How to train babies to sleep well on their own

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Ngo Thi Oanh - Pediatrician - Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Ha Long International General Hospital. Uncle Ho has over 10 years of experience working in the field of Pediatrics and has strengths in examining, diagnosing and treating respiratory, digestive, urological, and child nutrition diseases.
Sleep plays an extremely important role in the neurological and emotional development of infants. In addition, babies often have short, shallow naps that significantly affect the mother's health, so it is really necessary to train babies to sleep on their own.

1. When should children sleep by themselves?

The first 3-4 months of life is a favorable time to help children form good sleep habits, when children can fall asleep on their own without help, it will also reduce the difficulty of coaxing them back to sleep. wake the baby up
Most babies from birth to age two sleep more than they are awake. Children sleep from 16 to 18 hours a day but are often interrupted by waking up to feed, mainly because the baby's stomach is small so it can't hold much food, every 2-3 hours the baby needs to be fed. suckle and fall back to sleep.
For a full-term, healthy baby, sleeping more than 3 hours at a time is not something to worry about waking the baby up. On the contrary, if the baby wakes up frequently, it is only temporary because from 3 months of age, the baby's stomach has grown and can hold more food, which means that the baby's sleep will also be longer.

2. What is an independent sleeper?

Children are assessed as independent sleep when they have the following factors:
Children can sleep continuously for 6-8 hours throughout the night Can go back to sleep on their own after waking up in the middle of the night without father's support When babies reach 6 months of age, up to 60% of babies can sleep independently Studies show that parents can do a few things to help children develop independent sleep habits when babies are really ready. ready.

3. Reasons why babies cry at bedtime

Children are very sensitive and often have periods of being fussy at bedtime. Understanding the common causes for this will help parents find ways to help their kids get through it and get a better night's sleep. Common causes include:
Independence: One manifestation of a child's growing independence is when he cries and doesn't want to go to sleep. Parents need to comfort their children by giving them choices such as hugging a teddy bear or a doll to bed, depending on their preferences, but giving them the opportunity to prove their “importance” Fear: Some children have anxiety Being afraid of the dark, at night, I often cry and cry in the middle of the night when I wake up. At this time, hugging and patting will create a sense of security for the baby, gradually making the baby feel warm and safe and the fear of the dark disappears Fatigue: Too much or not enough sleep during the day will make children tired, hyperactive at night, may need more exercise during the day to have a better night's sleep Children have health problems: Common problems are growth teeth, hunger or thirst, the child is about to be sick or has an allergy/insect sting. All these causes need the check and help of parents to help children deal with health problems to have a better sleep.

4. How to train children to sleep well by themselves

There are 3 methods mothers can apply with their 3-4 month old baby to create an environment to practice their independent sleep habits:
Clarifying the difference between day and night Put the baby to bed when the baby is sleepy but still awake Start the cycle of eating, playing, sleeping.

4.1 Clarify the rhythm of day and night

Newborns cannot clearly distinguish the difference between day and night, causing them to wake up frequently at night and may sleep during the day. You can help your child regulate his or her sleep more at night than during the day by the following ways:
Keep the room in which the baby sleeps very dimly lit at night (it doesn't have to be completely dark). Turn on soft lights only if the baby needs care Respond to the baby's needs quickly when the baby is crying such as comforting or feeding when possible During the day, the mother needs to play and talk with the baby after eating and at night just petting and saving play for the day.

4.2 Put the child to bed when drowsy but awake

In the first 3-4 months of life, it is necessary to apply this method to help children form the habit of not waiting for their mother to comfort them at night. Sleeping habits also increase the feeling of sleepiness and help children fall back to sleep easily when suddenly waking up in the middle of the night, so mothers need to choose methods that are suitable and easy to implement for themselves such as patting, lullaby. To train children to sleep habits. Letting the baby sleep in the arms when swinging will make the child form the habit of sleeping only when held and rocked, parents need to consider creating this habit because the baby will also have a hard time falling back to sleep without being held. lullaby when waking up at night.

4.3 Start the cycle of eating, playing, sleeping

When things are going well, do things in the same order every day: feed-play-sleep. Such a consistent cycle will help children program their sleep
In addition, some bad habits also make it difficult for children to sleep at night
Do not understand the importance of daytime sleep: some parents mothers prevent their children from sleeping during the day because they want them to sleep more at night but this is not effective because it will make them tired and more difficult to fall asleep
Night eating: From 6 months on, most Children do not need a night meal to supplement nutrition, but there are still children who need this meal. If parents feel comfortable with night feeding beyond 6 months, it is still possible to maintain night feeding for babies to maintain breast milk supply.
Children need to provide enough elemental zinc/day for them to eat well, reach the correct height and weight and exceed the standard. Zinc plays a role in affecting most biological processes taking place in the body, especially the breakdown of nucleic acids, proteins... Organs in the body when zinc deficiency can lead to a There are a number of diseases such as neurological disorders, irritability, etc. Therefore, parents need to learn about the role of zinc and guide them to appropriate zinc supplements for their children.
In addition to zinc, parents also need to supplement their children with other important vitamins and minerals such as lysine, chromium, B vitamins,... errands.
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