Many mothers of newborn children in the first months of their babies face a certain problem. The baby sleeps only in the arms of adults, and when it is put in a crib or stroller, it immediately wakes up and cries. It’s hard enough to lay it down again. This problem requires a quick solution, because my mother does not get a good rest. How to wean a child to sleep in his arms?
How does restless sleep manifest
It is well known that in the first days after birth, a newborn only sleeps and eats. His sleep can be 16-20 hours. Sometimes the baby falls asleep as soon as he eats, and sometimes he is carried on his hands for this. In some cases, the process of laying the baby for mom turns into a continuous nightmare and takes a lot of time. It appears as follows:
- The kid does not want to fall asleep on his own, so he is rocked for a long time.
- The newborn quickly falls asleep, but if you put him in the crib, he immediately wakes up.
- The baby sleeps soundly only with his mother, and it is impossible for her to move away from him even for a moment.
Some women doze sitting, holding their baby in their arms and afraid to drop him in a dream. All these situations have common causes. If you find them out accurately, the baby will quickly fall asleep in his crib. It is necessary to wean a child to sleep in his arms.
Positive and negative sides
In the first months of motion sickness on the hands is useful for the health of the child:
- The kid feels safe.
- The child is rapidly gaining weight.
However, in addition to benefits, the constant carrying of the baby in her arms can lead to some negative aspects. Mom is very tired and does not get enough sleep. If the child is constantly rocked, the more difficult it will be in the future to wean him from this habit. He just can not be without parents for a minute in the daytime. Therefore, it is necessary to resolve a similar situation with benefits not only for the baby, but also for the mother.
Why do children like to sleep in their arms
The main reason for this is the need for constant bodily contact with mom. After all, after its birth, the baby enters a completely unfamiliar world for him. There are new smells and sounds. The child feels constant discomfort, he cries. He calms down only if Mom picks him up. The baby feels the warming warmth and the beat of the mother’s heart.
Child psychologists say that if a child constantly has the opportunity to feel his mother’s presence and touch her, then he will grow more confident in himself and will succeed in life. Such children will no longer be afraid of the world around them, since from infancy they grew in love.
When a child closes his eyes, then reality ceases to exist for him. This is child psychology. Along with this, the mother disappears, which causes the baby severe stress. It turns out that when he falls asleep, the dearest woman in his life disappears. The child does not want to part with his mother and therefore subconsciously struggles with sleep. As a result, the following situations arise:
- While the baby is held in his arms, he senses his mother by smell and touch. This is enough, because when he closes his eyes, she will be there.
- If you put a child in a crib and stand next to him, then for the same reason he will not sleep. He is afraid that mom will disappear. The situation is quite confusing.
The child sleeps only in the arms: what to do? To do this, you should analyze all the other factors that cause this condition.
Main reasons
Why does the child want to sleep only on his hands? It is well known that a baby spends most of his time with his mom. After all, he desperately needs her.
The best option is to free your mother from all household chores for at least 1 month to stay with the baby for the maximum amount of time. Over time, he adapts to new living conditions and can calmly fall asleep in the crib.
Does the baby cry and sleep only in his arms? The reasons include:
- Uncomfortable temperature. Sometimes the baby sleeps on his hands due to too high or low temperature in the room. It may be worth turning off the radiator and ventilating the child’s room. If the air is too dry, put a humidifier, and then the child will fall asleep calmly in the bed.
- Something hurts in the baby. When parents decided to wean the child to fall asleep in his arms, he begins to cry uneasily. But he can worry about colic. Or maybe his teeth are being cut. In this case, the pain is most easily tolerated by the mother in her arms.
- Uncomfortable sleeping in the crib. In some situations, the baby sleeps only in his arms, because his bed is uncomfortable. The reason may be linen, bedding.
- Overwork. If guests came to the house, or a baby with mom visited a clinic, then such events are a real test for him. He begins to pour out his emotions through crying and anxiety.
When in such cases the baby is picked up, it calms down and sleeps calmly.
How to behave to parents
How to wean a child to sleep in his arms? Parents in such a situation need to be constantly around, take care of the baby and create a sense of security in him. They must:
- When the child closes his eyes, sing him a lullaby so that he constantly hear his mother's voice.
- If crying, take the baby in his arms, swing and gently talk to him. He still does not understand the words, but he perfectly perceives a soothing tone.
Parents should not ignore children's crying and anxiety, considering them to be childish whims. If the baby does not see the mother, then he feels real horror. Therefore, you should not leave the child alone.
How to create favorable conditions
How to wean a baby to sleep in her mother’s arms? Psychologists recommend the following:
- While the baby is not sleeping, parents should always be with him. You can not only carry it on your hands, but also use a sling. Mom puts the baby there and does the housework. Such a device will remove the load from the woman and free her hands.
- Mandatory sleep with the baby. During the first year, the child should sleep in the same room with his parents and be at arm's length. The crib is placed in a row with the adult. In this case, the baby will fall asleep next to his mother, but in his bed. During daytime sleep, a woman can arrange a joint sleep with her baby. This position will create a feeling of complete comfort.
- In the first days and weeks after the birth of the baby, it is best to swaddle. This condition will create in him the feeling of the time when he was in his mother’s tummy. And vice versa, when the child lies freely, without diapers, this contributes to discomfort. Such children sleep more anxiously and constantly demand the presence of their parents.
- Breasts recognize their mother by smell. You can put some of her clothes nearby and, perhaps, the baby will fall asleep calmly.
- When breastfeeding, the baby quickly falls asleep. It can be performed even while sitting, holding the baby in a sling. This will allow mom to rock and feed him.
- You can lay the baby, sitting on an orthopedic ball. In this case, the mother feeds the child and cradles him. This reduces the load on the female spine. This will be a good vestibular gymnastics for mom and baby. Another option is a rocking chair.
Does the child want to sleep only on his hands? Even if you apply all of the above measures, it’s not always possible to quickly “cure” the baby from the craving for mom’s hands. Have to lull and sing him a lullaby. The mother should not be afraid that the child will be in her arms constantly. After all, no matter how much love you give him, it will benefit him. These recommendations will allow mom to survive the period of adaptation of her child to a new world for him.
How to put in the crib
How to put a child to sleep without arms? Often there is such a situation when the mother puts her to a deep asleep baby in bed, and he suddenly wakes up. Moreover, he may not even cry, but just look or even smile. Therefore, mothers are advised of the following:
- Before putting the baby in the crib, a diaper should be put under his cheek.
- When the baby falls asleep, mother needs to sit next to him. This is done so that his sleep becomes stronger.
- The baby with the diaper is transferred to the crib.
It is best to swaddle the baby at night. After all, while mom holds him in her arms, he has limited space, and when he is laid in bed, then his arms and legs begin to move independently. Therefore, the baby wakes up.
How to teach to independently fall asleep a one-year-old baby
If a child sleeps in his arms a year, then it's time to wean him from this habit. At this age, children perfectly understand the words addressed to them. The following tips should be observed:
- Mom should talk with the baby on this topic. He understands more than he seems.
- You can demonstrate how dad or your child’s favorite toys fall asleep.
- Mom should offer him an alternative. He will sleep in his crib if they sit next to him while he falls asleep. Mom can stroke his hand at this moment. So one bodily contact will be replaced by another.
Mothers should not stop their attempts, even if from the very beginning they do not have the desired action. You need to be patient so that the baby is used to sleeping on their own.
Useful Tips
How to wean a child to sleep in his arms during the day? Moms need to wean the baby from joint sleep gradually. On the first day, a woman can put it on her belly, and when the baby falls asleep, put it in a crib. On the second day after feeding, you can put it next to you, and put the sleeping person to bed. The next day, after eating, the child is placed in a crib, and the mother hugs the baby with her hand so that he feels her proximity. On the fourth day, you just need to try to be present next to the baby, but do not touch it and do not swing the cradle. Such a gradual distance very often works.
Sometimes the process takes several weeks and is difficult not only for the baby, but also for the mother. The baby is usually naughty and crying. Calm and perseverance mom will help to achieve a positive result.
Tips by Dr. Komarovsky
The newborn spends most of the day in a dream, and wakes up only when he is hungry. If the child is healthy, then he does not experience difficulty falling asleep.
If the child is sleeping in his arms, Komarovsky advises to do the following:
- You can bathe a baby in the bathroom with the addition of herbs (chamomile, motherwort, lavender).
- A light massage before bedtime will beneficially affect the baby’s nervous system.
- Feeding a baby before bedtime is the best sleeping pill for him, it works in 95% of cases, especially if it's mom's milk.
- Up to 3 months, the baby is best swaddled, this creates a feeling of confined space. It was this state that was in his womb.
- Motion sickness is a method used by ancestors. After all, then there were suspended cradles. However, prolonged motion sickness can adversely affect the vestibular apparatus of the child and cause loss of consciousness.
Komarovsky insists that children's sleep should be scheduled, and that you should accustom the child to the regimen of the day from the moment of birth.
Conclusion
Constantly holding a child in his arms is a tiring task, because he is constantly gaining weight. Therefore, unity with his mother can be provided to him by more gentle methods.