Reasons for baby's poor sleep and 5 ways to improve it
2022-03-24
Many small-month-old babies have poor sleep. Babies cry when they don't sleep well, and adults can't sleep well either. What should parents do when their baby is not sleeping well? Let's take a look at why babies don't sleep well and what is "sleep regression"? And using the following methods can quickly help parents change their baby's poor sleep.
5 general ways to quickly improve your baby's poor sleep :
Method 1 to change the baby's poor sleep: Create a comfortable sleeping environment
Suggestion: indoor temperature is 20~25℃, relative humidity is 60~70%, keep indoor air fresh, and ensure a quiet sleeping environment. Small-month-old babies can be properly wrapped, which can increase the baby's sense of security and help sleep.
The second method to change the baby's poor sleep: There should be obvious differences between day and night activities
Many babies do not sleep well, which may be caused by the lack of distinction between day and night. The first month after the baby is born (the neonatal period) often does not distinguish between day and night. This is a normal phenomenon, but as the baby grows up, it is generally able to distinguish between day and night at 2-3 months. Feeding or nursing the wrong way can cause your baby to be day and night.
If you want to change the quality of your baby's sleep, parents should make the baby's day and night activities a clear distinction. The baby does not need to draw the curtains or create a quiet environment when sleeping during the day. It is enough to be relatively quiet and not so noisy. If it is too quiet, it will make the baby become particularly picky about the sleeping environment; If you really need to turn on the lights, you can use a small night light, do not turn on the headlights in the room), and the baby should not be too excited or too tired before going to bed.
The third method to change the baby's poor sleep:Don't interrupt the baby's sleep
Sometimes the baby will not sleep well because of changing diapers or leaking urine. It is recommended that parents change the baby's diapers with close-fitting, breathable and absorbent diapers before going to bed to prevent the baby from leaking urine, wet diapers or frequent changes of diapers. Wet and disturbed sleep, older babies can use pull-up pants.
Four ways to change the baby's poor sleep: Correctly appease the baby
Babies' nervous systems are not fully developed, especially those of small months. Once the baby is tired, it will appear irritable. If the parent does not comfort it in time, the baby will fall asleep. It is recommended that parents catch the baby's sleepy signals in time, such as: slow action, slow reaction, inattention, eyelids twitching, rubbing eyes, yawning, etc.
After a period of observation, parents can understand their baby's sleep patterns. Parents can breastfeed the baby before the baby sleeps. After feeding, put the baby on the cot, pat and touch the head gently, and use a steady and gentle massage. The tones soothe your baby and let your baby learn to calm down and gradually fall asleep.
How to change the baby's poor sleepFive: Sleep in a different bed with the baby in the same room
The Chinese Infant and Toddler Healthy Sleep Guidelines and the American Academy of Pediatrics both recommend that parents and babies share different beds in the same room, and do not agree to sleep in the same bed.
Because different beds in the same room are safer than sleeping in the same bed, and it is safer than sleeping in separate rooms, it can avoid all possible dangers of mother and baby sleeping together to the greatest extent; at the same time, sleeping in the same room also guarantees The intimate connection with the baby makes breastfeeding, comforting and observing the baby easy.
There is also no evidence that sleeping in the same bed with a child can reduce crying or stalking symptoms.
There are many reasons for the poor sleep of the baby. Below we summarize the 10 reasons for the poor sleep of the baby, and give the solutions.
1.Too cold/too hot
Solution: Ensure that the indoor temperature is suitable, and the baby will sleep well when it is neither cold nor hot. Whether a baby is hot or cold can’t be based on experience alone, nor can it be based on an adult’s feeling of hot and cold, and it’s not reliable to touch the temperature of a baby’s hands and feet! How can you tell if your baby is hot or cold? It is recommended that parents feel the temperature of the back of the baby's neck or back. If it feels warm without sweating, it means the temperature is just right, if it is sweating it means it is too hot, and if it is cold it means it is too cold.
2. Urine/Stool
Solution: Small-month-old babies poop and urinate more often. Parents should check the baby's diapers/diapers in time. The baby must change the diapers/diapers every time they poop. They do not need to be changed every time they urinate. When the diaper is full, it must be replaced in time, otherwise it will cause the baby to sleep uncomfortable, easily leak urine, and even cause red buttocks.
3. Hungry/eat
Solution: If the baby is not full before going to bed, it may wake up hungry during sleep. Parents try to let the baby eat before going to bed; if the baby eats too much before going to bed, it will also affect sleep. Parents To prevent overfeeding the baby, when the baby's tummy is bloated and uncomfortable, massage the tummy properly to aid digestion.
4. Long teeth
Solution: Usually around 5-6 months, some babies begin to teeth. During the teething period, the baby will wake up frequently at night due to uncomfortable gums, and is irritable. Parents can gently massage the baby's gums with clean hands, or Give your baby a cold pacifier or teether bite.
5. Development of big movements
Solution: The baby will experience sleep regression during the development of major movements such as turning over, sitting, crawling, etc., manifesting as waking up frequently at night and being unable to sleep. Parents can guide the baby to exercise more during the day and consume more energy, which will help. sleep at night.
6.Eczema
Solution: Eczema will make the baby itchy and uncomfortable. You can't help scratching with your hands. If parents find that the baby is always rubbing the body and scratching all over the body with their hands, it may be eczema. Moisturizing and making the baby sweat as little as possible can usually be relieved. Severe eczema requires the use of eczema ointment as prescribed by a doctor.
7. Flatulence/colic
Solution: Small-month-old babies are more common. Parents can massage the baby's belly in a clockwise direction. In addition, prone positioning, abdominal heat packs, airplane hugs, swaddling, and cycling can also relieve gas/colic.
8.Be stimulated/excited before going to bed
Solution: Do not make loud noises or make loud noises in front of the baby, so as not to scare the baby; parents should not tease the baby too much before the baby goes to bed, and do not let the baby play too excited, listen to a soothing lullaby before going to bed. Helps improve your baby's sleep quality.
9. Meng long term
Generally, the baby will have a severe long-term in 7~10 days, the 3rd week, the 6th week, the 3rd month, and the 6th month. During this time, the baby will breastfeed irregularly and often wake up at night. In this case, parents try their best to meet the baby's various needs, pacifiers, and increase the amount of breastfeeding, which can generally be solved.
10. Calcium deficiency
If the baby wakes up frequently at night and is accompanied by symptoms such as irritability, night cry, sweating, X-shaped legs, O-shaped legs, chicken breasts, square skulls, etc., it means that the baby is deficient in calcium, and parents need to take the baby to the hospital for treatment in time.
In addition to the 10 reasons above, there are other reasons why your baby is not sleeping well, such as vaccinations, colds, mosquito bites, changes in the environment or caregivers, etc. When the baby does not sleep well, parents should carefully observe the baby's symptoms, find the cause, and solve the problem.
What is "sleep regression"?
"Sleep regression", as the name suggests, is a decline in the quality of your baby's sleep. Shortened sleep time or increased number of night awakenings are the main manifestations. Medically known as "infant sleep regression".
"Sleep regression" is a normal physiological phenomenon. Although the baby's sleep will be affected to a certain extent, it will not cause physical discomfort, so parents don't have to worry too much.
Babies usually experience 4 "sleep regression periods"
1. The first sleep regression period: about 4 months
At this time, the baby's vision has developed to a new stage, and the development of grand movements has begun to take shape. Since the perception ability of the outside world has been greatly improved, the baby will appear insecure, thus forming the first sleep regression period.
2. The second sleep regression period: about 8 to 10 months
At this time, the baby has generally learned to crawl and sit, and the cognitive ability is further sprouted. Separation anxiety occurs as sleep time gradually decreases, leading to sleep regression.
3. The third sleep regression period: about 1 year old
At this time, the baby's energy is relatively strong, and some parents have already begun to teach their children to speak and walk. Due to the learning of various knowledge and skills, the baby's brain is stimulated in various ways and will be easily fatigued, so the baby often sleeps at this time during the day. The time is about 1 to 2 hours at a time, but it is easy to enter the sleep regression stage at night, and often wake up at night.
4. The fourth sleep regression period: around 18 to 24 months
Generally, babies at this stage have formed a relatively regular schedule and can fall asleep by themselves, but this is often a sensitive period of their self-consciousness, so affected by emotions, they tend to be anxious and irritable, resulting in poor sleep quality.
Therefore, parents should follow this rule to control the baby's sleep time, which can effectively improve the baby's poor sleep. If your baby sleeps too long during the day, it will naturally be difficult for him to fall asleep at night, and the quality of sleep will also decrease. Therefore, you can appropriately shorten the baby's sleep time during the day and wait until the time is enough. Wake up your baby in time, so that your baby's sleep habits can be improved if you stick to it. Change the baby's poor sleep situation, let the baby grow healthily! Young parents, come on!
5 general ways to quickly improve your baby's poor sleep :
Method 1 to change the baby's poor sleep: Create a comfortable sleeping environment
Suggestion: indoor temperature is 20~25℃, relative humidity is 60~70%, keep indoor air fresh, and ensure a quiet sleeping environment. Small-month-old babies can be properly wrapped, which can increase the baby's sense of security and help sleep.
The second method to change the baby's poor sleep: There should be obvious differences between day and night activities
Many babies do not sleep well, which may be caused by the lack of distinction between day and night. The first month after the baby is born (the neonatal period) often does not distinguish between day and night. This is a normal phenomenon, but as the baby grows up, it is generally able to distinguish between day and night at 2-3 months. Feeding or nursing the wrong way can cause your baby to be day and night.
If you want to change the quality of your baby's sleep, parents should make the baby's day and night activities a clear distinction. The baby does not need to draw the curtains or create a quiet environment when sleeping during the day. It is enough to be relatively quiet and not so noisy. If it is too quiet, it will make the baby become particularly picky about the sleeping environment; If you really need to turn on the lights, you can use a small night light, do not turn on the headlights in the room), and the baby should not be too excited or too tired before going to bed.
The third method to change the baby's poor sleep:Don't interrupt the baby's sleep
Sometimes the baby will not sleep well because of changing diapers or leaking urine. It is recommended that parents change the baby's diapers with close-fitting, breathable and absorbent diapers before going to bed to prevent the baby from leaking urine, wet diapers or frequent changes of diapers. Wet and disturbed sleep, older babies can use pull-up pants.
Four ways to change the baby's poor sleep: Correctly appease the baby
Babies' nervous systems are not fully developed, especially those of small months. Once the baby is tired, it will appear irritable. If the parent does not comfort it in time, the baby will fall asleep. It is recommended that parents catch the baby's sleepy signals in time, such as: slow action, slow reaction, inattention, eyelids twitching, rubbing eyes, yawning, etc.
After a period of observation, parents can understand their baby's sleep patterns. Parents can breastfeed the baby before the baby sleeps. After feeding, put the baby on the cot, pat and touch the head gently, and use a steady and gentle massage. The tones soothe your baby and let your baby learn to calm down and gradually fall asleep.
How to change the baby's poor sleepFive: Sleep in a different bed with the baby in the same room
The Chinese Infant and Toddler Healthy Sleep Guidelines and the American Academy of Pediatrics both recommend that parents and babies share different beds in the same room, and do not agree to sleep in the same bed.
Because different beds in the same room are safer than sleeping in the same bed, and it is safer than sleeping in separate rooms, it can avoid all possible dangers of mother and baby sleeping together to the greatest extent; at the same time, sleeping in the same room also guarantees The intimate connection with the baby makes breastfeeding, comforting and observing the baby easy.
There is also no evidence that sleeping in the same bed with a child can reduce crying or stalking symptoms.
There are many reasons for the poor sleep of the baby. Below we summarize the 10 reasons for the poor sleep of the baby, and give the solutions.
1.Too cold/too hot
Solution: Ensure that the indoor temperature is suitable, and the baby will sleep well when it is neither cold nor hot. Whether a baby is hot or cold can’t be based on experience alone, nor can it be based on an adult’s feeling of hot and cold, and it’s not reliable to touch the temperature of a baby’s hands and feet! How can you tell if your baby is hot or cold? It is recommended that parents feel the temperature of the back of the baby's neck or back. If it feels warm without sweating, it means the temperature is just right, if it is sweating it means it is too hot, and if it is cold it means it is too cold.
2. Urine/Stool
Solution: Small-month-old babies poop and urinate more often. Parents should check the baby's diapers/diapers in time. The baby must change the diapers/diapers every time they poop. They do not need to be changed every time they urinate. When the diaper is full, it must be replaced in time, otherwise it will cause the baby to sleep uncomfortable, easily leak urine, and even cause red buttocks.
3. Hungry/eat
Solution: If the baby is not full before going to bed, it may wake up hungry during sleep. Parents try to let the baby eat before going to bed; if the baby eats too much before going to bed, it will also affect sleep. Parents To prevent overfeeding the baby, when the baby's tummy is bloated and uncomfortable, massage the tummy properly to aid digestion.
4. Long teeth
Solution: Usually around 5-6 months, some babies begin to teeth. During the teething period, the baby will wake up frequently at night due to uncomfortable gums, and is irritable. Parents can gently massage the baby's gums with clean hands, or Give your baby a cold pacifier or teether bite.
5. Development of big movements
Solution: The baby will experience sleep regression during the development of major movements such as turning over, sitting, crawling, etc., manifesting as waking up frequently at night and being unable to sleep. Parents can guide the baby to exercise more during the day and consume more energy, which will help. sleep at night.
6.Eczema
Solution: Eczema will make the baby itchy and uncomfortable. You can't help scratching with your hands. If parents find that the baby is always rubbing the body and scratching all over the body with their hands, it may be eczema. Moisturizing and making the baby sweat as little as possible can usually be relieved. Severe eczema requires the use of eczema ointment as prescribed by a doctor.
7. Flatulence/colic
Solution: Small-month-old babies are more common. Parents can massage the baby's belly in a clockwise direction. In addition, prone positioning, abdominal heat packs, airplane hugs, swaddling, and cycling can also relieve gas/colic.
8.Be stimulated/excited before going to bed
Solution: Do not make loud noises or make loud noises in front of the baby, so as not to scare the baby; parents should not tease the baby too much before the baby goes to bed, and do not let the baby play too excited, listen to a soothing lullaby before going to bed. Helps improve your baby's sleep quality.
9. Meng long term
Generally, the baby will have a severe long-term in 7~10 days, the 3rd week, the 6th week, the 3rd month, and the 6th month. During this time, the baby will breastfeed irregularly and often wake up at night. In this case, parents try their best to meet the baby's various needs, pacifiers, and increase the amount of breastfeeding, which can generally be solved.
10. Calcium deficiency
If the baby wakes up frequently at night and is accompanied by symptoms such as irritability, night cry, sweating, X-shaped legs, O-shaped legs, chicken breasts, square skulls, etc., it means that the baby is deficient in calcium, and parents need to take the baby to the hospital for treatment in time.
In addition to the 10 reasons above, there are other reasons why your baby is not sleeping well, such as vaccinations, colds, mosquito bites, changes in the environment or caregivers, etc. When the baby does not sleep well, parents should carefully observe the baby's symptoms, find the cause, and solve the problem.
What is "sleep regression"?
"Sleep regression", as the name suggests, is a decline in the quality of your baby's sleep. Shortened sleep time or increased number of night awakenings are the main manifestations. Medically known as "infant sleep regression".
"Sleep regression" is a normal physiological phenomenon. Although the baby's sleep will be affected to a certain extent, it will not cause physical discomfort, so parents don't have to worry too much.
Babies usually experience 4 "sleep regression periods"
1. The first sleep regression period: about 4 months
At this time, the baby's vision has developed to a new stage, and the development of grand movements has begun to take shape. Since the perception ability of the outside world has been greatly improved, the baby will appear insecure, thus forming the first sleep regression period.
2. The second sleep regression period: about 8 to 10 months
At this time, the baby has generally learned to crawl and sit, and the cognitive ability is further sprouted. Separation anxiety occurs as sleep time gradually decreases, leading to sleep regression.
3. The third sleep regression period: about 1 year old
At this time, the baby's energy is relatively strong, and some parents have already begun to teach their children to speak and walk. Due to the learning of various knowledge and skills, the baby's brain is stimulated in various ways and will be easily fatigued, so the baby often sleeps at this time during the day. The time is about 1 to 2 hours at a time, but it is easy to enter the sleep regression stage at night, and often wake up at night.
4. The fourth sleep regression period: around 18 to 24 months
Generally, babies at this stage have formed a relatively regular schedule and can fall asleep by themselves, but this is often a sensitive period of their self-consciousness, so affected by emotions, they tend to be anxious and irritable, resulting in poor sleep quality.
Therefore, parents should follow this rule to control the baby's sleep time, which can effectively improve the baby's poor sleep. If your baby sleeps too long during the day, it will naturally be difficult for him to fall asleep at night, and the quality of sleep will also decrease. Therefore, you can appropriately shorten the baby's sleep time during the day and wait until the time is enough. Wake up your baby in time, so that your baby's sleep habits can be improved if you stick to it. Change the baby's poor sleep situation, let the baby grow healthily! Young parents, come on!
