Post by Admin on Sept 9, 2013 11:51:45 GMT -7
Most babies have problems sleeping threw the night since the day they were born, and just when you think your gonna get a full night's sleep, your child awake to remind you that they are still there.
Here are some reasons why your child may be waking in the middle of the night, or having a hard time going to sleep altogether and what exactly you can do about it.
Being Hungry: Your Child, especially newborn, will wake often if they are hungry or ready to feed, as the months go on, your new born is more likely to wake at a certain time in the night, not because he's hungry, but because he's used to being fed at that time. So what can you do about it? Make sure they go to bed full, feeding them before bedtime can help your child stay asleep. Don't just feed them candy or something thin, give them something filling like a cereal (for babies) or a piece of toast (for older children). Make sure that whatever your giving them doesn't have sugar or lots of salt, this can increase the chance of dehydration, nightmare and being to alert to fall asleep. If they wake up and ask for food, refuse them the first time and send them back to bed. This may be hard to do considering children are pressistant and babies cry often. do your best and hold in their. If they wake and ask again allow them a small amount of formula or a glass of water/ milk and then send them back to bed.
Being afraid or having nightmares: Everyone has dreams at night;even babies; and sometimes they aren't the most pleasant dreams. Nightmare don't usually happen all that often, but for a few people night mare are almost an every night occurrence. In order to help your child with their night mare there are a few things you can do, such as, making sure that they had a good day, make sure they aren't afraid or upset when the go to sleep and make sure they aren't thinking about the nightmares as they fall asleep. You can talk to your child, read them books or play soft music to help them fall asleep, be sure to turn of the music when they do finally close their eyes because the noise can wake them up again. If you think your baby is having night mares humming or singing to them as they fall asleep will help them, be sure to mention any odd behaviors in your children after they reported having a nightmare to your doctor. Also, if you have older children who have bad nightmares, have them keep a dream journal. Have them right down the date, what the night mare was about, why it was scary to them and then have them come up with a new ending or experience that would have made the dream less scary. EX: a child dreams about you leaving and not coming back, have them right a small story about you just going to the store and when you got hoe you had a present of sorts. Also, talk to your child about their fears, and help them face them. If your child wakes up in the middle of the night because of a night mare, simply put them back to sleep, in their room, by singing, reading or talking,like you had done previously, they can write in their dream journals in the morning. do not allow them to right in it at night because it can hinder their ability to go to sleep if they are concentrating on it.
Being restless: If your child is restless and they cannot fall asleep at night this is a sign that they aren't getting enough exercise during the day. Try taking your child out for a walk or bike ride to help them alleviate some engender, don't do this to close to bed, the chemicals the brain emits during and after exercise can make it difficult to fall asleep, give exercise and sleep a two hour distance from one another at least. If the restlessness continues talk to your doctor about it, it may be something a little more serious.
Teething and growth spurts: These are common factors and make it hard for children to sleep. It's hard to say what to do in this situation. In some cases, medicine for the teething may be recommended. Massaging the guns or the muscles that hurt can also help your child relax and fall asleep, sometimes its best to just rock your child or hold your child and keep them as comfortable as possible. Its very common and normal for children to wake up in the middle of the night or have trouble falling asleep because they are having growth spurts, in fact it can be seen as a sign of health. Giving your child proper vitamin supplements everyday can also help reduce the pain felt by teething or growing pains.
If the lack of sleep seems excessive to you or even if it seems un-normal please talk to your child's doctor. Note when they wake up, how long your child is awake and any symptoms of sleep depreviation that are showing. Your doctor and you can work together to find the best way to deal your your child's sleeping.
INTERESTING FACT ABOUT BABIES & SLEEP.
Did you know that babies will often wake in the middle of the night because they are learning new things. Their minds will begin to associate things and learn new things and purposely wake them up so that your baby can learn these new lessons while awake.
Its perfectly normal and healthy for your child to wake during the night, around 6-9 months of age, it shows that her brain is developing. At this point and time, she is most likely learning about relationships and realizing that mom is more then just a provider of food. Her brain wakes her up to make her associate this knowledge with the real world. The crying is simply a result of being a little sleep deprived. Rest assured knowing that your child is fine.
Here are some reasons why your child may be waking in the middle of the night, or having a hard time going to sleep altogether and what exactly you can do about it.
Being Hungry: Your Child, especially newborn, will wake often if they are hungry or ready to feed, as the months go on, your new born is more likely to wake at a certain time in the night, not because he's hungry, but because he's used to being fed at that time. So what can you do about it? Make sure they go to bed full, feeding them before bedtime can help your child stay asleep. Don't just feed them candy or something thin, give them something filling like a cereal (for babies) or a piece of toast (for older children). Make sure that whatever your giving them doesn't have sugar or lots of salt, this can increase the chance of dehydration, nightmare and being to alert to fall asleep. If they wake up and ask for food, refuse them the first time and send them back to bed. This may be hard to do considering children are pressistant and babies cry often. do your best and hold in their. If they wake and ask again allow them a small amount of formula or a glass of water/ milk and then send them back to bed.
Being afraid or having nightmares: Everyone has dreams at night;even babies; and sometimes they aren't the most pleasant dreams. Nightmare don't usually happen all that often, but for a few people night mare are almost an every night occurrence. In order to help your child with their night mare there are a few things you can do, such as, making sure that they had a good day, make sure they aren't afraid or upset when the go to sleep and make sure they aren't thinking about the nightmares as they fall asleep. You can talk to your child, read them books or play soft music to help them fall asleep, be sure to turn of the music when they do finally close their eyes because the noise can wake them up again. If you think your baby is having night mares humming or singing to them as they fall asleep will help them, be sure to mention any odd behaviors in your children after they reported having a nightmare to your doctor. Also, if you have older children who have bad nightmares, have them keep a dream journal. Have them right down the date, what the night mare was about, why it was scary to them and then have them come up with a new ending or experience that would have made the dream less scary. EX: a child dreams about you leaving and not coming back, have them right a small story about you just going to the store and when you got hoe you had a present of sorts. Also, talk to your child about their fears, and help them face them. If your child wakes up in the middle of the night because of a night mare, simply put them back to sleep, in their room, by singing, reading or talking,like you had done previously, they can write in their dream journals in the morning. do not allow them to right in it at night because it can hinder their ability to go to sleep if they are concentrating on it.
Being restless: If your child is restless and they cannot fall asleep at night this is a sign that they aren't getting enough exercise during the day. Try taking your child out for a walk or bike ride to help them alleviate some engender, don't do this to close to bed, the chemicals the brain emits during and after exercise can make it difficult to fall asleep, give exercise and sleep a two hour distance from one another at least. If the restlessness continues talk to your doctor about it, it may be something a little more serious.
Teething and growth spurts: These are common factors and make it hard for children to sleep. It's hard to say what to do in this situation. In some cases, medicine for the teething may be recommended. Massaging the guns or the muscles that hurt can also help your child relax and fall asleep, sometimes its best to just rock your child or hold your child and keep them as comfortable as possible. Its very common and normal for children to wake up in the middle of the night or have trouble falling asleep because they are having growth spurts, in fact it can be seen as a sign of health. Giving your child proper vitamin supplements everyday can also help reduce the pain felt by teething or growing pains.
If the lack of sleep seems excessive to you or even if it seems un-normal please talk to your child's doctor. Note when they wake up, how long your child is awake and any symptoms of sleep depreviation that are showing. Your doctor and you can work together to find the best way to deal your your child's sleeping.
INTERESTING FACT ABOUT BABIES & SLEEP.
Did you know that babies will often wake in the middle of the night because they are learning new things. Their minds will begin to associate things and learn new things and purposely wake them up so that your baby can learn these new lessons while awake.
Its perfectly normal and healthy for your child to wake during the night, around 6-9 months of age, it shows that her brain is developing. At this point and time, she is most likely learning about relationships and realizing that mom is more then just a provider of food. Her brain wakes her up to make her associate this knowledge with the real world. The crying is simply a result of being a little sleep deprived. Rest assured knowing that your child is fine.