Putting a child to sleep often becomes a real problem. How to teach a child to fall asleep independently? This topic is very relevant today. Every time we put a child to sleep, we read books to him, sing a lullaby and lull a child.
Sometimes the whole process of bedtime lasts at least two hours. The book has been re-read, the lullaby has been sung three times already, however, a child. Can teach a child to fall asleep independently. And how to do it? To realize this is quite real. Although this will require some knowledge and skills. Of course, all children are different, so each of them will need a personal approach.
Although there is no single recipe for universal action, nevertheless, parents can be offered a specific scheme that can be adjusted from time to time. In addition, parents should feel whether they are ready for certain actions or can wait.
It is important to remember that an individual approach to the child must be exercised from his birth. Many can fall asleep on their own from the very first months after birth. As a rule, these are slow, calm kids. Emotional and mobile children often cannot fall asleep on their own. A small child is not in a position to regulate the states of arousal and inhibition on his own, so by the evening the playing out child can no longer stop himself. Any attempts by parents to stop this will be accompanied by whims and even hysterics.
Even babies fall asleep at mom's arms, closer to her breast. This is explained by the fact that the baby needs mother's warmth. In his mother's arms, he feels safe. In such cases, it is useless to do anything, it is better to wait until the child grows up a bit.
At what age can you teach a child to fall asleep on their own? From about a year old, you need to teach your baby to fall asleep on his own. It is difficult to determine exactly at what age to begin to teach a child to fall asleep independently. One child from three years old is already playing chess, and the other is just starting to talk. This issue requires a differentiated approach. First you just need to start with the process of preparing for bed.
In the late afternoon, the child must be transferred to a calmer mode and less active games. It is necessary to entertain the child with the help of familiar toys and stories or fairy tales. In the process of communication from time to time you need to leave the child in the room alone. Parents should constantly monitor the condition of the child, so that he is not nervous, and not fond of the game. All actions of the baby should take place near his bed. At bedtime, every time a child can be offered a game with the conditional name "Good night." The child and one of the parents put the toys to bed, send all the cars to the car park, all these games should be “sleepy” directions. Of course, football or war games are strictly canceled.
This is not to say that the process will go quickly. Parents will need to gain great patience. In addition, they must be tuned for success, because their attitude will be transmitted to the child. A positive attitude will only facilitate the task of parents. So, all the dolls and cars are “laid” to sleep. He had already wished for a peaceful sleep, sang a lullaby and kissed him. Now you can leave the child to fall asleep. Parents should remember that the main thing in this process is a certain system of actions that is not violated in any way. All actions of adults should make it clear to the baby that the day has passed, and it is time to rest.
In the first days of “learning,” one parent may lie down next to the child. At this time it is better not to look into the eyes of a child. Such emotional contact makes it more difficult for the parents to do the job. It is better to put the child face away. Tales and stories that the child asks to tell should be very simple and short. It is better to turn off the fantasy, a too enthralling plot can provoke a kid. Gradually, you need to tune the child to the fact that he is already big and independent, so he must fall asleep independently. Now you can leave the child. If he calls again, he must return, kiss and calm him, and then leave again.
You can offer the child to sleep "in an adult." He is invited to sleep not in his crib, but on a sofa. Psychologists have noticed that in some cases, problems with falling asleep may disappear after changing the place of sleep. A child can be laid by a dad whom he doesn’t see so often. Surprisingly, with the dads, some kids are less naughty. It is even better when the child has a day regimen made up taking into account the independence of the child. It is noted that a child who falls asleep at the same time develops self-discipline. By the way, a child falling asleep on his own plunges into sleep for 5 or 10 minutes.
Remember, if a child resists the actions of parents and does not want to sleep without a mother, then you should not really insist. You can just postpone your intention for a while. Maybe in 2-3 weeks the child will not resist so much. So, before bedtime, the following games are recommended: reading your favorite fairy tales, laying toys to sleep, drawing or assembling puzzles, collecting cubes in a box, etc. Literally before going to bed, it is not recommended to do the following activities: playing very active games, reading new stories and playing new toys .
If the child asks to leave the lights on, you can turn on the night lamp with dim lighting. The door of the nursery can be left open. Parents should be close if the child suddenly starts crying. In such situations, you need to come to him, calm and kiss, and then leave again. Parents must be patient, because at first they will have to return to the child many times, however, over time, the baby will get used, and then will quickly fall asleep on its own. The main thing is that parents should remember that all children grow and become smarter. Teaching a child must remain calm and optimistic, because very soon all actions will bring excellent results.
Often, the difficulties of falling asleep and violations of infant sleep are associated with improper behavior of the child and parents during the period associated with sleep. In this article we will look at the little secrets of a good sleep of an infant.
Calm and restless sleep
Why do babies sometimes sleep peacefully and sometimes their sleep is more disturbing? Why can some children sleep all night without disturbing their parents, while others, on the contrary, wake up every two hours?
The reason for the restless sleep of a newborn is its inability to the world around it. Small children very often “confuse” day and night, they conduct a kind of “test” of strength for their parents. And only a few months later, a more or less well-established sleep and wakefulness mode is established.
Intestinal cramps can be the cause of restless sleep in an infant during the first months of life, and in older babies, anxiety may be caused by teething.
It so happens that the child sleeps restlessly at night because of its close connection with the mother or because of the so-called wrong “falling asleep associations”. Often a good sleep is prevented by excessive emotional overload during the day. And only the correct organization of the daily regimen and the correct “associations of falling asleep” will help eliminate infringements of infantile sleep that are not associated with pathology of the nervous system.
“Right” and “wrong” sleep associations
According to statistics, in every sixth family the baby does not sleep well (that is, continuous sleep during the night is disturbed). I note that a frequent cause of violations of infant sleep is an incorrectly established sleep pattern of the infant, namely: the wrong associations of falling asleep.
What should be the correct sleep of the baby?
The infant must learn to fall asleep on its own, with minimal participation of adults. At night, it is necessary to minimize communication with the child during the approaches to the crib so that the child can distinguish the difference in behavior during the daytime and at night. This behavior is very important, since it is more difficult for a waking child to fall asleep than for an adult. Therefore, you need to establish a certain mode, thanks to which the baby will get used to fall asleep after a strictly established procedure: bathing, feeding, occasional communication with adults (bedtime story, lullaby).
The "wrong" associations of falling asleep include: rocking the baby in the hands of an adult, falling asleep in the parent's bed, during feeding, with a finger in the mouth, etc. Although, about the parental bed, you can argue. Now there are many arguments in favor of sharing sleep with a child. The main thing is to determine in advance for yourself what is more important for you and think in advance about how you will continue to share a bed with a child.
In an older child (after about 8 months), it is possible to develop such a “correct” association of falling asleep as falling asleep with the help of an “intermediary”. Mediator is often the favorite toy of the kid. I note that such a "good mediator" can be found for more young children. This may be a diaper or mother's robe, a cloth soaked in milk, preserving mother's smell.
It is important to know that with proper organization of sleep and wakefulness, the use of drugs will not be necessary. And before “feeding” the baby with drops or tea attributed by the doctor, try to adjust the harmonious sleep of the baby in a natural way.
When breastfeeding to calm falling asleep contributes to the inner mother's calm. That is, if the mother is excited - do not expect peace from the baby. Start with yourself first!
Little secrets of good sleep
Based on the foregoing, we will focus on the main little secrets of a good infant falling asleep:
- Develop your evening rituals. Even if the child is still very small, he becomes accustomed to his “regime” from the very first days of his life.
- The cot should always be a place to sleep. Therefore, the baby during the day should play in other places so as not to “confuse” a place to sleep at night with a place to play and wake.
- Try, from about three months of age, to put your baby to bed at the same time.
- I recommend to feed the baby wrapped in a towel or blanket before going to bed, thus creating a “nest” for him, with which you will put the sleeping son in bed.
- Create an atmosphere of falling asleep: dim lights, quiet music or in general its absence, quiet monotonous conversation.
Lullabies and bedtime stories
A lullaby has always been considered a good “sleeping pill” for an infant. There are good reasons for this, because my mother's voice always acted lulling. And do not be afraid to sing your favorite baby a lullaby, even if you do not have vocal abilities. Thanks to the lullaby, the mother conveys love, warmth, tenderness, peace and tranquility to the child. What else is needed for a good happy sleep? By creating such a tradition of peculiar communication with a child before bedtime, you create a trusting atmosphere between you and the child, which will last for many years. Sing lullabies to your kids, give them the joy of communicating with you, and a good sleep for your baby is guaranteed, because he is surrounded by your warmth and love!
Did you have this, the child wants to sleep, but can not sleep and cry, naughty, arched? Of course it did, because this is not surprising. This happens, someone often, someone rarely. What is the reason, and how to cope, I tell in this article.
In addition to ailments or illness (colic, nasal congestion, etc.), there are three main causes.
1. rebel
The nervous system in children is unstable, and often over-stimulation prevails over inhibition. Perhaps the kid was ready to fall asleep, but he was distracted, played, and everything, the moment was missed, stress hormones were accumulated. Man hard.
Scarce as if struggling with sleep, trying to sleep, but can no longer cope. In order to avoid such a picture of events, you need to know. Responsibility for the observance of rhythms on the mother, as the leading pair in the mother-baby.
In the case of walking to help mom the following recommendations:
- Keep calm.
- To listen to the child, to sympathize, to offer a breast. Kids up to 6 months. pump up a little (if necessary), turn on "white noise" (pour yourself a glass of water, turn on the kettle), babies up to 1.5-3 months - swaddle. Read more about this.
- try to sleep with your baby.
2. Overlooked
And this also applies to rhythms. Especially in transitional periods, when the baby is ready to stay awake a little longer, and the mother insists on sleeping, the child expresses displeasure when you pack it up, yelling. In this case, you can give the child a walk for another 15-20 minutes, and try to lay again. If you do not want to fall asleep - another 15.
Lay the child should not be longer than 10-15 minutes. If the baby kissed his chest, and after 15 minutes, the contented one came off, which means that he is ready to stay awake.
It is not always easy for a child to immediately understand that it is not always easy for a child. In this case, you should act by trial and error. Focusing on the rhythms, try to lay the child 10 minutes earlier, if the option did not fit, then give more time to wake. Should monitor the condition of the child. In the end, it will be clear what to do.
Children read our mood, so the key to a comfortable sleep is keeping the rhythms and the state of the mother.
3. Unmet needs
An older man, for example, 1-1.5 years old may experience a feeling of hunger or a desire to pee. Unlike adults, children need to eat before bedtime.
In addition, there are several important rules that make it easier for you to lay your child down:
- Lay the child in different poses, comfortable mom. Since Mom has the biological right to choose a pose, as the leading mother-baby pair.
- Do not create special conditions for daytime sleep - silence, darkness, etc., all this will make it difficult to fall asleep in unusual conditions.
- After 3 months, eliminate dreams on the street - otherwise addictive, not always convenient. In addition, sleeping on the street creates a child unnecessary difficulties in the form of air movements, exhaust gases and other emissions, which are concentrated just at the level of the pram. It is better to ventilate the room before bedtime.
- Organize your baby active wakefulness, so it is better to fall asleep.
Watch your child, his signals, his condition. Show love and patience. You will succeed! Yes, sometimes children are like little aliens with whom it is not clear how to handle and how to decipher their language. If you feel like this, take a look at these classroom courses for young mothers who will help you:
“Natural Parenthood:myths and reefs "
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