What To Do If My Child Does Not Get Enough Sleep?
The first two weeks after your arrival, the baby wakes up very often. This is because your small stomach requires you to feed every 2 to 3 hours. This can undoubtedly create a sleep disorder that prompts parents to ask the question: Why isn’t my child getting enough sleep?
The good news is that as time passes and the baby grows, his rest times will be longer. That is why we must create favorable spaces for this activity to be effective.
Having a comfortable crib or bed, an environment with low lights and a comfortable temperature could be the beginning to create good habits in the child at bedtime. It also helps to have a quiet environment and avoid games that disturb it prior to resting.
Amount of hours of sleep recommended by age
It is relevant to know if our son sleeps the number of hours his age claims. This does not necessarily have to happen all at once, since the baby or child can rest for time intervals.
- Newborn: must rest at least 16 hours a day.
- Babies from 3 to 12 months: 15 hours of rest.
- Children 1 to 2 years old: they can sleep about 14 hours.
- Little ones from 2 to 5 years: 13 hours of sleep recommended.
- Ages 5 to 9: 10 hours of sleep.
- Young people between 14 and 18 years old: at least 9 hours of rest.
After 6 months of age, the baby begins to sleep less during the day, so nighttime sleep time increases. Great news for parents!
However, it must be taken into account that the duration of sleep varies in each child. Some will sleep a lot and others only a few hours. If you still think your child is sleeping poorly, you should check for possible causes and try to find solutions right away.
Take advantage of the signs
You must always be alert to the signs of fatigue that your baby sends. If you are tired, you will rub your eyes, have red hair arches, suck your thumb, and yawn. So, as soon as you see these signs, try to get him into the crib as soon as possible.
On the other hand, avoid holding him to sleep. Beyond your good intentions, this would only prevent him from developing strategies to catch himself asleep if he did wake up.
What to do if you wake up often?
If you notice that your baby wakes up a lot during his naps, or even when he has just fallen asleep you hear him fidgeting and crying, it may mean that he is having a hard time moving from one sleep cycle to another, but he does not really wake up at all.
Therefore, try not to wake him up by pulling him out of the crib to pick him up and do not give him the bottle either. Just go quietly into his room to check that everything is in order and touch him with his hand to calm him down.
This way, you will avoid waking him up altogether. If this happened, then it would cost you even more to put him back to sleep; In addition, it will be due to these types of actions that the child could begin to experience sleep disorders.
My child is not getting enough sleep: habits can fix it
Putting children to bed and getting up at the same time and encouraging them to sleep on their own will help make them more confident. It’s a great first step in avoiding sleep disturbances.
It must always be clear that children are born as a blank book and that they acquire behaviors according to the experiences they live. The moment a mother notices that something is happening and that her child is not getting enough sleep, she must analyze what routines have been taught to the baby, if they are adequate and if they have been followed with discipline.
It is the parents who are in charge of the physical and mental health of their little ones. For this reason, they must be careful in all aspects that influence their full development. Having a sleep routine will not only be beneficial for the health of the child, but also for the parents.
In case we notice that, after many efforts, our children still do not sleep enough, we must go to a specialist to recommend the best treatment. It should always be borne in mind that rest is a fundamental aspect of the growth and maturation of every child.
