When a baby comes into the world, it can do little, but it can certainly sleep. Even then it takes care of itself and provides one of its most important needs. Of course, he or she learns regularity, activity periods get longer and sleep is less and less. However, it is important at this stage to let the child regulate this and follow his need for rest.
What are the most common sleep problems in children?
It is increasingly common for parents to come to Kids Medic just days or weeks after their child's birth with problems concerning the quality or length of their children's sleep.
The most common manifestation of this is that:
- the child stops sleeping completely at night,
- does not want to fall asleep for naps during the day,
- despite being tired, he does not sleep,
- falls asleep in the evening and wakes up screaming 20 minutes later,
- the more tired he is, the more difficult it is for him to fall asleep, etc.
More and more parents are coming forward with their babies, who have trouble sleeping.
Why doesn't the infant want to sleep through the night?
During the first year of life, sleep is a very important need for the child. If problems arise in this area, it is worth looking for the causes as soon as possible. A common reason for sleep disturbances in children is so-called overstimulation, i.e. the child has been exposed to too much sensory input during the day. It is also worth paying attention to the emotional availability of the caregiver, i.e. whether the mother is in postnatal depression or too tired to be available to the child.
Infant sleep regulation - how to help your baby normalise sleep?
Caregivers can influence the improvement of infant sleep by:
- ensuring the room is at the right temperature,
- bedding and clothing made of natural, airy materials,
- ventilate the room,
- appropriately dimmed evening light,
- evening ritual - fixed activities following one another,
- evening calming (rocking, lullabies, cuddles),
- removing all other possible distractions (TV, radio, visiting friends in the evenings) from the child's sight and hearing,
- Ensuring the child feels safe by having carers respond to the child's needs,
- avoiding too much stimulus during the day,
- not putting the child to sleep by force and against its will,
- making sure there is nothing wrong with the baby, such as colic.
"My baby was sleeping nicely and now he doesn't want to sleep".
Depending on the age of the child, evenings will look different and, as time goes on, they should change and follow the child's development. However, whatever the age, it is important for the body to rest at night. In the case of pre-school children, special attention must be paid to the aforementioned overstimulation. Children at this age begin to experience even more, to explore and therefore often have too much information to process and a lot of external influences coming at them.
How to effectively reduce evening stimuli?
Some parents think that including a fairy tale with dinner will be fine, because after all, 'the child is just sitting and watching'. And that's the thing, fairy tales - especially the most popular ones - have so many colours and hues, tend to get loud and so dynamic that you have to keep up with the pace of change.
Therefore, if your child has trouble sleeping at night, give up watching TV in the evening. ❌
But beware! We are also talking about cartoons watched on phone or tablet screens!
✅Before you move on to the evening ritual, it is a good idea to provide your child with movement, i.e. he or she can run, jump, dance to get rid of excess unconsumed energy.
✅When moving on to calming, make sure there is dim lighting, massage and touch - the kind your child likes.
Remember that sleep disturbances can sometimes be indicative of certain other disorders. So if your child wakes up during the night and you have any doubts about his development, it is always worth seeing a specialist. Sleep disorders are often associated with autism spectrum disorders, and in older children they are also found in ADHD, anxiety disorders and depression.
