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| Do Babies Sleep More During Growth Spurts |
Do Babies Sleep More During Growth Spurts
Does sleeping more often happen when a baby is growing
Again, the answer is yes! By the time most babies are ages six to twelve months, they’ll sleep through the night.
What used to be sprawls of infantile wakefulness now consists of short bursts of sleep that increase in duration as your little one grows.
This pattern has been referred to as the “first-year slide.” Multiple factors can contribute to this early morning slumber shortage , including fatigue from colic or nursing, and the need for sleep debt recovery.
That said, there are some things you can do to help your newborn get back into bedtime routines.
These include learning how to soothe yourself, having contact with your baby throughout the day, and working on being a partner (if needed) to move forward together.
You may also find that letting your child cry it out at times goes along way towards getting back to sleep. It may take weeks or even months to get here, but remember, you’re helping their growth by not scaring them overnight.
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| Do Babies Sleep More |
Possible reasons why
It’s well known that children sleep more sharply during growth spurts, but parents may not know that they themselves also need to adjust their nightly routines to match their kids’ needs.
When babies are growing, there are several things that can cause them to stay up later at night and fall asleep later in the day.
These include an increase in hunger, a decrease in activity level, or changes in the environment that make it harder for them to wake up and go back to sleep.
Many times when people call in sick, have insomnia, or keep waking throughout the night, there is a reason beyond just feeling tired. Find out what you can do to help yourself return to sleep after your child has a growth spurt.
You can start with making a change in your routine to accommodate the growth spike and then build some extra support for your partner and baby.
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| Babies Sleep |
Helpful tips
Believe it or not, you can prepare for all possible scenarios when it comes to sleeping patterns in babies. If your child is going through a growth spurt, sleeps more than they normally would, and/or wakes up during the night, then don’t worry! This is normal.
Most health professionals recommend that mothers allow their children between nine and 12 months of age to sleep alone until bedtime."' It‘s also important to remember that babies aren’t very good at keeping food secrets—since they can’t talk, people often forget how young kids are able to discern tastes and textures," says Dr. Andrew Smith, founder and director of Babycenter's parenting community.
Between six and nine months into this baby stage, teeth start coming through, along with gum development, so regular brushing and flossing will help prevent future dental issues . By ten months most babies are sitting comfortably outside of the incubator, and starting to babble;
Also around this time, parents begin noticing that there is a dramatic increase in playfulness and activity level. Most parents agree that these infants get awake faster if someone walks into the room. Playing together helps them channel their energy into something physical and rhythmic.
However, all is not lost – if family members want to learn more about healthy ways of handling comfort zones and sleep schedules, they’ll find many resources on YouTube. With videos ranging from “How to
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| Baby Sleeping Nice |
Things to keep in mind
Although many might believe that sleeping problems start at age one, research shows that sleep difficulties can be found even in infants.
Several things about infant sleep are often misunderstood or don’t get enough attention, including how certain aspects of sleep develop.
It is true that babies' ability to nap decreases when they are held more frequently, or for longer periods of time. However, it has been well established that quantity not quality of sleep is important during this stage of development.
What does matter is that period of night time when children can successfully fall asleep without much trouble . This process begins in the first weeks after birth and ends when childhood illnesses such as whooping cough or measles run their course.
Once cured, these disruptions in lifestyle and routine tend to leave kids with good memories of their times spent sleeping . It also gives them an emotional buffer against any day-to-day stresses or worries.
There may also be several biological factors that lead to better health). Human adults between the ages of six months and five years rely on sleep for all major bodily functions. Both muscle and brain performance depend on adequate amounts of high-quality sleep.
Evidence based research
The quality of sleep changes throughout childhood . Between ages 2 to 17, your child’s sleep cycle is getting longer ( taking shorter periods ) and becoming more restful (getting younger at night).
This is called growth spurt.
During this period, their body systems are changing to accommodate all the new things they're doing (like walking or running around), so their need for sleep increases because their hormone levels are changed.
Their bodies have more hormones coming from sleeping too much than from staying awake for too long. Since these hormones help with development, that means your baby is more likely to be sleepy during certain developmental times.
For example, between the months of September and March, your little one will spend several hours every day in bed, asleep. This happens because their days are full of playtime, then homework, maybe some fun social time, and now they go to sleep later at night.
Between late February through early June, when children are entering the school year, there's a similar trend toward more sleep due to the start of sports and other activities after having quite a few months off while it was winter.
These are only general trends, though--you can wake up your kid anytime between February and May, and he'll happily follow you anywhere you want him to. He just has to get back to sleep by himself.
Wake your kids up higher in order to encourage better sleeping habits
What your babies sleep changes during growth spurts
How much they sleep usually depends on their age, but it can also depend on whether they're sleeping alone or together.
Between 6 and 18 months of age, your baby's sleep should be 8 hours long, with only one wake-up episode every three hours .
During this time, her body is going through significant development, and she will need about 1 to 2 days where she sleeps in longer periods. By the end of the first year, most adults get at least 7 hours of sleep per night, so make sure you’re helping your child along these lines.
However, if your baby is still having issues with waking up (more than once an hour), then don't worry! It's very common for children to feel hyper and talkative between six and eighteen months.
This developmental stage is known as the toddler period, when many kids experience a period of “terrible twos.” At this stage, your little kid may need more playtime, less running around, and more options for nap time and bed time.
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| How to comfort your baby |
How to comfort your baby
When babies are little, moms can easily put aside their own needs for theirs. It is important to recognize that you aren’t hurting your child by being flexible in your work or family commitments.
It isn’t just parents who suffer when children are small. A lot of work has to be done by others- childcare providers, friends and relatives, etc.
Making time for yourself is very important!
However, if your children are getting too big, it may hurt your ability to get much needed sleep or relax. Several studies show that the amount of time kids spend sleeping decreases as they age. By the time someone gets to her late teens or early twenties, she should be asleep about one hour longer than she does at puberty.
This decrease in sleep is probably due to increased stress over things such as school pressure, job pressure, social pressures and relationship problems.
According to clinical research, this ‘sleep imbalance’ happens because the body hasn’t caught up with the brain. The physical restoration process taking place during sleep helps the body recovery from daily stresses.
You can help fix this problem by regularly doing something you like to do but don't have time for, such as going for a walk after dinner. Or you can ask your boss or partner to make time for you through the day.
What about sleep consolidation?
A baby’s brain may need to consolidate their nightly sleeps into one or two days, depending on how old they are.
An infant can wake up every hour or every half-hour for the first few months, but as these periodic signals get fewer , the child will begin spending more time in deep sleep.
This is called sleep consolidation. Infants expect this kind of nighttime sleep pattern to continue through toddlerhood, though it slows down greatly after the second year of life.
In fact, kids under age three spend only around six hours sleeping at night, made up of several weeks of irregular sleep and brief nights of poor quality.
By school age, children have most of their daytime naps reduced and their bedtime lowered to an earlier hour. They might still require another nap during the day, but what matters most is that they fall asleep by a certain time.
However, if your child is having trouble with sleep acquisition (coming to rely on a regular schedule), you can help them see whether there are any changes in their routine that could be making it harder for them to sleep.
What about night time feeds?
If they are sleeping longer periods at night, stop trying to sleep train them. Gradually decrease how often you try to get them to sleep through the night until their normal bedtime has increased by one hour.
Most babies will catch up on lost sleep soon . If not, leave it overnight and check in again the next day.