Sleep is one of the most important needs of our body. It is especially necessary for young children. During wakefulness, they accumulate a lot of impressions and fatigue. Sleep is a true salvation for a small organism. Indeed, during this period, the brain and the work of all organs are rebuilt, and strength is restored.
Many mothers are faced with the problem of falling asleep babies immediately after returning from the hospital. Although they are sure that their baby will sleep soundly in his crib. How to properly rock a child? This will be discussed later in the article.
Do parents need to rock the baby
During day and night sleep, the brain processes the information received and rests. Additionally, all body functions are restored. If for some reason the child does not get enough sleep, he will become irritable and moody.
Moms understand the importance of rest, but some children react differently to it. Laying the baby is an important process that has a great impact on the development of the child's body.
Some babies fall asleep instantly, while others are naughty and cannot sleep for a long time. In this situation, many mothers are interested in how to rock the baby. This allows you to not only quickly put the baby, but also relax yourself.
Many parents doubt the benefits of motion sickness. If a child falls asleep on his own, without any monotonous actions on the part of his mother, then he does not need them at all. Sometimes the baby cannot fall asleep without motion sickness, so consider the positive and negative sides of this process.
pros
Over the years, there has not been a consensus among doctors and other specialists regarding the need and impact of this process on the health and development of the child. Therefore, it is necessary to consider all the pros and cons.
The first 12 weeks of a newborn’s life have recently been called the 4th trimester of pregnancy. During this period, the child gets used to the unusual environment and he needs to adapt.
The uniform swaying on my mother’s hands or in the cradle helps him to feel almost the same sensations that he experienced in his stomach. Therefore, the baby calms down at a subconscious level and feels safe.
Here are additional arguments in favor of this process:
- Baby motion sickness is a traditional practice, because mothers have used it for many centuries. The experience of the ancestors did not show any negative effects on the children's body.
- If you shake the child a little before bedtime, his need for bodily contact with the closest person will be satisfied. After all, it is important for the baby to feel the maternal smell, warmth, this forms the basic trust in the world around.
- Shaking the baby, mothers thus distract him from discomfort or health problems. Typically, this condition occurs with colic and teething. In this situation, such a process of euthanizing a baby becomes a kind of natural analgesic.
- Wiggling for a short period of time can calm an overexcited baby. This happens if there are active games going to bed.
- There is an opinion that the baby's motion sickness at bedtime allows the development of its vestibular apparatus. But this is a guarantee that the child will quickly learn to crawl, and then walk.
- The measured movements have a calming effect not only on the baby, but also on the mother herself. But when a woman is in a normal psychological state, then the process of feeding and care will be carried out easily.
Many dads are also interested in how to rock a newborn baby to sleep. After all, they understand the needs of the baby much worse, and this will strengthen their emotional connection. In this case, the benefit will be not only for the son and baby, but also for the mother. During this period, she will be able to relax or go about their business.
Minuses
Opponents of motion sickness have their own arguments that indicate the negative impact of this method of laying the child. First of all, they argue that motion sickness prevents full sleep.
As a result, children will wake up more often than usual and behave uneasily. Therefore, the child will not be able to fully relax. What is the harm of motion sickness:
- The vestibular apparatus of the newborn is under development, so unwanted interventions can adversely affect his health. Children even experience dizziness and fainting, which adults take for sleep.
- Sometimes motion sickness turns into a habit. As a result, the baby cannot fall asleep, and therefore parents have to carry it in their arms or rock the cradle. At the same time, he quickly wakes up when he is laid in his crib.
- When the child grows up, and the mother wants to transfer him to other laying methods, this will be met negatively on his part. Addiction to other methods will drag on indefinitely.
- The kid grows and gets harder. If Mom will carry it in her arms for an hour, then she will have pains in her back and arms. And her overwork can adversely affect the health of the baby.
Many children abandon the habit of sleeping in their mother’s arms by the end of the first year of life.
Why do you have trouble falling asleep
Before you understand how to rock a newborn baby, you need to understand why this happens. After all, if he is absolutely healthy, his teeth are not cut, he is not hungry and his diaper is completely dry, then his mother can put him without any problems.
However, there are several circumstances that impede this natural process. These include:
- Violation of the regime of the day. If for some reason the parents did not take care of the correct routine, the child will fall asleep at different times. If he has the correct regime of the day, then he will not have any problems with sleep.
- Lack of activity. A child should study the world around him during the day. Parents should encourage his attempts to roll over, crawl and other movements. A slightly tired baby can quickly and soundly fall asleep.
- Wrong mother's diet. Malfunctions in the digestive system of the baby during breastfeeding will cause him to often wake up at night. In this situation, a woman needs to review her diet and eliminate harmful products from it. This also applies to the phase of the introduction of complementary foods.
- Discomfort. The inability of the child to fall asleep quickly may be due to wet linen, loud sounds or bright light. Parents should create the most comfortable conditions for the baby.
When mom cradles a child, he feels completely safe. Her hugs remind him of the time when he was in his tummy.
Therefore, parents do not need to go to extremes. You should not rock the baby for several hours, but you should also not deprive him of maternal affection and hugs.
How to rock a child in her arms
If the mother is sure that the child needs the process of carrying on her hands, it is important to follow the basic rules of this method. Parents should be aware that downloading the baby up and down or at a fast pace is prohibited.
This can lead to serious health problems in the form of increased intracranial pressure or even rupture of the blood vessels of the brain. You need to swing the baby smoothly from side to side.
The main methods of motion sickness are:
- By type of cradle. The child is laid on the forearm so that its neck is located above the elbow. The baby is turned on with his tummy towards him, and with his second hand he is supported by the ass. Mom presses him a little to herself and sways smoothly, turning left or right. The second way - parents just need to walk around the apartment.
- Back to yourself. The baby is placed on the forearm with his stomach so that his cheek is placed on the elbow. He is turned with his back to himself, and the other hand is passed between the legs. Mom presses open palm to her tummy. In this way, it is useful to lay the baby with intestinal colic.
- Lying down. When mother is tired and cannot walk around the apartment with the baby, she puts it on her body. Then it swings from side to side.
Parents often ask how to quickly rock their baby. If the above methods did not give a positive result, and the baby continues to cry, then you need to check whether everything is in order. Perhaps he is disturbed by a dirty diaper, wrinkles on clothes, or other reasons.
With the help of additional devices
If mother is tired of constantly carrying the baby in her arms, then modern devices will come to the rescue to facilitate this process.
How to quickly rock a baby to sleep? This is done using:
- Swinging center. The device is a hanging cradle. Mom can adjust the optimal mode that can calm the baby. Additionally, there are straps for fixing it in the cradle. Thanks to the motion sickness center, parents will be able to relax or go about their business
- Chaise lounge chair. It allows you to quickly put your baby to bed. You can take a chair with you on a trip.
- How to rock a child on fitball? Two variations of this process are known. For this, the mother takes the baby in her arms and slowly jumps on the ball. A diaper is placed on the fitball and a child is placed on it. The ball is smoothly swinging from side to side.
- Car seat. Thanks to the removable design, some mothers use it for motion sickness. Although they have to make some efforts.
- How to rock a baby in a crib? Many types of cradles have a special function with which you can swing the baby in the crib. This allows him to fall asleep faster.
- Sling. Such a device allows mom to put the baby to sleep, while not interrupting her studies. Sling provides even support for the spine and the baby’s head, and also promotes close contact between the mother and the newborn. At the same time, her hands remain free.
- Stroller Thanks to her, the child quickly falls asleep, especially if he is in the fresh air.
Parents can independently choose a device that allows the baby to fall asleep faster.
How to get rid of motion sickness for parents
Many tired mothers are interested in pediatricians not only how to rock the baby, but also how to get rid of the acquired habit.
Of course, it will not work to lay the baby in 50 seconds, but you can still simplify your life gradually. Here are some basic tips:
- During wakefulness, parents need to give the baby constant attention. You need to take it on handles, hug, do massage and wear it in a sling.
- Mom can lay the baby next to herself during the period of falling asleep. It’s not necessary to sleep with him. This is done in order to create a sense of security and safety in the baby.
- Some experienced moms come up with little tricks. In the baby’s crib they leave their T-shirt, which keeps a familiar smell for him. Older children readily fall asleep with soft toys.
- It is not recommended to put the child in complete darkness. You need to turn on the nightlight, and mom sit next to him and sing lullabies.
- The child needs a regular ritual of going to bed, which includes evening bathing, massage, lullaby. This will help him fall asleep on his own without motion sickness.
As a result, the baby will be able to sleep soundly. And parents do not have to find out from experts how to quickly rock their baby. The process will take place naturally and will not require any effort on the part of the mother.
Tips by Dr. Komarovsky
Famous pediatrician Komarovsky is sure that motion sickness, if it does not affect the condition of the baby, will create a stressful situation for the whole family.
Here are the basic tips from a specialist:
- A child should have a daily regimen from birth. If he goes to bed at the same time, then he will not have any problems with falling asleep.
- A well-known pediatrician does not advise parents to put the baby to sleep next to them. Over time, this habit will create problems not only for mom, but also for the child. Therefore, he should have his own berth, starting from birth.
- The child, when he becomes older, must necessarily sleep not only at night, but also during the day. This is important for its proper development. However, during the day he should not sleep for more than 2-3 hours. If you do not observe the time of sleep, then laying it in the evening will be quite difficult.
When parents are interested in how to rock their baby, they realize that they themselves will not be able to develop the habit of falling asleep quickly. Mom and dad should help him in this. Thus, they care not only about the health of the child, but also about their own.
How old is the baby?
The most optimal age to stop rocking the baby is 12 months. During this period, the baby is already accustomed to its daily schedule of feeding and sleeping. Indeed, at an earlier age, strict adherence to these vital processes is not always fully implemented.
At an earlier age (six months), you can apply several proven methods of falling asleep so that motion sickness does not become the main alternative. This may be a certain order that precedes sleep: dinner, bathing, massage.
Conclusion
The decision in choosing a method of how to rock a child, or choosing another method of falling asleep is a conscious choice of parents. After all, wiggles have both advantages and disadvantages. It is important to listen to the reaction and behavior of the baby, because he will be able to suggest the right solution.