The first months of life are the most exciting time for both the baby and his parents. Especially if the first child is born in the family. For several months, the main occupation of a small child is sleep, during which the baby develops and grows. That is why young parents have many questions about this. How much should newborns sleep day and night? What if the child sleeps little and his sleep is restless? Is it possible to listen to musical compositions when the child is in the "land of dreams"?
How much should a newborn baby sleep up to a month
After the birth of the baby, the life of the newly minted mom and dad changes dramatically. Young parents care how much a newborn baby should sleep per day. No pediatrician can give an exact answer, since the body of each child is individual. The baby, just born, sleeps a lot. On average, in the first month of a baby’s life, 18-20 hours are allocated for sleep. In the first two weeks, the baby sleeps even more, about 20-22 hours. In the wakeful moments, the newborn eats and communicates with family and friends, mainly with mom and dad.
Since the newborn is very weak during this period, his strength and energy are enough exclusively for food.
How much should a child sleep before six months
Gradually, the baby's body becomes stronger, the baby is gaining strength. From the second month of life, about 16-18 hours are allocated for sleep. In the remaining time, the child eats, communicates with relatives and relatives and studies the world around him. It is from the second month that it is recommended to draw up the daily routine of the baby. This will avoid such a phenomenon in which the baby confuses day and night and spends most of the night time in a wakeful state.
By the end of the third month of the baby’s life, sleep time is reduced by a few more hours. At this point, the baby sleeps for about 16-17 hours. In the remaining time, the baby comprehends new things, learns to crawl, grab toys and talks with mom. By the way, the first year of a child’s life is an extremely important stage and is mostly based on the emotional contact of the baby and mother.
In the period from three to six months, the duration of night dreams gradually increases, reaching 8-10 hours, and the total number of hours at this time is 14-15 hours. The baby spends most of the day awake. By nine months, sleep time is reduced and is 12-13 hours at night.
How much newborns should sleep
The first month of a child’s life does not differ in a variety of activities. Most of the time, the newborn sleeps. Every 3–3.5 hours, the baby wakes up to feed, then falls asleep again. Starting from the second half of the second month of life, the child develops an approximate regime of the day, in which morning, several afternoon and evening sleep occupy an important place. The baby sleeps in the morning, once or twice before dinner, and twice in the afternoon.
From six to nine months, the daily routine remains virtually unchanged. The child still needs a morning, several afternoon and afternoon nap.
From nine months, the child develops a clear regime of the day, which is observed even on weekends and holidays.
It should be understood that the figures given are averages. The body of each baby is exceptional, has an individuality. That is why in the absence of complaints, a deviation from the average values ​​by 1-3 hours should not cause anxiety in parents.
How long should a night's sleep last
A feature of the newborn’s sleep is that during this period the baby does not have a division into day and night. In the first three months of life, the baby wakes up, usually two or three times at night. This is understandable. Baby sleep is more sensitive than that of an adult. A child may wake up from a feeling of any discomfort, the main of which is a feeling of hunger. Breaks normally occur every 2.5–3 hours. On average, in the first month of life, the duration of night sleep does not exceed 7–8 hours.
Reason for restless sleep
Very often, newborns sleep extremely restlessly both at night and during the day, constantly waking up and making their parents worry and worried. Therefore, the question of how many hours a newborn should sleep at night and during the day and whether the constant awakenings of the child are normal is relevant during the first year of the baby's life.
In fact, the periodic awakenings of the baby during sleep are not always a cause for concern. There may be several reasons for this.
- Unfavorable climate in the room where a small child is sleeping. Too high or, on the contrary, too low temperature or dry air in the room prevents the newborn from sleeping normally, because the child’s body, especially in the first two months of life, is incredibly sensitive. The solution to this problem can be regular airing or buying a humidifier.
- Instability of the child's psyche in the first month of life.
- Inconvenient clothes.
In addition, the child’s sleep can be disturbed if he has problems with the digestive system, such as constipation or bloating. The quality and duration of day and night sleep are significantly affected by the weather dependence of the child or the individual characteristics of the child's body. An ideal example in this case would be the division of all people into the so-called larks and owls.
In addition, the cause of restless sleep may be a psychological barrier when the baby does not want to part with his mother, even at night.
The best postures for sleeping a newborn
Of course, posture can also affect the sleep of a newborn baby. The baby can sleep both on the back and on the tummy. For many children, being on their side is preferable. According to experts, there are no significant differences between the above poses. It is important for parents to choose exactly the position of the child's body, in which the baby is best falling asleep and sleeping.
Important Tips for Young Parents
Doctors on their first visit to a newborn give new parents a few tips to help improve the baby’s sleep.
- We must strive to comply with the daily regimen.
- After awakening, you need to keep calm, silence. It is highly recommended not to speak loudly, turn on a bright light or conduct active actions with a crumb. Perhaps the child himself will fall asleep.
- It is recommended that the baby is put to sleepy in the crib when he is still not completely asleep. This will allow the child to develop the habit of falling asleep on his own, lying in the crib. If you constantly rock the newborn in your arms, this will lead to the fact that the baby during waking up at night will be extremely difficult to rebuild and fall asleep without help. That is why the baby begins to scream.
In addition, experts strongly recommend that after awakening the newborn to wait one or two minutes. Perhaps the child in a dream rolls over or performs any other actions, upon completion of which he will again fall asleep.
In addition, it is very important that the conditions in the room in which the small child lives are as comfortable as possible for sleeping. In particular, it is necessary to carefully maintain the temperature regime and, if necessary, be able to take measures and consult a specialist for advice. You can quietly turn on the music, preferably classical pieces.
Instead of a conclusion
The first year of life is an important stage in the development of each baby. A special place at this time is occupied by sleep, during which the baby grows and develops. That is why many parents care about how much a newborn should sleep per day.
The experts have no single answer to this question. But on average, in the first month of life, a child spends more than twenty hours in a dream. And in the first two weeks of life, about 22 hours are allotted for a baby’s sleep.
In order for the child to sleep peacefully throughout the night, parents need to observe a number of important conditions, one of which is observing the daily routine and feeding, as well as choosing the most comfortable posture for the newborn to sleep.