HOW TO HELP YOUR BABY SLEEP AT NIGHT

The sleep patterns that a baby presents are not the same as those of the adult, because while we go through five phases of sleep, babies only go through two, which makes their sleep lighter and have multiple awakenings.

Today we explain how the baby's sleep takes place in its first months, and what we can do to facilitate its relaxation and help you sleep at night.

Understanding the baby's dream

During the first months of life, the baby does not distinguish the day of the night. He sleeps and wakes up every few hours, following a wake-up rhythm called ultradiano, where two phases of sleep alternate: deep sleep and the REM (less deep) phase.

These continuous awakenings occur in response to a biological need and are absolutely normal. That is, the baby wakes up to "warn" that he needs to eat or be sheltered in his arms, another basic need of the newborn.

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While the baby sleeps an average of 16 hours distributed throughout the day, adults concentrate the hours of sleep at night, following a circadian sleep-wake rhythm, which is repeated approximately every 24 hours.

This difference in sleep patterns between adults and babies, can make the first months parents feel exhausted at their multiple night awakenings. But as the baby grows, his sleep pattern will change to resemble ours more and more.

When will you sleep all night?

Each child is unique and has different needs, so it is difficult to know when he will sleep all night from the pull.

Usually, after six months many babies begin to concentrate more hours of sleep at night, increasingly resembling the rhythm of adults. However, this is not an exact rule, and almost 40 percent of babies at that age continue with several nighttime awakenings, and sometimes they can even last up to three or four years.

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How can we help you sleep?

Understanding the needs of the baby during its first months of life is key to provide adequate care, respecting your natural sleep pattern.

Therefore, there is nothing we can do to "teach the baby to sleep," since sleep is an evolutionary process that will mature over time.

But while the baby goes adapting naturally and progressively to light and dark cycles, we can help you relax and calm down, thus contributing to a better rest.

Place your crib near your bed

Both the Spanish Association of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that the baby sleep in his own crib placed in his parents' room during the first year of life, in order to avoid the risk of sudden death.

But in addition, this practice favors the rest of the baby (and therefore, of the parents) since it can be taken care of immediately if he wakes up, in addition to contributing to the maintenance of breastfeeding.

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The importance of night shots

Breastfeeding should be on demand., and of course also during the night. In addition, some studies have confirmed that breast milk shows variations in the concentration of certain nutrients such as tryptophan, an essential and necessary amino acid for the brain to secrete serotonin, a brain neurotransmitter that promotes sleep.

That is why breastfeeding at night, in addition to nurturing our baby, favors your rest, because chest suction relaxes you and gives him the tryptophan necessary to help him achieve the circadian rhythm.

In the event that the baby is bottle fed, give it on demand and leave them ready at night before bedtime.

Create sleep routines

To contribute to a better rest for our baby it is also recommended that we repeat the same sleep routines every day, to create a habit that will make him associate that process with bedtime:

Try always go to bed at the same time.
Most babies have a night bath and a gentle massage afterwards. Test if your baby also accepts it willingly, and if later he becomes calmer.
Reduce the pace of previous activities at bedtime, to prevent the baby from overstimulating and it costs you more work to relax.
Create a cozy and quiet environment: dim light, relaxing music, storytelling, nannies ... These tips can also be maintained as they grow, also avoiding the use of screens before going to bed.
There are babies that they need to have their parents close before going to sleep. They need to be caressed, shaken, shaken in their crib or just calm down feeling their smell and breathing close. Other babies only get to sleep in their arms.

It is important to meet your needs so that the baby is relaxed, confident and calm, so that each family will choose what best suits their circumstances.

In short, the baby's dream is an evolutionary process and each child will follow their own rhythms. But parents can favor their rest, and therefore their correct development, with these simple tips.

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