Otitis

When can a child sleep alone? A pediatrician scientist explained on his fingers until what age children should sleep with their parents. In what position is it better for a baby to sleep with his mother.

Is it possible to teach a baby to fall asleep independently in his crib or is it advisable to give preference to co-sleeping? Isn't there a danger that parents could accidentally strangle their child at night if he sleeps with them all the time? Is it true that direct contact with his parents is very important for him in the first months? We will talk about how correct the co-sleeping method is, what all its pros and cons are, in this article.

Co-sleeping between mother and child has both positive and negative aspects.

Even when the mother is carrying her unborn child in her tummy, the parents jointly begin to prepare a separate sleeping place for the new family member. A crib and bedding are purchased - a mattress, sheets and colorful toys. All these preparations do not initially assume that parents will practice co-sleeping with the newborn - after all, the baby has his own corner. But already in the first days after the mother and baby are discharged from the maternity hospital, serious adjustments have to be made to these plans.

No, at first everything goes as planned. Evening comes, the mother once again breastfeeds her baby, then rocks him to sleep, putting him to sleep. Soon the baby obediently falls asleep and is carried to his crib. But some time passes, sometimes not even several hours, but only a few tens of minutes, and the child wakes up crying and screaming. And parents face a serious dilemma:

or suffer at night with your baby, trying to calm him down and make him fall asleep in his crib, risking that after a while he will wake up again and everything will happen again;
or take him to your bed and fall asleep together, the three of us, thus sleeping until the morning.

Co-sleeping with a child raises serious concerns. Firstly, the baby will quickly get used to this way of sleeping next to his mother and will persistently demand its observance over the next months and even years. Secondly, two adults in bed at night can toss and turn in their sleep without feeling that a baby is sleeping between them - no matter how bad it may be.

Unfortunately, it must be admitted that the statement that children must sleep in their own beds is nothing more than a widespread stereotype, which, unfortunately, many pediatricians are still committed to. As a result, the mother, trying to do what is “right” from her point of view, for some time tries to adhere to the requirement to put the baby in his crib at night, suffers because of this with him at night and finally “gives up.” As a result, co-sleeping with the child begins to prevail:

first in the morning, when the mother, having fed the baby, sleeps with him in her bed until she fully awakens together, resting after night vigils;
then throughout the night, taking measures so that nothing threatened the baby in her parents’ bed.

The harm from co-sleeping between mother and child is greatly exaggerated and is nothing more than an established stereotype.

What psychologists say

Today, the attitude towards this issue has become more flexible. You need to proceed from the individual characteristics of your child, and each method has the right to exist. But no matter what option you end up sticking with, initially take it for granted that the method you choose will remain for a long time and it will hardly be easy to retrain your child to another method. Solve this issue in your family as you see fit, excluding any “obligation”. The main thing is that your decision has a clear benefit to everyone.

When discussing the question of “pros and cons of co-sleeping with a child,” we should, perhaps, start with the benefits that this option provides, and then consider the disadvantages, at the same time determining how to reduce them to a minimum.

Positive sides

Some psychologists insist that children should be allowed to sleep next to their parents until they themselves want privacy. Only in this case are they provided with their own bed. Eventually:

From infancy, babies develop a deeply positive attitude towards sleep;
a feeling of absolute security is formed, since the need for the mother’s presence is fully satisfied;
attachment to parents becomes deeper;
there is no need to carry the baby in your arms and rock him before bed - lying next to his mother, the baby falls asleep just like that;
such an unpleasant thing as a disrespectful attitude towards one’s own child is excluded - by forcing him to fall asleep on his own, the parents will be forced to ignore his grief and crying for some time, breaking the psyche in their own way;
Everyone gets enough sleep during the night - both parents and their baby. As a result, the little man’s biorhythms gradually adjust to his mother’s, thanks to which he stops confusing day and night, and his mother’s lactation becomes much better;
feeding the baby and changing his diapers in this position is much easier and faster, if, of course, everything is prepared in advance and is at hand.

Co-sleeping is convenient for parents and enjoyable for the child.

Ultimately, the main purpose of sleep is for the family to rest and get enough sleep. If, while sleeping together with the baby, mom and dad manage to get a good night's sleep, and all other family members (grandparents, other children) also feel rested, then there are and cannot be any contraindications to this.

Negative consequences

Here, first of all, it is worth mentioning this.

There is a risk that as a result, the child will gradually develop a bad habit, which in the future can lead to sleep disturbances in children, even if they are already accustomed to sleeping separately. Of course, this habit will still be acquired, which means that one can hope that the child will also wean himself off it over time.
Fears of crushing their baby in a dream may well develop over time in one of the parents into a kind of phobia. As a result, they will either begin to suffer from insomnia themselves, or their sleep will become too sensitive, and such a person will begin to wake up at the slightest noise. In such cases, we can advise the following - place the baby not in the center between the parents, but on the side of the bed where the mother sleeps. Mom’s sleep is so sensitive, but it doesn’t harm her at all.
You should not discount the sexual component of family life - after all, parents’ attraction to each other can significantly weaken when their baby sleeps not only in the same bed with them, but even in the same room. In such cases, psychologists advise mom and dad not to limit their sexual desires to the marital bed alone, but to remember that there are many other, no less “attractive” places for this - in the kitchen, in the bathroom or in another room, and not necessarily at night, but also during the day, when the child is fast asleep or walking with his grandmother.

Sleeping next to mom can, in rare cases, cause trauma to the baby and disrupt the couple's sex life.

Should you try to put your baby to sleep separately?

The worst thing is if, having suffered with co-sleeping, parents decide to retrain their baby to sleep separately. In this case, the child is traumatized, he begins to think that he was rejected, that he was loved less - the collapse of the familiar and safe world occurs.

With his crying, the baby forces his parents to return and take him in their arms again. As a result, it is not you who will raise your child, but he who begins to raise you. But this is not the worst thing.

Let's say right away: If you try hard and torture everyone in the family, you can gradually teach the baby to sleep separately from his parents, even in the same room. He will not begin to enjoy it, you will simply break his psyche, convincing him that crying is useless, that his mother will not come to the rescue. Eventually:

the baby will be left alone in the bed, seeing only a high lattice or mesh on the sides;
his best friend will not be his mother, but a teddy bear, to whom he will trust all his sorrows and sorrows, and from whom he will be forced to hug, trying to cope with his fears.

Do you really think it's worth it?

Teaching a child to sleep in a crib is not difficult, but it is not the only right solution.

How to maintain the “golden mean”

The ideal option is to allow the baby to sleep with mom and dad while he urgently needs it, and start teaching him to sleep independently only after he is two or even three years old.

If you want your older baby to fall asleep comfortably in his own crib, you need to create conditions for him so that he feels as safe as he would with you or in your arms.

The easiest way is to remove the side wall from the crib and in the evening move the crib close to the parents' bed. If a mother sleeps on the edge, her baby will be almost close to her. Children are usually quite happy with this option - after all, they sleep next to a loved one, and at the same time separately.
In order for your baby to fall asleep safely alone, you need to satisfy all his physiological needs. It is necessary that he be fed, not thirsty, bathed and, most importantly, filled with communication with loved ones.

The best option for parents is to combine both sleep options for the baby.

Until what age is it advisable for a baby to sleep with his mother?

During the mother's pregnancy, the baby and mother were connected into a single whole. After birth, the baby is separated, and therefore strives with all his might to be as close to his mother as possible. Therefore, at least until the age of six months, it is not only possible, but even advisable to put the baby to sleep nearby.

What you should do at an older age, between 7 and 9 months, depends on your preferences and the individual characteristics of your baby. You can try to accustom him to a crib if his growing baby has begun to interfere with your sleep, or you can leave everything as it is. It is only important that children’s biorhythms are already established by this time, and the baby does not confuse day and night.

But when the child is already a couple of years old, it is worth starting to teach him to be independent:

encourage him if he slept all night on his own;
Do not scold him under any circumstances if he still goes to bed with his parents at night.

Please also note that by the age of one and a half years, many children begin to develop a fear of the dark or a fear of the “monster” under the bed. In this case, after one and a half years, children again begin to strive to sleep with their parents, although before that they were quite happy with independence. This period can last up to two years or even more. That is why it is still worth teaching the baby to sleep separately later, when he is already two or even three years old - in this case, such phobias will not threaten him.

You can accustom your child to sleep in his own bed starting from 7 months.

In what position is it better for a baby to sleep with his mother?

There is no one ideal position in this case; any position should serve for the convenience of both. The baby should be given the opportunity to sleep without fear, and the mother should feed him lying down on demand at first and monitor his breathing.

The best poses are:

on the back (but with the head turned to the side);
on the side.

In this case, the child will not be in danger of regurgitation after a heavy meal. If the baby sleeps strictly on his back, vomit may enter his respiratory tract.

The baby should be positioned next to his parents strictly on his back or side.

If the child is already 5 years old or older

Let's start with the fact that this is not a pathology at all, and certainly not a perversion, as some parents believe. The main disadvantage is that the child does not learn to be independent; you are growing some kind of greenhouse plant that will have a difficult time in life. He will already be finishing school, and you will have to lead him everywhere by the hand. Or maybe you will even go with him to the HR department when he gets a job?

Sometimes a mother uses this situation simply as a screen if she needs to avoid a showdown with her husband.

It follows from this that it is time for such parents to begin teaching their grown-up children to be more independent, using all the positive experience that humanity has accumulated.

Summary

Co-sleeping of a baby with its mother is an urgent need, especially in the first months of its life. In this case, the mother will be less worried about his safety, the baby sleeps much more peacefully, feeling even in his sleep the close presence of the creature closest to him.

For slightly older children, you should also not force mandatory sleep separately. It is best to try to organize a joint vacation in such a way as to maintain some kind of golden mean, for example, by moving the crib close to the mother’s bed and removing the side of it.

There is no need to worry if your baby sleeps next to you until he is two years old or older. In this way, you will be able to rid him of many common childhood fears - fear of the dark or “scary creatures” in the closet.

Co-sleeping still raises many questions and debates. Young parents often hear only the subjective opinion of doctors, psychologists and other parents on this matter. Among this information, there are many outright horror stories, starting with the fact that a child can suffocate in his parents’ bed and ending with the fact that children get used to sleeping like this and then you can’t kick them out. Let's better turn to scientific facts to find out whether co-sleeping with parents is really so necessary for children and what conditions are necessary for organizing safe co-sleeping.

First, the size of the newborn's brain is only a quarter of the volume of the adult brain. This is necessary to pass through the pelvis, which has narrowed as a result of our becoming upright. Although our babies are born quite mature compared to blind kittens and other immature mammals, they still need constant close contact with their parents, not only during the day, but also at night. This is necessary to maintain stable breathing and body temperature during the first months of life, which in turn is necessary for the proper development of the brain.

Secondly, human milk is one of the lowest in protein content and fat and one of the highest in sugar content. Milk sugar is also essential for brain development, and the low fat content means that babies will breastfeed frequently, day and night.

Therefore, in traditional societies, not burdened by Western cultural norms, women have always carried and carry children in slings, put them to sleep next to them and breastfeed on demand.

Thus, in the course of recent scientific research, anthropologists have concluded that Sleeping together between mother and child is normal, species-specific behavior for humans.

This is confirmed by recent research in the UK. One such study found that 72% of breastfed children slept in their parents' bed at least sometimes, compared with 38% of formula-fed children.

And this is quite understandable. Young mothers are often unprepared for the frequency with which their babies ask for the breast, especially at night when you want to sleep. Therefore, co-sleeping gives breastfeeding mothers the opportunity to rest normally at night while the baby nurses. Often women admit that they cannot even say exactly how many times a child sucks at the breast during the night, since they do not fully wake up with the child.

There was also a study conducted in the UK that found that mothers who co-sleep with their baby were twice as likely to breastfeed at 4 months as mothers who co-slept with their baby separately. This is because babies who sleep with their mothers nurse much more often at night than babies who sleep in a separate crib, which allows for better lactation maintenance. After all, the hormone prolactin is most active from 3 to 8 am.

Co-sleeping should be safe

There is still an opinion that co-sleeping of young children with their parents is a dangerous practice that leads to an increased risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) or the death of a child due to negligence.

However, in reality, factors contributing to the death of children in such cases are sleeping on their stomachs, parental smoking, poverty, and the young age of the mother.

Regarding bed sharing, the following pattern has recently been identified: for children sharing beds with non-smoking parents, the risk of SIDS is the same as for children sleeping in separate beds. But for those babies who sleep with smoking parents (meaning sleeping in the same room), the risk of SIDS increases 12 times! So quit smoking, dear fathers and mothers!

Mom and baby sleep in sync!

In addition, it matters whether the baby is breastfed or bottle-fed. Numerous studies describe nature of interactions between mother and baby who nurses at night. Nursing mothers in most cases sleep on their side, facing the baby and hugging him with her arms and knees. The baby's head is located at chest level.

The phases of rapid and slow sleep in a nursing mother and baby are synchronized, i.e. they wake up and fall asleep almost simultaneously. All this suggests that a nursing mother is demonstrating instinctive behavior that is designed to protect her baby during sleep from various types of dangers - be it from a predator, the cold, pillows and blankets, or a partner who has spread his arms too wide.

In one of the studies where compared videos of sleeping together parents with breastfed and bottle-fed babies, it turned out that bottle-fed babies usually slept high on the parent's pillow or between the parents, while babies were always below the level of the pillow.

Also, mothers of artificial babies spent less time in a position protecting the child, that is, turning to face him and hugging him with her hand.

Therefore, I would like to emphasize once again that when organizing safe co-sleeping, you need to remember:

Parents who sleep with small children should not smoke, drink alcohol or take medications that affect the nervous system the night before bedtime.
It is advisable to have a spacious sleeping area and no gaps between the mattress and the wall.
Pay special attention and caution if your baby was born prematurely or is bottle-fed.
It is better to put older children to bed separately from babies.

By the way, for those whose sleeping space is too narrow and does not comply with safety rules, an additional crib, for example, like the one in the photo, can be a good option.

When is it time to move your child to a separate bed?

The end of co-sleeping is usually associated with the end of breastfeeding. If you are not in a hurry to wean your child from the breast and wait until the baby does it himself, then co-sleeping lasts at least 2 years. After all, the night feedings are the last to go.

At the same time, the nervous system matures to the point where the child no longer needs to wake up frequently at night.

You can already go to the store with your two-year-old and choose a new bed together. If there is an older child of the same sex in the family, you can first “move” the youngest child to him. This method of leaving the parental bed is considered as gentle as possible.

When the child has already accepted his new place for sweet dreams, he can still come to your bed to check. Therefore, do not rush to immediately move him into a separate room; first, put his bed with you, if possible. Don’t scold him, but calmly return him to your bed and explain that if he wants to see you, he doesn’t have to come to you, but you can just call him and you will definitely come. As soon as the baby realizes that you are sleeping next to him, he will stop worrying and calling you.

It is advisable not to start saying goodbye to your parents’ bed against the backdrop of illness., entering kindergarten, moving to a new place and other exciting events.

Some breastfeeding mothers begin the weaning process by switching to separate sleeping arrangements. However, this is not suitable for all children. Therefore, always look carefully at your baby and act as your intuition tells you.

Enjoy your dreams together!

Sleeping together with a child in a shared bed. Photo: easymoming

Therefore, in traditional societies, not burdened by Western cultural norms, women have always carried and carry children in slings, put them to sleep next to them and breastfeed on demand.

Thus, in the course of recent scientific research, anthropologists have concluded that Sleeping together between mother and child is normal, species-specific behavior for humans.

This is confirmed by recent research in the UK. One such study found that 72% of breastfed children slept in their parents' bed at least sometimes, compared with 38% of formula-fed children.

Co-sleeping should be safe

However, in reality, the factors contributing to the death of children in such cases are poverty, as well as the young age of the mother.

Regarding bed sharing, the following pattern has recently been identified: for children sharing beds with non-smoking parents, the risk of SIDS is the same as for children sleeping in separate beds. But for those babies who sleep with smoking parents (meaning sleeping in the same room), the risk of SIDS increases 12 times! So quit smoking, dear fathers and mothers!

Mom and baby sleep in sync!

The phases of rapid and slow sleep in a nursing mother and baby are synchronized, i.e. they wake up and fall asleep almost simultaneously. All this suggests that a nursing mother is demonstrating instinctive behavior that is designed to protect her baby from various types of dangers during sleep - be it from a predator, the cold, pillows and blankets, or a partner who has spread his arms too wide.

Also, mothers of artificial babies spent less time in a position protecting the child, that is, turning to face him and hugging him with her hand.

Therefore, I would like to emphasize once again that when organizing safe co-sleeping, you need to remember:

Parents who sleep with small children should not smoke, drink alcohol or take medications that affect the nervous system the night before bedtime.
It is advisable to have a spacious sleeping area and no gaps between the mattress and the wall.
Pay special attention and caution if your baby was born prematurely or is bottle-fed.
It is better to put older children to bed separately from babies.

By the way, for those whose sleeping space is too narrow and does not comply with safety rules, an additional crib, for example, like the one in the photo, can be a good option.

When is it time to move your child to a separate bed?

At the same time, the nervous system matures to the point where the child no longer needs to wake up frequently at night.

You can already go to the store with your two-year-old. If there is an older child of the same sex in the family, you can first “move” the youngest child to him. This method of leaving the parental bed is considered as gentle as possible.

…

Sleep issues and problems are among the most pressing for parents. The importance of proper rest for children can hardly be overestimated, however, the immaturity of the nervous system and some external reasons often prevent children from sleeping according to the age-appropriate schedule. Daytime sleep sometimes confuses mothers: the child categorically refuses to go to bed or, if he does fall asleep, cannot calm down for a long time in the evening. Until what age does a child need naps during the day from a physiological point of view? Why do children sleep in kindergarten and not sleep during the day at home? Should I insist on going to bed or should I still come to terms with the fact that the child has “outgrown” naps?

Why does a child need a nap during the day?

During any sleep - both daytime and nighttime, the nervous system and the entire body are restored after stress during wakefulness. For children, sleep is especially important: the REM sleep phase is associated with memorizing received information, and therefore with the mental development of the baby; During the slow-wave sleep phase, the production of growth hormones is activated. In addition, the nervous system of a preschooler is not yet very stable; it is just being formed, but at the same time it is constantly exposed to new impressions, events, and information. Only a sufficient amount of restful sleep, night and day, can provide high-quality “unloading” of the nervous system, and as a result, maintain the health and normal development of the child. Daytime sleep is no less important than nighttime sleep, since it allows you to divide a day full of impressions into two parts, which greatly facilitates the task of processing information for the brain and nervous system.

Some parents believe that if their baby “gets” the daily requirement of 11-12 hours of sleep per night, then he does not need daytime sleep. However, all pediatricians and pediatric neurologists are convinced of the importance of quiet time for preschool children. Thus, Vladislav Remirovich Kuchma, director of the Research Institute of Hygiene and Health Protection of Children and Adolescents of the Scientific Center for Children's Health of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, states:

“Sleep is an essential element of a child’s life. And this is not only free time for parents, who can go about their business while the baby is sleeping. Sleep is a natural manifestation of a child's life cycle and is characterized by a certain frequency. If a newborn sleeps 19 hours a day, then by preschool age the duration of sleep decreases. But one and a half to two hours of daytime sleep remain mandatory.”

Various studies on the topic of daytime sleep in children prove: preschoolers who sleep during the day have better concentration, behave more calmly, require less attention from adults, are less tired and overexcited, and are less likely to get sick compared to peers who sleep only at night.

Daytime sleep duration by age

The approximate number of hours of sleep according to the baby's age is shown in the table.

Age	How much sleep should a child sleep per day?	Night sleep	Daytime nap
Newborn		up to 5-6 hours of uninterrupted sleep	1-2 hours every hour
1-2 months			4 sleeps of 40 minutes-1.5 hours; only about 6 hours
3-4 months	17-18 hours	10-11 o'clock	3 naps of 1-2 hours
5-6 months		10-12 hours	Switch to 2 sleeps of 1.5-2 hours
7-9 months			Switch to 2 sleeps of 1.5-2 hours
10-12 months			2 sleeps of 1.5-2.5 hours
	13-14 hours	10-11 o'clock	2 sleeps of 1.5-2.5 hours; it is possible to switch to 1 nap during the day
		10-11 o'clock	Transition to 1 nap: 2.5-3 hours
	12-13 hours	10-11 o'clock

Over 7 years old	at least 8-9 hours	at least 8-9 hours	not necessary

Until what age do children sleep during the day?

It is difficult to answer the question until what age should a child sleep during the day, since this formulation of the question is somewhat incorrect. Most parents understand that getting a small child to sleep if he doesn't want to is a daunting task. You can only try and make efforts to ensure that the child’s regimen is close to optimal for his age.

The nervous system of a preschooler is in the process of formation, so it is difficult for him to endure the abundance of impressions of the whole day without an intermediate “quiet hour”. That's why neurologists recommend putting children to sleep during the day until they are 6-8 years old. The younger the child, the greater his need for daytime sleep. If an older preschooler (5-6 years old) does not suffer particularly from lack of rest during the day, for a child under 3 years of age, continuous wakefulness for 11-12 hours can result in behavioral problems (expressiveness of behavior, whims, hysterics), deterioration in learning ability and even decreased immunity . Therefore, parents should try to maintain naps during the day for as long as possible. “Disruptions” and deviations from the regime are possible, but with the persistence of adults, the baby will be sure that sleeping during the day is necessary. It is not for nothing that in kindergartens most children sleep during quiet hours, but at home, on weekends, it is difficult to put them to bed. It's a matter of discipline, including the self-discipline of parents.

In children 7-8 years old, the need for daytime rest may continue, especially taking into account adaptation to new mental stress at school. Do not forbid your child to sleep after school if he wants. And if he refuses, at least advise him to start doing homework after a little rest (not in front of the TV, of course).

What is the normal length of daytime sleep?

Despite the fact that doctors recommend that all children under 7-8 years old sleep for one and a half to two hours during the day, some children can get by with a short nap - about an hour, or even 30-40 minutes. Should parents worry? It depends on the behavior and condition of the child. If he is cheerful, cheerful, plays actively, and is not capricious, we can say that a short daytime rest is enough for him.

What to do if the child does not want to sleep during the day?

Parents of children who refuse naps at an early age are usually quite rightly concerned about whether this is harmful to their health. Only during infancy can one still be sure that the child will “sleep” the number of hours he needs. Children over 2 years old have much more complex mental reactions - new fears, worries and overexcitation often prevent them from falling asleep. Long-term lack of sleep can affect not only a child’s behavior (whims, irritability) and educational abilities, but also susceptibility to colds and the pace of physical and mental development.

The actions of parents who want to maintain a “quiet hour” in the child’s daily routine depend on the reasons that caused the refusal to sleep during the day:

If a baby sleeps the number of hours appropriate for his age, but does it “in one sitting,” at night, it becomes clear why he does not want to sleep during the day. In this case, you should not force him to sleep, because we all know that falling asleep through force is very difficult. But you should still try to divide your daily sleep (for example, 12 hours) into two stages: 10 hours of night sleep and 2 hours of daytime sleep. This will help your child be calmer in the afternoon. Set a clear routine. If your child goes to kindergarten, try to stick to a daily schedule on weekends. Children at home should also get up and go to bed at the same time - then there will be no problems with daytime sleep.
The baby is captivated by some kind of game and categorically refuses to sleep: in this case, you need to try to smoothly switch his attention to the activities that usually precede daytime sleep (reading a book, changing clothes).
In a state of overstimulation, children often cannot fall asleep, but they need it. The task of the parents in this case is to “calm down” the child, getting him interested in a quiet game, reading or doing something together. A good option is this game while reading, when the parent invites the child to imagine with closed eyes what is described in the book. Gradually the baby will calm down and be able to fall asleep.
Perhaps you are putting your child to bed too early, and he is simply not tired enough to want to sleep. Try shifting your bedtime by half an hour to an hour.
All children go through periods of no napping. Parental confidence and persistence help the child return to his usual daily routine.

And a few more tips for parents:

Teach your child to nap by example. You don't need to sleep, but lying down next to your baby when he falls asleep and closing your eyes won't hurt.
Remember: the process of falling asleep in children takes longer than in adults. 30-40 minutes is the norm. If your child doesn't fall asleep within 15 minutes, don't give up.
For a comfortable daytime sleep, a child needs silence and relative darkness.
Keep an eye on your child's biorhythms: perhaps a small change in routine will help you come to an agreement about daytime sleep.
Don't scold your child if he still doesn't fall asleep. Of course, an hour and a half of trying to lay it down will drive anyone crazy, but still try to control yourself.
Explain to your baby that he needs sleep, not you. He must understand that sleeping during the day is not a punishment, but an opportunity to rest and gain new strength for games in the evening.
If your child doesn't sleep, at least let him play quiet games or listen to you read in the middle of the day. Such rest is not as effective for unloading the nervous system, but it is better than actively staying awake all day.
One-time deviations from the regime are not a big deal. If you are invited to a birthday party or other event in the middle of the day, do not refuse due to strict rules.

In conclusion, I would like to say: few people can predict at what age your child will stop sleeping during the day. But parents can at least try to maintain such a beneficial vacation longer. We wish your children health and good restful sleep!

Good afternoon to all blog readers! Alena Bortsova is with you. Not long ago, my sister and I were remembering how funny our little boys were, lively Andryushka and smart Dimka.

And then Oksana says: “Do you remember how Dimka fell asleep on the toilet during the day when he was five?” Honestly, I don't remember. Anyway, we had a debate about how old children are until they sleep during the day? Is it easy to put a 4-5 year old child to bed and is it necessary? Let's try to figure it out.

How do your daughters and sons sleep?

For me, the words “Oh, my son started playing and fell asleep” are something from the realm of fantasy. My children have never gone to bed so easily. I always had to fight with my son, which I now regret. Only when I was six months old did I think of going to a neurologist; my son was diagnosed with hyperactivity. Daytime sleep is a difficult ordeal for such children.

Already at the age of three, Andryusha stopped sleeping for long periods of time during the day. At most it was enough for an hour. It took much longer to set up. I read books, played songs, carried them in my arms. Andryukha laughed, ran into another room, played with toys, and cried. He asked me to eat, drink, go potty. From the age of four, the boy was allowed to simply lie down, since lying down was more exhausting than helping him rest.

But even though my daughter doesn’t adhere to the “run, fall, fall asleep” principle, she still doesn’t refuse to fall asleep during the day. She even climbs onto the bed and screams: “Bai!!!” Although, of course, she pursues a specific goal - to obtain breast milk. For being almost two years old, the girl is quite smart.

And everyone is sleeping in the garden!

Do you know that most children in the garden sleep? And where to go, the teacher will not let 25 people go out, no matter how much they would like to. If babies do not sleep, then they will be capricious, some children even have headaches.

What can be noted about the age system? Children under three years of age sleep completely. Problems arise with small quantities:

Children undergoing adaptation do not sleep. The solution is to agree with the mother that she will pick up the baby after a nap. Therefore, it will be easier to persuade the baby to lie down in the crib - “you will sleep, and mom will come.”
Those who are intimidated by the garden do not sleep. This is where nervous tension comes into play.

A normal teacher does not force a child who does not sleep well during the day to close his eyes. For children from 4 to 6 years old there is a simple system:

Before going to bed, everyone goes to the toilet.
15 minutes after going to bed, everyone who asks to go to the toilet should also be offered a drink of water.
They laid us down, tucked in a blanket, sat in the middle and read a fairy tale. Until what age do children need to be read to in order for them to fall asleep? I practiced this method until my son was 8 years old, then he read on his own.
If someone does not fall asleep after reading monotonously for half an hour, let them lie down!

Yes, this may seem strange to some, but kindergarten teachers allow the children to just lie quietly. A simple way, lying around with nothing to do is boring, even seven-year-olds fall asleep.

I also suggest that parents use “gardening” techniques, especially if you have several children. The main thing is to make the child’s day before bed so eventful that he himself wants to sleep.

Until what age should it be laid?

Sometimes you really want to go back to childhood just to get some sleep! I think children should be put to bed before the age of 40!

But seriously, you need to judge by the baby’s behavior. In my opinion, the cut-off age is 3 years. Then problems begin with daytime sleep at home. If your child, when organizing daytime sleep, adhere to the following principles:

Using my mother as an example. It wouldn’t hurt for an adult to lie down and rest. Kids love to sleep with company.
No violence. She absolutely does not want to sleep - she walks quietly.
= sound daytime sleep.
If, due to sleep during the day, the baby has difficulty falling asleep in the evening, it is better to refuse the “siesta”.

Remember, the child does not owe anything to anyone. If you spend more time putting your child to sleep than he sleeps, you should not torture yourself and your baby.

You will also find very good materials about children's sleep and daily routine from a child sleep specialist.

Let the baby's sleep be pleasant, and let the time spent on putting it to bed bring pleasure and strengthen the bond between the baby and mother. Good dreams to you, day and night! I look forward to seeing you in the next topics.