Why Do Babies Have Difficulty in Sleeping ?

Good sleep is like a healer. It energizes and replenishes the body. The right amount and quality of sleep are even more important in young children, especially infants from the age of up to 6 months. The biggest challenge a mother faces in the initial days of parenting is sleepless nights. So frequent wake-ups in the middle of a dark, are painful and it is more stressful to actually trace the reasons behind it.

A newborn child cannot differentiate between day and night. It is 4 months of age, after which a baby naturally prefers to sleep and adapts a pattern. Sleep nutrition depends upon babies age, weight, family and environmental routines. Researches say that here is the approximate time of sleep requirements which gradually settles with time. Like from initial 16-18 hrs of sleep in a day for a week old infant to 10 hrs sleep throughout the night in 6 months old baby. [Read - Food Allergy in Infants]

Common Sleep Problems in Infants

The milestone of sleeping throughout the night is achieved differently by every child. Few attain it from the beginning while others ask for a long testing time from mothers. Here are a few common sleeping issues or problems diagnosed in babies & infants. Read here.

• Lack of proper sleep schedule: When the child sleeps through the day and is chattery in the night, it indicates that slumber is going wrong.
• Sleeping only in rocking arms. Ask a mother who has to pass whole night keeping the baby in her arms. The moment she put her back on the bed, the little devil is up.
• Sleeping outside the home: The most difficult is this when the baby falls asleep only after a long drive, turning the family into night goers.
• Short naps:  When the child sleeps only for short naps and quickly wakes up.
• Nap resistance: This comes when your infant is never ready to lay down and sleep. More you create the peace and more is her activeness to play.

How to Handle Sleep Problems in Your Infant?

Short naps and discontinued snooze, could be due to many reasons and are commonly faced by new parents. Handling these issues can be done easily.

• Inducing Self sleep could help remarkably. If the child wakes up in the night and is seeking mothers arm, try to introduce a soft toy or pacifier to soothe. Help her fell asleep on her own.

• Bedtime Music: This is an effective technique which not only soothes the child and spread sleep waves, it also suppresses the external unwanted noises in surroundings that could disturb infants sleep.

• Following bedtime routines. A young infant is advised to sleep as early as 8 pm. So try your best to create a good night atmosphere at that time. If the angel resists to sleep and ask for playtime, calmly ignore her to enforce the itinerary.

• Bedding essentials. Disrupted naps and 2 am rising, could be associated with uncomfortable bedding. If you are cosleeping your child, work on a good mattress and convenient spreads. A cozy cot or crib shall only be preferred.

• Follow hints that restrict the night sleep. Like avoiding long day hour sleep, late waking up or any disturbing home conditions.

• Sleeping only at home is one of the crucial solutions every parent shall stick to. Don't entertain napping in cars or rocking prams outside homes. Slowly bring your child to the normal ways. The cries and resistance will fade eventually.

• Avoid frequent feeds. It's not that you keep your child hungry, though the number of feeds shall be reduced, restricting frequent waking up. Feed the little one well before laying down and feed once in between to have longer naps. [Also Read - How to Cure Mouth Ulcer In infants?]

• Remove family /external obstructions. It takes the whole family to raise a healthy child. So all are advised to work on creating the right atmosphere. Late night habits shall be avoided for wise snoozing in infants. 

Reasons That Can Trigger Sleeping Problems

Here are the possible reasons that can be triggering sleep problems. Read here...

• Feeling cold or warm
• Hunger
• Separation anxiety from mother
• Overflowed diaper or wetness
• Uncomfortable bedding
• Unfavorable environment
• Family activities or unhealthy routines
• External environment /unwanted sounds

It will take weeks to months in achieving the ideal good night. So be patient when the child cries, don't panic to take her in arms or stroller just to settle the situation. The more calmly you follow the routine, sooner the adaptation will arrive.

Wishing all mums, best times with best of sleep.