What makes a baby sleep

6 Ways to Make Your Baby Tired – Cleveland Clinic

Parents wait all day for that blissful break from diapers, dishes and other demands. Sometimes baby’s bedtime can’t come soon enough.

The last thing you want is a child who’s not ready to unwind when you are.

While you can’t force a child to fall asleep at your command, there are things that soften the bed, so to speak.

Why rocking + lullabies really can work

“Making children feel sleepy requires decreasing their level of cortisol, the hormone that keeps them revved up and ready to go,” says pediatrician Maureen Ahmann, DO. “To decrease cortisol, calm their senses.”

Rocking your baby and singing a lullaby may be the best-known calming techniques, but any type of sensory soothing can work, says Dr. Ahmann. Try:

Swaddling (for infants).
Massage.
Any light, repetitive movement, like swaying or swinging.
Feeding (not until babies fall asleep, but just until they become drowsy).
Dimming the lights.
Playing soft music or tranquil sounds from a white noise machine or app. (Turn off the TV.)

“The key is removing stimulation and signaling the body that it’s time to rest,” says Dr. Ahmann.

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What about a ride in the car?

Some parents claim that a ride in the car is a sure-fire way to induce sleep. In desperate times it may be tempting to buckle baby in the car seat and drive around the block. Just don’t do it for long, says Dr. Ahmann.

Sleeping in the car, while sometimes unavoidable, is not a good habit. Your baby is safest sleeping on a firm, flat surface, not propped up in a seat.

Every year hundreds of U.S. infants die due to unsafe sleep environments. Make sure your baby sleeps safely all the time. It’s non-negotiable, says Dr. Ahmann.

For babies, safe sleep means lying flat on the back with no blankets heavier than a hospital receiving blanket. There should be no stuffed animals in the crib. Do not use crib bumpers, pillows or any type of cushions for propping up your baby — not even items marketed to help babies sleep better.

The best way to trigger tiredness

Tactics to make your baby drowsy only do so much. The best way to get children to sleep when they’re supposed to is to establish a wake-sleep schedule and stick to it, says Dr. Ahmann.

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“Nothing works better than keeping kids on a schedule,” she says. “It’s not always possible with so many demands on today’s parents — and life can throw curveballs — but keep nap and night sleep times consistent the best you can.”

Babies respond to consistency and structure, says Dr. Ahmann. The less you disrupt their schedule, the more likely they’ll fall asleep on time.

“If your baby regularly has a tough time falling asleep at night, you may need to adjust their nap schedule,” she says. “Gradually move morning and afternoon naps earlier. ”

3 things not to do

There are numerous ways to get your baby to settle down for slumber. But here are three things you shouldn’t try:

Keeping baby awake all day to sleep longer at night. This typically does not work, says Dr. Ahmann. Being overtired can make your baby — and everyone within earshot — miserable. And baby’s stress from being overtired can make it harder to relax and rest later.
Putting cereal in the bedtime bottle. People used to think that cereal could keep a baby’s belly fuller, preventing them from waking up for a nighttime feeding. That’s not true, says Dr. Ahmann. “We’ve learned that eating cereal before bed doesn’t make babies sleep longer and actually can cause more restlessness due to gas pain,” she says. Babies should only have breast milk or formula in their bottle. Feed your baby cereal only when they can eat it off a spoon, usually beginning at 6 to 9 months.
Holding your baby as you fall asleep. Remember that safe sleep is a must. “Too frequently, exhausted parents fall asleep holding their baby and wake up hours later to find the baby in a dangerous position,” says Dr. Ahmann. “If you’re tired, put your baby back in the crib. A baby will not die from crying in their crib.”

Following a consistent schedule and using calming techniques should be all you need to ensure a sufficient sleepyhead. Getting baby to sleep on time is one step toward getting yourself to sleep on time too.

Sleep and Your 1- to 3-Month-Old (for Parents)

Just when you think that getting more shut-eye is a far-off dream, your baby will begin to sleep longer stretches at night. Baby's sleep cycle is getting closer to yours, and your little one may be feeding less often at night.

But don't assume you'll be hitting the snooze button just yet. At this stage, "sleeping through the night" is considered to be a stretch of only 5 or 6 hours.

How Long Will My Baby Sleep?

Because babies this age are more awake, alert, and aware of their surroundings during daylight hours, they're more likely to be tired at night and sleep. But the range of normal is still very wide.

Infants up to 3 months old should get 14–17 hours of sleep over a 24-hour period, says the National Sleep Foundation. Many will have settled into a daily sleep routine of 2-3 naps during the day, followed by a longer "sleeping through the night" stretch after a late-night feeding.

How Should Babies Sleep?

The American of Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends room-sharing without bed-sharing for at least the first 6 months or, ideally, until a baby's first birthday. This is when the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) is highest.

Room-sharing is when you place your baby's crib, portable crib, play yard, or bassinet in your own bedroom instead of in a separate room. This keeps baby nearby and helps with feeding, comforting, and monitoring baby at night.

While room-sharing is safe, putting your baby to sleep in bed with you is not. Bed-sharing increases the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related deaths.

Follow these recommendations for a safe sleep environment for your little one:

Always place your baby on their back to sleep, not on the stomach or side. The rate of SIDS has gone way down since the AAP began recommending this in 1992.
Use a firm, flat sleep surface. Cover the mattress with a sheet that fits snugly.
Do not put anything else in the crib or bassinet. Keep plush toys, pillows, blankets, unfitted sheets, quilts, comforters, sheepskins, and bumper pads out of your baby's sleep area.
To avoid overheating, dress your baby for the room temperature and don't overbundle. Don't cover your baby's head while they're sleeping. Watch for signs of overheating, such as sweating or feeling hot to the touch.
Keep your baby away from smokers. Secondhand smoke increases the risk of SIDS.
Offer a pacifier to your baby at sleep time, but don’t force it. If the pacifier falls out during sleep, you don’t have to replace it. If you're breastfeeding, wait until breastfeeding is firmly established.
Watch out for other hazards, such as items with cords, ties, or ribbons that can wrap around a baby's neck, and objects with any kind of sharp edge or corner. Look around for things that your baby can touch from a seated or standing position in the crib. Hanging mobiles, wall hangings, pictures, draperies, and window blind cords could be harmful if they are within a baby's reach.
Don’t let your baby fall asleep on a product that isn’t specifically designed for sleeping babies, such as a sitting device (like a car seat), a feeding pillow (like the Boppy pillow), or an infant lounger (like the Dock-a-Tot, Podster, and Bummzie).
Don’t use products or devices that claim to lower the risk of SIDS, such as sleep positioners (like wedges or incliners) or monitors that can detect a baby’s heart rate and breathing pattern. No known products can actually do this.
Don’t use weighted blankets, sleepers, or swaddles on or around your baby.
Make sure that all sleep surfaces and products you use to help your baby sleep have been approved by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and meet federal safety standards.

Helping Your Baby Sleep

If you haven't already, start a bedtime routine that will be familiar and relaxing for your baby. Bathing, reading, and singing can soothe babies and signal an end to the day. Some babies like to be swaddled (wrapped in a light blanket). This is OK until they start to roll (typically, when they're 3 to 4 months old). Be consistent and your baby will soon associate these steps with sleeping.

If you rock your baby to sleep before bedtime, your little one may expect to be rocked to sleep after nighttime awakenings. Instead, try putting your baby into a crib or bassinet while drowsy but still awake. This way your baby will learn to fall asleep on their own.

Some babies squirm, whine, and even cry a little before falling back to sleep on their own. Unless you think that your baby is hungry or ill, see what happens if you leave your baby alone for a few minutes — they might settle down.

If your baby wakes during the period that you want them to sleep, keep activity to a minimum. Try to keep the lights low and resist the urge to play with or talk to your baby. Change or feed your baby and then return your little one to the crib or bassinet.

If your baby is waking early for a morning feeding, some small changes may allow a slight shift in schedule. You might try waking your baby for the late-night feeding at a time that suits your sleep schedule:

For instance, if your baby sleeps after a 7 p.m. feeding and wakes up at 2 a.m. to eat, try waking the baby to feed at 11 p.m. Then, put your little one down to sleep until an early-morning feeding at 5 a.m. or 6 a.m.

It may take a few nights to establish this routine, but being consistent will improve your chances of success.

When Should I Call the Doctor?

Some infants at this age will start sleeping through the night, but there is a wide range of normal. If you have questions about your baby's sleep, talk with your doctor.

7 Ways to Get Your Baby to Sleep That Work (But It's Not Accurate)

Children's sleep is very important for tired parents. Unfortunately, the child's ideas about when it's time to close your eyes often diverge from the opinions of dads and moms. Inna Pribora offers several effective methods. She is sure that if you start applying these techniques right now, by the evening you will see the result!

1. Lullaby

Adults often make a mistake with night melodies: they sing in such a way that a threat is clearly heard in “Spooning the Snow”, and the motive is more like “Don’t think about seconds down…”. Such a song can only strengthen the militant mood of the child. Pull gently, mournfully; even if you don't hit the notes, don't take it higher than the first octave. High aching sounds will unravel the soul of the child, and the cat will begin to sing along. Set your favorite rock classic to the motif of a folk song, perform Coldplay, but as if the soloist had a cold. And most importantly: in no case do not read rap. No matter how well everything starts, the performer inevitably begins to shake his head and wave his arms, pretending to have a gun in his hand.

Why it works. Specialists at the New York Medical Center studied the effects of three types of sounds on premature babies. The scientists had at their disposal an instrument that imitates the sounds that a child hears in the uterus, a drum that sounds like a heartbeat, and ordinary lullabies performed by parents, without musical processing. All melodies proved to be more or less effective, but the title of champion should be given to lullabies. They helped the children stay calm for as long as possible.

2. Motion sickness

If the child is older than two years, motion sickness is good only in a hammock: gently push it without changing the amplitude. Measured swaying puts even an adult into a trance, so you can find yourself unconsciously following other people's orders: "Get up, bring a bunny, sing a fly's song. " This method has a nuance that somewhat undermines the credibility of the hammock: when the child falls asleep, he must be transferred to a normal bed with a thick mattress. Most children are just waiting for this moment to wake up.

Some babies calm down the fastest when they are rocked up and down. This forces desperate parents to squat with a client in their arms. After that, it is appropriate to move on to tilts and turns of the body. Taking advantage of a short break on the fitball, complete the set of exercises with a stretch.

Why it works . Carrying and rocking a baby is natural and extremely beneficial. A 2013 Japanese study found that most mammal babies calm down when their mothers carry them. In addition, rolling helps children's sensory and motor systems to coordinate. A study 2019years claims that wiggle also contributes to better memory performance. True, the experiment was conducted without the participation of children - only with young people and mice. But both in young men and in rodents, a positive effect was noticed.

3. Reading and a bedtime story

Calm children can fall asleep during the story, just at the moment when the Wolf hid in the bushes to jump out on Little Red Riding Hood. But anxious guys will closely follow the plot until the moment with the wedding, when someone's mustache was running. If you intend to put your child to sleep with a fairy tale, choose a story in which nothing happens: boring poems about a white bull, a long story about how you went to Vladivostok by train, a retelling of the Sex and the City series.

Why it works . Research that focuses on reading aloud tends to focus on the intellectual benefits and ignore all other benefits. Scientists from the University of Sussex conducted experiments with adults and found that reading for just six minutes reduces stress levels by 68%. That is, a book is more powerful than a walk or a video game. There is no reason to believe that the impact of reading on children is much weaker. Scientists believe that this is an extremely successful way to relax with the help of your own imagination.

4. Stroking

For some children, it is important to relax the body in the evening, for which a light massage is used: the parent runs his hand several times over his arms and legs, saying something affectionate and stupid like: “Sleep, hand, sleep, foot!” Some stroke the bridge of the nose.

Why it works . Gentle maternal massage helps babies cry less and sleep better, scientists from the University of Warwick in the UK assure. They studied several works with data on almost six hundred babies from birth to six months. Children whose parents mastered dexterous strokes produced less of the stress hormone cortisol. And one of the studies did connect the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone, and tactile stimulation such as "rails-rails, sleepers-sleepers." In general, the more you stroke, the more you sleep.

5. Meditation

If children over the age of four are fiddling around and calling you to their room all the time, offer them a meditation session. Convince the child to take a comfortable position, relax and focus on breathing. Let him follow the smooth movement of his stomach: inhale and exhale, how the leg no longer scratches the other leg, and the hand stops pulling the eyelids - in general, it is very useful to pay attention to your body and sensations.

Visualize: ask the child to imagine how he is swimming in a silvery river, flying over a field of dandelions, hearing pine trees swaying ... If a child comments on his journey, something is going wrong. It is you who should conduct the session, and he should not tell you about how to behave with the revived pines and the dinosaur that he met over the dandelion field. It is not a sin to use ready-made texts, for example, from the book by Elin Snel “I am calm and attentive, like a frog. Meditation for children and their parents.

Why it works . Studies conducted with the elderly and young people have shown that meditation can fight insomnia as well as medication. Lack of sleep is closely related to stress, and a person who focuses on breathing does not waste time on any worry. In general, he mentally turned into a caterpillar and crawls along the leaf.

Although the child does not look like a pensioner, there is every reason to believe that meditation will help him relax and go to sleep even before the start of the parent's series.

6. Lack of light and white noise

Very young children are sometimes lulled to sleep by the monotonous sound of a washing machine running, the hiss of a radio, someone's monotonous muttering, and sometimes even the sound of a ping-pong ball. Parents of babies, trying to convince them to sleep, often start vacuuming or drying everything with a hair dryer. They also argue that it works better. Unfortunately, these events negate all the joy of a sleeping child: you have already started the washing machine anyway and started cleaning the apartment.

It happens that a child does not close his eyes, but watches in horror how his mother is standing next to him with a hairdryer on, and his father is hitting a tennis racket with a ball. In this case, spit on this method and move on to the next one.

Why it works . Blankets and pillows are waiting for the guys only in a calming atmosphere. Experiments with the participation of children from three to five prove that if before going to bed the participants sit in a room with a dim light bulb and drawn curtains, melatonin is produced as it should: at about eight in the evening the child rubs his eyes. But bright lighting suppresses melatonin and confuses the body, so it is better to plan the game of interrogation with a light bulb in the face in the morning.

You should also be careful with white noise. Scientists have been recommending this method for a long time, but it never occurred to them that someone would buy a special machine to create white noise and put it closer to the bed. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends monitoring decibel levels in the nursery. This is important - you should not try to drown out either neighbor's firecrackers or Uncle Tolya's accordion with white noise. It should remain a quiet background sound.

7. Imitation game

A small and surprisingly cheerful person needs sometimes just to be shown that the night is the time for sleep. Desperate parents lie down next to each other, turn off the light and do their best to pretend that they are already asleep, in the hope that the child will follow their example. Unfortunately, euthanizing the average parent is much easier. A poor child has to wake up mom or dad more than once so that they show again and again how it is to fall asleep face down in a pillow.

Why it works . When dad and mom finally finally sail away on the waves of sleep, the child will have the opportunity to take a break from all the ways of laying down, take a breath and think about his own in silence.

Illustrations: Shutterstock (Natasha_Chetkova)

Should I force my baby to sleep? | e1.ru

The child's nervous system is still developing, experiencing constant stress, and gets proper rest only in sleep. Babies three or four years old still need to sleep for one and a half to two hours during the day, and one hour is enough for five- and six-year-old children. Often children refuse to go to bed during the day. As a rule, this happens due to unwillingness to break away from an exciting game or due to waking up too late in the morning. Gradually, the daily routine changes, and by the age of seven, most children are already free to do without daytime sleep.

Should the child go to bed at the same time?

Meticulous precision is not required here. If the baby is clearly tired, he can be put to bed a little earlier than usual. In cases where daytime sleep is especially strong, the child can be awakened a little later. It is better to focus not on the clock, but on the well-being and behavior of the baby: ideally, he should fall asleep without whims, but wake up cheerful and active.

Is it necessary to force the child to sleep if he does not want to?

It makes no sense to force a child to sleep during the day. It is of no use to a baby to be forced to sleep when he is not tired, or to be fed when he is not hungry. Another common pedagogical mistake is turning naps into punishment. A delinquent child can be left alone in the room and even close the door, but it is impossible to force him to bed, as this can instill in him a negative attitude towards laying down at night.

Does the duration of daytime sleep affect nighttime sleep?

Many parents believe that the less sleep (or no sleep) during the day, the better they will sleep at night. This assumption is wrong - just like the opinion that a baby who has spent too much energy during the day will fall asleep faster and more soundly in the evening. On the contrary, an overly tired or overexcited child, whose nervous system is overloaded with numerous impressions, will only find it more difficult to fall asleep.

When does a child start to refuse daytime sleep?

It is not uncommon for babies to systematically refuse to go to bed during the day as early as the age of three.