When does a baby’s sleep pattern start? When to start sleep training for babies? And when do babies go to sleep regularly…Our article contains answers to these questions.
Infant sleep is the most important agenda in a new parent’s life. For parents who want to take some time for themselves and relax, the dream of the baby sleeping regularly and for a long time is never far from their minds 🙂 On the other hand, sleep patterns are of great importance for the healthy development of the baby. So, when does the sleep pattern in babies start or when should the baby be given sleep training and what should be done for the baby to sleep for a long time? We are looking for answers to these questions..
How do babies sleep?
Babies’ sleep patterns settle over time. By the age of three, a child can sleep 12 hours a night without interruption. But until then, waking up at least once a night, having difficulty sleeping during the day, sleeping short, and being restless because they can’t sleep will be part of your life. Be patient and avoid developing bad sleep habits .
The newborn period is the time when infants’ sleep patterns are the most frustrating for adults. During this period, the baby sleeps for a very short time and stays awake most of the time at night, causing parents to lose sleep. During the first 6 months, the baby’s sleep patterns are exhausting for adults. Now, let’s talk a little bit about sleep patterns in the first three months…
Sleep Pattern in the First Three Months
First of all, we rarely see babies sleeping for a certain amount of time at certain times during the first three months. So it is a bit difficult to talk about sleep patterns during the first three months. During this period, short sleep breaks and frequent sucking summarize almost the entire daily cycle of the baby. The baby has no concept of day and night, its digestive system is still developing and it has difficulty getting used to the outside world. Another important point about sleep patterns in 0-3 month old babies is that they usually sleep longer during the day than at night. The only thing the baby needs to relax – to sleep and get used to the outside world both physiologically and mentally – is breast milk and being with the mother. From the third month onwards, babies can be expected to sleep at regular intervals and for a certain amount of time.
How Many Times a Day Do Newborns Wake Up?
In the newborn period, the average duration of staying awake is 1 hour. However, there will be situations where he/she will stay awake longer than this for different reasons. If your baby sleeps and wakes up regularly for less than 45 minutes, you can get support from a specialist for sleep training. Remember, the baby’s sleep will definitely get longer over time.
3. What is the sleep pattern after the moon?
Completing the first three months marks a period when the baby’s digestive system is developing, the baby is more accustomed to the outside world and is relatively stable. He sleeps for longer periods than before. It is also possible for him to wake up suddenly while sleeping. Here it is advisable to be with the baby and put it back to sleep. Tryingto put the babyback to sleep usually helps the baby to fall asleep again. How can you tell when a baby who cannot yet speak is sleepy?
How do we know when the baby is sleepy?
- Yawning
- Scratching the eye
- Playing with his nose
- Crying
- Trying to suck the mother’s face
You realize that the baby is sleepy, but it won’t sleep. So why do babies stay awake when they are sleepy?
Why Does a Sleepy Baby Not Sleep?
Adults sleep when they feel sleepy. Babies, however, may not be able to fall asleep even when they are sleepy. Falling asleep is a learned behavior. It may be that he doesn’t know how to fall asleep or that some factors affecting him are preventing him from falling asleep. So, what might be affecting him?
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Heat
If the environment is too hot and he sweats a lot, he cannot sleep. Similarly, if he is cold, he is uncomfortable and cannot sleep.
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Light
Too much light makes the baby uncomfortable. It makes it difficult for him to fall asleep. In this case, he/she cannot sleep.
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Voice
Sometimes we believe that our baby being used to noise will give us comfort in the future and we don’t make a special effort to block it out. However, intense noise can interfere with sleep.
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Gas Pains
Gas pains are common in babies. There may be different causes of gas pains in babies. You can discuss these with your doctor. Back to our topic; gas pain is one of the most important factors that prevent the baby from sleeping. In this case, the baby will not be able to sleep until the gas pain is relieved.You can use a breastfeeding pillow both for the ease of the baby’s digestion and for your comfort.
If you are bottle feeding your baby, check out our article titledNon-Gassy Baby Bottle !
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Being Hungry
If your baby is hungry, he or she has trouble sleeping. However, he cannot fall asleep immediately after feeding. Therefore, try putting your baby to sleep 20 minutes after feeding.
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Being Very Tired
Adults sleep when they are very tired. But babies and children find it difficult to fall asleep when they are very tired. Therefore, do not include activities that will tire them too much just before bedtime.
Suggestions for establishing sleep patterns in babies
- Always try to put him to sleep at the same time. Let him understand that this is his bedtime .
- Let him develop a ritual for sleep, that is, let him sense when it is time to sleep.
- Don’t tire them too much just before bedtime. Babies cannot sleep when they are too tired.
- Do not feed just before sleep. Indigestion in the stomach can disturb the baby and cause it to wake up immediately.
- Make sure the environment is dark or dim. The baby has difficulty sleeping in an environment that is too bright.
- The environment should not be too hot or cold. He will wake up immediately because he is cold or sweating.
- There should not be too much noise. Especially high-pitched sounds such as drills, horns and clear sounds that pierce the sounds in the environment cause them to wake up. If it is too noisy where you live, you can try buying sleeping headphones.
- Do not play or feed in bed. Make sure the baby understands that the bed is the sleeping area.
- Do not put the baby to sleep after 6 pm. Wait 3 hours after the last daytime sleep, as this will be night sleep.
Mistakes to Put Babies to Sleep
There are many mistakes we make to get babies to sleep. In fact, for a mother who is in a hurry to work, a mother who has to take care of her other children, or a mother who has a lot of difficulty in this changing order and wants to have some time for herself, there is nothing that cannot be done to get the baby to sleep as soon as possible. Almost every mother has this feeling. However, sometimes these baby-sleeping remedies, while providing an instant solution, can cause more stress in the future. Here are some of them..
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Standing shake
When you put the baby on your feet and shake him, this rocking motion helps him to sleep. Especially if you can hold his hands and prevent him from hitting his face, he will fall asleep in ten minutes if he is not in pain. But will you be able to rock him anywhere, anytime and even when he gets a little heavier? Remember, it will be very difficult to break the rocking habit later on .
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Swinging in the arm, swing, cradle
Standing up is very common, but rocking in the arm, in a swing, in a cradle is also often used as a method of putting people to sleep, and the negative consequences are similar to the above.
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Feeding him to fall asleep
It is also very common to put the baby to sleep while breastfeeding, or if not breastfeeding, to put the baby to sleep while giving follow-up milk. The baby thinks that this feeding in bed is a ritual for falling asleep and does not want to go to sleep without being fed. However, feeding just before sleep causes problems such as reflux or indigestion. Therefore, the baby falls asleep quickly and wakes up quickly. In addition, when the mother has to return to work after maternity leave or breastfeeding leave, it is not possible to breastfeed the baby to sleep, and this new situation can be very frustrating for both of them.
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Taking a stroller for a ride
When the baby sees things he has never seen before while riding in the stroller, he gets tired just touching the wind on his face. So he falls asleep. But is it possible to take him for a ride every time? This is not a sustainable practice.
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Tiring him to sleep
Research shows that the “let him/her sleep when he/she is tired” theory is absolutely wrong. Babies have difficulty sleeping when they are very tired.
To summarize, what you need most to help babies sleep is patience. Be patient, wait and always approach your baby with a calm, smiling face. Babies and children know when you are nervous and they feel bad. Such anxieties are reflected in the feeding, sleeping and behavior patterns.