Healthy sound sleep is a prerequisite for the harmonious physical and psychological development of a child. There are several recommendations that will help teach the baby to fall asleep calmly all night.
The importance of daily regimen
The quality and duration of a night's sleep largely depends on how the child spends their day. A baby's day usually consists of feedings, wakefulness and sleep. This sequence will be ideal, since during sleep the entire body, including the gastrointestinal tract, will be able to rest.
Nutrition is one of the important components of the children's day regimen. A properly configured feeding regime will help your baby learn and rest properly. Demand feeding is very popular today. Undoubtedly, this method has its advantages. However, they can hardly include a strong and prolonged night and day sleep. The child gets used to eating little by little, and hunger can prevent him from getting enough sleep. If the crumb eats enough, he no longer needs to wake up for food too often.
To properly set the diet, it is necessary to take into account the age of the baby. Newborn babies need food approximately every 3 hours, including at night. Of course, at this time, mom will need to wake up and feed the baby. However, later the child begins to wake up not out of hunger, but out of habit. If at this moment you give him water or a nipple, he will calm down and fall asleep again. Thus, his night sleep will soon cease to be interrupted for food.
Daily meals should also have a specific schedule. It may not be tough: each mother chooses the time of feeding herself, based on the convenience for herself, the family and the baby. However, having a regimen will teach a child to eat well, rather than constant snacks, and will also help him to gain a sense of confidence that he will receive the necessary food in due time.
Getting your baby used to a daily routine (a certain sequence of feedings, wakefulness and sleep) may seem daunting at first. And the hardest part of this is often getting the baby to sleep. Many mothers have to rock their babies for a long time, roll them in a car or stroller with the sole purpose of putting them to sleep. This is a difficult and time-consuming process. The best way out of this situation is to teach your child to fall asleep on their own. To do this, just put the baby to sleep in a crib with your favorite toy, blanket or pacifier - whoever likes it, wish him good sleep and leave the room. Most likely, loud crying will be heard in response. Leave it unattended for a while. If the baby does not calm down, go to him after 5-10 minutes, shake it a little, calm it down and put it down again. And so, until he falls asleep.
After 2-3 days of training, the baby will fall asleep by itself when you put him in the crib! This is a very effective way, despite the fact that it may not seem the most affectionate in relation to the baby. However, in fact, having suffered a little, the child will acquire a very important skill - to fall asleep on his own, which will make his sleep more calm and desirable during the subsequent years of childhood. You also need to pay attention to the fact that the baby, having fallen asleep in his arms, will most likely wake up as soon as he discovers their absence. Therefore, it is better to immediately teach him to fall asleep in the crib.
So, if the baby gets used to eating and sleeping according to the regime during the day, then he will most likely learn to sleep the whole night. However, there are a few more nuances.
General recommendations
In addition to the daily routine, two more factors are necessary for a healthy night's sleep: active wakefulness and comfortable sleep conditions. Before falling asleep, the baby must "get tired", want to sleep. Make his wakefulness interesting, filled with new information and physical activity, and he himself will feel tired and need to rest. However, right before bedtime, it is better to choose calm, not exciting games. It is also necessary to create pleasant conditions for the baby to sleep. There should be cool fresh air, dim lights, silence in the children's bedroom. You can also let your child-in-law take your favorite soft toy, pillow, blanket with you to the crib. All this will help the baby to calm down and calmly and sweetly fall asleep.
