Thinking about why a child cries before going to bed, any mother will first of all begin to suspect that he has some kind of ailment. Still would! There are so many of them, and the baby is so small and defenseless! But let's think without panic, is everything really that scary? Maybe the screams and reluctance to sleep are not explained by crumbs at all?
before bedtime? Komarovsky talks about the rules of getting ready for bed
The most famous doctor of our time claims that a healthy child must be ensured by creating a normal environment in the room where the baby sleeps. It means the following:
- No accumulation of dust in the form of rugs, pillows, or a huge number of soft toys in the children's room!
- The air temperature in the sleeping room should not exceed 20°, and the humidity, accordingly, should not exceed 50-70%.
- Heaters that dry out the air and warm clothes will not help your baby fall asleep; on the contrary, they will make his sleep anxious and difficult.
Only in normal conditions the baby will calmly fall asleep without signaling the “unintelligible” parents about his discomfort.
Why before bed? Down with
But not only the above factors prevent the baby from sleeping. Perhaps you taught him to fall asleep only in your arms (or rather, he taught you)? Thus, the instinct of the newborn came into force.
The fact is that his connection with his mother is very strong until a certain age. Without her, the baby does not feel protected. And he can realize this only by being held in his arms and feeling something big and warm nearby. And, succumbing to such a provocation, the mother only fixes this instinct more strongly.
In different children, by the way, this need is expressed in varying degrees, while sleeping in your arms will not become acute problem, if you do not support the baby in his demand.
The main thing is to make sure that screaming before bed is precisely the desire to be “safe.” It is clear that no pain goes away because the baby is picked up. If he screams in the crib, but immediately falls silent in your arms, be patient and wait out his violent emotions, consoling yourself with the thought that this will soon pass. But if the baby continues to cry after being taken out of the crib, you need to look for other reasons for your child’s anxiety.
Why does a child cry before going to bed: maybe he is sick?
May be trying to tell you about his feeling unwell: his stomach hurts, his nose is breathing poorly, his teeth are cutting, etc. But surely not only whims before bed will be symptoms of the disease. If you find that your baby is sick, contact your pediatrician. He will help you understand the problem and choose the necessary treatment.
Constant whims and reluctance to sleep may also be a consequence of your child’s developing fears or phobias. In this case, you need a neurologist.
The child cries in the evening before going to bed
For good sleep, of course, you definitely need to take a walk on fresh air and get tired during the day. But don't overdo it! You shouldn't run or jump shortly before you go to bed - then you'll be guaranteed tears.
Towards the evening, keep the fidget busy with something calm, and when you put him to bed, try to stay with him for a while, holding the baby by the hand and quietly humming or telling a fairy tale. Perhaps this is exactly what the baby is trying to achieve.
Warmth in communication, love and attentiveness will help parents figure out why the child cries before bed and eliminate this problem.
According to statistics, about 30% of young children suffer from sleep disorders. How does it manifest itself? It is difficult for the baby to fall asleep; his sleep is short and intermittent. The reasons that a child cries before bed can be different, so the task of parents is to identify them as quickly and accurately as possible in order to help the baby.
Why does a child cry before going to bed? First of all, we need to talk about the main characteristics age development. Typical for babies light sleep. Up to six months, sleep is biphasic. It begins with a restless phase and is replaced by a calm one. In adulthood, the order of sleep phases is different. During the first phase, the baby may open his eyes, turn from side to side, frown his eyebrows and forehead, etc. Therefore, if your child is 3, 4 or months old and cries before going to bed, there is no need to worry. At this age, such sleep is normal.
An important point is that infants do not know where is day and where is night. As a result, they may sleep a lot during the day and cry and refuse to sleep before going to bed at night. This is why babies cry before going to sleep. Only at the age of 1.5 months does the baby gradually begin to become attached to daytime. For quick mastery of work biological clock, communicate and play with him as much as possible during daylight hours. At night, create silence, do not play with him if he wakes up, etc. By the way, the fact that the baby confuses day and night is the reason that they may cry before naptime. But you should take into account other causes of restless sleep.
A few more reasons why a child cries a lot before going to bed:
- Colic. This trouble bothers many kids. During colic, the baby unconsciously presses his legs to his stomach to remove discomfort. The baby calms down quickly if you put him on your stomach. You can give your baby anti-bloating medications that will eliminate painful gas and help you fall asleep. Fennel tea also copes well with this task. .
- Teething. This common reason that a newborn cries before going to sleep. How do you know if your baby is worried about his teeth? You need to take a closer look at your gums. If they are inflamed and swollen, the first teeth will appear soon. To eliminate this cause, you need to purchase an anesthetic dental gel or drops (some recommend). It will be useful to find out at what months the first teeth appear in children -.
- Mental stress. If the nervous system cannot cope with the load it has received throughout the day, it begins to fail. This manifests itself in the fact that before bedtime the baby begins to be capricious and scream. Screaming helps him relieve unnecessary stress.
- Lack of regime. If parents believe that their child should sleep whenever he wants, then they may be faced with constant whims of the baby before bed. Doctors still advise disciplining the child in terms of rest. This provides stability and peace of mind.
- Uncomfortable clothes. Perhaps sleepwear causes discomfort for the baby, and he is capricious. It is enough to simply change the set to a more convenient one.
What to do?
- Follow the regime. If your baby goes to bed every day at different time, then falling asleep will be extremely difficult for him. Therefore, it is important that the child gets used to the regime: eats and sleeps at the same time. Great importance have special rituals that help children fall asleep faster. One option is a bath with medicinal herbs. Create a sequence of actions that you will perform before each fall asleep. For example, swimming Lullaby, swaying.
- Minimize changes in environment and too active games.
- Remember that Small child emotionally connected to mom. He very quickly and clearly adopts her mood and emotions. That is why young mothers need to carefully monitor their emotional state.
Komarovsky
What does Dr. Komarovsky advise if a child cries before bed? The famous pediatrician recommends that parents develop a daily routine, organize the feeding process, ventilate the room before bedtime, provide required level humidity in the children's room (50-70%), choose a bed made of natural fabrics.
Many parents are faced with the fact that their child cries before bed. A large number of children are susceptible to this phenomenon - about 40%. Babies may wake up frequently and cry after waking up and before falling asleep. Parents should be wary of this phenomenon, since failure to take timely measures can lead to disastrous consequences, namely, an exacerbation of any disease.
The baby cannot tell his parents in words what is bothering him, so he expresses his dissatisfaction through crying. Only through it can kids show their parents that they don’t like something. A child of any age cries if something does not suit him, but this discomfort will not necessarily be associated with a physical disorder.
The reasons for crying can be different:
- annoying sounds in the room;
- mental overexcitation;
- reluctance to be in the wrong hands;
- fear that his mother might leave him alone.
Based on the tone and strength of the crying, one can determine what is causing the child to experience tearfulness. If infant cries weakly and quietly, this indicates his poor health, and if the baby cries loudly and with all his might, this means that he is fed and watered and is completely healthy, except for the factor that worries him.
If the reason for crying is some physical need, then after it is satisfied the baby will calm down. If the baby is nervous and won’t stop crying, then you shouldn’t get annoyed and yell at him. Perhaps he is overexcited and in this way throws out the accumulated tension. You just need to wait it out.
The sleep process is one of essential elements in the life of not only a child, but also an adult. Through sleep, a person restores his strength, everything internal organs relax and reboot so that you can work at your full potential the next day.
It's no secret that a well-rested person - happy man. This rule also applies to children. If a child cries after sleep, this may indicate that he did not get enough sleep and does not like it.
In order not to encounter a similar problem, you should take into account some features and adhere to certain rules before putting your baby to bed:
- Create a clear sleep schedule and do not disturb it under any circumstances.
- Bath your child at the same time before bedtime.
- Change into pajamas in preparation for bed.
- Read a book or hum a lullaby.
Data simple rituals before bedtime will help structure your baby’s routine and avoid whims when falling asleep. U constantly crying children There is no implementation of such a plan before bedtime, which leads to inappropriate behavior in children.
The reason why a child cries before going to bed may be hunger. An empty stomach will not allow the baby to fall asleep, no matter how the parents try to rock him to sleep or put him to sleep. If the baby is less than six months old and does not have enough breast milk, formula can be given. If the baby is over 6 months old, you can feed him cereal or other age-appropriate food. Mothers should take special medications to increase lactation.
Your baby's sleep may also be disrupted if his diaper is full. The child bends, trying to get out of them, while crying, attracting the attention of the elders.
If the cry is plaintive, the reason may be that the baby is in pain. This could be pain from teething or a symptom of teething. The itching brings discomfort, causing the child to arch his back and cry a lot. You need to eliminate the pain by applying anti-itching gel or ointment.
One of the reasons why a child cries before going to bed may be intestinal colic. The child will arch, scream, and punch for an hour or two until the pain goes away.
You can help your baby by resorting to the following methods:
Newborns suffering from tearfulness may experience overexertion. And if, before falling asleep at night, he cries, lets off steam and accumulated nervous tension per day, it will be much easier for him to fall asleep and sleep for quite a long time. If the child is not allowed to do this, he will have disturbing dreams that prevent parents from enjoying a restful sleep during the night.
In order for babies to have a calm and measured sleep, it is worth creating comfortable conditions: a silent room, reducing the volume of conversations. IN in this case children will dream only pleasant and good dreams.
There may be several reasons, and many of them are present even in most of us adults:
Temperament! It is given to us from birth, there’s no way around it... Just like the characteristics of temperament, the habits of falling asleep can be divided into 4 main models of behavior (very conditionally, of course):
phlegmatic quiet people who “don’t give a damn” even if they turn on a drill instead of a lullaby - “if I’ve decided to sleep, I’ll sleep!”
melancholic whiners, these love to whine pitifully at every opportunity in front of their parents, and indeed any adults (what acting talent!), sometimes it seems that they don’t even have the strength for real sobs... - “I like it when people feel sorry for me, even for no reason!” (the bedtime ritual is just another excuse)
extravagant sanguine people who don’t have enough days to do their business - “why waste time sleeping? Let’s talk, let’s chat, let’s play, I DON’T WANT TO SPAaaat!” (and I won’t let anyone sleep;)
and troublemakers - choleric people, who are always dissatisfied with everything, because they know how best to do and are constantly eager to “save the world”, at least around themselves - “I don’t like this pillow, this bed, this room, and I’m tired of you all too ":)
Has anyone recognized themselves? :) Of course, this does not mean that you are an obvious phlegmatic person if you fall asleep without problems - the behavior patterns of each of us may be different depending on situations or circumstances: hard and difficult work will knock down even the most typical sanguine person.
But let's return to our children. I propose to figure out “who is who” only in order not to fight, often, with non-existent dragons, such as colic and hunger - crying before bed, basically, occurs only because the child has no other way to relieve tension and he “discharges” » ( in the first months of life, difficulties in falling asleep can also be attributed to getting used to the rhythms of day and night).
When will crying before bed stop? Well, there will be no crying, whims will appear;), or rather, as we grow older, crying will smoothly move into another state: into long heart-to-heart conversations, into singing lullabies together, and also this fairy tale, and those pictures., and what Dad is doing it there, and now I want to eat, etc. This is where the temperaments described above can help us draw up optimal mode specifically for your child:
for a baby who likes to attract attention to himself before bed, to “build up” the whole family with his endless demands, it would be good not to indulge him and at least for a while leave him in the room alone and in silence - he will soon get tired of staging performances without spectators... :)
but a child who has been in a calm environment all day and (quite naturally) clearly does not want to sleep, needs to give free rein to his emotions at least before bed: put the toys aside and let him jump, chase around the apartment, and eventually scream :) (provoke such things yourself games!)
And some restless people, on the contrary, before going to bed like to hug someone and just lie quietly; they “cannot” fall asleep alone, because they were given too much independence at other times.
But why AFTER sleep? Why do adults wake up in a bad mood? :) There are plenty of reasons: you woke up ahead of time (noise outside the window or wall), you didn’t sleep well in an uncomfortable bed (the sheet was bunched up), it’s stuffy, you’re thirsty, you need to go to the toilet... and then there’s an overflowing, pressing diaper...
Frequent Crying before bed in infants is a release of accumulated emotions, the baby still does not know how to TELL about the reason for his dissatisfaction. You just need to be patient and tell yourself: “This is such a period, in a month or two everything will pass.” Keep your composure! Try to just switch off... (easy to say... :))
Keep an eye on the baby more closely - perhaps he begins to yawn and stretch much earlier than you are going to put him to bed, and vice versa: the baby is at the peak of activity, and you are rocking him to sleep... You need to catch such moments and try to adapt the whole family to his rhythm - as soon as possible Overall, your baby’s sleep and yours will be much calmer.
(these tips do not apply to children with medical problems: intracranial pressure, ear pain, toothache, etc.)
The sleep of a newly born baby is inextricably linked with the emotional state of the mother. If she is nervous and irritated because the child does not fall asleep, the baby becomes even more capricious. It is with the help of the mother that the newborn enters correct rhythm life.
Emotional sunsets
You are already tired of the fact that every day at the same time your baby puts on a “concert”. This phase usually occurs between 18 and 22 hours, and it cannot be avoided, even if the day has passed quietly. The baby may cry for 1-2 hours, despite all attempts to calm him down. In fact, this is how the child frees himself from the stress accumulated during the day and moves from wakefulness to sleep. The baby, tired during the day from the abundance of new impressions, “switches off” only after fulfilling his “norm” of crying. It's imperfect, but nonetheless effective way self-soothing.
Older children may react to overwork by running around and screaming loudly, and an adult may lose his temper after a hard day at work.
Features of age
The first feature is that he is more superficial and sensitive, and this is the norm. Up to 6 months, sleep consists of two phases: restless at the beginning of the cycle and calm at the end (in adults, the alternation of phases is the opposite). During restless sleep, the child tosses and turns a lot, smiles, frowns, and his eyes may be slightly open. No need to worry. This phase is necessary for normal functioning nervous system and to process the information received during the day.
The second feature is that newborns do not know about the existence of day and night! As a result, they may sleep a lot during the day and wake up at night, crying or hooting. The baby usually stops confusing day with night by the age of 1.5 months - at this time he begins to have a period of wakefulness tied to daytime. To help your child adjust the functioning of his biological clock, focus on the contrast between day and night: communicate more during the day and play with your baby. During nap Do not darken the windows or maintain absolute silence. At night, on the contrary, create complete darkness, do not talk to the baby, if he wakes up, do not play with him.
Is silence necessary?
The sound of the TV and muffled voices will not. If the baby hears in his sleep the quiet background of a working washing machine, the calm muffled voices of his parents, he will get used to these sounds, will not be frightened by them in his sleep and, accordingly, will sleep better, and the parents will be able to continue doing their usual things without fear of waking up the baby. But sharp and loud sounds should still be avoided, as they can frighten the child.
Causes of poor sleep
Colic. Mitigate this process associated with settlement gastrointestinal tract microflora, it is possible if you do not rush with complementary foods and only feed the baby breast milk up to 4-6 months, as WHO currently recommends.
Teething. Soothing gels and massaging the gums with a toy from the refrigerator help.
Rickets- a common cause of sleep disorders in the first year of life. It is caused by a violation of phosphorus-calcium metabolism due to vitamin D deficiency. initial stages In rickets, there is always an increase in neuro-reflex excitability; this symptom can be clearly detected from 3-4 months, in some cases even earlier - from 1.5 months. The child develops anxiety, fearfulness, irritability, and sleep is noticeably disturbed. Children often startle, especially when falling asleep.
Emotional overload. Parents should supervise their child's activities before bedtime. 1-2 hours before bedtime, it is not advisable to watch TV or play active or noisy games.
Enlarged pharyngeal tonsils and adenoids, which cause snoring and restless sleep in about 5% of children aged 1-7 years. Inflamed tonsils and adenoids must be treated.
