Sleep Well: Teach Your Child To Sleep Through The Night

Do you want to teach your child to sleep? It is not realistic to expect a baby to sleep through the night. A baby who wakes up several times a night is completely normal. Many parents want their child to sleep through the night, but not even adults do this.

The sleep cycle of adults also does not allow them to sleep through the night, but they usually fall asleep quickly again after waking up. A baby can sleep 17 hours a day, which includes periods when they wake up. There is not much you can teach them about sleeping well. These are the experts!

What should we know about how children sleep?

This is a natural process in all people. In the brain of newborns, the sleep cycles last from 2 to 3 hours. The bottom line is that when they are awake, it is difficult for them to fall asleep again, and they begin to cry.

During the 9 months they were in the womb, they spent most of their time asleep. They switched to sleeping and getting nutrition through the umbilical cord. When they woke up, they heard the heartbeat and the mother’s voice and fell asleep again. When they are born, they literally wake up.

Newborns wake up, cry, eat, and then fall asleep again. This is what they do all day. If babies are breastfeeding, the milk is digested in about 20 minutes. If they drink infant formula, it will take two hours to digest. Afterwards, they wake up again, and the cycle begins again.

My baby used to sleep, but not anymore

During the first two months of a child’s life, sleep tends to be peaceful, but after the third or fourth month it becomes easier. This is when the baby begins to wake up several times a night. Many mothers blame themselves for not teaching their children to sleep well. In fact, this sleep pattern is normal in all babies who mature during the sleep cycles.

At 8 months, the baby’s sleep has been through all the phases (the four phases of slow sleep, and one phase of fast sleep.) At 3 years, the sleep is like that of an adult, except that the baby still does not sleep for long periods. It is not until the age of 5 or 6 that the child has overcome all the difficulties of sleeping through the night.

How do you get them to sleep through the night?

It is normal for parents to ask if they are doing a good job, if something abnormal is happening and if the baby is not sleeping and just crying. An atmosphere of worry, anxiety and tension, however, is the worst situation to encourage a baby to sleep through the night, without waking up.

The Ferber and Estivill methods recommend that the child cry until he or she calms down. Thus, the child will eventually be so exhausted that it falls asleep, waiting for someone to look after it. You must decide for yourself whether this method is suitable for you and your child.

According to Dr. Rosa Jove, author of Sleep Without Tears , letting your baby cry causes an emotional shock. It changes the hormones that regulate emotions, and it teaches the child that there is no point in screaming, because the mother will not respond to it.

Pediatrician Carlos González, is the author of books such as Kiss Me! How to Raise Your Children with Love. He explains that when a baby wakes up and cries for his mother, he hopes that she will come to pick him up. If the mother does, he learns to get answers to his wishes.

Still, he asks parents to limit contact with their children, and not feel compelled to comfort them, as it spoils them. It is perfectly normal for children to wake up at night and to want help to fall asleep again.

How can you help your child?

You are tired after waking up many times during the night. Therefore, you want help, both for yourself and the little crab. We know it’s not easy to stay calm. But if you are raising your child in an ethical way, you know that letting your child cry is not an option.

The basic recommendation is to be patient, until your baby matures and regulates his cycles. Although they tell you a particular method worked for one baby, that baby is not necessarily similar to your baby. The daily life you have with your baby will help you figure out what works for both of you.

Good routines

However , establishing some routines helps to create the peace of mind that your child needs before falling asleep.

• Give a bath before bedtime.
• Avoid toys and bright mobile screens in bed, as it keeps the child awake.
• If the child is over two years old and now watching TV or playing with tablets, the use should not exceed one hour a day.
• When a baby feels very tired, it can be difficult to fall asleep. Therefore, a nap can be helpful.
• If she does not like or is afraid of the dark, leave a dim light on.
• Avoid reprimands or punishments for falling asleep. Linking it to punishment is not a good idea.
• Turn the laying into a ritual. You can sing a lullaby, read a story or talk a little.

The style and methods of child rearing a mother chooses for her child is her decision. Nevertheless, we insist that it is important to respect the cycles and idiosyncrasies of every child. At the same time, it is necessary to understand that the formula that works on one baby does not necessarily help another.

Your baby will not always be a baby. The nights of fatigue for the parents are part of watching the baby mature and grow, and eventually the baby will sleep through the night. Be patient, soon he or she will not be a baby anymore. What is a problem today will be behind you tomorrow. You will have a better time to rest later.