Babies from before birth establish some sleep phases that do not correspond to long cycles and therefore we cannot pretend that at birth, when they are no longer in the interior of my mother, in an environment as cozy as the uterus, they sleep many hours in a row, neither during the day nor at night.
But we can favor the quiet sleep of the baby (and this is not opposed to waking up several times) and the child by following some simple tips that help his body to be ready for a good rest. Tomorrow is World Happy Dream Day, and we'll talk about it. Today as an appetizer we want to give you our tips for the baby to sleep calmly and happily:
The room temperature does not have to be very high, since the heat makes the sleep more agitated. In addition, sudden infant death is related to an elevated temperature. At the other extreme, we have to control the cold, because it will also prevent the baby from sleeping well, and he can catch a cold.
Fair clothes. It is not advisable to put too much bedding or overcoat the child. The sheets or blankets should be light, of materials that breathe, in the same way as pajamas or wraps. The heated child will wake up more often. The same will happen if the child is cold.
The position: it is advisable to keep the child supine (face up) with the head tilted at least during the first year of life to prevent sudden infant death syndrome. The extension of the recommendation of the position of sleeping on your back has significantly reduced the incidence of sudden death. To prevent plagiocephaly (a cranial asymmetry) it is convenient that the baby does not sleep with the head tilted always to the same place: the position must be alternated.
Without a pillow: pillows or cushions should be avoided, not only because of the risk of suffocation but also because the natural curvature of the neck can be deformed. Since the baby's head is large in relation to the body and the neck is short, when it is lying on its back the head is aligned with the back. The head would be tilted with a pillow.
The baby has to feed on demandWe can not try to eat more before bedtime, because the digestive system of the child is forced at night and this can alter the quality of sleep. He will wake up when he is hungry, and at that time you must also give him what he asks, neither more nor less. He will continue to sleep better.
On the other hand and in relation to the previous point and somewhat older children, the food that is taken late transforms into fat more easily (the child does not perform physical activity for many hours) and over time can influence an overweight and favor the apnea, which makes sleep difficult.
We must try the baby has a clear and clean nose so you can breathe through it and keep your mouth shut (during the first year of the child, and after establishing breastfeeding, babies can use a pacifier).
Lighting: experts advise that small babies do not sleep completely in the dark during the day so as not to alter their circadian rhythm that is being established, but if we talk about sleeping at night, the matter is not so clear. There are studies that suggest that sleeping with the light on could increase the risk of myopia, but this issue has not been investigated in depth to corroborate this relationship. An accompanying light can be comfortable to take care of the baby at night without having to turn on the main light, although the baby may also feel comfortable in the dark and turn on that accompanying light only when we go to care for him.
If the baby feels accompanied he will be calmer. You can choose the colecho (following safety advice) or cohabitation, sleeping in the same room as the baby. If you go to bed before us, or are in another room, we should not delay in coming to your side when you cry or notice that you are restless.
Follow a routine before bedtime at night it can favor sleep: a bath, a massage, a babysitter ... that reassures the baby or child. At this point, as in many of the above, each baby is a world and will have their preferences. When they grow up, no television or video games before bedtime.
As we see, there are environmental and other factors related to the child's own organism, and to them the theme of accompaniment is added. A newborn baby recognizes his mother by the smell, by the voice, and that will give him peace of mind.
As the days go by, he will recognize the father and the rest of the family, who are everything to him. We have to keep calm when we think that we no longer have patience if the child has had a bad night. Our calm will contribute to your peace of mind.
Definitely, Following these tips we can favor the baby's peaceful sleep, but let's not forget that it is healthy for them to wake up at night and those awakenings in principle do not indicate that anything "works badly". Most likely, the baby needs to eat, have a diaper changed, or just take it in his arms.
Photos | Simaje en Flickr In Babies and more | Stop methods for the baby to sleep, Sleep disorders in children, when to worry?
