9 month old child - sleeps poorly, often wakes up at night

Sleep norms in nine-month-old children

On average, the total sleep duration for a 9-month-old baby is 14-15 hours. The night period takes 10 hours, the remaining 4-5 hours are divided into daytime sleep intervals. Usually this time is from 9.00 to 11.00 and from 14.00 to 16.30. This is what an ideal situation looks like.

In practice, various variations of this mode are often found. Night sleep may be shorter, daytime rest may be shorter and more frequent. It all depends on the well-being, health, mood of the child, as well as the lifestyle of the whole family. Trips to the store and walks in the fresh air make their own adjustments to such “ideal” schedules. An overabundance of emotions causes problems: the inability to sleep, the child begins to twitch, shudder, may wake up and even stand up in the crib, pulling himself up in his arms. In general, this is part of the norm, as sleep phases change. It happens that light stroking or a quiet whisper calms the baby, and he falls asleep calmly again.

But what to do in a situation where a 9-month-old child often wakes up at night? Is this phenomenon considered normal, or is it a cause for concern, and it’s time to take some action? First of all, you need to figure out why sleep becomes restless and the child begins to cry.

Sleep standards for babies

Why does a 7 month old baby sleep poorly?

There are a number of most likely reasons that prevent a baby from falling asleep.

• Too much nap during the day. If a child sleeps a lot during the day, then at night he feels well-rested.
• Late bedtime. If the child has been awake for a long time, this leads to overstimulation. It is necessary that the baby has time to sleep 4 hours before midnight.
• Wrong daily routine. Set a consistent bedtime in the evening and wake-up time in the morning. For example, in the evening, sleep from 20.00, awakening at 7.00 in the morning. The biological clock does not have time to adjust itself too often.
• There is no ability to fall asleep independently. If in the evening the mother puts the baby to sleep and lulls him to sleep, then when he wakes up at night, he cannot fall asleep on his own. At 7 months, it’s time to teach your baby to fall asleep on his own. To do this, it is recommended to put a toy in the crib that is pleasant to the touch. The child will not feel lonely.
• Character traits. Emotional children sleep worse than passive ones. They will be soothed by a massage or a lullaby.
• Lack of activity during the day. If the child is not tired during the day, it will be difficult for him to sleep at night. Spend more time with him, play active games that make him move, roll over, and reach for toys. Take your baby for a walk outside every day.
• Wrong feeding time. Gradually, the child must be weaned from eating frequently at night.
• Teeth are being cut. At 7 months, the lower central incisors begin to erupt. Pain, fever, vomiting provoke sleep disturbances.
• Nervous atmosphere at home. At this age, the baby is very sensitive to the emotional climate in the family. If conflicts occur between parents and they raise their voices at each other, this causes nervous tension. The baby will become restless and cry often.
• The child is hot. The room must be regularly ventilated and the temperature maintained at no higher than 23°C. Do wet cleaning often. It is not recommended to install heaters in a children's room; they dry out the air.
• Allergy. Children may experience a reaction to new food in the form of redness and itching.
• Excessive gas formation. Gases contribute to the appearance of colic in the tummy. Dill water will help deal with them.
• The lighting is disturbing. Some children even react to the light of night lights; turn them off before putting your baby in the crib.
• Wet diapers, diapers. Make sure your baby is comfortable and dry in the crib. Choose diapers carefully and according to size. If they are too big for the child, they will leak.
• Diseases. Contact your doctor and make sure that the baby does not have any abnormalities.

The main thing for such a small child is the attentive attitude of the parents. If you take into account all the above aspects, your baby's sleep will soon improve.

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Possible causes of the disorder

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The reasons for a restless night's sleep are most often associated with disruption of the routine and increased emotional activity during the day. These include the following factors:

• Overfatigue - inquisitive 9-month-old babies spend a lot of energy exploring the world around them, so by the end of the day they have very little energy left; but a lot of stress hormone is produced, which interferes with sleep;
• Increased excitability - a physiological feature of the nervous system of young children consists of vivid emotional experiences of the events of the past day. This most often refers to new, unusual experiences for the child: a late visit from guests or a trip to the shopping center. Constant worry prevents the baby from relaxing and falling asleep;
• Incorrect daily routine - by the ninth month, a certain daily routine is usually already formed, which is convenient for all family members. It includes feeding, walking, hygiene, play, activity and sleep. When a disruption occurs in the usual rhythm, children develop a feeling of insecurity and uncertainty. Hence the difficulty falling asleep;
• Long daytime rest - there are situations when the baby fell asleep right in the stroller during a walk, and the mother did not wake him up so as not to disturb him. On the one hand, she will have time to do household chores, but, on the other hand, the problem arises of how to put the child to bed at night;
• Excess energy - if during the day the parents did not have time for a walk, massage or other active activities, then the energy accumulated by the child during the day will find a way out in the evening, when it is time to go to bed;
• Lack of sleep hygiene and falling asleep ritual - scratchy pajamas, an uncomfortable pillow or heat in the room do not contribute to healthy sleep; Without a bedtime story or a lullaby, babies often refuse to sleep - compliance with certain rituals is vital for them;
• Improper care - the last feeding before bed is not filling enough, a dirty diaper, unnecessary and distracting toys in the crib, and the baby cannot fall asleep;
• Nervous tension of parents - when there is a depressing atmosphere in the family, there is a smell of quarrel in the air, parents were sorting out their difficult relationship in the presence of the child, such actions have a very negative impact on his sleep, as well as his general psychophysical state;
• Health problems - teething, stomach pain, or snot running like a stream. Not only the baby does not sleep, but the whole family does not sleep.

One of the reasons for restless sleep is emotional overload

Reasons of a physiological nature

Most often, a 1-year-old child does not sleep well at night for reasons related to physiology; as a rule, they can be easily found and eliminated. Such reasons include all factors that cause a child to feel discomfort, anxiety, or concern.

Most often, these are the reasons that prevent a child from relaxing and falling asleep:

1. Uncomfortable posture when falling asleep or body position during sleep.
2. Inconvenient place to sleep: too hard (or vice versa, soft) bed or playpen.
3. Tight or uncomfortable clothing, usually restricting movement.
4. Excessive fatigue (both physical and mental) during the day.
5. Strong emotional experiences.
6. Digestive problems – both undereating and overeating.
7. The presence of external irritants: sources of sharp sound, bright light, unpleasant odors.
8. Changes in the usual everyday environment.
9. The presence of strangers.
10. Failure to perform traditional bedtime rituals.

The physiological reasons listed above are easily removable. The main way to overcome them is to review and properly organize the child’s daily routine. In this case, slight changes in eating and sleeping times are possible.

You should also pay attention to the place where he sleeps: the bed should be comfortable, the room should be ventilated before going to bed. Often the problem of why a one-year-old child sleeps poorly is solved by improving the conditions of night rest.

In the vast majority of cases, a 1-year-old child does not sleep well at night and often wakes up because he is very tired at the end of the day. Therefore, it is very important for parents to monitor him during this period and avoid any overtiredness, which could be a potential cause of poor sleep.

Often children at this age have a very negative attitude towards daytime sleep periods; sometimes their protests are categorical. Many parents in this situation make the mistake of giving in and believing that the child will sleep well at night. You can’t think that the baby sleeps the same way we sleep. If you don't want your baby to become irritable, be sure to make an effort to get him to sleep during the day.

At this age, a child's sleep should consist of three main stages: one night sleep of eight to nine hours and two sleeps during the day. Daytime sleep periods should range from one to two hours.

This rest regime is due to the fact that the nervous system of a one-year-old baby is not able to cope with the load normally at that age.

It is also recommended to keep your child busy with physical exercises in the first half of the day. A baby who has played enough during the day and received enough oxygen will sleep well during the day and will almost never wake up in the middle of the night; and in the morning, well-rested children will wake up and get out of bed in a great mood.

How to put a 9 month old baby to sleep

Each child's age is characterized by specific sleep characteristics. At 9 months, it is already possible and necessary to organize independent falling asleep, without being tied to feeding. The baby may refuse night feedings and is able to survive separation from his mother at night, so co-sleeping, if practiced, can be stopped.

Complementary feeding scheme for breastfeeding and artificial feeding

For babies over 3 months of age, there is a certain window of increased production of melatonin, or the “sleep hormone.” At nine months it is synthesized between 18.30 and 20.30. It is during this interval that the baby falls asleep most easily without outside help due to the high concentration of the hormone. It allows muscles to relax and metabolic processes to slow down. This is how a state of drowsiness arises.

Important! One of Dr. Komarovsky’s rules for healthy children’s sleep is: “set your priorities.” There is no need for children's sleep at the cost of sleepless nights for parents. The main task is that all family members should have the opportunity to sleep.

Pediatricians at this age advise teaching your baby to fall asleep on his own: put him in the crib and leave for 10-15 minutes. If she starts to cry, sit down or even get up in the crib, return to the room and calm her down with words and say good night. The main thing is not to pick him up from the crib, calm him down and put him back in the crib. The process of going to bed can take a long time, but this method really works if you gradually increase the intervals between going to bed and returning to the room. Usually, by 3-4 days the results already appear, and the baby acquires the skill of falling asleep independently.

Gradually, the baby learns to fall asleep on his own

Problematic sleep in one-year-old children

By the end of the first year of life, the baby gets used to a certain schedule of rest and wakefulness. Observing it makes life easier for both the baby and his loved ones. The baby’s body itself gives signals that it is ready to sleep at the usual time. It is easier for the rest of the family to plan their affairs.

But it is not always possible to adhere to the regime. There comes a period when a one-year-old child does not sleep well at night, often wakes up, spins, gets up, and it is difficult to get him to fall asleep again. The reasons for this can be very different. You shouldn’t panic right away, but you should definitely show your baby to a doctor to rule out any health problems.

Rest regime and norms for one year of life

A 12-month-old baby's rest period lasts about 14 hours a day. At night it is 11-12, during the day the child sleeps twice for a total duration of 120-180 minutes. The first time it is usually installed for a shorter time.

Five meals are saved. Some children at this age switch to one nap during the day, which causes them discomfort, disrupts their usual routine and causes problems with sleep for a short period.

Night awakenings and child behavior

Sleep disturbances in children of the first year of life are common. A newborn usually sleeps quite peacefully, waking up only to eat. Further, as he grows up, the baby develops intensively, he is attracted to various objects, sounds, and is excited about new impressions and acquaintances.

For this reason, night rest often becomes anxious and intermittent. The baby often wakes up, may moan, whine, sigh heavily, fidget on the bed, toss and turn, and shudder. The child sometimes cries, refuses to fall asleep again, and requires adult attention. It happens that a baby even demonstrates a desire for active games instead of proper rest.

The child sleeps poorly during the period of colic and teething. But all these are temporary difficulties, features of age-related changes; with the stabilization of the condition, sleep also normalizes.

Factors leading to sleep problems

Poor sleep in a 1-year-old child can occur for various reasons. They can be of external origin, but may be related to problems in the internal state of the body.

Parents need to pay more attention to the baby and observe him to determine possible factors leading to poor rest. Eliminating them will help improve the baby’s sleep, he will stop waking up frequently and will fully recover.

Malaise

A 1-year-old child does not sleep well at night, often due to illness.
Even minor malaise, runny nose, cough, increased body temperature often lead to the fact that the baby cannot fall asleep, he begins to toss and turn, be capricious, and cry. You should definitely monitor its condition, set a thermometer, and look at the neck. If signs of the disease are detected, it is necessary to relieve acute symptoms and consult a doctor.

Psychological discomfort

At this age, the baby can already distinguish between his loved ones and strangers well. Guests, especially in the evening, increased attention to the child can overstimulate the baby’s nervous system, he cannot relax, having received strong impressions.

Often babies are unable to sleep in an unfamiliar place. He may be excited by new wallpaper, rearranged furniture, or unusual sounds.

Attention! The child really feels tense relationships in the family, scandals of parents, lack of rest for the mother, this causes him concern and anxiety. He begins to get nervous, wakes up frequently, and dreams are often accompanied by nightmares.

Confused day with night

Often young parents encounter a problem when the baby confuses day with night. During the dark time of the day, he is alert, wants to play, strives to communicate, and during the light period the child is drowsy, capricious, and goes to bed.

This condition does not cause problems for the child; his relatives experience severe discomfort from the inverted mode. Being on such a schedule exhausts them mentally and physically after just a few days. The reason for this phenomenon is usually one night, accompanied by poor sleep due to some factors. It can be:

• uncomfortable conditions;
• illness;
• psycho-emotional overload;
• teething.

During the day, the child gets enough sleep, making up for lost rest, and in the evening he is already alert and ready to play. In a couple of days it becomes addictive, and the baby begins to live in a new regime. A gradual shift in sleep duration during the day will help eliminate this problem.

You need to try to give him less rest, no more than 120 minutes at a time. A one-year-old baby should pause for 4 hours before going to bed at night. This is difficult and will require significant effort and patience from parents. You need to entertain the baby by constantly changing the type of activity. It’s good to go for a walk without a stroller before going to bed so that your child doesn’t fall asleep in it.

Before going to bed, be sure to take a warm bath, observe the light regime at night, try not to turn on the lights at all, and close the curtains tightly. If necessary, the night light should provide minimal illumination. If you cannot solve this problem immediately, you should be patient and in a few days the normal rhythm of life will be established.

Sleep regression

The first months of life are already behind us, intestinal colic has passed, the baby has learned to adhere to a daily routine, but the child is turning one, and he again sleeps poorly at night and constantly wakes up. This may manifest as age-related sleep regression.

At this age, it is usually associated with the psycho-emotional development of children. They have already stored in their memory some moments that caused fear, incomprehensible, alarming events. During rest, they transform into nightmares and exciting dreams. Little ones are afraid of the dark, loud sounds, and loneliness. Not understanding what is happening, they begin to resist falling asleep and resist going to bed.

Other reasons

Uncomfortable temperature in the bedroom and dry air can disturb your baby's sleep. Dr. Komarovsky gives advice: for proper rest, a cooler than a hot room is suitable; an extra blouse is better, rather than a heater. If you don’t have a special humidifier, you can simply pour water into a container and place it near the radiator or wipe the floors. Drying of the mucous membranes leads to thirst, and constant consumption of liquid develops the habit of drinking at night.

It is important to know! Twitching of the arms and legs may be a symptom of neurological problems. The baby may cry out in his sleep, bend over, and often squirm violently. This is a serious sign; you must immediately seek medical help and begin treatment.

In the summer, overheating prevents your baby from sleeping well. He begins to fidget, cry, and may experience vomiting and diarrhea. First aid is to lower the temperature in the room and call a doctor immediately.

Recommendations for parents on sleep management

If a nine-month-old baby has sleep problems that are not related to illness, parents will be able to cope with them on their own. First of all, you need to be patient - this problem cannot be solved in one day. Temporary failures should not be frustrating; success requires a positive attitude.

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First of all, it is necessary to provide comfortable conditions for a healthy rest:

• a ventilated room with an air temperature of 20-22 degrees;
• humid air, relative humidity parameters in the room - 60-70%

Such indicators will be comfortable not only for the child, but also for the whole family. This is exactly what we need to strive for.

Next, you should organize a comfortable sleeping place and choose clothes:

• crib with orthopedic mattress;
• a pillow is not required unless there is a medical indication for it;
• blanket and bedding made from natural, breathable materials;
• comfortable cotton clothing - a blouse and pants without ties or bulky parts, or a special sleepsuit (slip).

Properly organized leisure time during the day:

• balance between active and calm games;
• walks in the open air;
• timely daytime sleep lasting 4-5 hours in total per day;
• before bedtime (2-3 hours before) exclude outdoor games and watching cartoons;
• do not receive guests in the evening.

A very important point is the last feeding. For babies on breastfeeding or mixed feeding, this must be breast milk, in a position that is comfortable for the baby and mother, after a light massage, bathing and hygiene procedures. If night feedings have not stopped, then also eat mother's milk at night.

Important! Provide your child with a quality diaper at night. Throughout the day - preferably, at night - necessarily.

Create bedtime rituals:

• go to bed at the same time every day;
• before going to bed, bathing, then hygiene procedures;
• After feeding, sing a lullaby or read your favorite fairy tale.

Every evening ritual - bedtime reading

The most important thing in a daily ritual is its consistency. Whatever happens, it must be implemented. We must not forget about bathing, the exception being illness. You can’t help but read a fairy tale; as an alternative, you can use audio fairy tales or read it into a voice recorder in advance. Still, a native voice will calm the baby more. It is the consistency of such rituals, which can be individual in each family, that brings predictability and safety to a child’s life.

Etiology of sleep disorders

Komarovsky, a famous pediatrician and TV presenter, covered the problem of sleep disturbances in infants. He identified the leading causes of insomnia in children, which will be discussed further.

Parents, when a child of 9 months sleeps poorly (especially if this continues for a long time), often, very frightened, immediately decide that the baby is sick.

Healthy children sometimes also sleep poorly, and this is possible due to many reasons:

1. High excitability of the central nervous system. This is a common occurrence for a nine-month-old toddler, who, while awake, greedily absorbs all information coming from outside. When the time for rest comes, he cannot fall asleep under the influence of the impressions he has experienced during the day.
2. Overwork (typical of such children and normal). Trying to study everything possible during the day, the baby puts a lot of stress on his nervous system. As a result, when it is time to sleep, the child is in a state of stress.
3. Violation of the daily routine. Even such a small person should have his own daily routine. Eating, resting, walking and playing should occur at approximately the same time every day. If everything is new every day, the baby does not have time to adapt, and he has problems sleeping.
4. Negative emotions experienced by mother. The mother's anxiety is easily transmitted to the baby.
5. Poor care. The reason your baby won't fall asleep may be an overfilled diaper. Also, the baby will constantly wake up if he is put to bed hungry.
6. Lack of ritual before bed. There should be a set sequence of actions that always occurs before putting the baby to bed. Its presence makes the process of falling asleep easier. If there is no ritual, it is more difficult to fall asleep.

Not all reasons are listed here. We are talking only about the most common ones. Komarovsky attaches special importance to the first two of them.

When do you need a doctor?

Unfortunately, sleep problems can be caused by more serious reasons than poor sleep patterns or long naps during the day. The following situations require immediate medical attention :

• a head thrown back is a symptom of increased intracranial pressure;
• frequent involuntary shuddering of the limbs is a symptom of a lack of calcium and vitamin D in the body; together with excessive sweating, it can be a symptom of rickets;
• slightly open eyes - overload of the nervous system and increased excitability;
• nightmares, accompanied by trembling of the arms and legs and a frozen gaze.

Woke up in the middle of the night after a nightmare

Teething pain or stomach cramps are not an emergency, but it can be helpful to consult a specialist. To relieve pain in the gums, gels and ointments for pain relief with a cooling effect are usually recommended. To relieve stomach cramps, there are also medications that the doctor prescribes at the appointment.

Sleep disturbance is most often caused by a new stage of the baby's growing up and the development of motor activity. Care and patient teaching of healthy sleep by parents will help the child fully develop and grow not only during the day, but also during sleep.

Reasons that are pathological in nature

Illness is a serious reason for a child not to fall asleep and to be capricious. After all, even adults experience problems with sleep if something hurts them; there is no need to talk about children of one year of age.

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Methods for getting your child to fall asleep independently

A one-year-old child cannot yet feign illness; his behavior is absolutely sincere. The problem is that he is not even able to correctly explain to his mother what is bothering him; she will have to figure it out herself.

The simplest diseases that can be easily identified are colds or acute respiratory infections. Signs of such diseases are fever, runny nose, and breathing problems. As a rule, by the age of one year, the mother herself can easily cope with them; Special children's medications or folk remedies usually come to the rescue.

However, sometimes the reason that a one-year-old child does not sleep well at night can be serious illnesses.

These include:

• dysbacteriosis, which causes pain in the abdominal area;
• constipation and colic, often found in children under one year of age;
• ear pain; one of its manifestations is the tilting of the head in one direction or its constant shaking in different directions;
• the end of teething, leading to pain in the gum area;
• various allergies accompanied by itching or swelling of the mucous membranes; they may also occur with difficulty breathing;
• viral diseases: measles, rubella, chickenpox and others; as a rule, they have characteristic symptoms and are easily identified;
• intestinal infectious diseases; they are accompanied by vomiting or diarrhea; the child refuses to eat;
• appendicitis; abdominal pain on the right, fever, sometimes vomiting.

For most of these symptoms, the baby requires timely medical attention. Don't waste time! If the child begins to sleep poorly, and the reason is not clear, and his health worsens, call an ambulance immediately!

And in the last of these cases, even a minute’s delay can be fatal.

However, in cases where the child’s well-being does not cause concern, but sleep is difficult for the baby, it is recommended to consult a pediatrician as soon as possible for an examination.

The purpose of the examination will help not only to find out why a child does not sleep well at night after a year, but will also help to identify possible health problems. There is no need to be afraid of these procedures - sometimes a simple blood or urine test can provide complete information about the possible ailments of a small patient. In this case, determining whether any pathology is the cause of poor sleep in a child is not a problem.