How to put a 1 year old baby to sleep
A baby snoring peacefully in a crib is a delight for the eyes and a moment of mother’s peace. But sometimes the baby refuses to sleep or his sleep schedule is disrupted. To help your child fall asleep easily and quickly, let’s figure out why this happens and what to do in each case.
- Regime change.
Until 11–14 months, babies sleep twice a day. Sometimes these are two periods of equal time, but more often there is a regime with a short morning and longer afternoon rest. As the child approaches one year of age, nighttime sleep becomes stronger and longer, and periods of active wakefulness increase to almost 5 hours. The daily routine at this moment shifts - the child is preparing to switch to one daytime nap. It may take up to two months to master the new schedule. To make life easier during this time, it is better to use a transition schedule. Depending on the duration of night sleep, put the baby to bed once or twice during the day.
- Lack of sleep.
It's not just adults who suffer from insufficient sleep. This also happens often in children, but is not always noticed by parents. A one-year-old child sleeps approximately 12–13 hours a day. In this case, 2–3 hours occur during the day and at least 10 hours at night. If his regime does not correspond to age standards, fatigue and overwork sets in. The body reacts to this by releasing the stress hormone cortisol. It is more difficult to put an excited toddler to bed, and his sleep becomes shallow and often interrupted.
What to do? Monitor your daily routine and avoid periodic fluctuations. Parents need to adapt to the established sleep schedule, and not alter it to suit their needs.
- Abrupt transition to sleep.
After fun games it is difficult to switch to relaxation. To make falling asleep easy and calm, it is important to properly organize behavioral activity during the day.
During the period after waking up, the brain works most efficiently and quickly absorbs information. Therefore, immediately after breakfast or afternoon tea, the best time comes for active developmental activities and outdoor games. Walks that fill the baby with new impressions and bright emotions are also appropriate.
2 hours before bedtime, it is recommended to limit physical activity, create a calming atmosphere, and in the evening also dim the lights. Rituals will help your treasure fall asleep when the same, familiar actions are repeated before going to bed and the baby knows that after them it’s time to rest.
- Violation of established rituals.
Time for children is an abstract concept. However, getting used to a certain order of actions, kids know what awaits them ahead and can prepare for it in advance. “Brush your teeth, listen to a fairy tale and go to bed” – these are not just words for children. Family rituals that are repeated day after day give a sense of stability and order.
The standard evening ritual for a 1-year-old child includes an evening bath, changing into pajamas, dinner, and a song or bedtime story. Here modern technologies come to the aid of parents; there are collections of excellent calm melodies for the little ones - if a one-year-old falls asleep to such music, it will be firmly associated with sleep and in itself will help him fall asleep quickly.
- Comfort and safety come first.
For many mothers, a night's rest without waking up becomes a luxury. Meanwhile, a deep night's sleep is necessary for the good mood and health of all family members.
Intermittent sleep can be caused by temperature imbalance. The child becomes hot, he wakes up and wants to drink. And the dry air makes it difficult for him to breathe. Therefore, it is important to maintain relative air humidity in the range from 50 to 70%, and the temperature in the children's room - 18–20 degrees.
Properly selected nightwear - cotton pajamas or overalls - can also save your baby from overheating. And in order not to worry about it opening up and freezing, use a cocoon or sleeping bag instead of a blanket.
Mom should be prepared for the fact that even with a well-established sleep schedule, sleep will not always be equally calm and deep. But a mother’s patience, sensitivity and knowledge of the principles of good sleep will certainly help your baby fall asleep faster and easier.
How to help a child fall asleep or personal experience
There are many ways to help a child fall asleep and calm him down before bed, but each is effective in a specific case for a specific child.
Again, it all depends on why the baby is not sleeping? There can be many reasons. For example, because of the weather. What does it mean? Yesterday it was cold, but today it became sharply warm and vice versa. Also cloudy weather: snow, rain affect the sleep of an infant. Another reason for not wanting to sleep: tummy problems.
For example, infant colic or simply abdominal pain can cause the baby to cry and, as a result, not want to sleep. Another reason for a child’s poor sleep is fatigue. A striking example of this is the presence of a large number of people around, for example, relatives, who want to pay attention to your child.
So, let's move from reasons to practice. How to put a child to sleep? Let's try to go through all the methods that I know.
- Motion sickness.
The simplest and most accessible method, known since ancient times. Moreover, it is the most physiological, no matter what opponents say about it, because the baby constantly felt shaking in his tummy, because his mother was on the move. You can rock it in your arms or in a cradle, crib, special swing, stroller, rocking chair, or chaise longue. Who likes what more? Personally, this method does not always help me. Most often it has to be alternated with other methods, which we will consider below. - Lullaby . Our grandmothers' method. If a mother is embarrassed to sing to her child, you can simply turn on pleasant, soothing music. There are many interesting lullabies on the Internet for every taste. Here are some of the ones that my child and I like:
- When the baby was not yet a month old, I used my method of putting the baby to sleep . I don't even know what to call him. I'll describe it better. I walked back and forth in the kitchen very quickly. She took 600-700 steps, and the child calmed down and eventually fell asleep. Probably, this method can be attributed to motion sickness. I had to use it in this form because the baby didn’t want to just sit in my arms after feeding. He needed me to definitely move. As soon as I stopped, he immediately showed his displeasure.
- Water noise (this also includes the noise of a washing machine, hair dryer and vacuum cleaner). A very effective and natural method of calming a baby, because... In the mother’s tummy, the child was in a constant stream of noise (heart noise, blood flow, environmental sounds). It helps not only to help the baby fall asleep, but also to simply calm down and not cry. We pick up the child and go to the bathroom. Everything is very simple. It doesn't always help, of course. If the child is very overexcited, then the noise of the water will not get you off.
- Tight swaddling in combination with any of the above methods of calming the baby.
This method can be used at night. For many babies, tight swaddling allows them to sleep for a large number of hours at night, which undoubtedly pleases parents. I did not use this method, because... My baby doesn't like to be swaddled. But I found an alternative a little later. At the end of the second month, I remembered how my baby lay under the lamp in the maternity hospital. The nurse swaddled his arms and legs in such a way that only they were shackled, and not the whole body. How to swaddle only the arms (I only swaddled the arms because the baby distracted himself with them and constantly woke up)? Take a diaper, preferably a square one, and fold it in half diagonally to make a triangle. Next, lay out the diaper as follows: the baby’s head is located in the place where the arrow is.
We tuck the corners of the diaper under the arms, pressed to the body. Thus, it turns out that the edges of the diaper are tucked under the baby’s back and bottom. - Mobile.
Anyone who doesn’t know what it is can find a lot of information on the Internet. I won't dwell on this in detail. I'll just say that this method is not suitable for everyone. My baby, looking at the toys moving in a circle, had fun and did not fall asleep at all, but only became more and more disinhibited. This device helps me when I need to do some work in the kitchen or want to stay in bed longer. 20 minutes is enough to distract him. - Pacifier.
Helps calm the baby in combination with rocking, swaddling, and lullaby methods. This method is suitable for those whose child is accustomed to this device. - Co-sleeping.
It doesn't always work either. It only helped if the child was already very tired or after feeding, and also in combination with a pacifier. - Breast.
Of course, how could we forget about this. Feeding or simply suckling at the breast can help your baby sleep or simply calm down. But here you need to know when to stop. You don't need to let your baby hang on your chest all day. Better try other methods. - Also an effective method are walks in the open air.
This is only beneficial, not only for the child, but also for the mother, who needs physical activity after childbirth to get back in shape. Or you can make your dad or grandma go for a walk, while you do a bunch of household chores or just sleep. That's basically what I do. - Reading fairy tales . This method is for older children. I haven’t gotten to it myself yet, because... We are still just kids.
- There is also a funny video “7 ways to put a baby to sleep” , which I came across on the Internet. I advise you to watch it, you won’t regret it.
Here is a small list of methods that I use in my life with my baby. I would be glad if someone shares their methods in the comments to this article.
Author and happy mother: Anna Sukhova
There is a chance to sleep all night
Newborns usually do not sleep for long periods of time in the first weeks of life. In addition, they do not distinguish between night and day. But by two months, babies can already exist without food longer than in the first days. And most parents are destined to know how hard the heart beats when, waking up at dawn, you suddenly realize that the baby has not once reminded you of its presence all night. "What about him?" - the first thing that comes to mind. and then the breathless fear gives way to relief and quiet delight: “He slept all night long!”
By three months, to the great delight of parents, most children begin to sleep seven to eight hours every night without interruption. But for some this achievement is not given so quickly. Some people initially move in the wrong direction: they sleep peacefully almost all day, and then suddenly open their eyes and begin to actively live and worry just when tired parents passionately dream of a break. If your baby is determined to walk all the wee hours, then you will want to carefully but decisively set him on the right path.
- Try to ensure that your child does not sleep too long during the day. Don't let him fall asleep during or immediately after eating, but rather wake him up. Talk to him, sing a song, change his clothes, play with his arms and legs, stroke his back, or let his grandmother coo with him. Do not make loud noises and do not shake the baby under any circumstances. (Sharp and sudden movements of the head can damage the brain.) Let him stay awake for a while after feeding before allowing him to fall asleep. This will also prevent him from falling asleep only after eating.
- If a child sleeps for a long time during the day, and sleeps little and restlessly at night, think: if he has already slept during the day for a total of more than three to four hours, then maybe it’s worth waking him up during the daytime in the active sleep phase?
- Do this. so that the night time, when the child is not sleeping, turns out to be as boring as possible for him. This is especially true for feedings. Dim the lights, keep conversations to a minimum, and change diapers (if necessary) in a businesslike manner. Night is not the time for fun.
- Remember that during REM sleep, young babies often fidget, grunt, and even seem to wake up momentarily. Try with all your might not to disturb the baby at this time, because, without knowing it, you can wake him up exactly at the moment when sleep enters the deep phase. This will require you to make some changes in your own sleep pattern.
- If your baby tends to wake up at the crack of dawn and you don't feel like keeping him company; Try hanging blinds or blackout curtains that block out the sun's rays. Don’t think that fussing in the crib necessarily means that the baby has finally woken up. Wait a little before you pay attention to him, because he may fall asleep again. But if, despite all your efforts, the baby still wakes up with the first roosters, then you may want to adapt to his regime for several months, building your daily routine in accordance with the advice of the poet Samuil Marshak: “Early to bed - get up early".
How to quickly put a child to sleep: tips for parents
In order to quickly, literally in 5 minutes, put your child to sleep, you need to understand how the mechanism of falling asleep in children works. Even you have evenings when you toss and turn in bed, your cheekbones hurt from yawning, and you can’t fall asleep. You are an adult, you know that it is time to sleep, you need to lie down, relax, count the sheep and sleep peacefully. And this is a child, he doesn’t know how to consciously relax, and he doesn’t know anything about sheep.
When the baby is busy with you, food or a toy, his attention is focused. In the process of falling asleep, it dissipates, the baby begins to feel a booger in the nose, a seam in his pajamas, etc. All this causes discomfort, and it becomes more difficult to fall asleep. And if sleep was preceded by an active and fun pastime, then even more so.
Parents should organize the whole day to fall asleep quickly in the evening. You can put your baby to sleep even without breastfeeding or rocking if you prepare properly:
- Proper nutrition. Make the afternoon snack light, and the dinner not too voluminous, but quite filling. After all, when you eat a heavy meal, you yourself are drawn to sleep. It’s the same with the baby. However, this does not apply to infants - the child is still small and will still get up at night.
- Correct microclimate. The bedroom should be cool and humid. Doctors recommend maintaining a temperature of 18-20°C and a humidity of at least 50%.
- Loads. When do you fall asleep fastest? When physically tired. It is necessary to tire the child with games and physical activity indicated for his age. However, do not overdo it: overwork and overstimulation of the nervous system are bad aids to falling asleep.
- Evening rituals. Some of you may be familiar with the concept of psychological “anchors.” These are signs that trigger the start of a certain habit. You are used to falling asleep watching TV in the evening. Suddenly the lights went out and the TV didn’t work. To fall asleep, you need to try hard. In this case, watching TV in the evening is an anchor that triggers sleep.
You can create several such anchors for your baby. A bath with cool water, a light massage, warm milk, a lullaby, sleep. If you repeat these actions day after day, they will become a good ritual for falling asleep; the baby will not even listen to the end of the lullaby and will switch off.
When you manage to organize all the necessary conditions, the baby will begin to fall asleep without problems, over time you can try to teach your child to fall asleep on his own, which will further simplify your happy motherhood.
However, there are bad days when even a calm sleepyhead cannot fall asleep, despite following all the rules of healthy sleep.
What are the best styling mistakes to avoid?
In my opinion, you cannot use revolutionary methods with children. Education should not break the child’s psyche; it is a progressive evolutionary movement. If we need to introduce some changes into his life - to accustom him to something or wean him from something - we need to think through a plan of action in advance. Gradually, step by step, you will achieve your goal much faster than with categorical prohibitions and demands.
Of course, you can go the other way - just tell your baby: “Now you sleep alone, period.” And don’t pay any attention to his screams. Most likely, you will be able to “break it.” After 5-7 days he will stop crying and start falling asleep alone. But at what cost? Yes, he will reconcile himself and understand that it is useless to call, that his parents abandoned him and there is nowhere to wait for help. And every evening he will fall asleep with a feeling of loneliness, abandonment, uselessness. I have no scientific evidence to show whether children raised in these ways increase anxiety. But I'm sure it is.
Under no circumstances should you put your child to bed at the peak of a conflict. This is how you develop neurosis. The baby should not fall asleep crying. All conflicts must be resolved before bedtime.
You can’t scare people with “babaika” and other monsters. This is, of course, a very easy way to deal with a baby. After all, children believe what we tell them. The child, frightened by horror stories, lies obediently, afraid to move. But does he sleep at the same time, and if so, does he have nightmares? It’s easy to scare, but it will be extremely difficult to treat fears that will subsequently develop in a child. Take care of his mental health. It is much more important than the immediate problems associated with falling asleep.
Mommies, how do you put your babies to sleep? In the morning during the day and at night?
Dear Mom of Tamerlane,
Unfortunately, “bam and sleeps” - there is no experience :) But with my daughter I was once again convinced that all children are different, and what suits one person is completely unsuitable for another (corny).
With our daughter, the methods of “not responding to every squeak” did not work, she became even more divergent and the longer the demands were not met, the longer it took to calm her down. What can you do - such a nervous system. AND! The child is still very small, it is impossible to explain anything to him. Let trust in the world be formed through the mother :))) I personally don’t believe that by responding to the calls of a child at that age, he will grow up to be a notorious manipulator and a person who knows no boundaries))) on the contrary, there’s just time for everything.
I introduced the regime, but in the end she adjusted it herself and I, naturally, met her halfway. Now (and we are about your age) the regime is not very strict, but predictable. )) We don’t go to bed crying, even if it’s late: we leave the bedroom if I see that sleep is causing protest, we start playing or doing other things to switch attention. And when she’s actually ready to sleep, there’s no problem getting her to sleep.
Here, of course, we are not an object of envy - she only falls asleep with her breast and her mother at her side, but “without repression” motion sickness has already disappeared by itself (and before, swinging on a fitball was a necessary condition), and at night she wakes up less often to kiss your chest.
In general, it’s like this with us: when you’re tired and the time has come, then bam and sleeps :))) Exhaust your Chick yourself :))
Good luck to you
