. This is a normal process. If you are unable to fall asleep on your own, you need to put your baby down again when he wakes up.

Does your child wake up at night and cry, and does this happen all the time? If he falls asleep only when feeding, rocking, with a pacifier or next to his mother, then the baby does not know how to fall asleep on his own. He doesn't know any other way. A tired baby cries for help. To solve this problem, you either need to be always nearby, or teach him the skill of falling asleep on his own.

Dreams, nightmares and night tantrums that cause tears occur in children no earlier than 2 years old. Until this age, the child does not know what fear is. The baby will be afraid in response to the mother's reaction. If a child wakes up after a nightmare, calm him down and perform the usual ritual so that the baby falls asleep again.

The baby may sob in his sleep and wake up if he is sick or teething. Here it is important to consult with a pediatrician and help the baby in every possible way.

Remember that if babies cry, sob, or coo in their sleep, this does not always mean that they are ready to wake up and stay awake.

In each case, if your baby wakes up at night, wait 1-2 minutes and then go to calm him down. This way you will understand whether he is able to calm down and fall back to sleep. By picking up your child and calming him down, you are disturbing his sleep.

When to contact a specialist

The child is crying in pain

The baby's sleep habits changed dramatically and he began to sleep poorly

Trouble sleeping at night lasts a very long time and affects your well-being

You are having feeding difficulties: your baby is not getting enough milk while breastfeeding or you think he is sensitive to formula. And because of this, the baby does not sleep well.

Does your child cry at night? For what reason, what is bothering you?

Infants cannot talk about their problems, so they often cry. Crying is an opportunity for a baby to inform parents of a desire or need.

Sometimes children may cry in their sleep, waking up or even continuing to sleep.

The occurrence of such a condition is possible due to many reasons. Often this occurs as a result of ordinary discomfort, but there are situations when crying in a dream is caused by various pathologies.

What the crying of an infant in a dream indicates is discussed in this article.

A child cries a lot in his sleep – isn’t it time to see a doctor?

Violations are assessed using special questionnaires. This test helps identify the problem and assess its severity.

Laying resistance

Sleep disorders due to incorrect setting of limits.

The child flatly refuses to go to bed, behaves restlessly, and requires the obligatory presence of an adult when he falls asleep.

Difficulty getting sleep

mental disorders; sleep hygiene errors; neurological disorders (restless legs syndrome).

The baby does not sleep for a long time and cries. The cause of the problem is incorrect associations. To fall asleep, a child needs conditions that are unavailable at night (the constant presence of parents).

Both the total sleep time per day and the duration of night sleep are assessed. If a child sleeps little, this has a detrimental effect on his nervous system.

Difficulty waking up

The baby refuses to wake up in the morning. His parents have great difficulty getting him out of bed. Reasons: disturbed sleep, gaps in education (difficulty setting limits and managing behavior).

Daytime sleepiness

During the day, the baby complains of loss of strength and constant fatigue. The child is lethargic and sleeps while walking.

a disease that interferes with proper rest at night (restless legs syndrome); mental disorders; neurological disorders.

Reasons for a baby crying in his sleep

The baby begins to cry in his sleep when he feels certain inconveniences, for example, wet diapers, hot or cold air in the room where he is.

The main reasons why a child cries in a dream are also:

1. Intestinal colic. Usually, with this condition, the baby tenses his legs or begins to move them.
2. Feeling hungry. Most often, crying for this reason occurs when parents feed the baby by the hour.
3. Teething. This reason provokes crying in sleep after four months.

Infants also begin to cry in their sleep if their mother is not around. When they stop feeling their mother, they cry and wake up.

In frequent cases, the development of a certain disease prevents a child from sleeping normally. Sleep is usually disturbed in infants due to pain in the ears or throat, runny nose or cough.

Reason for crying in children under 1 year old

Here the main irritant is physiological discomfort. Colic in the intestines, discomfort in the stomach (may be associated with complementary foods), an overfilled diaper, a feeling of hunger, and teething are often disturbing. Sometimes too high or low a temperature causes discomfort in the baby, and this causes him to wake up.

Colds

The real reason is quite difficult to find out without calling a doctor at home. If a child has an elevated body temperature, it means that an inflammatory process has begun in the body. This may primarily be expressed in discomfort when swallowing, ear pain, severe cough or runny nose.

• Fluid that accumulates in the lungs and nasopharynx, inflammation in the ear (otitis media) cause very severe discomfort. When a child has difficulty breathing, he wakes up. You need to call a doctor at home. Following his instructions, urgently take action: buy the necessary medications, carry out procedures, possibly undergo some tests.
• The first thing the mother should do is put drops in the baby’s nose to make breathing easier, then bring down the temperature that is too high. If the doctor has prescribed any medications, then it is necessary to give the child tablets and pills strictly according to the prescription and schedule. In no case is it recommended to self-medicate, even if you have five children and a lot of experience. Remember that every child is an individual. What is normal for other children may not be suitable for this one.
• Don't forget about a respirator if everyone in the house is sick. Do wet cleaning regularly and ventilate the room. Limit your baby's communication with other family members. At the moment he only needs his mother. Don't play loud music or make noise. Even if the child is not sleeping, try to keep the room quiet and calm.

You may be interested in Caring for a child in the first days of life - What parents should know and be able to do

Colic

Gas and abdominal discomfort in a baby can be caused by too high a fat content of breast milk, an unsuitable formula for artificial feeding and digestive problems in a particular case.

Of course, if these symptoms recur regularly, then you should take your baby to the pediatrician for a consultation. But if cases are rare, then you can alleviate the child’s condition in the following ways:

1. Stroke your tummy clockwise with your hand. Apply a diaper heated to a warm state.
2. Strictly dosing, you need to give the child to drink either dill water or tea with fennel. There are also special drops that can be purchased at the pharmacy. Depending on your age, dose correctly after reading the instructions.
3. Hold the baby in an upright position, with his tummy facing you. After some time, the gas will go away and the baby will calm down. You don't need to put him to bed right away. Next to a loved one, especially in the first months of life, the baby feels protected.

Where's mom?

Often crying is caused by a lack of mother's warmth. The smell of breast milk, mother's hand - if all this is missing, then the baby begins to worry. Especially when, after feeding, he falls asleep next to him.

Here you need to decide. Either the child constantly sleeps next to his parents and gets used to it, or gradually accustom him to the crib. It will only take a few days for the child to get used to sleeping in his place. In the event that parents need to leave, there will be no problems with going to bed in this case.

Teething

The “fun” nights begin around four months. The period when teeth appear, you just need to patiently survive. Be prepared that at this time day and night may change places for a while.

• To alleviate the baby’s suffering, you should purchase a special gel that lubricates the gums. It relieves pain, soothes itching and discomfort.
• Please consult your pediatrician or pharmacist first to determine which drug would be appropriate for your particular case.

Hunger

Those parents who breastfeed the baby or give formula on demand provide a calmer and more consistent daily routine. The baby gets used to this routine.

There are parents who decide to feed their child strictly according to the clock. In this case, the baby may simply get hungry until the next feeding. By crying he gives a signal that he wants to eat. Perhaps your breast milk no longer contains the fat content that is necessary to fully saturate the body and feel full.

Temperature

In a room that is too stuffy, it will be hot and uncomfortable even for an adult, let alone a little person. Therefore, ventilate the room more often.

Try not to dry clothes in the room where the child sleeps. Also, avoid hypothermia. The most acceptable temperature is considered to be +19 - 22 degrees.

Why does the baby cry without waking up?

The child usually cries without waking up when he feels uncomfortable. The baby may be cold or very hot. This problem can be eliminated if you do not wrap the baby too much so that he does not overheat. In addition, you should ensure optimal temperature and humidity in the room where the child sleeps.

Sometimes, without waking up, children may cry if urination or defecation occurs. In this case, they feel discomfort and cry until the diaper or diaper is clean and dry.

Another reason for such crying in a dream is an overexcited state. To prevent this from happening, you need to avoid disturbing your baby in the evening with too active exercises or games. It is necessary to provide a calm and quiet environment for normal sleep.

Some children may even cry in their sleep due to psychological or neurological reasons. If crying does not stop for a long time, the child should be examined by a qualified neurologist.

Why does he cry in his sleep at two months?

Parents should know about the reasons why a child cries in his sleep

Experts say that seventy percent of children constantly cry both during daytime and nighttime sleep. Most children under three months of age sleep restlessly.

At night, such crying is physiological. This condition is not considered dangerous. This phenomenon is associated with the unstable functioning of the baby’s motor and nervous system. This will continue for some time until the baby’s biorhythms normalize.

Only thirty percent of newborn babies sleep normally.

Typically, by one year of age, babies stop crying in their sleep; only physiological or psychological problems can cause sleep disorders.

Often, at just two months, babies cry while sleeping if they feel hungry. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to when crying begins. Typically, a child up to three months of age wants to eat every three to five hours.

Increased excitability and emotional stress at this age can also provoke crying in your sleep. This condition can even be influenced by the arrival of new people in the house.

At two months, crying can be a result of intestinal colic or bloating, because the digestive system at this age is not yet fully formed. The baby may whine without waking up until the sleep phase changes.

What pathologies provoke restless sleep?

Experts identify several pathologies that cause the baby to sleep restlessly at night. This:

This is the name for persistent difficulties with falling asleep, maintaining the required duration of sleep and its quality. There are primary insomnia and insomnia associated with difficulties in getting to bed and falling asleep. In the first case, the problem develops at the age of about 6 months, in the second - at 1.5-2 years.

Circadian sleep-wake disorders

This disorder can develop at any age. Its essence boils down to the fact that the child has actually “confused” day with night. It is very difficult to put him to sleep, and even if it works, the child is restless during sleep.

This is the name given to motor behavioral or unconscious nervous phenomena that occur during night rest. They depend on the phase of sleep (fast or slow).

Parasomnias are characterized by:

Nightmare dream disorders

More often observed after 3 years. This is due to mental characteristics and an increase in the number of social contacts at this age (going to kindergarten). In some cases, the nightmares are so strong and so frequent that the baby sleeps restlessly throughout the night. At the same time, he can wake up and scream in his sleep.

Restless legs syndrome

The disorder is characterized by an irresistible unconscious desire to move the legs, which is accompanied by discomfort in the lower extremities, and less often in other parts of the body. While resting, the child may often move his legs, throw them over one another, or take pretentious poses, which is why parents think that the baby is sleeping very restlessly.

Traditionally, the syndrome was thought to affect middle-aged and older children, but research has shown that the disorder can also occur at a younger age. So pathology can be determined even in an infant. However, calling the disorder restless sleep syndrome in a child is erroneous. Because experts do not identify such a disease.

Why does a baby cry at six months?

At six months of age, a baby may cry not only as a result of physiological reasons.

Often crying in a dream indicates that the baby is starting to teethe. This phenomenon may be accompanied by fever, lethargy and moodiness of the child.

In addition, at six months the baby may still be bothered by colic. But this condition is extremely rare; colic usually goes away by the age of six months.

Sometimes children cry in their sleep due to the stress they have experienced during the day. At this age, the baby is actively exploring the world and any phenomenon can cause him a stressful situation.

Frequent crying in your sleep is a reason to consult a specialist

If the cause of crying is not teething or abdominal pain, it is important to pay attention to the child’s condition, because this may indicate various health problems (stomatitis, otitis, colds, central nervous system disorder).

If, in addition to crying during sleep, there is an elevated temperature, nasal discharge, nasopharyngeal congestion, cough or difficulty breathing, then it is better to show the child to a doctor.

Tips for preventing night crying

A child spits up at 6 months - reasons, recommendations for mothers

When wondering why a baby often cries in his sleep, you should think first of all about how his day went, how long the baby slept, and what time his morning came. If the child slept until 9-10 o'clock in the morning, you should not hope that at 20:30 he will fall asleep easily and without protests.

Attention! This is especially true for situations in which the child spends the entire day within four walls, without going out into the fresh air. If he hasn’t been tired during the day, hasn’t had enough exercise, hasn’t had enough of playing, and they pick him up and start rocking him, just because the time has come, the baby arches, spins and protests loudly.

To voluntarily and easily go to bed with your child, you need to spend an active day. For infants up to 3-4 months, the activity is as follows:

• familiarization with toys;
• Fitball training;
• walking in a stroller in the fresh air;
• feeding by the hour, excluding overfeeding.

Children older than 6 months can spend their energy actively crawling on the floor. To prevent this activity from causing any injuries, dad should screw chests of drawers and bedside tables to the walls, put locks on the doors to protect his fingers from injury, and close the sockets with plugs.

Door lock

The daily activity of a baby of any age should end with swimming in a large bathtub. Cool water, active arm and leg movements, and daring diving drills will provide the ultimate energy burner. After an evening swim, the baby will happily have dinner and fall asleep on his own for several hours.

Don't be afraid of a child's crying. It is important to understand its causes in order to draw the right conclusions and save yourself from insomnia. If your toddler begins to cry after introducing complementary foods, replace the food or even postpone this idea for a month. By listening to your baby's needs, you can give the whole family good nights without doctors or medications.

Advice from pediatricians on child care

In order for an infant to have normal sleep, it is necessary to adhere to the following recommendations from experts:

• It is necessary to ensure the optimal temperature in the room: from 18 to 21 degrees
• It is important that the room where the child sleeps is ventilated and there should be no drafts
• When a child sleeps there should be no loud or harsh sound
• It is better not to engage in active games or exercises before going to bed at night.
• To ensure that your child sleeps well, it is advisable to buy it before bedtime.
• It is necessary to protect the baby from negative experiences, provide him with care and affection
• Parents should stick to a daily routine

You can eliminate crying in your sleep by identifying its root cause.

If the baby is hungry, he calms down after feeding.

In case of intestinal colic, methods are used to eliminate abdominal pain. Pediatricians recommend giving your baby fennel tea or dill water. You can also do a light massage on your stomach, making clockwise movements.

Crying due to teething can be prevented by lubricating the baby's gums with a special gel before bedtime. It is better to consult with your pediatrician about which pain reliever to choose.

When a baby cries due to the absence of his parents, sleep will normalize if he sees them near him, especially in the arms of his mother or father.

Physiological night crying is not considered dangerous and usually resolves before the age of one year.

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Article last updated: 04/02/2019

1. Baby's sleep according to Komarovsky
2. What should a children's room be like?
3. Causes of poor sleep in infants
4. Ten rules for healthy sleep that Komarovsky recommends

Sound, healthy sleep is a kind of cure for all illnesses and stress. And every adult needs it, not to mention a baby. And it very often happens that new parents spend all night long near the baby’s crib. And the whole point is that the child screams and cries in his sleep. This is especially true at night. And sometimes mom and dad simply cannot find an explanation for this and wonder: why does their baby cry and scream in his sleep at night?

The famous children's doctor Komarovsky claims that sleep plays a vital role in human life. And sometimes the baby’s sleep process is surrounded by many problems that parents must solve, otherwise the baby will not get enough sleep, and his nervous system will be seriously weakened.

How to prevent night crying

To avoid crying during sleep, parents should be sensitive to their child and perform a certain ritual after an active day.

• It is necessary to strictly adhere to the schedule of actions before putting the baby into the crib. Gradually, the child will remember this algorithm and it will be easier for him to fall asleep.
• The day can end with a calm massage that will relax the baby. It is strictly forbidden to play active games before bedtime if the baby often screams or screams at night.

• It is necessary to ensure that the optimum temperature is maintained in the room where the baby sleeps. Bed linen should be pleasant and warm.
• All tense situations in the family should be excluded.
• You should not put your baby in the crib after feeding, as this can impair digestion and cause colic at night.
• There is no need to turn off the light in the room; it is better to leave it dim so that the baby is not afraid to fall asleep alone again if he often wakes up.

To understand why the baby cries out at night, you need to take a closer look at him. Basically, the causes of this condition do not harm children. But if the crying is caused by disturbances in the functioning of the body’s systems, they should be immediately eliminated by seeking help from a doctor.

Baby's sleep according to Komarovsky

It’s no secret to any of us that a child usually spends most of the day sleeping. But before he is engulfed in sleep, the baby needs nutrition. From here we can trace the close relationship between feeding and sleep patterns. The mother must build the nutrition system in such a way that it fully determines when and how much time the baby sleeps.

Today, many pediatricians come to the conclusion that a child should not be fed by the hour, but precisely when he wants it. Therefore, we can draw the following conclusion: the baby will sleep until he gets hungry. And if he is fed, but does not sleep, then something is wrong. The reason may lie in the child’s well-being, or in the room where he lives (it can be cold, hot, stuffy, etc.). Gradually the little one grows and his period of wakefulness increases. And this is a completely natural, logical process. But the important thing is that this very process should not be accompanied by crying and screaming. Otherwise, you need to look for the reason.

Night terrors in children

The first two nights my son had night terrors (before I found out what they were) were the worst nights of my life. Night terrors are different from nightmares and occur only in a small percentage of children. Usually, fear manifests itself in the early phase of a child’s sleep and on those nights when something has disrupted his usual schedule (he went on vacation, someone came to visit from another city). Although children's night terrors are not easy for parents to cope with, they do not pose any particular danger to the child.

At first, you may think your child is having a nightmare. But the difference is that the child is not awake, but asleep. He sleeps very soundly and cannot wake up, although his eyes will be wide open. He may cry, he may call you, but even if you are nearby, he does not understand this and may shout at you and drive you away.

In the morning, the child will not even remember this incident (because he was sleeping). I advise you not to question your child or tell anything about it. Usually, after the child has made noise and cried, he sleeps peacefully again, as if nothing had happened.

Night terrors can last about five minutes or half an hour. The most important thing in this situation is to ensure the child’s safety so that he does not get hurt. Some children will allow you to hold them, others will push you away and become even more violent if you touch them. It is best to wait out this moment and calm down yourself.

What should a children's room be like?

The highly qualified doctor Komarovsky believes that if a baby often wakes up, screams or cries in his sleep at night, then the reason may lie in his environment. And no matter how much mom and dad try to calm the baby down, everything will be unsuccessful. Initially, you need to figure out what needs to be changed in the child’s room.

The first thing you need to do is to understand whether the baby lives in his own room or does he share the room with his parents. There are a number of basic requirements that are the key to healthy and sound sleep for the baby, as well as his mother and father.

In addition, in the room where the baby lives, under no circumstances should there be any dust collectors: carpets, upholstered furniture, toys, etc. It is better if the crib is made of wood, has a fairly hard mattress and no pillows at all.

Causes of poor sleep in infants

• Colic is the most common cause of poor sleep in babies at night. Moreover, this is not a disease or pathology; it cannot be cured. You just need to wait as long as the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract improves. In newborns, this process lasts until about three to four months. You should try to massage your tummy before going to bed, thereby relieving intestinal spasms. Gradually, you will begin to notice that your child wakes up much less often at night.
• Crying in a dream can also be caused by hunger. But this problem can be easily corrected by offering the baby breast or formula.
• The lack of a routine can also lead to whims. Often, a newborn does not distinguish the time of day before going to bed, so he may wake up at night and, finding himself in the dark, get scared and start crying. In this case, Dr. Komarovsky advises gradually instilling a regimen in the child. However, you need to remember that all children are different; for some, sleep problems disappear by 6 months, while for others only by 2 years.

What do we have to do

Sobbing at night may subside on its own, or may abruptly give way to screaming. All parents often check, approaching his crib, how their child feels during sleep. If they see that the baby is sleeping, they do not need to wake him up or calm him down, as this can only harm him. In such a situation, the child will wake up, and then it will be difficult for him to fall asleep.

If a baby screams to find out if his mother is nearby, then he needs to be carefully and gradually accustomed to sleeping independently. This will help gradually reduce crying to a minimum - both during sleep and before bed. If you show care to a child at his first call, he will get used to it, and each time the situation will worsen, and the volume of crying will increase.

It is worth considering that by 6 months, children should be able to calm down on their own without maternal care if their crying before bed is caused by loneliness. But such situations do not refer to the presence of pain or discomfort.

Ten rules for healthy sleep that Komarovsky recommends

1. The first rule says that a child, first of all, needs healthy and rested parents. Any lack of sleep or stress unsettles us, causing us to get angry and swear. But in a house where there are children, harmony and comfort should reign. Therefore, before any important task, the main thing is to get enough sleep.
2. You need to set a sleep mode. He must be completely subordinate to the family routine. It's good if everyone goes to bed together. Scientists have proven that in this case the baby wakes up much less often.
3. You need to decide where, when and with whom the baby will sleep. There are several options: in your own crib, but in the parents’ bedroom - an acceptable option up to the age of three; in your own crib in the children's room - ideal, but for slightly older children; together with parents is not a favorable option, which has nothing to do with the baby’s healthy and sound sleep.
4. Children should not be allowed to sleep more than normal. Otherwise, your night's sleep will be very restless. In addition, parents will constantly watch their baby wake up and start crying.

5. Gradually, it is necessary to establish a feeding regime, and before that, find out several important questions: is it possible to use the breast not for feeding, but to satisfy the sucking reflex, can parents rock their child all night long, and go to work in the morning or continue doing other household chores, etc. .d. in other words, you should not indulge the baby. When all the main aspects are clarified, then you can take the first step towards proper and healthy sleep.
6. The baby's day should be active. Then the child will sleep soundly, he simply will not have the strength to do other things, and sleep problems will fade into the background.
7. Ventilate your bedroom more often.
8. Before going to bed, practice bathing in a large bath, they contribute to the accumulation of fatigue.
9. The mattress in the baby's crib should be hard and there should be no pillow. If the crib environment is uncomfortable, you will probably hear your baby crying at night.
10. Comfortable diaper.

Watch the video: Doctor Komarovsky talks about the reasons for children's crying

For both a newborn and a slightly older child who does not yet know how to speak, tears are quite natural, and sometimes the only opportunity to “address” their parents. Over time, the mother begins to very subtly grasp the reasons for the child’s crying, be it a full diaper, a feeling of hunger, or a desire to be held. But the situation when a baby cries in his sleep, screaming, shaking his whole body for no apparent reason, causes bewilderment, anxiety, even panic. Why does this happen, what can cause night tears, how to help the baby, how to establish a proper rest regime, which is so important for an immature nervous system?

Physiological reasons

When a baby suddenly begins to cry in his sleep, and the spontaneous tears are short-lived, and the sobs cannot be called heart-rending, persistent, loud, pediatricians say that we are talking about physiological night crying. This is a completely healthy phenomenon that has natural explanations:

1. Underdevelopment of the infant nervous system, limited motor functions, which do not allow you to react differently to an emotionally intense day. Night crying can be triggered by an overabundance of new impressions, perhaps the presence of strangers in the house or a visit to relatives. The slightest fluctuations in impulses in the chain of complex plexuses of the nervous system can cause nighttime tears in a baby - according to the explanations of psychologists, this is a kind of way to relieve tension and throw out unnecessary worries. Night crying will fade away as the central nervous system and perception develop, when the baby learns to show emotions through gestures, facial expressions, and over time, words.
2. Transition from REM to NREM sleep. When a child is overly tired in the evening or has received too much attention, there is a high probability that he will sleep restlessly and anxiously. Even in adults, a change in sleep phases is often accompanied by involuntary awakening as a result of the appearance of vivid dreams, and what can we say about an infant with his special nervous organization.
3. The psychological need for protection and the presence of a loved one nearby, which the baby managed to get used to after being in the mother’s womb for 9 months. Night crying in this situation is a kind of “scanning” of the territory, checking whether they will come to his “help.”

Other reasons

It’s not just physiological characteristics that cause a child’s nighttime sobbing. When the crying is sharp and demanding, during which the child awakens, the cause should be sought among physical factors. The following external and internal conditions require parental intervention and assistance:

• Hunger. The need for multiple night feedings is a natural physiological need that is present until approximately one year of age. In this case, the crying will be extremely persistent; the baby will not calm down and will not fall asleep until he is fed.
• Physical discomfort: a full diaper, too tight swaddling, irritating fabric or creases in clothes, bedding, etc. Crying in such situations will not arise suddenly, it will gradually increase, starting with sobbing and “fussing” in the crib.
• Not comfortable. Air temperature or humidity. We must not forget that thermoregulation in children differs significantly from adult parameters, therefore the following indicators are considered optimal for them: t - 18-21 ° C and φ - 50-70%.
• Pain syndrome. So, for example, with intestinal colic, which most often bothers infants a few months old, the cry is heart-rending, sharp, it pulls the legs to the tummy, and clenches the hands into fists. Plaintive, prolonged crying, monotonous sobbing, poor sleep in general are characteristic of the teething period. Similar symptoms are also typical for headaches that torment a baby with increased intracranial pressure. Another cause of pain may be a runny nose or inflammation of the middle ear.
• Overwork. It happens that a baby is overloaded with special exercises, massages, swimming to relieve muscle tone, and long walks in the fresh air. All this provokes the accumulation in the tiny body of the stress hormone - cortisol, which spills out in tears.

We must not forget about the close psychological connection between mother and child. When a woman, due to various circumstances, is in a state of constant fatigue and stress, it is likely that this will affect poor sleep, during which the baby will periodically cry at night.