What to do if you don't get enough sleep with your child. How to start getting enough sleep with a baby? Start implementing our tips in small steps to get away from the endless list of consequences of your mother’s lack of sleep

Many expectant parents await the arrival of their baby with slight horror. Frightened by the stories of eyewitnesses, they expect a lot of problems to appear and the end peaceful life. The first question that a young mother and father is asked is: “How are you getting enough sleep?” Unfortunately, few can answer in the affirmative.

Before the birth of the child, we, like all decent people, bought a crib. However, we didn’t need it with either our first or second child. As a result, it served only as a fence for the large parental bed. Of course, every family chooses its own path, and it seems to me that we simply chose the easiest one. I still can’t imagine how much effort it must take for a mother or father to get up to the baby at night: to hear, get up, go to the crib, force himself to wake up, take the child in his arms, sit somewhere, feed, put him to sleep, put him back in the crib , go to bed, fall asleep, so that after half an hour you can hear the familiar squeaking sound again. Moreover, in many families, the baby is initially “trained” from birth to sleep in his own crib and in his own room. I accept that some people feel more comfortable this way, and every child is unique. But for myself, I almost immediately realized that this option was not suitable for us.

Probably many parents know that the most difficult moment- transfer the baby from your arms to the crib; on the first try, in 99% of cases he will wake up, and you will have to repeat the whole procedure. Therefore, both children immediately began to sleep with us, while everyone was absolutely calm and comfortable. The child fell soundly asleep next to his mother, feeling her smell and warmth. The mother was nearby, as a rule, subconsciously forming something like a cocoon around the child. Dad slept as usual, next to mom. No one’s rights were violated, everything was, although unusual at the very beginning, quite comfortable. If the child wanted to eat, he could do it right on the spot, half asleep, and the mother didn’t have to wake up much.

In the first year, instincts are quite strong, so I usually woke up at the same time as the child or even a little earlier. If something happened, the baby had to “croak” once or twice to remind herself and feed. So I don't remember our girls making noise or crying at night, with a few exceptions. Dad could sleep completely peacefully and go to work in the morning. Someone will say “lucky”, but I will say – don’t buy a crib!

By the way, our eldest daughter slept with us until she was three years old (I fed her until she was about 2 years old). When she was three years old, her grandmother gave her a beautiful bed sheets with Winnie the Pooh. At that moment our child said: “I’m already sick and I’ll sleep with Winnie the Pooh!” This is how she moved to her room, to her Winnie-Furry bed. Of course, my husband or I always put her to bed, read her, and more often composed fairy tales or lullabies. Then she fell asleep and we could return to our place.

With the second child it was even easier. She already told us when she was two and a half years old that she was going to bed. older sister. So, our “resettlement of peoples” passed quite calmly. Until now, one of the parents always puts them to bed, discusses the past day and tells invented fairy tales. Sometimes I speak out angrily about this, but I go anyway, because it’s also a pleasure to talk, hug, wish Good night, see how cute they are sleeping and sniffling, and then go back to their bed and get a good night's sleep.

Instructions

Teach the difference between day and night. It's okay that he sleeps almost all the time. During the day, put him to sleep in a bright room or outside. In the evening it is necessary to keep the curtains closed. The baby, of course, will not yet understand why you are doing this, but he will get used to the fact that it is light during the day and dark. Of course, the light should not be too bright during the day.

Get used to certain procedures. In the evening they bathe him, feed him, and sing him a song. Exactly how the baby looks is up to you. Some parents rock him to sleep, others put him in bed with them, others leave him alone in the room so that he can throw out his emotions and scream properly. Most best option for both mother and child - when he calmly falls asleep in his crib, and mother sits next to a book or with needlework. The child is calm, he feels protected because his mother is nearby. At the same time, mom is not angry, she also feels calm and peaceful. All other methods have their pros and cons. By constantly rocking your baby to sleep, you are creating a not very good reflex in him. The baby is unlikely to want to fall asleep without rocking. If suddenly you are not at home one day, other family members simply will not cope with the task assigned to them.

Before going to bed, ventilate the room well. Prepare your bed. Crib infant must be perfectly clean, linen must be changed every day. By the way, this is why it is not very recommended to put a child to bed with his parents. If you do this, make sure your baby has his own sheet.

Turn down the TV volume. It is not necessary to turn it off completely if you do not want your child to be able to sleep exclusively in complete silence. There may be some background noise, but there should not be any sharp or loud sounds in the apartment. By the way, this is also how night differs from day - during the day the child sleeps, when cars are driving outside the window, one of the neighbors has music playing quite loudly, and at night everything usually quiets down.

If a child perceives going to bed as a ritual, this makes the parents' task much easier. Do it in a specific order. Infant feed immediately before bed, after bathing. Sometimes he even gets used to falling asleep with the breast in his mouth. Don't indulge this habit. When you see that the baby has eaten and is dozing, calmly remove the breast and put him in the crib. Otherwise, he will suck on everything in his sleep, and it will be difficult to wean him off.

Do not leave the room immediately after the child falls asleep. It may well be that he is not yet fast asleep, and any movement you make may wake him up. Sit for a while, minding your own business.

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Please note

If your baby doesn't fall asleep for a long time, try to determine the reason. He may be too excited, he may be in pain, he may be too hot or too cold. Do not scold the child, but try to eliminate the cause of his dissatisfaction.

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• how to put a baby to bed

When you have an infant, it is extremely rare to count on full, uninterrupted sleep. At the same time, lack of rest can make a young mother irritable, overly tired, and will also negatively affect breast-feeding. There is only one way out: use various opportunities to get enough sleep with your baby.

Co-sleeping in the first months

Co-sleeping is a common practice that causes a lot of controversy and conflicting opinions. The main criticism of this method is that the baby gets used to sleeping with you, and later it will be quite difficult to put him in a crib. IN in this case It is important not to miss this moment: let the baby sleep with you until 3-4 months, when he is exclusively on the bed, and then you begin to move him. Co-sleeping will help you get enough sleep because your baby will feel your heartbeat and warmth, and, as a result, wake up less often.

Remember your baby's safety during co-sleeping. Buy special bumpers that will prevent your baby from rolling off and preventing you from crushing him in his sleep.

To keep your baby as safe as possible, use a carrycot. You can place it next to you in your bed, and after a few months move it further away, into a crib.

Practice short naps

Take every opportunity to sleep, even if it's just for a short time. Sleep during the day when your baby sleeps, at least during one of the periods. Free yourself from business by this time. Even if you are not used to sleeping during the day, it will soon become a habit and will give you a feeling of rest and relaxation. As a rule, at this time you will be alone at home, and no one will disturb you. However, try to wake up before sunset to avoid headaches and insomnia.

Learn a popular meditation technique called yoga nidra. Even 15 minutes of such practice is equal to 4 hours good sleep and help significantly restore the entire body.

A child's sound sleep is your rest

In order for the mother to get enough sleep, the baby himself must sleep well. If the child is healthy, he is strong and long sleep depends on the parents.

First of all, you need to enter a routine. Lay your baby down both during the day and at night night sleep at the same time, with a difference of no more than 10 minutes. Create your own bedtime ritual: bathing, light stroking, feeding, certain music or a lullaby. In a few weeks, the baby will get used to the routine and will lie down without additional effort. Try to follow this routine yourself, and then the lack of sleep will not be felt so sharply.

A few minutes before bed, spray a mist with lavender essential oil into the nursery: this aroma will promote better comfortable sleep both mother and baby.

Before going to bed, try to make yourself as tired as possible, but not overstimulated. Chat with him, sing songs to him, do light massage, walk, swim - there can be many options. Try to keep him busy on his own: this will free up more time for you to do your own things, so that you can then sleep with your child.

2. Most often, babies fall asleep near their mother's breast. There is no need to panic, there is nothing wrong with this. Therefore, before going to bed, give your baby breastfeed more often. When breastfeeding, babies feel protected and safe.

3. Play a lot with your baby before bed. Try to maintain a wakefulness interval of 3-4 hours before going to bed all night. Don't let your baby sleep.

4. Many people are also afraid to rock their baby to sleep before bed. Of course, when the baby is already big, this is of no use, but while he is still an infant, you need to make as much physical contact as possible and be nearby.

5. The most useful and useful for children sound sleep on the street. Therefore, do not forget to walk outdoors more often. The baby is recovering during a walk correct breathing, which is very important and useful for a small organism.

6. If you want your child to have a sound and restful sleep, then before going to bed, turn off the bright lights, turn down the TV, or even turn on calm music. It is better to choose either classical music or sounds of nature. You can also sing a song or tell a story yourself.

7. To make your child feel your warmth and care, kiss him before bed. Here are the most simple rules, or rather tips for young mothers.

Sleep is one of the most pressing problems for most young parents. How to organize your child’s sleep and your own rest so that all family members feel comfortable? Dr. Komarovsky formulated 10 basic rules.

1. There is no separate baby sleep" Normal sleep is when not only the child sleeps well, but also the mother and father.

2. From a medical point of view, there is no regime. Mom and dad must themselves set the child a routine that is convenient for them - with some persistence, any child can be accustomed to any daily routine.

3. It is better for the child to sleep in his own bed, and for mom and dad to sleep in theirs, together.

“If you really like to sleep with your child, you can do this, but as a doctor, I believe that for the well-being of your family, dad should sleep next to mom, and he also has the right to mother’s breast... If dad sleeps somewhere on the rug “This is a woman’s fundamental mistake,” says Dr. Komarovsky.

During the first year of life, the baby's crib should be located next to the parent's, and then it should be gradually removed to another room - the nursery.

4. From a biological point of view, a child's sleep time is a certain amount hours. If your child is a sleepyhead, don't be afraid to wake him up. If a 6-month-old baby takes three three-hour naps during the day, he will definitely not sleep at night.

“The trouble is that when a child who has slept poorly at night goes to bed during the day, his unhappy mother also goes to bed next to him. They get enough sleep, and when dad comes home from work, he wants to sleep, but mother and child don’t want to sleep - the family is in crisis. More than anything else, more food and drinking, more sleep and air, the child needs good, well-rested, loving friend friend’s mom and dad,” emphasizes Dr. Komarovsky.

5. The “don’t eat heavily before bed” rule applies exclusively to mom and dad. The child has a slightly different metabolism, and with an adequate active lifestyle, a hearty meal before bedtime provides the child with sound sleep.

6. How your child spends the day determines how you spend the night. If he has been running, jumping, cavorting all day, tired, exhausted, naturally he will sleep at night.

7. Obviously, if the room is clean, cool, and humid, then you can sleep easily. Optimal parameters for a children's bedroom:

- temperature 18-20°C (in European countries– and even 16°C)

— humidity 50-70%

“This is fundamentally important. Main problem of our women: the child is revealed. I assure you that when the temperature is 16-18°C, no one opens up. At 28°C everything opens. Cool air is important for the child, but warm clothes, a warm blanket, his own room, where the child will sleep at 16°C, and mom and dad will sleep in theirs at 21°C,” says Dr. Komarovsky.

8. If you bathe a child in a large bath of cool water and then warm him up, he will pass out for several hours.

9. Correct bed: a flat, hard mattress and no pillow until the age of two.

10. You definitely shouldn’t limit night feeding.

Thus, if during the day the child was cheerful, walked a lot, did not overheat, was not overfed, and late in the evening, after a massage and gymnastics, he was bathed in a large bath and fed very well, then the baby, as a rule, for 6-8 hours turns off.

“All children sleep this way, without exception. Sleeping is the same physiological need as breathing, eating, drinking, peeing and pooping - you cannot stay awake after a certain period of time. If we constantly follow the child’s lead, then it’s bad for us, and sooner or later it ends in conflict in the family and is taken out on the same child. These priorities need to be clearly analyzed. Make decisions together. Women, consult with men, they very often say things that are inspired not by instinct, but by the desire to sleep, by common sense, and this can be the most the right option", recommends Dr. Komarovsky.

The joy of motherhood for many women is directly related to many hardships for the sake of a new family member: this includes the refusal of much usual food in the first months after childbirth, and the lack of free time, rest and, of course, lack of sleep. The baby constantly requires maternal care, sometimes around the clock, depriving new parents good sleep. As a result, night diaper changes and motion sickness gradually turn a young mother into a zombie, adding chronic fatigue and a constant desire to sleep to the arsenal of diseases. Well, if we cannot increase the number of hours in a day for restful sleep, we can very well improve the quality of rest, for which we need to follow a few simple rules.

How to get enough sleep with a baby?

In one of the articles we already talked about... Now it's time to talk in more detail about how to improve the quality of your sleep so that you feel more alert and fresh every morning.

Eat right and don't overeat at night

From bad habits It is also worth refusing and, preferably, completely. Eliminate cigarettes, alcohol, and coffee from your daily diet. At the very least, try to avoid drinking coffee in the afternoon - this will help you fall asleep easier and faster. Even small portions alcohol can make sleep restless, and therefore prevent the body from gaining strength. In addition, try to minimize the consumption of any products containing caffeine: energy drinks, strong black tea, chocolate. Try to exclude all chemical drugs, unless this contradicts the doctor's testimony. For example, forget about diet pills - they not only have a detrimental effect on your body’s well-being, but also lead to chronic fatigue. You can lose weight after childbirth with the help of special gentle ones.

Build your own schedule

You are probably trying to accustom your baby to a certain daily routine, for example, putting your baby to bed at the same time in the evening. So why not define and own schedule Which one will you stick to?

For example, after your baby has fallen asleep in the evening, take a warm bath with essential oils. chamomile or lavender, for example, will relieve fatigue and nervous tension.

Don't forget about naps

A young mother often experiences acute shortage time, so every free minute he wants to do his interesting things - read a book, sit at the computer or chat with a friend on the phone. But don't forget that daytime The time your baby sleeps can also be your bedtime. Daytime nap allows you to restore strength, improve brain activity, relieve fatigue.

Stop constantly thinking about something

Of course, a mother should take care of her child, but there is no need to fill your head with unnecessary worries and thoughts with paranoid zeal. Write down everything that worries you in a notebook, and then just calmly discuss these issues with your husband. You shouldn’t constantly be under the pressure of your own thoughts.

The same applies to night sleep. When you fall asleep, try to relax as much as possible and not think about pressing matters and problems, just put everything out of your head and relax.

Monitor the temperature in your home

No wonder they say that fresh air useful for both children and adults. Try to ventilate the rooms more often so that the body always receives enough oxygen. Also, keep an eye on the temperature in your bedroom. Most people sleep better when the room is a little cool.

Compliance with these rules will allow the young mother to improve the quality of her sleep, which means waking up every morning cheerful and cheerful, ready with renewed vigor to help her baby comprehend the world.

The birth of a child brings special joy and special troubles. Caring for the helpless little man parents are ready to sacrifice everything they have. Sleep becomes part of such sacrificial love. It is especially difficult for mothers, because they spend 24 hours a day with their newborn children. What can you do? How can a mother and child get enough sleep? If you are such a mother and experience chronic lack of sleep, try the tips listed below.

1. Set the order

The first months after birth are the most difficult. The baby’s functioning of all organs is improving, colic is bothering him, and his tummy hurts. The parents wake up and together try to calm the baby down. In this case, lack of sleep threatens both. You can improve the situation if you take turns standing with the child or dividing the nights: today is dad’s night of vigil, tomorrow is mom’s. This will make the ordeal of a sleepless night less extreme on your mental and physical health.

2. Face reality

Many mothers strive for perfection. They want to look after the child and keep the house in perfect order. As soon as the baby falls asleep, they fly like a bullet to the kitchen and there they cook, wash, and scrub. Then to the bathroom - start the laundry, then to ironing board- iron a bunch of things. Such mothers do not give themselves the right to rest. You can maintain this pace for some time, but then your strength will run out and you will feel chronic fatigue. Make it a rule: if your baby falls asleep, lie down for a nap, too. It's okay if the laundry is ironed in order of demand. You can wait for culinary delights, but for lunch, prepare simple and quick-to-prepare dishes. Use equipment that makes work easier and faster: a multicooker, a double boiler, a food processor.

3. Use other people

Relieve yourself of household responsibilities as much as possible. Ask relatives - parents, sisters, brothers - to take on part of the household chores. If there are no such relatives, it makes sense to hire a housekeeper in the first year after the birth of the baby. Spend the time you have freed up from cooking and cleaning for yourself. Take a relaxing bath, listen to music, read a book. But most importantly, take the time to get extra sleep to replenish lost strength.

4. Sleep next to your baby

The baby just cried in his sleep, and mom is already there to rock the crib. Often this is enough to prevent the child’s sleep from being interrupted. But with mom everything is different. In order to calm the baby down in time, she got out of bed. And so several times a night. It would be much more convenient if the child were nearby. Many parents practice co-sleeping. For opponents of such sleep, there is another way: move the baby crib close to the adult, lowering the side protective side. It turns out that the baby, being under the mother’s arm, is still sleeping in his playpen. This will improve the quality of your sleep.

5. Feed your baby late at night

If your baby falls asleep early, you shouldn’t hope that he will sleep peacefully until the morning. Most children wake up at night because they are hungry. It is better to wake up the baby closer to midnight and feed him. A well-fed child will provide parents with uninterrupted sleep until the morning, which is 5-6 hours, allowing them to rest well.

A sleep-deprived mother is a nervous, irritated mother. It's a shame when Bad mood affects the baby. So do everything you can to increase your sleep time and improve its quality. Give up unimportant things and leave only the main thing: satisfaction physiological needs- yours and your child's. Don’t allow yourself to think that life is lost and has become a routine. You will still have time to go to the club, and do fitness, and go shopping with your girlfriends - later, when the child grows up. In the meantime, he is small and helpless, focus on caring for him and consider it the most rewarding thing in your life!