Co sleeping baby feeding all night

Cosleeping and Sleeping Through the Night --- Is It Possible?

“We have been co-sleeping with our 8-month old son for some time now. We did try CIO originally but stopped because we were so uncomfortable with it, and since then we’ve been sharing a bed. The positive outcome of CIO was that he can now put himself to sleep independently, and does so for all his naps, and at bedtime (all in his crib). At 11pm he wakes up for his first feeding and stays in bed with us and then wakes up every hour or two for the rest of the night. We need to do something since we’re not getting any sleep, but we’re not sure what. Is there any way to co-sleep and get him to sleep through the night? If not, any suggestions for gently transitioning him to his own bed? We are not interested in trying any drastic methods again. Is cosleeping and sleeping through the night possible?” -Nancy

I’ll answer Nancy’s questions about:

Cosleeping and sleeping through the night
Continuing to cosleep
Ending cosleeping
A middle ground

Cosleeping and Sleeping Through the Night

When parents ask me what I think about co-sleeping, I tell them that if you are co-sleeping safely and the whole family is happy and rested then fabulous — but make sure you teach them how to put themselves to sleep independently. That is a life skill they will always need! And at 8 months-old, it’s important Nancy and her family work on cosleeping AND sleeping through the night.

Sounds like Nancy’s son has half the skill of putting himself to sleep independently. Now he needs help with the other half — learning how to put himself back to sleep during the night.

Want to know more about using The Shuffle to gently train your baby to sleep?
Read: The Sleep Lady Shuffle: How To Gently Sleep Train Your Baby

She didn’t mention what she’s doing when he wakes after the 11 p.m. feeding. I’ll guess she’s nursing him back to sleep. The first question is whether he really needs to receive calories during the night. If he does not, and it is more of a habit, then it is important to address that also.

Continuing to Cosleep

Once you’ve confirmed with your pediatrician that night feeds aren’t necessary, and you choose to wean, you’ll want to break the association between waking and feeding. Then you’ll be on your way to cosleeping and sleeping through the night.

Have Dad — as long as you feel it is safe — co-sleep with your son a few nights in a row to wean the night feedings. Dad can comfort and snuggle baby for each waking.

If you’ve decided your son still needs those extra calories at 11 p.m. then go ahead with that. Then Dad will respond to all the other night wakings. This may lengthen the since it can be confusing to him. That’s why I would not recommend feeding him during the night unless he needs calories during the night given his age and weight.

Have Dad cosleep with your son a few nights in a row to wean the night feedings. Dad can comfort and snuggle baby for each waking.

Stopping Cosleeping

Do you want to stop co-sleeping and have your baby sleep the entire night in his crib? Then I would I go to him when he wakes up in his crib and soothe him from crib side, following the rules of the Shuffle. You can read more about The Shuffle in The Sleep Lady’s Good Night, Sleep Tight.

Want to transition your baby to a crib or bed?
Read: How To Stop Co-Sleeping: Transitioning Your Child To A Bed

If you decide to keep the one feeding then I suggest you use “set time” feeding. With the set time feeding you would go to him for this first waking and feed him. All other wakings go to him and sit by his crib offering physical and verbal reassurance. Proceed with The Shuffle as outlined and move your chair every 3 nights.

Is There a Middle Ground?

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends sharing a room (not a bed) for at least six months, and ideally a year. You can continue to have your son nearby, but in his own space. A co-sleeper or crib next to your bed will allow you to comfort your baby from your bed. If you need to keep the 11 p.m. feeding, have Dad comfort him for other wakings.

First you have to decide about the night feeding. Then decide where you want your son to sleep at night. Once these decisions are made you can follow the gentle guidelines above to get you cosleeping and sleeping through the night.

Want to know more about the latest roomsharing recommendations from the AAP?
Read: Room Sharing For The First Year: Is It Right For You?

Safer Sleep & the Breastfed Baby

“In most parts of the world… babies sleep close to their mothers, as they have through most of history.” – The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding

A baby is born expecting to stay in close contact with his mother night and day, in order to keep safe, warm and well-fed.

It is perfectly normal for babies—especially breastfed babies—to wake and feed at night throughout at least the first year. Bedsharing when breastfeeding is a traditional way of caring for a baby at night—breastfeeding at night can be a whole lot easier when you take your baby into bed with you and feed lying down.

Breastfeeding mothers who bedshare get more sleep than bottlefeeding mothers¹ and breastfeed for longer.² Alternatively, co-sleeping may give your baby the closeness he craves and make breastfeeding easier without sharing the same sleep surface as you.

It is possible to bedshare with twins, but co-sleeping rather than bedsharing is recommended if they were premature or low birth-weight.

Infant sleep–what are the risks?
The Safe Sleep Seven
Meeting Everyone’s Needs
Sleep Safely
Easy Nights

Infant sleep–what are the risks?

Accidents

Babies sleep in a variety of places at different times. Wherever a baby sleeps an accidental injury is possible. A baby could become wedged between furniture or against a parent’s body, fall off the sleep surface or risk suffocation or strangulation by pillows, cords or blankets.

Anything that reduces your alertness or ability to respond to your baby, such as alcohol, drugs or certain medications, can pose a risk and may impair your judgement.

Breastfed babies orient themselves near their mother’s breast in bed. Research³ shows that mothers who bedshare with their breastfed babies adopt a naturally protective position, making smothering unlikely. This has been referred to as the ‘cuddle curl’ position.

SIDS

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), or cot death, is a sudden unexpected infant death (usually occurring during sleep) that can’t be explained by a medical condition, infection, intentional harm, or accidental causes.

What makes a baby vulnerable
SIDS can happen in any sleep situation, but research has shown that SIDS only happens to baby who are vulnerable. We don’t know exactly which factors cause vulnerability, but they include⁴:

baby being less than four months old
prenatal exposure to harmful chemicals including smoke and alcohol
preterm or low brith weight baby (under 2.5kg).

SIDs risk factors
The following factors increase the risk of SIDS for a vulnerable baby, wherever they sleep⁵.

Exposure to smoke can affect a baby’s ability to rouse from sleep. The risk is related to how much exposure a baby has. It is always a good idea to reduce your baby’s exposure to smoke wherever they sleep, but if you are a smoker you should not share a sleep surface with your baby. Smoking is the biggest SIDS risk.
Placing a baby on his front to sleep may affect his ability to arouse and to breathe. ‘Back to Sleep’ campaigns have reduced SIDS in many Western countries. Bedsharing breastfeeding mothers often nurse in a side-lying position—when a baby comes off the breast they naturally rolls onto their back. A baby who can roll back and forth can choose his own sleep position.
Being unattended.
During all sleep (daytime and nightime), a baby’s risk of SIDS is lower if they are in the same room as you.
Formula-feeding (including combi-feeding) imposes a statistically significant higher risk of SIDS.

The Safe Sleep Seven

⁶

Breastfeeding mothers who meet the criteria below are statistically low risk and can bedshare with confidence.
You need to be:

A non-smoker
Sober (no drugs, alcohol, or medications that could make you drowsy)
Breastfeeding

Your baby needs to be:

Healthy and full term (with a birth weight above 2.5kg)
Sleeping on their back when they are not breastfeeding
Unswaddled and lightly dressed

You both need to be:

On a safe surface. Never sleep with your baby on a sofa or armchair.

Make an informed decision
Use the information above along with our checklist below to evaluate your baby’s different sleeping places and your own family circumstances, to reduce the risk of an accident or SIDS wherever you and your baby sleep.

Meeting Everyone’s Needs

If you are struggling to reconcile your own sleep needs with those of your baby, then talking with an LLL Leader may be helpful. At an LLL meeting you can find out how other families meet the sleep needs of their sleep needs in different ways and at different stages.
Find local support here. Call our helpline: 0345 120 2918

Photo courtesy: Rosie Rowe

Co-sleeping or bedsharing?

⁷

Bedsharing: adults and infants sharing the same surface for sleep.

Co-sleeping: parents and infants sleeping in close proximity, but not necessarily on the same surface eg in a bedside cot or a sidecar cot attached to the bed.

Some studies combine sofa sleeping with bedsharing, making it more difficult to separate the risk factors for each scenario. See Further Reading for more details, or for more information on these definitions, see here.

Sleep safely

Sleep tips

Do
✔ Place your baby to sleep on their back.
✔ Keep your sleeping baby close day and night, not in a room alone.
✔ Avoid exposing your baby to cigarette smoke at any time as this increases the risk of SIDS.
✔ Place your baby with his feet to the foot of any cot, crib or pram.
✔ Sleep facing your baby in bed (your thigh should prevent him slipping under the covers).
✔ Check your baby’s sleeping place for hazards:

Choose a firm, flat, clean, well-fitting mattress and cover with a close-fitting sheet.
Check for gaps that they might get trapped in..
Ensure they can’t fall out.
Choose clothes without strings or ties that could cause strangulation.

✔ Check your baby does not get too hot or too cold whilst sleeping. In hot weather, open a window or use a fan.
✔ Keep pets out of your baby’s bed.

NEVER leave your sleeping baby:

✘ Near a fire or radiator, or in full sun.
✘ Wearing warm outdoor clothing when indoors.

NEVER sleep with your baby:

✘ On a sofa or armchair.
✘ If he is swaddled.

Bedsharing tips

When bedsharing do
✔ Sleep facing your baby in bed (your thigh should prevent them slipping under the covers).
✔ Keep pillows and your covers away from your baby.
✔ Ensure anyone in the bed knows your baby is there.
✔ Keep an adult between any older children and your baby in bed.

Don’t bedshare
✘ If any person in the bed is a smoker (even if they never smoke in bed).
✘ On a soft mattress. It isn’t known whether memory foam mattresses are a problem.
✘ If any person in the bed has drunk alcohol, taken drugs (legal or illegal) that could make them extra sleepy, or is too exhausted to be aware of your baby.
✘ If any person in the bed has an illness or condition that affects their awareness of your baby.

Once you can safely and comfortably feed your baby while lying down, you’ve elimated much of the work of mothering for eight of the 24 hours in a day.

Easy Nights

You may find that different sleeping arrangements work at different times. Being inventive and focusing on how you and your family can get the most sleep tonight can help. Some of these ideas may work for you, but because only you know your own circumstances, always keep safety in mind.

Extra space can help. Try:
• Using a cot designed for co-sleeping.
• Pushing your baby’s cot right up to your bed. Lower the side and raise the base for easy access at night; secure the cot to your bed.
• Using a larger bed.
• Putting a single bed at the side for your partner, if you have one, to sleep on—keep your baby away from the gap in the mattresses.

Avoid tumbles by:
• Using a mesh guard rail – but make sure there is no gap between the rail and the bed.
• Taking the legs off the bed or putting the mattress on the floor.

Keep comfortable by:
• Wearing a cardigan to keep your arms warm.
• Dressing your baby in light clothes to avoid overheating.
• Putting an extra thick nappy on your baby to avoid unnecessary changes in the night.
• Keeping a towel handy in case of damp nappies or leaking milk.

Learn to feed lying down by:
• Practising in the daytime!
• Keeping a low light on.
• Going to a La Leche League meeting and learning from other mothers.
• Watching our video on breastfeeding while lying on your side:

These safety tips apply to healthy full-term breastfed infants. Preterm and low birth weight babies are more vulnerable. If your baby seems unwell, seek medical advice promptly. Remember that safety tips can help reduce the risk of SIDS and accidents wherever your baby sleeps, but cannot eliminate the risk altogether.

Written by Sue Cardus, Karen Butler, Sue Upstone, Bronwyn Davies & mothers of La Leche League GB.

Further Reading

Sweet Sleep: Nighttime & Naptime Strategies for the Breastfeeding Family Wiessinger, West, Smith, Pitman, LLLI. London: Pinter & Martin, 2014.
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, LLLI. London: Pinter & Martin, 2010.
Why Your Baby’s Sleep Matters, Ockwell-Smith, S. London: Pinter & Martin, 2016.

LLL links:
Rhythms & Routines
Smoking & Breastfeeding
I need some sleep
Other Online information:
Baby Sleep Info Source
UNICEF: Caring for your baby at night. (link to UNICEF PDF)

References

1^{Sleep patterns and fatigue in new mothers and fathers. Gay et al, 2004.
2^{Ball, H. L. et al (2016). Bed-sharing by breastfeeding mothers: who bed-shares and what is the relationship with breastfeeding duration? Acta
Paediatrica, DOI: 10.1111/apa.13354.
3^{Ball, H. L. Parent-infant bed-sharing behaviour: Effects of feeding type, and presence of father. Human Nature 2006; 17(3):301–18.
4^{Basis. The Triple Risk Model, www.basisonline.org.uk/hcp-the-triple-risk-model/ (accessed 16 Feb 2022)
5^{SWEET SLEEP: NIGHTTIME AND NAPTIME STRATEGIES FOR THE BREASTFEEDING FAMILY, LLLI. London: Pinter & Martin, 2014; 345-348.
6^{SWEET SLEEP: NIGHTTIME AND NAPTIME STRATEGIES FOR THE BREASTFEEDING FAMILY, LLLI. London: Pinter & Martin, 2014; 9.
7^{Basis. Definitions of Terms Used on This Site, www.basisonline.org.uk/hcp-definitions-of-terms-used-on-this-site/ (accessed 16 Feb 2022)}}}}}}}

ACADEMY OF BREASTFEEDING MEDINCINE. ABM Clinical Protocol #6: Bedsharing and Breastfeeding 2019., Accessed 16th Aug 2020

You can buy this information in printed form from the LLLGB shop .

what determines the sleep and feeding regimen of the baby, the experience of mothers

The content of the article

The sleep regimen of a newborn
How many times should a child be fed at night
When to increase the interval between night feedings?
At what age does a child begin to sleep through the night - the experience of mothers

With the advent of a baby, a mother has to forget about a deep night's sleep. But time passes, and, finally, the moment comes when the child begins to sleep all night. This happens to every child at different times. The duration of uninterrupted sleep is affected by the feeding regimen and other factors. To sleep soundly until morning, the child is taught gradually. nine0003

Newborn sleep pattern

During the first few months of a newborn's life, the sleep pattern is divided into stages. At first, the child sleeps and wakes haphazardly, he is used to this while in the womb. Often, babies confuse day and night. Then biorhythms gradually form, and periods of sleep at night become cyclical.

Night sleep stages 0 to 4 months:

The first stage takes 8 weeks. The child has not yet formed the habit of falling asleep at a certain time. The baby sleeps for 16-18 hours a day. Night sleep is interrupted. The baby sleeps at night for periods of half an hour to 4 hours. nine0006
The second stage lasts from 8 to 12 weeks. During this period, there is a habit of falling asleep at a certain time. The child ceases to confuse day with night. At night, the baby can sleep without waking up for 4-6 hours. That is, he actually wakes up once a night.
The third stage falls on 12-16 weeks. The baby ends the formation of biorhythms. Now in a sleeping state, he can stay for 6-8 hours without a break. At night, the baby sleeps for 12 hours, daytime sleep alternates with wakefulness. nine0006

A certain ritual helps to accustom a child to fall asleep at the same time. Having bathed the baby, they change him into pajamas, put him in a crib, and rock him to sleep. You can read more about changes in sleep duration and factors affecting sleep quality here.

How many times should a child be fed at night

Even among experts there is no consensus on whether it is necessary to wake up a child at night for feeding or should he wait until he wakes up on his own. Those who already have children also give inexperienced moms exactly the opposite advice. To date, two feeding systems have been formed: according to the regimen and on demand. nine0003

Modern pediatricians advise taking into account the individual characteristics of the child. One baby can easily survive 3 hours without food, for another this period will be too long. Signs that the baby is hungry are easy to recognize by his cry, groaning. The baby can smack his lips if he wants to eat.

Breastfed babies may need to breastfeed every 1.2 to 2 hours. As a rule, these are weak children who quickly get tired and cannot suck out their breast milk at one time. After a little sleep and getting hungry, the baby starts asking for food again. Pediatricians recommend feeding weakened children on demand at any time of the day. During the night, such kids may need 3-4 feedings. nine0003

Healthy babies need to breastfeed every 4-6 hours. One or less often two feedings at night will be enough for them. It is not always the feeling of hunger that causes waking up at night. Perhaps the child is experiencing intestinal colic or is uncomfortable in a wet diaper. It happens that the baby just needs to feel his mother's warmth nearby in order to calm down.

When to increase the interval between night feedings?

A baby who has been fed at night for several months adapts to getting calories at night. Even if the baby is physiologically ready to sleep until the morning, the habit will make him wake up at night and demand his portion of food. Waking up, the child cannot easily fall asleep without getting what he wants. nine0003

Certain associations have already formed in his brain. The baby is used to falling asleep while suckling. The interval between feedings can be increased by making sure that the baby is ready for this. In general, doctors are advised to adhere to the following algorithm:

a newborn up to 3 months is fed on demand at any time;
babies aged 3-4 months are given milk after 4-5 hours of sleep, in total 2-3 feedings are carried out per night;
starting from the age of six months, the period of continuous night sleep is increased to 7-9 hours, at this stage the child goes without food at night or eats 1 time closer to the morning.

The increase in the interval between feedings is affected by the age of the baby, his physical health and emotional state. For example, if the baby eats well during the day, at night it can be applied to the breast only for a short time to calm down.

At what age does a child start sleeping through the night - mothers' experience

Usually mothers can't wait until their baby starts sleeping until the morning without waking up. On numerous forums, parents share their experiences, how they managed to wean the baby from night feedings and at what age this happened.

Marina:

— I guess I'm lucky, but my daughter started sleeping until the morning from 2 months of age. Perhaps it played a role that we take the child to our bed. Sometimes, of course, she wakes up, but I don’t need to get up and run to her, so the quality of sleep does not suffer. He smacks his lips a little and falls asleep, but I don’t even have to wake up properly. nine0003

Ekaterina:

— My son is six months old, I have not been able to teach him to sleep until morning. He still wakes up every night, though not more than once. I only feed him in the morning. At night I give juice from a bottle, and he immediately falls asleep. We are on artificial feeding, otherwise it might give a breast.

Maria:

— The eldest son, up to a year old, woke up every 4 hours so that I would give him a breast. Until six months, this happened even more often. After my milk was gone, the problem resolved itself, the child stopped waking up. nine0003

Aurora:

- In my opinion, the child will sleep at night if he eats during the day. We introduced complementary foods at six months, and the daughter immediately began to wake up only in the morning. I give her vegetables, porridge. My girl always slept separately and eats according to the regime, I never gave breasts as a pacifier.

Tilda:

- The pediatrician immediately warned me that while the child is breastfed, he will demand breasts at night. And so it happened. My son is already 8 months old, and he wakes up several times during the night to suck and calm down. I tried to give him water or porridge instead of breasts - it does not help. When I put it to bed with me, he wakes up less often, but the bed is cramped, so it often doesn’t work out that way. We sleep together when I need a good night's sleep. nine0003

Irina:

— From the age of 8 months, our son began to sleep continuously for 5-6 hours. Completely stopped waking up when he went to a year. During the day he spends a lot of energy, and at night he sleeps for 10-12 hours. Only now I was able to fully sleep.

A great influence on the quality and duration of a child's sleep at night is exerted not so much by his age as by his state of health and feeding regimen. A baby who eats formula by the hour is easier to transfer to the right schedule. Breastfed babies are more likely to wake up and ask for breasts. This happens not even because of the feeling of hunger, but because it is important for the child to feel the contact with his mother, to which he is accustomed. nine0003

12 ways to get your little one to sleep at night | e1.ru

Marina Rumyantseva — consultant on children's sleep, member of the Russian Society of Somnologists

Collage: Artem Ustyuzhanin / E1.RU, Anna Rybakova / E1.RU

Four years ago, a young mother from Yekaterinburg Marina Rumyantseva encountered because her four-month-old daughter stopped sleeping normally. She often woke up at night, haunted her parents, who had to get up to the child 7-10 times a night. nine0109

— Until four months old, my daughter slept perfectly. Wherever you put it, there it will fall asleep. But as soon as she was four months old, the baby seemed to be replaced: she began to wake up more often. Everything that worked before didn’t help anymore,” Marina recalls.

Marina herself almost stopped sleeping, fatigue gradually accumulated.

- I was sick in the morning, I was often in a fainting state. I dozed in the morning while my daughter played on the floor, and looked after her with one eye. The lack of normal sleep affected me physically. I was irritable, there was no mood to play with the child after especially difficult nights, says the young mother. nine0003

At first, the parents tried to solve the problem on their own, but it didn't work out. Then they turned to doctors for help to rule out the physiological causes of restless sleep.

- In our case, the daughter was completely healthy, but we were still advised to treat with nootropic substances. We decided to take our time and seek a second opinion. At the same time, I began to study the problems of sleep. That’s how I learned that insomnia can be treated with cognitive behavioral therapy, and only if it doesn’t work, turn to medication,” says Marina. nine0003

Marina managed to improve the child's sleep without drugs, while she continued to study the features of insomnia more and more deeply. So the young mother even received a diploma as a consultant in children's sleep. Now Marina herself gives advice to young parents on how to return normal sleep to their children, and maintains a blog about healthy children's sleep on Instagram.

We asked Marina Rumyantseva to give some advice for E1.RU readers.

About 50% of children living in megacities experience sleep problems

Collage: Anna Rybakova / E1.RU

— Be prepared for the fact that the first two months the child will often wake up at night. During the day, his sleep will also be erratic. He can sleep for 20-40 minutes, then fall asleep immediately for 2 hours. This is fine. But remember that over time, night sleep should lengthen. You can speed up this process by following some simple rules.

From 2 months I advise you to darken the room as much as possible with thick curtains. So the child will understand that the night has come and he needs to sleep. Of course, the baby will still wake up during the night until he needs nightly feeds. There is no need to turn on the light and start playing with it. Try to feed and lull him in the dark. nine0003

A child will never be tired enough to say, “Mom, I want to sleep. Why don't you carry me to bed?" He still doesn't know how to speak. Therefore, it is important that parents themselves make decisions for their child and anticipate the moment when it will be time for sleep.

Remember that the younger the child, the more vulnerable he is. Five extra minutes - and he has already gone too far, overtired. In this state, it will be difficult to lay it down. Usually the child starts screaming, breaking out, and the mother thinks: “He must not want to sleep!” In fact, he wants to sleep so much that he no longer has the strength. nine0003

How do you know when your baby is tired and ready to go to bed?

For children under six months of age, signs of fatigue may be “sticking” (looking at one point), touching the ears, nose, yawning. Also watch the child fall asleep: if he fell asleep calmly in 10-15 minutes, then you put him to bed on time.

Be prepared that after six months your baby will be more and more reluctant to go to bed. Children think that sleeping is “boring”.

Cool moist air is another condition for the baby to sleep better. The room should be 20-23 degrees Celsius. Before going to bed, the room should be ventilated so that air circulates through it. I also recommend using humidifiers. Due to the dryness of the nasopharyngeal mucosa, a child can automatically touch his nose with his hands, trying to eliminate the interference, and because of this, wake up. nine0003

If during sleep the child constantly snores or breathes frequently through the mouth, this is a sign that you need to contact the ENT. Your baby may have obstructive sleep apnea. It is also called "sleep apnea disease". This is when the snoring suddenly stops and there is a frightening cessation of breathing. After that, the sleeping person snores loudly, sometimes tossing and turning, and then begins to breathe again.

White noise is a monotonous sound recorded at different frequencies. The secret is that it allows a person to move more smoothly from one sleep cycle to another. So sleep becomes more restorative. Usually parents use white noise if loud neighbors live nearby or there is construction going on outside the window. nine0003

The volume of white noise must not exceed 50 dB, its source must be at a distance of 2 meters from the crib. Many mothers are afraid that this is loud for a child. Actually it is not. I measured the same sounds (surf, driving car) in real life, and they turned out to be much louder - from 60 to 70 dB.

Parents often think that only boys choose the sound of a moving train or car, but this is not true: girls love them too

Collage: Anna Rybakova / E1.RU

During sleep, you can turn on the sound of a vacuum cleaner, extractor hood, running water in the kitchen, wind, waterfall, flying plane and driving car, etc. The sound is selected individually depending on what the child likes.

In my practice there was a case when a child protested against any white noise. Whatever sound they turned on, he showed that he did not like it. We went through a lot of options, and when we finally turned on the sound of a moving train, it just went limp. Now he only sleeps with him. nine0003

Get your baby to bed with a daily routine - a ritual that you will repeat over and over before bed. Every evening you can read a book, then close the curtains, turn on a dimmed nightlight, feed your baby, get a massage, etc. You can turn on relaxing music or white noise. All this helps hyperactive children calm down, especially if there are guests in the house.

Watching TV before going to bed is not rest. At this time, the child's visual analyzer works, and the brain continues to process information. In addition, TV, like phones and other gadgets, is a source of white light. It disrupts the sleep hormone melatonin. Therefore, it is better not to watch TV at least an hour and a half before bedtime. It is also not necessary to arrange Skype calls with grandmothers at this time, so as not to overexcite the baby. nine0003

It is advisable to turn off the TV during sleep. Many parents think this way: if the child learns to fall asleep under the TV, he will be able to sleep in any conditions. In fact, this is disrespectful to the needs of the child. It is better to create comfortable conditions for him to sleep so that he can recover as much as possible.

One of the problems of megacities is an excess of lighting. Yekaterinburg has a lot of lanterns and luminous billboards. All this also negatively affects the quality of sleep. In front of my house there is a cafe, and above it is a huge LED screen. It shone very brightly both during the day and at night, and at the same time shimmered with different colors. We had to use blackout curtains to sleep well again until it was turned off at night after someone complained. nine0003

If you sleep for a long time during the day, then nighttime festivities may begin at night or in the morning. In this case, the time of daytime sleep should be limited. If the baby sleeps for more than 2-2.5 hours, wake him up and play. At the same time, remember that due to age, the child cannot stay awake all day. He will be tired and will not be able to develop normally.

Try to keep your sleep and wake intervals. However, they may change on a case-by-case basis. So, at 4–6 months, a child can have an average of 3–4 daytime sleeps, at 6–8 months - 2–3 daytime sleeps, at 9-13 months - 2 naps. The later you go to one dream, the better. It is good if this happens between the ages of 15 and 18 months. Make sure that the only daytime sleep is at least 2 hours. This will allow the child to sleep.

The graph shows the average values, which in each case may differ depending on the individual characteristics of the child. Otherwise, the child may constantly want to sleep, be nervous, scandalize and disobey their parents due to a sharp increase in wakefulness. It is advisable to keep one dream until the child is 4-5 years old (even if it is very short - 40-60 minutes each). The later you give it up, the better. nine0109

The total value of the duration of daytime and nighttime sleep

Infographics: Anna Rybakova / E1.RU

At 4 months, a child may suddenly start sleeping for 30-40 minutes, his sleep is fragmented, he does not get enough sleep. There is a regression of sleep - a kind of developmental leap. The problem is that the child still wants to sleep, but he can no longer do it as before, and he still does not know how to sleep differently.

Many old laying methods become worse and worse with time. Therefore, parents need to take the process into their own hands and change tactics. Try putting your baby to sleep as early as possible to lengthen his nightly sleep (up to 10-12 hours). nine0003

When my daughter was 4 months old, we had a classic sleep regression. Perhaps if at that moment we had immediately adjusted the mode and conditions of sleep, many problems with sleep could have been avoided.

Why does the child wake up at night? There can be several reasons: cold or heat, hunger (up to 9–12 months it is quite normal to have nightly snacks), the tummy or teeth are worried, illness, the wrong regimen, accumulated fatigue, overexcitation before bedtime, and more. nine0003

Children's sleep is cyclical, it proceeds in waves. The closer the morning, the less its depth and the more restless sleep. Especially if there are errors in the baby mode, then most likely they will appear in the second half of the night.

Another reason is that sleep associations are triggered. This usually happens after 4 months. The baby falls asleep in the arms of his mother, and wakes up in his crib, where he was already transferred to sleep. He opens his eyes, but his mother is not around. He begins to worry: “Where is mom ?!” - and cries. nine0003

Experts say that sleeping on the back is the safest sleeping position for a child

Collage: Anna Rybakova / Е1.RU

My four-year-old daughter sometimes asks to leave the door to her room open so she can see the light from another room. So she is calmer, and she falls asleep faster. But if at night she suddenly wakes up and does not see the light, she starts screaming: “Who closed the door?” She feels like she has been deceived.

She, like that baby, fell asleep under certain conditions and woke up under different conditions. But she is already four years old, she can speak and express her dissatisfaction with the changed circumstances in words. It is extremely difficult for a small child to do this. He can only show it by crying. But most parents don't understand what that means. nine0003

To help your baby sleep peacefully, try putting him to bed sleepy but awake, this way he will wake up in the same conditions as when he fell asleep, and it will be easier for him to fall asleep again without additional help.

Early bedtime is a must for any child at any age. Going to bed early is physiological, because it is caused by the production of certain hormones. In the evening, closer to 21-22 hours, the peak of melatonin production occurs, which is responsible for sleep. In the morning, cortisol is produced, it affects the desire to stay awake. Its peak is at 5-6 in the morning, so parents note that in the second half of the night the child sleeps more calmly. nine0003

Try to get your child to sleep by 7:00 pm or 8:00 pm. Then he will get more hours of the deepest and most restorative sleep. From 4-5 months, I would advise putting the baby to bed from 18 to 20 hours so that he has 11-12 hours of sleep. So he will sleep the norm of night sleep and wake up at physiologically active hours.

Early laying has other advantages. Parents have a lot of free time in the evening hours, which they can devote to themselves. One mother whom I consulted once sent me this message: “Marina! I have already managed to do the laundry, watch a couple of episodes of the series, cook dinner and I don’t know what else to do. It's so cool!" nine0003

It turned out that motherhood can be completely different, that it is not necessary to suffer, and during maternity leave there may be moments when you can feel like you are on vacation, read a book or watch a series, spend a romantic evening with your husband.

There is such a thing as sudden infant death syndrome. This is when a child dies during sleep for an unknown reason. Approximately one third of infant deaths are due to the fact that the parents did not properly organize the child's bed. For example, a child can suffocate if there are soft objects in the crib (blankets, bumpers) by simply burying their nose in them. A safe crib should contain only a mattress, a taut sheet, and a baby. nine0003

If your child sleeps with you, give him a separate place. It's not safe to sleep between mom and dad. The child may roll over several times, fall and end up between the sofa and the wall, suffocate. Clients said that they woke up in the middle of the night, and the child was not around. They began to look for him, and it turned out that he was under the covers - all red, he did not have enough air.

How can I be safe when sleeping together?

Bed rails (net) can be used, which are fixed under the mattress. So you can be sure that the child does not crawl away and does not fall. A contraindication for joint sleep may be overweight of one of the parents (the child may roll in your direction), taking drugs or other drugs that depress the nervous system. nine0003

It may be safer to sleep in a side crib that is well attached to yours. The safest sleeping position for an infant is on its back.

Often in the first months after the birth of a child, the mother is deprived of sleep. This leads to the fact that over time she accumulates fatigue. Its resources are gradually depleted. This can lead to postpartum depression.

Sometimes mothers come to me and ask me to teach them to love their child again. They say, “I take it out on my child. I hit a toddler recently because I couldn't control my emotions.