The question of how to learn to easily put children to sleep worries many parents. For some parents, this process takes a lot of time, nerves and effort. The causes of childhood insomnia are different: the child’s poor health (fever, teething), fear of the dark, loneliness, excited state, and others.
In the first months after birth, parents usually have no problems. The baby sleeps most of the day. However, over time, sleep duration decreases and wakefulness increases.
Problems falling asleep in young children are associated with the peculiarities of their nervous system. They do not know how to consciously tune out extraneous noises and irritants, or relax when the body needs rest. However, the correct behavior of parents will help put the baby to sleep without unnecessary tears and whims.
General advice for new parents
So, how to put children to bed correctly? To prevent your baby from having problems sleeping, you should follow the general recommendations:
It is important to create a calm, relaxing environment for your child before bed. This could be a warm bath, a light massage, quiet and calm music, or a mother's lullaby. In the latter case, it is not the vocal abilities that matter, but the emotional mood for sleep and the soothing atmosphere.
The baby's clothing is of great importance. Things should be soft and pleasant to the touch, made from natural materials. You should not dress your child too warmly. If it's hot, he won't sleep well.
The humidity and temperature in the nursery should be comfortable. The optimal temperature is 20-22 degrees. It is also necessary to regularly ventilate the room.
An hour and a half before going to bed, eliminate various stimulating factors: active and noisy games, watching movies and TV shows.
Some babies benefit from being rocked in their arms or in a crib.
The atmosphere in the family is very important. If the atmosphere is calm and friendly, and the relationship is built on love and mutual assistance, the child intuitively understands this and also behaves calmly and friendly. If the situation is tense and unfavorable, the baby feels it and reacts painfully.
How to teach your child to fall asleep on his own: the basics
Sleep has two phases in both adults and children. One phase is fast, in this phase one dreams, and the second is slow, one does not dream in this phase. Between these phases there are always gaps when a person does not sleep. At this time, he can change his body position, adjust the blanket or pillow, the baby will also roll over from one side to the other, maybe be naughty, and if he is not accustomed to falling asleep on his own, he will wake up completely.
Sleep is important for everyone
For your information! Sleep phases change 10-12 times throughout the night.
Tips for a good night's sleep:
- reduce activity before falling asleep;
- ventilate the room;
- maintain a daily routine;
- remove all gadgets an hour before bedtime.
A child’s lack of self-sleep skills is already a problem for both parents and the baby himself. A child needs night and day sleep equally. Depending on age, the duration of daytime and nighttime sleep varies.
A 3-4 year old child needs one afternoon and one night nap. Sometimes daytime sleep is called the most necessary for a child’s growth, since it is in this sleep that regeneration processes occur faster and new neural connections are laid.
You need to calm down before going to bed
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Parents independently choose a place for their child to sleep and rest. You can take the baby to your bed. Breasts calm down and fall asleep faster when they are close to their mother. However, pediatricians advise placing children in a separate crib. Up to a year, it is better to place it in the parents' bedroom. Then it is advisable to allocate a children's room for your child.
To avoid sleep problems, your baby must understand that his crib is a place for sweet dreams, and not for games or everyday activities. It is important that the baby forms a strong association: when going to bed, it’s time to calm down and close his eyes.
It is also important to properly prepare a place to rest. You need an even and fairly dense mattress that quickly regains its shape. The pillow is only recommended for children over two years old. Until this moment, in order to properly form the spine, it is recommended to abandon it.
It is necessary to choose a suitable lightweight blanket that will not cause freezing or overheating. Bedding should be made only from natural materials. It is also necessary to choose the right detergents for washing children's clothes.
Small children can fall asleep in different places: a stroller, a cradle, or in their mother’s arms. However, the bed is the ideal place to sleep. Therefore, it is necessary to accustom the baby to it.
Secrets for ladies
How to get your child to go to bed
Sleep is one of the most important components of a child's normal development. And one of the biggest problems in many families. Often, even the most obedient children, by cunning, and sometimes even by scandal, try to postpone going to bed until a later time. How to avoid evening scandals?
Order. Establish a routine so your baby knows when it's time to sleep. That is, he must learn that after he has a snack before bed, it is time to brush his teeth; after that, you read him a story as usual, and then turn off the light. Do this constantly and he will get used to it. But if you switch things around, it won't work.
Warning. Warn your children that bedtime is approaching. Give them about ten minutes so that they can calmly finish what they were doing. Otherwise, they will have to abandon everything in a hurry, which obviously will not make them happy.
Let it be pleasant. You may need to create a fun game to get them into the bathroom to brush their teeth. Or pretend that you are a monster so that they can hide from you under the covers. Let it be fun. If they have a favorite doll or blanket, have them take it to bed with them. Make bedtime as pleasant as possible.
What if they aren't tired? So what? Order is order. Eat, brush your teeth and go to bed. But if a child really can’t sleep, he can read a book or play with a car. Anything. But at the same time he must be IN THE BED. In 9 cases out of 10, children fall asleep within 15 minutes. And the child is happy, because he feels his independence. And it’s good for you, because he’s still IN THE BED.
Give them a choice. From a very early age, children strive for at least some independence. If you give them the opportunity to decide things for themselves, you will make things easier for yourself. For example, when it's time to brush their teeth, give them a choice of 2 toothbrushes. Or let the child decide for himself which bedtime story to listen to. Nothing will change for you, but your child will feel like the master of the situation.
Set the mood. It is important to put children in a sleepy mood so that they understand that bedtime is approaching. And this is not the best time for playing tag, tinkering or riding a bike. It is best to watch TV before going to bed, color something, in general, do quiet activities, which will gradually become a signal for the child that night is approaching.
Create exceptions. Sometimes there are times when the order does not work. But allow this only in cases where nothing depends on you. When your child is sick. Or some event (the arrival of guests or a trip to the cinema) lasted until late. The main thing is that these exceptions to the rules do not become the rule. The less often they happen, the more impatiently your child will look forward to them.
Organize your schedule too. That is, show by personal example that it is time to sleep. Don't rush to the bakery at night, or frantically try to finish a late dinner when it's time to read a bedtime story. Not only the clock, but also your behavior should indicate the approach of sleep.
By the way, if you are at the dacha with children or traveling, this does not mean that you can violate the established order. Try these simple rules today. We ate, brushed our teeth, read a story, turned off the lights and... good night.
Dummy
A pacifier or pacifier is suitable for very young children. They have a well developed sucking reflex. If you can’t put them down, an ordinary pacifier will help. It will calm the baby and help him fall asleep. When the baby falls asleep, it is advisable to remove the pacifier to eliminate the possibility of developing another habit - sucking a pacifier.
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After six months, the sucking reflex in children fades away. After a year, it is better to give up the pacifier and find other ways to soothe your baby before bed.
Follow the ritual
Children love rituals: they bring a feeling of stability and security, simplify life, and relieve unnecessary emotions. The kids themselves are happy to make sure that they are followed. However, adults are not always consistent: they change the order, skip or stretch out actions too much. You can't do that! If the ritual is violated, the child experiences stress and ceases to understand its meaning.
Getting ready for bed helps you relax. Come up with a sequence of actions and follow it relentlessly every day. Usually it includes bathing, brushing teeth, wishing everyone good night and a fairy tale.
Here are some tips to help you get ready for bed:
- First, switch your apartment to night mode. Turn down the volume on your TV and speakers. Dim or turn off the overhead light, use local light instead - a table lamp or sconce.
- Always start getting ready for bed at the same time. It doesn’t matter what show is shown or what’s happening in the world. If you agreed on 19:00, start at 19:00.
- A certain amount of time must be allocated for each action. Brushing teeth - 5 minutes, reading a fairy tale - 10-15 minutes. Don't stretch. The smaller the child, the shorter and simpler the actions should be.
- Actions should always go in order.
- Some children sleep well after bathing, others, on the contrary, become overexcited. Check which type your child is.
- Bathing should not be active. You can add soothing herbs to the bath: valerian, mint, pine needles, lavender, motherwort, lemon balm.
- The child can and will protest. Don't follow his lead.
Showing love and self-control
It's easy to calm your baby down with gentle hugs or stroking. They do this when the child is already in bed. Little children love it when their face, hands, tummy or back are gently stroked. This feature is typical for both babies under one year old and older children.
If it was not possible to put the baby to bed, the mother should calm down herself. Her tension is transmitted to the child. You must try to distract your child using various methods. For example, show him pictures or turn on calm music. The tension will be relieved by itself, the baby will calm down and fall asleep.
Important: pediatricians strongly advise understanding the cause of a child’s insomnia. To do this, you need to be sure that the baby is healthy, well fed and does not experience discomfort. That he is not too hot, and the air temperature in the room is comfortable.
