When a baby is brought home from the hospital, it is so defenseless, small and fragile that young parents are scared to touch it once again. And you need to properly feed him, dress, treat (if necessary) and, of course, put him to bed so that he is comfortable and calm.
The world through the eyes of crumbs
To understand their baby and to understand what he needs, parents must learn to look at the world in a completely different way - through the eyes of their child.
The baby left his mother’s warm and comfortable mum’s tummy in one moment, in which he was familiar and cramped. And suddenly, completely expecting nothing more, he feels that some strange force is pushing him somewhere where it is too light, cold and a lot of noise. Around the crumbs are obscure huge creatures, which he still can not consider, because visual acuity at first is absent. In this situation, the baby is not clear, not the way it was before. And the newborn becomes scared.
It is good that by nature the baby has innate reflexes that can tell him what to do. And yet, so that he falls asleep easily, parents need to somehow reassure him, so that the baby screams less, and so that parents spend as little nerve cells as possible.
We put the newborn to sleep. Useful Tips for Parents
There are several simple ways that make it easier to fall asleep. Of course, all this is a bit averaged, because some babies may have their own secrets. But for most children, these methods will help.
1. Talk to me, mom
It is clear that the voice of mom and dad calms any crumb. True, when adults try to put him to bed, you need to speak in a quiet, even, monotonous voice. So the baby will understand that his dearest person is nearby, that everything is in order. Some parents are sure that only the baby born does not understand anything. But this is not true: from the first moment, the baby is already attached to his own people and is able to recognize familiar voices.
2. We will do the same thing daily
Mom absolutely does not need to constantly “reinvent the wheel” - lay the baby on the sofa, in the crib, carry on her hands ... Kids are big conservatives, they need order and uniformity. If the mother is sure that the child from the first days should sleep only in her bed, then that’s what you should do. If the mother is sure that the crumbs will be best in her arms, it should be rocked in her arms.
3. Required air temperature
Parents should control the cool temperature (this should be in the room in which the baby is sleeping), because due to the influx of air the baby will not be capricious. The temperature should not exceed 22 ° C. The greener the conditions, the worse for the baby’s immunity.
4. If the baby sleeps during the day and does not want to sleep at night
This happens in many families. The baby can get enough sleep during the day, and at night it will be more active than ever. In this situation, it is the parents who must plan all daytime so that the little one gets the most impressions during the day, then by night it will tire and fall asleep. The rule should apply: during the day - games and other fun (you can give the baby a massage, sing songs to him and tell rhymes, change clothes more often, show different objects and books, walk, carry around the room), sleep at night.
5. Specific time for sleep
A small person is also a self-sufficient person. And parents should remember this. Especially when they try to break his will and put him to bed strictly by the clock. If the baby is really tired, this can be understood immediately.
6. Tasty milk
The most delicious and best nutrition for the baby is the milk of his mother. Firstly, he immediately quenches the sucking reflex. Secondly, the baby after a warm milk wants to sleep. Many doctors believe that the baby should not fall asleep at the mother’s breast, and understand that this is only food. But if the crumb calmly falls asleep just like that - it's wonderful.
7. Nipple - take it or not?
As a rule, toddlers treat the nipple with interest, because it, like the mother’s breast, makes it possible to satisfy the need for sucking and helps babies calm down. If you also vilify the baby in his arms, shaking the trail, then he falls asleep very quickly. Moreover, it is better to buy nipples the most ordinary, classic, not succumbing to advertising about the "orthodontic" nipples, which are designed to help form the correct bite from birth.
8. Swaddling tighter or not worth it?
Modern parents are sure that tight swaddling is now an unnecessary relic of the past. But they are wrong. While the baby is in the mother’s tummy, he’s used to some cramped space, it’s so convenient for him. Therefore, swaddling will be the motive to calm him and help him sleep soundly. When the baby grows up a bit and learns to fall asleep on its own, swaddling can be postponed.
Important! If the diapers are too tight, there may be problems with blood circulation and breathing, and injury can also be caused to the tender bones of a peanut.
By the way, one of the causes of hip dysplasia can be excessive mother's zeal during wrapping up her baby.
9. Fun bathing
Before you put the baby to sleep in the evening, it needs to be redeemed. The first days he may cry, not understanding what is being done to him. But then he will get used to it and he will really like swimming. To make it easier for crumbs to fall asleep, you can add only one drop of lavender oil to the bath (the nerve system of the little one will slow down and it will start to yawn).
10. Oh, these colic!
In almost 80% of babies, colic becomes a huge problem. A child can scream and cry only because it hurts. To rid him of this condition, you need to put something warm on the belly, and even better, when the mother presses the baby to her belly. You can blame the crumb, which is in an upright position, so that unnecessary air "burps" from the ventricle. You can give the little girl a sweet Bobotik solution, after which it will quickly calm down.
Important! Such events are intended only to alleviate the condition of the crumbs. It is unrealistic to completely get rid of them, because colic occurs due to the fact that the baby’s intestines and stomach are not perfect yet. By itself, colic will pass after three months.
11. The best dream - with mom!
If the family is tired of the constant nightly baby crying, then the ideal solution to this problem would be a joint sleep between mother and newborn. So the baby will calm down very quickly and he will have no reason to cry. A cry is just a child’s desire to see their parents or to tell them something, and not to make them angry. And so, when mom is around all night, the baby is calm.
How to put a newborn to sleep correctly?
If the baby can fall asleep without motion sickness, then you should not accustom him to this. Mom can sit next to the bed for several minutes until he falls asleep. As a rule, babies, until they reach the age of seven to ten months, fall asleep exclusively on their hands. This is completely normal. This child should not be denied, because in this wonderful period of the newborn, which will never happen again, he so desperately needs his mother.
Many pediatricians are opposed to the fact that the mother put the newborn next to her bed, motivating it with the fact that asleep, the mother can imperceptibly simply crush the little one. Therefore, they advise mothers not to risk the lives of their children. It is necessary to put the baby to sleep as far as possible from batteries, stoves and other heating appliances. And the point is not only that, with arms and legs outstretched, he can get very burned, but also because, due to overheating and discomfort before falling asleep, the baby can be capricious.
We put newborns to sleep. What to choose postures for sleep?
It is very important in which position the baby will sleep, because while he spends most of his life in a dream. What will be the most convenient for the baby?
1. On the side
This is the most “fearless” pose that doctors in maternity hospitals and pediatricians insist on. Since after feeding the baby can sprinkle abundantly, it is better that at least the first time he sleeps in such a way that he does not choke.
2. Half side
Such a pose is even better than the first. It is useful for those toddlers who often have colic or often burp. And so - gaziki will depart much better. The crumb should be periodically turned from side to side so that torticollis does not occur.
3. On the back
This pose is both useful (it is natural for the baby) and dangerous (in a dream the baby can be drowned out by the masses that it burps). Therefore, if the baby likes to fall asleep in this way, the head should be slightly turned to the side and fixed with a small roller from a diaper or towel. If the baby is diagnosed with hip dysplasia, if he has frequent colic or muscle hypertonicity, pediatricians do not recommend this posture for sleeping.
4. On the tummy
Such a posture is preventive: the digestive system works better, the gaziki go better; protects against infant mortality syndrome (one of the reasons for which is the same probable danger of drowning after regurgitation). In parallel with this, if the baby sleeps in this way, his muscles, bones of the neck and back are gradually strengthened. After a while it will be much easier for him than his peers to hold his head.
In the case when such a pose seems convenient for the peanut, parents must observe some safety rules:
- the mattress should be hard, and ideally - orthopedic;
- Do not cover the bed with oilcloth sheets;
- the baby should sleep without a pillow;
- the toys necessary for the baby will be more correctly hung over his crib.
But even observing all safety rules, it is better to look after the baby when he sleeps on his tummy.
5. Pose of the embryo
Mom can pay attention to the fact that the baby sleeps for 4-5 weeks in a row, pulling the legs to the tummy, and presses the arms to the chest. This may indicate the presence of hypertonicity (muscle strain). But if then the baby easily straightens and sleeps in any other poses, you should not worry.
Important information for parents! In whatever position the baby is falling asleep, it is necessary to turn it over on the other side or change the position of its body in order to avoid swelling of the tissues, squeezing of muscles and veins and some deformation of the bone skeleton, which has not yet settled.
