Friday, 13 January 2012

Sleeping well: babies

Is it difficult to make your baby fall asleep? Does he or she sleep well at night? If I were to answer I would say that it is rather easy to make Sophy fall asleep, but she doesn`t sleep well. Her day naps last 40-60 minutes twice a day, in the evenings she goes to bed at 9 p.m. waking up at midnight, at 3 a.m. and at6 a.m. It is difficult to find the reason for this since she isn`t hungry or hot (the average temperature in the room is about 23 degrees C). It might be teeth but we haven`t been sleeping well for half a year already. Our neurologist sees no problem here which is rather encouraging. So as far as I can understand I am the only person to define the problem and eliminate it.

So,
At 12 months, babies typically sleep about 14 hours a day, including a nap two times a day for one to two hours at a time. The night sleep usually lasts for 10-12 hours.
If your baby now sleeps for nine or ten hours at night, it means she's figured out how to settle back to sleep – a sign that you're raising a good sleeper.
If your baby's still waking up at night for feedings, she's probably ready for night weaning, if that's what you choose. But babies this age don't necessarily wake up because they're hungry.
We all wake up several times every night for brief periods of time. And as adults, we put ourselves back to sleep each time – so quickly we don't even remember it in the morning. If your baby hasn't mastered this skill, she'll wake up and cry during the night even if she's not hungry.
Don't be surprised if your sound sleeper suddenly becomes a night owl or has a hard time falling asleep at this age. Why? Sleep disturbances often go hand-in-hand with reaching major milestones in cognitive and motor development and with separation anxiety (in my opinion that is our reason!).
At 9 to 12 months, your baby's likely to be crawling, pulling up, and learning to walk. And because she's refining and expanding on these skills, she may wake up at night to practice or be too excited to fall asleep. If she can't soothe herself back to sleep, she'll end up crying for you.
Separation anxiety could also be the cause of your baby's wake-up calls. Waking up and finding you not there may cause some distress. But she'll probably calm down as soon as you enter the room and greet her.
Some tips to establish healthy sleep habits:
Stick to a consistent bedtime routine.Make sure your baby finds the routine soothing. For example, if she hates taking baths, move them earlier in the day. Or sing songs if she'd rather chew on a book than be read to. Just be sure to follow the same routine every night. Children thrive on consistency and feel more secure when they know what to expect.
Also, start your bedtime routine at a reasonable hour so she's not overtired, which may make it harder for her to get to sleep.
Make sure your baby has a regular schedule.
Bedtime may go more smoothly if you make an effort to keep the rest of your baby's daily schedule consistent, too. If she naps, eats, plays, and gets ready for bed at about the same time every day, she'll be much more likely to fall asleep without a struggle.
Give your child plenty of chances to fall asleep on her own.If you want your baby to sleep independently, she needs opportunities to practice this important skill. Instead of nursing or rocking her to sleep, let her practice falling asleep on her own by putting her in bed when she's relaxed and drowsy. Otherwise she'll probably cry when she wakes up during the night and need your help to drop off again.
It is relevant that the air in the bedroom is fresh and humid. To avoid breathing problems and thirsty waking ups wash the floors in the bedroom every day, put away carpets and big soft toys for they will accumulate dust which isn`t healthy.
Well, I must admit that I try to follow all those recommendations but it still doesn`t work((( All right then, probably the problem will disappear later.

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