How do I get my baby to fall asleep? Guidelines and advice
The most common complaint of parents when they have a baby is lack of sleep . The dream of the baby and especially the lack of sleep caused by sleepless nights has seriously affected the parents.
And it is a fish that bites its tail: the baby does not sleep and the parents are sleepy, they are more nervous, tired and with little patience, this is detected by the baby and affects him directly in the dream.
How to make a baby sleep peacefully?
A lot has been written on the subject, there are many different theories of how parents should act and some of them contradict . But what they all agree on is that the important thing is that the baby acquires good sleep habits.
What does this mean? Basically we could summarize it in setting a good routine and arm yourself with patience.
Sleep habits in newborns
That the baby learns to sleep well will depend on the parents . Before giving some advice we should know that children need many hours of rest to recover all the energy they invest in their rapid growth.
When the baby born, You will need to sleep between 15 and 22 hours. It is almost the whole day, it is clear that it is an indispensable part for its development and therefore parents should help it to be carried out in the best possible way and understanding that it is a basic process for the health of the baby.
Three key keys for a baby to sleep well
There are three points that should be taken into account when trying to get the babies to rest properly.
1. The space to sleep
There are studies that indicate that children who sleep in separate rooms of parents sleep more , they wake up less, they have less difficulties at the time of falling asleep and they fall asleep before. There are also theories that say otherwise ... Be that as it may, we must take advantage of the baby's natural need to sleep and empower it. That is, when we see that the baby begins to show signs of fatigue, we should take the opportunity to create an environment conducive to sleep and avoid interruptions.
2. Learning
Babies are not born knowing how to sleep . Like the rest of the skills, they acquire it thanks to learning. That is, that sleeping well is a skill that parents should teach their children.
3. Rest of parents
If parents are tired, they will have less patience and the baby will notice and directly affect their sleep , and as we said at the beginning, here is the fish that bites its tail. Parents should also acquire some rest guidelines. Take advantage of the time when the baby sleeps to disconnect. That does not mean taking advantage of this time for housework or attending the phone or working. But rest: sleep, take a bath, go to the gym, go for a walk ... definitely disconnect from the baby to be able to serve you with renewed energy.
Parents are responsible for the tranquility of the baby
To be able to pass this initial time of the boys and girls It is important that parents understand that they are the immediate referents of the baby : everything they do and how they feel affects the child and his behavior. When the parents are nervous, the baby is nervous, when the parents are calm and stable, the children usually have less problems of lack of sleep, uncontrollable crying, etc.
Babies cry, this is inevitable because this is the way they communicate, when they are hungry they cry, when they hurt something they cry, when they are uneasy they cry, when they want attention they cry ... if they could talk they would. It is therefore important that parents have it clear and not get angry or worry too much when your child spends the nights crying.
One of the attitudes of parents that usually worsen the situation, is when the baby cries without stopping, they get nervous, they are tense and lose patience. As we said before, the baby absorbs everything around him. If the father or mother has him in his arms and is desperate or angry, the baby will do the same, it will spread his anxiety. Therefore, sleepless nights that worry so much, usually due to the attitudes of parents. The best thing when they feel this way is to leave the room, breathe deeply, calm down and return to the baby when their attitude is calm.
If the baby cries, should we go immediately, or not?
Another point of controversy in the babies' sleep is whether we should attend them immediately or not . It seems obvious that no. If the little one really does not need anything, all he does is prove the parents. If she cries and they quickly come to show her affection, the baby learns that she should cry. We are reinforcing that behavior.Nowadays, with the means we have from another room, we can make sure that the baby is well and that we do not have to go. If you really do not have anything, and you are only drawing the attention of the parents, the cries will stop and you will learn that crying does not make you receive instant attention from your parents.
Returning to patience, it is important to give the baby time . As we have said, the little one is not born taught, he must be guided. When the parents try to sleep the baby, they should do it following a routine, maintaining a relaxed atmosphere, speaking softly, with a dim light ... the important thing is that they feel accompanied during the process. What usually works when the child does not "know how to stop" is to distract him, make noises, show him objects that get his attention, get him out of the room where he is ... get the baby to open his eyes and attend to something else.
Pacifier: yes or no?
Another subject discussed is the pacifier. There are those who insist on its usefulness and who blame it for all the problems .
Each baby is different. It may help some to calm down and others to reject it. It may help some to sleep and others to wake up when it falls. It is neither bad nor good, it is an option that parents can choose according to what they find useful. The only thing that seems that they are all in agreement is that the use of a pacifier prevents sudden death, which is one of the parents' greatest fears .
Relaxing baths, a good prelude to sleep
A point where it seems that all theories agree is in the baby's bath. Bath routine relaxes baby and parents , therefore, the habit of bathing the child before going to bed will play in favor of rest.
Tips for when the child is growing
As the baby grows up, you will need fewer hours of sleep and It will be very important for parents to include the day / night distinction in their learning . Stimulate it during the day and promote calm at night. Little by little, the baby will acquire the routine similar to that of the parents. And he must learn that it is at night when he must sleep.
Currently have become fashionable different techniques to relax the baby: put music, massage, exercise, yoga ... any of these options seems right because what encourages relaxation and tranquility around the baby and this is always good.
Guidelines for teaching babies to sleep
Here are some guidelines for teaching babies to sleep.
- Remember that parents will always be and the environment of the baby who will decide how the child's behavior will be.
- It's not worth blaming the little ones , they have just arrived in this world and it is the parents who must teach him how to behave.
- Acquire good sleep habits : this way we will avoid disorders in childhood like insomnia.
- Establish a routine : as in all areas of development, during childhood routine is essential to guide learning. Comply with some schedules, some steps, establish defined spaces for each activity, ...
- Parents should help and teach babies the ability to sleep : children absorb everything from their parents, they are born without knowing and they learn from those who are closest to them, the parents.
- It is important the rest of the parents : they must disconnect, take advantage of the "free" time to rest and recover energy.
- Take advantage of the need for rest of the baby: be attentive and enhance the moments when the baby shows desire to sleep to establish the appropriate environment that reinforces it.
- Tranquility, patience and calm : what babies perceive the most is the attitude of their parents. This should be calm and calm. In times of stress or fatigue parents must arm themselves with patience.
- Distract the baby : when the baby starts crying for no reason and we can not calm him, one option is to distract him, with noises or objects that turn his attention away from crying.
- The relaxing bath : placing the bath routine before bedtime will increase your relaxation.
- Distinction day / night : in order for the baby to acquire the habits of the elderly, he must learn to distinguish the day from the night. Encourage it with activities during the day and encourage calm and relaxation at night.
