It is believed that babies sleep a lot and very soundly. However, young mothers and fathers are often surprised to find that the baby does not sleep well, especially at night, he falls asleep with difficulty and often wakes up. The cause of restless sleep sometimes lies on the surface and is easily eliminated, but sometimes it is possible to help the child sleep better only with the help of a specialist.
Mode, setting and physiology
Often, babies (and older children) do not sleep at night just because their parents have not organized their way of life correctly. If a child sleeps a lot during the day, then by nightfall, he will probably be full of energy, vigorous and ready to play. However, insufficient daytime sleep is also harmful: overworked, the baby simply cannot fall asleep easily.
For a quality night's rest for the child, parents should also take care of a sleep-friendly environment. Optimum air temperature, dim light, comfortable (not too hard or soft) bed, absence of extraneous noise - these nuances are especially important for the little ones, because they still do not know how to say that they are hot or uncomfortable. Hunger, wet diapers, a full diaper, or tight seams on clothes can interfere with your baby's sleep.
Children may not sleep at night and due to their age characteristics. So, newborns often confuse day and night - this is quite normal, and older children may be disturbed by the so-called growth spikes - these days babies develop especially quickly, sleep worse and are more capricious. Finally, a poor night's sleep for up to a year or even up to three years old can be an individual (and often hereditary) trait that only takes time to overcome.
At least half of the parents have experienced impaired children's sleep. Periodic poor sleep at an early age is not the exception, but rather the rule.
Physical discomfort and health problems
Very often, colic interferes with sleep in children 1-3 months old. You can recognize them by a strong cry, pulling the legs. If the baby nevertheless fell asleep, but the pain did not subside, he may cry or moan in his sleep, twirl his head on the pillow. Slightly older children - from about 4-5 months to about two years old - are especially restless at night during teething periods. More often moms and dads have to endure sleepless nights for no more than a week in a row - until another tooth appears, but sometimes teeth can be cut slowly and children do not sleep well for months.
Heat and special preparations can help with colic, in case of teething - cooling or anesthetic ointments. They should be used only after consulting a doctor.
Sometimes sleep is also disturbed due to other painful conditions. Most often, babies in the first year of life are worried about ears, a stuffy nose, and abdominal pain. To determine exactly what exactly hurts the child, if he does not speak yet, careful observation of the mother or contacting the pediatrician will help.
Finally, poor children's sleep is often neurological in nature. If the doctor diagnosed a child with increased intracranial pressure or hydrocephalic syndrome, you should know that the baby may have a headache. Such children cry more often than others, react to the weather, and do not sleep at night.
