Pediatrician Mom: The family has a sleep plan for a small baby (0 1 and a half years old).

This is the 3624th article of Da Medical Care

For babies under 1 and a half years old, sleeping is also a technical job. He needs to slowly understand that day and night should be used to do different things, and slowly learn to wake up and fall asleep on his own. In this learning process, feeding when hungry, sleeping when sleepy, and comforting at the right time are the "baby sleep cheats" that parents must master.

The truth that babies don't sleep steadily

"I'm hungry and I'm not feeling well"

Babies wake up in the middle of the night mostly because they are hungry. Although breast milk is easier to digest and formula will tolerate hunger, in general, whether eating breast milk or formula, the sleep patterns of babies in this age group are much the same: during the newborn period, low-weight and premature babies will wake up at night due to hunger more frequently than healthy full-term babies; babies around 6 months old will wake up 2 to 3 times a night due to hunger; babies around 9 months old will wake up hungry 1 to 2 times a night, and even 18-month-old babies need to eat something before going to bed at night.

Babies who wake up at night due to hunger will go back to sleep as soon as they are full. Similarly, urinating, too hot, too cold As long as the physiological factors that make the baby uncomfortable are removed, he will sleep satisfactorily.

"I don't know how to put myself to sleep yet."

Your baby's sleep cycle is short, and light sleep takes more time than deep sleep. And after switching from deep sleep to light sleep, it is difficult to fall back asleep on your own. At this time, all his mother had to do was to soothe him to sleep in time. Before the baby is 1 and a half years old, it is normal for adults to sleep all night, do not have to worry, such a day will soon end, because most babies can basically learn to fall back asleep by preschool age.

"I'm overly tired"

Adults want to sleep when they are tired, but it is difficult to fall asleep when they are too tired, and the same is true for babies. To avoid this, what mothers have to do is to maintain the baby's normal work and rest time as much as possible, and be sure not to miss the baby's sleep time. The following behaviors remind you that your baby is sleepy: rubbing your eyes, pulling your ears, yawning, appearing faint dark circles, not interested in anything, inattentive, even restless.

"It was you who made me get into the habit of sleeping in my arms"

"Sleep when you hold it, wake up when you put it down", many parents have had similar experiences. This is because when you put your baby down, he is still in a light sleep stage and can easily wake up. In the first few months, you usually need to wait until your baby's limbs have softened (into a deep sleep state) before it's easy to put him down, or you can do it at the beginning by putting him back on the cot before he is about to fall asleep, so that he can learn to fall asleep on his own, so that you can avoid the problem of holding and coaxing him all the time.

Strategies for sleeping peacefully for small babies

1

Let your baby know that it is used to eat, drink and have fun during the day, and it is used to recuperate at night

Some babies always wake up in the middle of the night because they think of nighttime sleep as a daytime nap. In this case, the parent should help him connect sleep with fixed places and scenes. For example, keep the room bright during the day, do not pull thick curtains when the baby naps, tighten the curtains at night and dim the indoor light; talk to the baby more during the day and try not to make a sound when feeding at night; naps during the day and sleep at night can be fixed in different places, and so on.

2

Form a fixed bedtime routine to calm your baby down

There are no special rules for the content of the bedtime routine, as long as the baby likes it and can calm down. This program usually includes: playing a game to let the child vent excess energy (the baby before 3 months old is very good to sleep, the game is not necessary), give the baby a warm bath, put on the favorite pajamas, read a warm story or play a quiet game, sing a song, chat for a while, and then take the baby to bed and say goodnight to him... Let your baby know that the bed is a very comfortable nest, not that you "abandon" his place as soon as it is time to go to bed.

3

Let your baby try from needing to be soothed by his mother to falling asleep with a "comforter" on his own

For a small baby, wrapping him up and gently shaking, walking back and forth, gently patting his back or listening to his mother hum sleep songs is the best comfort for him to fall asleep quickly. For an older baby who is able to turn over freely while asleep, give him a "comforter". This placard may be a blanket or a fluffy toy that can help the baby overcome separation anxiety and panic as long as it diverts your baby's emotional dependence on breast milk (bottle) or pacifier. The mother can take the comforter to her side for a while, so that it is stained with "mother's taste", holding the "comforter" with "mother's taste", which is more conducive to the baby's peace of mind.

4

Help your baby build up his body clock and wake him up if necessary

If your baby is still asleep after the usual waking time, it is usually best to wake him up, which will help him establish a sleep clock.