Certified consultant on children’s sleep, author of courses and founder of her own brand Babyfox.sleep Victoria Simonova told the portal “Attention, news!” about the five most common mistakes that parents make in organizing children’s sleep, and also gave recommendations on how to avoid them.
The specialist noted that organizing children’s sleep is one of the most important tasks for modern parents. After all, it is in sleep that a child grows and develops, restoring energy and strength. Many moms and dads make mistakes in this process that can negatively impact the health and well-being of their babies.
Poor sleep conditions
It is important to provide the child with the necessary conditions in the room for sound sleep. It is recommended to create darkness (twilight), silence (you can use white noise to drown out extraneous sounds), control the temperature in the room (from 19 to 25 degrees) and humidity (40-60%).
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Children under two years old need to establish a flexible sleep and rest schedule, taking into account age-related characteristics:
there is a lack of sleep – the mother begins to put her to bed earlier than the baby is ready to sleep (total – a long bedtime, with or without screams);
there is overstaying – the mother goes to bed much later than the baby would like (as a result – falling asleep in a couple of seconds, but with a piercing cry, as well as waking up after 15-20 minutes);
there is oversleeping – the baby slept more during the day than he really needs (as a result, he does not sleep at night);
there is a lack of sleep – the baby has significantly missed his daily sleep requirement, which often leads to a restless night’s sleep.
For children over two years old, you can set a clear schedule by the hour. For example, getting up at 7:00, napping during the day from 13:00 to 15:00, going to bed at 21:00.
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Lack of stable conditions for initial falling asleep
Let’s imagine a situation: a mother put the child to sleep in her arms, shifted him, and he woke up. This is how nature works: sleep with mom is physiological until about the age of three (until the moment of separation). For some, the ritual includes breastfeeding, for others – rocking, for others – simply sleeping together.
Habits are simply a bond between a child and his mother. Waking up between sleep cycles (usually 30-40 minutes, and especially sensitive children wake up 10-20 minutes between phases), the child checks whether everything is as safe as it was initially when he fell asleep, whether all conditions are in place . If not, then security is compromised.
And every time the mother changes the child’s initial sleep conditions (takes away the breast, leaves after falling asleep, and so on), the child becomes more and more anxious, his sleep becomes more and more sensitive, and there are more and more awakenings with age.
Lack of activity during the day
If a person does not feel tired, it is difficult for him to fall asleep. When a child does not have enough physical and emotional stimulation during waking hours, he may not want to sleep because he does not feel tired. He can have fun, take a long time to go to bed or “walk” at night, waking up after a short sleep. He may not want to sleep because his body does not need rest and does not feel tired. That is why the baby needs to be loaded with age-appropriate activities throughout the day.
The parent does not relax the child at all before bed
Putting your baby to bed immediately after “fun” means increasing the risk of negative bedtime behavior and sleep protests. In children, excitation processes often prevail over inhibition processes, which makes it difficult for them to calm down and fall asleep. To help your child transition to sleep, create a “bridge” between activity and relaxation – play quiet games, read fairy tales, or sing lullabies.
Earlier it became known which oil is the most useful.
2023-12-14 06:48:48
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