Helping your baby to sleep
How to put baby to bed for better sleep
During the first 3 years, baby builds his biological rhythm. Crying, screaming, and insomnia sometimes test parents. Infant sleep is different from that of an adult. Understanding it allows you to use the right techniques to calm and put baby to bed.
From the birth of a baby until he is 3 years old, his sleep changes. Initially spread over 24 hours, it condenses at night during the first year. After 3 years, the sleep of infants and adults is similar.
Infant Sleep Stages
At birth, the infant has many phases of wakefulness and sleep. 4 stages describe these phases:
- Restless sleep : it represents 60% of baby's sleep time. He moves, grimaces, breathes irregularly and his eyes oscillate. If this phase can worry parents, it is necessary to respect it and let the child sleep. It is during this stage that baby memorizes, learns, and regulates his emotions!
- Quiet sleep : baby finally falls into a deep sleep for about 20 minutes. This is the "calm after the storm": baby no longer moves, his eyes no longer oscillate and his breathing is regular. He recovers physically, grows, and continues to memorize.
- Quiet wakefulness : baby has opened his eyes, is breathing calmly, is following with his eyes, and is maintaining his attention. After birth, this stage lasts only a few minutes. At 3 months, quiet wakefulness can last for 2 hours straight.
- Agitated wakefulness : the child seems to lose patience, his attention is very limited. He breathes irregularly, cries, sucks his thumb. While the calm wakefulness is longer and longer over time, the agitated wakefulness gradually disappears.
This distribution will change over the months.
Baby's sleep rhythm
A newborn sleeps a lot: from 14 to 17 hours a day ! Their sleep is spread over the entire 24 hours. It is at the end of the 3rd month that the duration of baby's sleep decreases: from 12 to 15 hours until their first birthday. Month after month, the infant's biological clock matures and hunger sets the rhythm of their days.
It is during the first 6 months that the child learns to differentiate between day and night. It is said that the "circadian rhythm" is established. Certain biological processes (hormonal secretions, body temperature, blood pressure, etc.) are also correlated with this alternation of wakefulness/sleep.
At the age of one year, the infant's night is generally continuous. We say that babies "sleep through the night": they sleep 5 to 6 hours without being woken up by hunger.
Baby's naps
Baby's day is punctuated by naps from the 6th month:
- At 6 months , a nap of 2 to 3 hours in the morning, then 2 naps of 1 to 1.5 hours in the afternoon break up the day.
- From 6 months to 1 year , two naps of 1 to 2 hours punctuate each half-day.
- At 18 months , some children take 2 naps, others only take one.
- From 2 to 3 years old , the nap remains a physiological need that must be respected. Be careful, however, that baby does not sleep too much during the day at the risk of waking up at night! A single nap of 2 hours in the afternoon should be enough.
Some babies need more sleep than others. Don't be alarmed if your baby's naps don't perfectly match this theoretical rule.
Putting Baby to Bed for Better Sleep
Putting your baby to bed is a real ritual. Their parents give them the cues they need to fall asleep, while encouraging their independence when it comes to sleep.
The bedtime ritual
For a peaceful sleep, you need to know how to gradually reduce stimulation in the evening. Baby must fall asleep in peace. Annoying activities and intensive learning must therefore stop.
Parents will be attentive to signs of fatigue in the child: yawning, lack of head support, etc. It is time to put him to bed. Try to identify the time of need for sleep, and schedule the bedtime ritual at the same time every day.
A few rules will help the child to differentiate between sleep and wakefulness:
- Feeding is part of the night . Putting a baby to sleep with a bottle or breastfeeding disrupts their bearings after the 4th month. From the 6th month, many children no longer need to feed during the night.
- The crib remains the exclusive place for sleep . Play or awakening activities have no place in the crib!
- The bedroom and the crib are calm places . You should never punish your child by putting him to bed: he would identify his sleeping place as a source of stress.
The bedtime ritual, which should not last more than 15 minutes, is a series of cues repeated in the same order and in a calm atmosphere to prepare for sleep. Hum a soft song, read a story, give a cuddle: these techniques are all valid. Before gently leaving the room, wish him goodnight.
Total silence is not obligatory: familiar noises are reassuring for the infant who will gradually slip into sleep.
You can also read our recommendations for baby sleeping .
Baby bedtime items
The comforter can reassure the baby who projects the attachment figure onto him, that is to say the person who takes care of him.
The pacifier (commonly called a teat) helps you fall asleep: sucking is relaxing because it reduces your heart rate. Its use is especially interesting during the first 6 months. It is not recommended to coat the pacifier with honey or sugar, as this can promote the development of cavities. Thumb sucking reproduces the same pattern.
The swaddling blanket reassures baby during the first 3 months. Certain precautions should be taken into account:
- She must leave her legs free to avoid the risk of hip dislocation.
- It should no longer be used after the age of 3 months due to an increase in cases of sudden infant death syndrome when the baby rolls over. Baby will have to gradually do without it.
- A midwife can show you the technique of putting it on . There are also sleeping bags without arms, which are easier to use.
Baby sleep disorders
Up to the age of 3, medical causes account for 20% of infant sleep problems.
Screaming, crying, insomnia: when to worry?
The signs that should alert you are:
Screaming, agitation and crying that lasts and is inconsolable;
- Obvious suffering: baby is squirming, his cries are unusual;
- Frequent and repeated insomnia;
- Tiredness upon waking;
- Fever, lack of appetite during the day.
In these cases, consult your doctor without delay. You can tell him how you manage your child's sleep, his sleep habits, nighttime awakenings, the regularity of his naps, etc.
Digestive problems that disrupt sleep
Some digestive disorders characteristic of the first months of life can interrupt baby's sleep. Among the first causes of infant sleep disorders are digestive disorders, including:
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease , or GERD , is the backflow of acidic stomach contents into the esophagus, the tube that connects it to the mouth. Regurgitation can occur up to the age of one year after meals.
- Cow's milk protein allergy is an allergy that manifests itself in the first months of life. Delayed manifestations such as persistent regurgitation, diarrhea, or eczema can disturb sleep.
- Infant colic , which causes bloating in children. The painful attacks wake up babies who cry often and for a long time.
- Diarrhea, constipation...
Many other causes can disturb baby's sleep , and also require a medical consultation: teething, infections, etc.
Calm baby and help him sleep naturally
Infant feeding can be the cause of night wakings. With the advice of the pediatrician, adapted nutritional solutions exist.
Baby Food and Sleep
Whether you breastfeed or not has no direct impact on your baby's sleep. But it is sometimes necessary, in agreement with the pediatrician, to change the infant's diet when he or she suffers from digestive disorders that impact his or her sleep.
For example, some infant milks , containing thickeners (carob or starch) help combat gastroesophageal reflux (GERD). Others contain dietary fibers that contribute to the satiety of children who are always hungry.
Natural solutions to calm baby
Some homeopathic strains may be recommended by a health professional to help baby sleep. This is also the case for some herbal remedies. These treatments are always short-term.