When the next window to sleep opens. How to put your baby to sleep quickly and easily? When to put your baby to bed

In almost every consultation, we begin our analysis with the mother precisely with this question.

Moreover, the situation greatly depends on the country of residence. In Russia, for example, I see every day how people with infants and one-year-old children go out into the street at 20-00, or even later.

Where? For what? What to do there if it’s winter outside and it’s already dark? Therefore, today we have a detailed answer to the question: what time should you put your child to bed?

Time to sleep

Surely you have heard more than once from grandmothers or older relatives that children should fall asleep no later than 9 pm, and wake up in the morning by 6-7 o'clock. Calculate, from 21:00 to 6:00 the baby will sleep for 9 hours, with a daily sleep norm of 12 hours, during the day the little one will have to sleep for another 3 hours.

This is what they did in Soviet times. This schedule was convenient for working mothers who returned from maternity leave after only a year, and three hours of daytime sleep fit perfectly into the kindergarten’s daily routine. Daytime nap time slowly decreased as children grew older, and by the time they were in first grade, sleep during daylight hours was completely abandoned.

When should you go to bed?

The physiological time range of what time a child should be put to bed from 3 months to 5-6 years is 18:30-21:00. Wake up - 6-7 am. Surely, you had a situation when the baby in the evening, around seven o’clock, began to rub his eyes and lay down on the pillow.

And what did you do?

Turn up the music;
Everyone around begins to entertain the baby, fearing that if he falls asleep now, he will definitely not survive until the morning, but will only interrupt his sleep.

This is the wrong tactic.

The child’s biological clock turned out to be smarter than you; it clearly determined when to sleep, but when it encountered resistance, it eventually gave in and adjusted to the schedule you imposed.

Why should you put your children to bed before 9:00 p.m.?

The human body is exposed to biological rhythms, in this case we are talking about the change from day to night and vice versa. So, in the dark, the body requires rest, and the hormone melatonin indicates this. This sleepy hormone helps us fall asleep, and it begins to be produced in the evening;
The hormone acts on the human body as a good relaxant: the body temperature decreases slightly, the amount of glucose in the blood decreases, and the muscles are relaxed. If you don’t lose this moment and lie down, then sleep will envelop you in a matter of minutes;
In children, melatonin begins to be produced from 18:00 to 20:30. Exact time perfect falling asleep you must determine by observing the baby. Rubbing his eyes or laying his head on your shoulder - don’t waste the moment. If you miss it, the next two hours will be very active, the hormone melatonin is replaced by the hormone of vigor, cortisol. Now it will be more difficult to put the baby to sleep; tears and hysterics are possible, as well as repeated waking up at night.

Why is it dangerous for a child to be awake at night?

Nature has determined for us when and how much a child should sleep. The most basic natural indicator - it has become dark, it’s time to sleep, there is light in the window - we wake up.

You can deceive nature, which is essentially what you do every evening by turning on the lights and curtaining the windows in the morning. But the baby’s body suffers with this approach. Every evening, missing the ideal time to fall asleep, the child experiences stress. One moment one hormone was relaxing him, but a few minutes later another one was agitating him. Hence the hysterics, waking up at night, and even nightmares.

But it’s okay if the baby still fulfills the daily requirement of sleep, for example, due to daytime rest, otherwise the child’s body works for wear and tear, and the nervous system is simply overstrained.

Is there such a thing? Then change your schedule immediately. Experiment with sleep mode early age is fraught with consequences.

Child's age and ideal time to fall asleep

You're probably wondering why I call such a long period of time when you need to put your baby to bed. This is due to age characteristics and the individual needs of the baby.

So, one child needs 9 hours of night rest, and the other sleeps no more than one hour during the day, but at night he gets a full night’s sleep - twelve hours.

So, let's look at the ideal time to put a child to bed in the evening, in relation to age.

The first three months of life. Children from zero to three months can sleep a lot. But they rarely do this while lying alone in a crib. Read more about the sleeping patterns of 2 one month old baby read the article How long does a 2 month old baby sleep?>>> Everything written there is relevant for both a 1 and 3 month old baby;

3-6 months. The ideal bedtime is 19:00-20:00, sleep should last until 7:00. The baby still often suckles at the breast in his sleep and may wake up at night to “take a walk” (Read the article if you are interested in the question of how long to feed your baby at night?>>>). It is important to monitor the child’s daily rhythm, not allow him to over-walk and put him to bed on time;
6-12 months. An excellent time to fall asleep is around 20-00; during the day the baby sleeps 2-3 times. The transition from three to two sleeps begins, which can greatly disrupt the regime and shift falling asleep at night to a later time. At this age, interruptions in dreams often occur and the child can very often hang on the chest at night, and without it cannot fall asleep at all;

It's time to start studying the course How to teach a child to fall asleep and sleep without breastfeeding, night awakenings and motion sickness, then by the year you will improve your child's sleep and enjoy good nights.

From 1 year to 1.5. A child under one and a half years old usually has 1-2 naps during the day. Read more about a 1-year-old child’s sleep in the article How much should a 1-year-old child sleep?>>>

The time you go to sleep at night will depend on the time you wake up in the morning and the duration of your daytime sleep. In any case, you should strive for the child to fall asleep before 21-00;

Ages from one and a half to three years. During this period, the baby adjusts to one nap during the day. Sometimes children may have difficulty getting to bed during the day, sabotaging the process. If your child is 2 years old or older, and you are no longer breastfeeding, then I recommend watching the seminar How to quickly put a child to sleep?>>>
3-4 years. The main guideline of the sleep schedule is the amount of time you are awake; this phase should be 5-6 hours. For example, your baby opened her eyes at 6 o’clock in the morning, daytime rest should begin no later than 12:00, two hours later the baby wakes up and enjoys life, but already at 19:30-20:00 it’s time to put the child to bed.

This is a great age to teach your baby to fall asleep alone in his crib. An online seminar will help you with this: How to transfer a child to a separate bed?>>>

Preschool age. If the baby visits kindergarten, check with the teachers what time the kids go to bed, and whether your child is sleeping or just resting. This point is important so that you can calculate the time when you need to go to bed. The daily sleep norm for a child under 5 years old is 11 hours, then every year the norm decreases by half an hour. For example, a 4.5-year-old baby who sleeps for an hour and a half during the day and goes to bed at 6:00 in the morning should go to bed no later than 20:30;

Of course, going to bed early for your baby has certain inconveniences. If dad comes home and the baby is already asleep, don’t be upset. You can play with your child in the morning; everyone will benefit from such a positive start to the day.

Eco-friendly parenting: Do you notice a sudden burst of activity in your child in the evening? Does your child suddenly become very active, noisy, and sometimes uncontrollable? Despite the late hour, it seems that he will now start running along the walls and what, but he definitely doesn’t want to sleep?

It’s worth complaining that your baby can’t fall asleep for a long time in the evening, and someone will definitely advise you to put him to bed later and give him a good run before bed. This advice is good for an adult, but not suitable for a child.

What to do if your child doesn’t want to sleep on time

Circadian rhythms

The functioning of our entire body is tuned to certain natural rhythms. All life on Earth, including humans, is subordinate to them.

These rhythms are called circadian and are based on a 24-hour cycle. The stability of circadian rhythms is facilitated not only by light factors, but also by hormones produced in our body with a certain cyclicity.

The natural rhythms of young children are tuned to early morning awakening and, accordingly, early bedtime on night sleep. By this time, the body produces all the hormones necessary for falling asleep, a kind of “natural sleeping pill.”

Emergency situation

What happens if a person (in this case, it doesn’t matter whether a child or an adult) does not go to bed at the “proper” time?

Our brain, like hundreds of years ago, proceeds from the fact that "something happened". And he, in general, no matter what it is: a flood, an attack by wild animals or enemies - or just a tablet with toys.

It is important that the situation is regarded as “force majeure”, and the brain begins to carry out new task- don't sleep. And don't want to sleep. And now new hormones are being produced that help with just this.

"Second wind"

You've probably experienced this feeling: I seemed to want to sleep, and even really wanted to. You drank tea, sat in front of the TV, did some housework... And we discovered that we didn’t want to sleep at all!

These are the same hormones that come into play that help you not want to sleep. And until their effect wears off, it will be very difficult to fall asleep.

The same thing happens in children. If you do not put the baby to bed on time, at a time when his body is ready to fall asleep (we call this the “window to sleep”), then the child will “overnight” and difficulties in falling asleep are guaranteed.

What does it look like

Do you notice a sharp surge in activity in your child in the evening? Does your child suddenly become very active, noisy, and sometimes uncontrollable? Despite the late hour, it seems that he will now start running along the walls and what, but he definitely doesn’t want to sleep? Most likely, the “window to sleep” was missed. Now, indeed, it will be difficult to put the child to bed until the child “falls from fatigue.”

Such wakefulness occurs due to the reserves of the body as a whole and nervous system in particular. It’s not a big deal if this happens from time to time to a child who generally gets enough sleep. But if it happens constantly, it not only harms the child and his development, but also leads to the consolidation of a bad habit.

What to do?

If you recognize your situation and would like to change it, it is worth changing your child's bedtime. It is important that preparation for bed is completed before the onset of evening activity. If by the time your baby goes to bed he is calm and relaxed, and you learn to accurately hit the “sleep window,” your baby will fall asleep much easier and faster.

To determine your sleep window, remember(or better yet, write it down to be safe) time at which you usually observe a child's sudden agitation. Some time before this moment, you can see signs of the child’s fatigue - start styling immediately!

It is best to organize your day so that by the time signs of tiredness appear, both you and your child are completely ready to go to bed.

P.S. And remember, just by changing your consciousness, we are changing the world together! © econet

Signs of fatigue

When we talk about successful bedtime, we mean that the child falls asleep calmly, without tears, hysterics, protest and, what is also important, quickly.

Putting to bed will be successful if it is carried out during the so-called “sleep window” - a short period of time when the child’s need to sleep and the child’s ability to fall asleep in a calm state coincide.

Missing the window to sleep is a path to overexcitation, from which it is very difficult to get to sleep, and when this is still possible, then, as a rule, the same scenario develops further. Waking up after 20–30 minutes, tears, crying, inconsolable hysteria, and then - capricious and restless child, not having the strength to develop and understand the world, clinging to his mother, whining, in a bad mood, rejecting any idea - from a game to soup, from a walk to soap bubbles.

Learning to catch the window of sleep is the most important task and at the same time the key to success in improving your baby’s sleep. To do this, it is extremely important to introduce quiet wakefulness before bed, which we have already discussed. After all, it is this that gives the child’s psyche the opportunity to slow down, the signs of fatigue to appear, and the mother to put the baby to sleep quickly and calmly.

Signs of fatigue, however, often become an elusive phantom, the “hunt” for which is fruitless. Many children hide signs of fatigue. They are active and smiling and seem to be full of strength, but suddenly, like a relay, they switch to the mode of whims and hysterics, angry rejection and aggressive behavior. This means that there were signs of fatigue, but they went unnoticed because they were hidden active actions and events, or because the mother overlooked or did not recognize the child’s signals as a call to put him to bed. And it happens that the first signs of fatigue are considered by the mother to be the second, or even the third, and sometimes even signs of the onset of overexcitation. In this case, the window for sleep has been missed, and it’s too late to start going to bed.

How to distinguish the first signs of fatigue from subsequent ones? Mom’s sensitive heart and attentive gaze will help with this. A few days, focusing on age standards During sleep and wakefulness, devote close monitoring of the baby. Write down everything you see in the hour before bed, including your surroundings and previous activities or events. Yes, yes, write it down, no matter how stupid it may seem to you! As a result of analyzing the information collected, you will find a fine line between quickly and calmly going to bed on a positive wave and long tears and hysterics before bed. Review your notes after a few days. (Perhaps the epiphany will overtake you sooner.) After all, if everything were simple, you wouldn’t have problems with your baby’s sleep, right? And you wouldn't be reading this article now.

What signs can indicate that it is time for the baby to sleep and that he is ready for this?

Of course, their set depends on the age of the child. Babies, children of the so-called fourth trimester of pregnancy, that is, from birth to 3–4 months, exhibit as such signs not only the search movements familiar to every mother (1). They may (2) clench their fists or (3) suck their fingers. Also, the readiness of children in the first months of life can be indicated by (4) dissatisfied grimaces or (5) poorly focused gaze. Parents often note (6) sudden movements of the arms and legs; the child seems to throw them up, as if shaking off the remnants of the energy charge of his battery. This is a sure sign: it's time.

Older children have a more diverse set of signs. While observing and analyzing, remember that each of these signs can be either the first, second or third. And only you can say exactly how things are in your case.

The baby simply looks tired. Without any special complications or camouflage veils. So you look at him and see: he is sleepy. Perhaps his face becomes paler, his eyes dim, and shadows appear around them.

The baby rubs his eyes. Simple and obvious.

The baby yawns a lot. Also not a Newton binomial.

The baby pulls his ear or rubs his ears.

Frozen look. A short or long unfocused look into nowhere is a sign of fatigue.

The baby's mood is spoiled. Here he was smiling cheerfully at you five minutes ago, but now he is gloomy and not cheerful, as if a cloud covered your sun.

The baby becomes irritable. He is less tolerant of changes and reacts more emotionally. You start to get bored faster and it becomes more and more difficult to maintain interest in the game. The baby whines and is capricious.

The baby is more nervous. A sudden noise, light, or unexpected action of someone in the household causes severe reaction up to nervous twitching. A baby cries over trifles - this is already rather a sign accumulated fatigue.

The child becomes clumsy. He falls, sways from side to side, drops things, gets pushed, or even gets hurt during play.

The baby becomes indifferent, loses interest in the game and people. He turns away during play and communication.

The baby sticks to you and does not leave your arms or, on the contrary, unlike usual, does not want to hug at all.

The baby becomes less mobile and active.

The baby, on the contrary, becomes too active, excited, and “plays.” Most often, this is how overexcitation that has already begun manifests itself.

What to do if you missed the first signs of fatigue?

Assess the child's condition and his signals. If he is overtired, but the wave of excitement has not yet crawled far upward, immediately proceed to putting him to bed. You can neglect the ritual - perceive what is happening as an emergency evacuation. When you urgently need to escape from home, you can leave unwashed dishes.

If the child becomes overexcited, immediately switch to calm wakefulness, freeze activity and watch for signs of fatigue again. If you do everything right, they won't keep you waiting. But be careful! Don't miss them this time!

Remember that a child under three years of age is physiologically incapable of calming himself down. The development of his nervous system is such that now the processes of excitation in it prevail over the processes of inhibition. And this means that you must help him in this difficult matter. Forty minutes before daytime sleep and an hour before nighttime sleep, reduce activity, stop stimulating activities, turn off the TV, computer, tablet. Dim the lights. Speak quietly. Dedicate this time to quiet activities and getting ready for bed. If you follow these simple rules, then the signs of fatigue will not go unnoticed, and you will be able to put your baby to sleep easily and pleasantly.

Good night and sweet dreams! See you in new articles and reviews!

Coach of the project “Healthy Children's Sleep System” Anna Ashmarina

www.aleksandrovaov.ru

What time do you put your child to bed?

Many mothers ask us the question “What time is it better to put a child to bed?” Let's find out!

The influence of biological rhythms on humans

Despite the fact that technological progress makes a person largely independent of natural conditions in which he lives, like any creature on the planet, he is influenced by biological rhythms. The most significant of them are circadian rhythms - the change of dark and light times of day, day and night. Depending on these rhythms, a person’s physical and emotional condition, intellectual capabilities. Such changes are determined by daily fluctuations in the synthesis of certain hormones. In particular hormonal background tells us when it is best to sleep and when to stay awake.

How does melatonin, the “sleep hormone,” work?

The sleep hormone is called the night hormone melatonin. It begins to be produced in the body in the early evening, reaches peak concentrations late at night and decreases sharply in the morning. One of useful functions This hormone regulates the duration and change of phases of sleep. It is with the onset of melatonin synthesis, approximately in the third or fourth month of a child’s life, that the appearance of deep and very deep subphases of slow-wave sleep in the sleep structure, and the “launch” biological clock. Before this, the baby lives rather in the rhythm of feedings.

Melatonin causes sleepiness in dark time days. Under its influence, all processes slow down, body temperature drops slightly, blood glucose levels drop and all the muscles of the body relax a little. If you go to bed at this moment, it will be very easy to fall asleep, and your sleep will be as deep and restful as possible.

The moment when melatonin is present in the blood in a concentration sufficient to fall asleep is what we conventionally call the “sleep window.” The “sleep window” will tell you what time to put your child to bed so that he gets a long and quality sleep. For the vast majority of children from the age of 3 months to approximately 5-6 years, this favorable moment for falling asleep is in the range of 18.30-20.30. The “sleep window” can last several minutes or half an hour - it all depends on the child’s temperament, the development of his nervous system and physical condition.

What if we missed the sleep window?

If the baby does not go to bed at this time, the synthesis of melatonin is suspended, and instead of it, the stress hormone cortisol enters the blood. Its main function is to maintain vigor. Cortisol increases blood pressure, causes a rush of blood to the muscles, aggravates the reaction rate, and at the same time it is quite slowly eliminated from the body. The excited state persists throughout the night. A child who goes to bed later than the time that is convenient for his body from a biological point of view, falls asleep more difficult, with protests and tears, and subsequently sleeps superficially and restlessly. If you have a tendency to wake up at night, then if you go to bed late, your baby will wake up especially often. Our grandmothers and mothers often call the effect of cortisol with the household word “overnight.” And indeed, a child who has “exceeded” his “sleep window” is very active and difficult to put to sleep.

What time do you put your child to bed?

So, from birth until about 3-4 months, until the synthesis of melatonin is established, the baby can be put to bed at night when the mother goes to bed - for example, at 22-23 hours.

But, starting from the age of 3-4 months, we highly recommend finding out your baby’s “sleep window” and putting him to bed at this favorable moment, starting all the preparation for bed at least 30-40 minutes in advance.

How can you determine what time to put your child to bed?

To determine the "sleep window":

1. Observe. At the same time in the evening (somewhere between 18.30 and 20.30), the baby will show signs of being ready to sleep: he will rub his eyes, lie down on the sofa or chair, yawn, and slow down his movements. Coordination of movements may be impaired. The gaze stops for seconds and becomes directed “to nowhere.” It is this moment that will show the mother what time to put the baby to bed. It is at this moment that the child should already be in bed, well-fed, washed, and having listened to a fairy tale.

This state can last for several minutes, then the baby will experience something like a “second wind.” This may result in unnatural increased activity or unusual excitability, moodiness. In any case, such a surge of vigor will mean that the “sleep window” has been missed.

It can be difficult to notice the signs of readiness for sleep. They may be subtle, and bright light and noisy environments only help the child hide them. In this case:

2. Calculate a convenient time. Normal duration night sleep for children from 3 months to 5-6 years 10-11.5 hours. At the same time, young children, as a rule, wake up early - no later than 7.30. If you subtract the age-recommended length of sleep at night from the usual time of awakening, you will get exactly the approximate moment for ideal falling asleep.

3. Finally, just find an exact good time, shifting bedtime by 15-30 minutes every 2-3 days and remembering (or writing down) how long it took the child to fall asleep and whether the night passed peacefully.

In any case, if your child falls asleep crying, most likely you are putting him to bed later than necessary. Analyze his routine and perhaps the next day put the child to bed earlier, start rituals 15 minutes earlier.

Changes in daily routine.

It is important not to forget that before starting a night's sleep, the baby must be awake and tired enough for his age. Therefore, when shifting the schedule to the earlier side, it is advisable to shift daytime naps accordingly and carefully wake up the child if he sleeps too long on the last daytime nap. At some point, it is better to completely abandon extra daytime sleep if you put your child to bed right time after that it becomes difficult. As a rule, children are ready to completely give up the 4th nap at the age of 4 months, the 3rd nap at 7-9 months, and the 2nd nap after 15-18 months.

Sleep patterns need to be adjusted as you get older. As a rule, after refusing one of day dreams, it is advisable to shift the child’s bedtime at night 30-60 minutes earlier. But at the same time, if at normal times for several days the child is cheerful, calm, and does not demonstrate readiness to sleep, and once in bed he cannot fall asleep for a long time, it is quite possible that the time has come to put him to bed 30 minutes later.

EarlierLaying ModePreparationBedStress Hormones

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A magical way to put a baby to sleep that every parent can do

When should you put your baby to bed?

Did you know that there is a “window to sleep”? This window is truly magical: once you find it, the child quietly and calmly falls asleep in a matter of minutes. Fairy tale? No! The most real reality that any parent can learn.

Why is it important not to “over-walk”

From fatigue, many children begin to be capricious and cry. It is difficult to fall asleep in this state, because in order to fall asleep, you just need to calm down and relax.

Even if the parents somehow manage to put the baby to bed, excitement will not allow him to sleep for long. And then too short nap The child will very quickly get tired again and begin to be capricious. By the evening, a real “snowball” can form – and a long hysteria before bedtime is guaranteed.

Why is it important to put your baby to bed not too early?

If you start putting your child to bed when he is not yet tired enough, two options are most likely:

1. The baby cannot fall asleep for a long time, gradually gets irritated, begins to protest against being put to bed, is capricious, crying... And the result is the same “over-walking” and bad dream.

2. If the child’s temperament is calm and docile, he can easily fall asleep, especially after the usual bedtime ritual. But lack of fatigue will not allow him to sleep for long. After too little sleep, the child will soon become tired again. As a result, the same “snowball” will arise again.

"Window to a Dream"

Learn to put your child to bed exactly at the moment when he is already tired and ready to fall asleep, but not yet overtired. Your baby will fall asleep with ease and surprisingly quickly! Naturally calm children often fall asleep in just a couple of minutes; easily excitable and temperamental children may need 10–20 minutes.

This moment of readiness for sleep is called the “window to sleep.”

How to see the “window to a dream”

When laying down, you need to focus on the signs of fatigue in your child. It happens that a mother sees that the child is tired, but before going to bed she needs to eat, wash, change clothes... A little time passes - and that’s it, the “window to sleep” has closed, excitement has begun, now it will be difficult to fall asleep.

Knowing the approximate time that a child can stay awake at a given age without overtiring will come to your aid. By the end of the expected time of wakefulness, you need to be completely ready for sleep, so that after signs of fatigue appear, you can immediately begin going to bed.

Children's waking time table:

The waking time in the table is relevant for children who get enough sleep. If a child has accumulated sleep deprivation or his previous sleep was too short, the time he can stay awake without being overtired is reduced. Prepare for bed in advance and expect to show signs of fatigue earlier than usual.

Do I need to add water? infant?

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Window into sleep: Why a tired and running child does not fall asleep

What to do if your child doesn’t want to sleep on time

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Circadian rhythms

The functioning of our entire body is tuned to certain natural rhythms. All life on Earth, including humans, is subordinate to them.

These rhythms are called circadian and are based on a 24-hour cycle. The stability of circadian rhythms is facilitated not only by light factors, but also by hormones produced in our body with a certain cyclicity.

The natural rhythms of young children are tuned to waking up early in the morning and, accordingly, going to bed early at night. By this time, the body produces all the hormones necessary for falling asleep, a kind of “natural sleeping pill.”

Emergency situation

What happens if a person (in this case, it doesn’t matter whether a child or an adult) does not go to bed at the “proper” time?

Our brain, like hundreds of years ago, proceeds from the fact that “something happened.” And, in general, it doesn’t matter to him what it is: a flood, an attack by wild animals or enemies - or just a tablet with toys.

It is important that the situation is regarded as “force majeure”, and the brain begins to perform a new task - not to sleep. And don't want to sleep. And now new hormones are being produced that help with just this.

"Second wind"

You've probably experienced this feeling: you seemed to want to sleep, and even really wanted to. You drank tea, sat in front of the TV, did some housework... And discovered that you didn’t want to sleep at all!

How long should babies sleep? How long does a newborn baby sleep at night? Should you listen to music when your baby is sleeping, or should you observe strict silence? What sleep stages do babies have, and what do parents need to know about them? Since such questions often concern young fathers and mothers, we tried to answer them in our article.

Who among us has not been touched by watching little children sleeping? Young parents can sometimes spend hours looking at the baby, admiring how the child sleeps, wrinkles his nose like an adult, and moves his lips. And at the same time, based on the flow of the newborn’s sleep, the observant father and mother can easily determine whether everything is all right with the baby, whether any developmental abnormalities have appeared.

Our children are born very weak, as a result of which at first they need to accumulate strength in order to begin to be interested in the world around them. Since we live at the very bottom of a huge ocean of air, no matter how light the surrounding air may seem to us, we should not forget that any of us is pressed by an atmospheric column weighing 250 kilograms.

But adults are accustomed to this load and practically do not notice. And from the first days the baby is almost flattened under the influence of the atmosphere. It is difficult for him to move his arms and legs, he has difficulty turning his head, even to eat. It is not surprising that the baby only has enough strength to suck his mother’s breast, and then sleep, sleep, gradually growing stronger and gaining strength.

Duration of children's sleep at different ages

In the early stages of a baby's life, the duration of sleep varies greatly depending on the number of days lived. The medical opinion on this matter is as follows:

In the first two weeks, newborns sleep literally the whole day, 20-22 hours. Moreover, since babies do not yet distinguish between the concepts of “day” and “night,” during the day they sleep in fits and starts, for two to three hours, while at night a newborn baby’s sleep lasts only a little longer, about four hours. But still, a weak body forces you to wake up - the child needs to eat and gain the necessary “fuel”, thanks to which the baby is able to live on. It is stupid to be nervous about waking up at night to feed - without feeding every three to four hours, the baby will simply die.
Then the baby begins to return to normal a little, and over the next few weeks the duration of sleep decreases slightly, to approximately 16 - 18 hours a day, depending on the individuality of the baby. Now, with a properly structured daily routine, it is easy to teach your baby to sleep at night for six hours, special harm such a long period of time without food will no longer happen. During the day, after sleeping for a couple of hours, and then having a good meal, the baby does not fall asleep immediately, but “walks” for a while - gets acquainted with the environment, communicates with parents and loved ones. Then weakness takes its toll, and the baby falls asleep again in order to conserve strength.
Around the end of the third month, the baby “wins” a little more time from nature in order to study the world more fully. Now the baby's sleep should be about 15-16 hours.
From three months to six months, the baby’s sleep gradually lengthens to 8–10 hours, despite the total time daily sleep, lasting for 15 hours. The remaining time is divided into three intervals, and the baby needs to fill them up during the day. The first interval occurs in the morning, following the morning feeding, and it lasts an hour and a half to two. Another two “quiet hours” fall in the second half of the day.
From six months to nine months, the baby's daily sleep duration is gradually reduced to 12 hours. In addition to sleep, about nine hours, the baby also needs to sleep during the day, twice, before and after lunch, for an hour and a half to two.
Nine-month-old babies already sleep 10-11 hours, and they also need two short naps during the day. This regime will last for about a year. Now the child must strictly adhere to the daily routine, without disturbing it either on weekdays or on weekends, or during a trip to visit his grandmother, for example. True, there are exceptions - the baby’s illness.
Until the age of one and a half years, the baby gradually reduces the duration of daily sleep. At night, the child will sleep for eight to nine hours, and it is advisable for him to sleep for about an hour and a half during the day, after lunch.

A compact table will help you navigate these time intervals easier.

Baby's age	Durationsleep during the day/night
first 2 weeks	~20 - 22 hours, with intervals between awakenings from 2 to 4 hours
1st - 2nd months	~18 hours / up to 5 hours
3 months	~16 hours / up to 6 hours
from 3 to 6 months	~14 hours / up to 7 hours
from 6 to 9 months	~12 hours / up to 9 hours
from 9 months to a year	~11 hours / up to 10 hours
up to one and a half years	~10 hours / up to 9 hours

Parental influence on nighttime sleep frequency

Baby's sleep duration at different ages largely depends on the parents. So, starting from the second or third month, the mother should develop a daily routine for the baby, which indicates approximate sleep intervals, moments of feeding, walking, bathing, etc. Ultimately, teaching the baby to sleep longer at night is in your own interests. This is done as follows:

During the day, the baby should be put to bed at strictly defined hours;
Before going to bed, it is recommended to carry out a whole “tactical operation”, stretching out the period of the last wakefulness long enough and “tiring” the baby by 24 hours, as a result of which he will then begin to sleep very soundly.

The last, evening stage usually involves the obligatory bathing of the baby, a long walk - communication with parents, and, of course, evening feeding. Clean and fed, in fresh diapers and filled with mother’s love, the baby falls asleep quickly, without nerves, and sleeps for quite a long time, feeling the presence of his loved ones.

For six-month-old children, it is important to form some kind of bedtime ritual. Kids quickly learn constant actions that are repeated every day at the same time. Eg:

the mother begins to wash the baby’s face with moistened balls of cotton wool and wipe the body with napkins - this means that morning has come and it’s time to wake up;
the child is bathed in a bath, fed, then a lullaby is sung to him - this means it’s time to fall asleep for a long time, night has come;
It is useful to accompany repeated actions with music, words-lamentations, but always the same, the baby needs to get used to them, and then something like a conditioned reaction will be developed;
exclude active games and any physical activity– the same massages, warm-ups, for example.

Can a baby fall asleep on his own during the day?

From the age of three months, independent sleep Parents are also quite capable of organizing it. The child cries and wants to sleep with his mother when he is scared and uncomfortable. In his own crib, he will fall asleep without problems, feeling safe in it, and all physiological needs are fully and completely satisfied.

After putting your baby to bed during the day or evening, sit next to him, talk to him, stroke him - let him feel your presence, even when he closes his eyes. And leave only after making sure you are sleeping soundly. But still, if the baby is scared and crying, you need to react immediately. Since she is crying, it means she is asking for help, there is a reason for concern, and only mother’s presence can calm the baby (reasons for a newborn baby’s crying).

What Causes Poor Sleep?

In the first weeks and months of his life, the child adapts to the world into which he finds himself. Moreover, sleep provides him with important help. At night, the baby needs to sleep for as long as he is supposed to according to his age (see table), otherwise it is necessary to quickly identify and eliminate the causes of improper sleep.

When the baby sleeps little during the day, not for two or three hours, but significantly less, waking up, for example, once every half hour, then as a result he gets tired during the day and becomes more excited - hence the difficulties when going to bed.
An important component good sleep is to meet the baby's needs. Wet diapers, excessively warm clothes, and excessive coolness in the room - everything becomes the cause of restless sleep.
The room where the baby sleeps needs to be well ventilated (while the baby is being ventilated, the baby is taken to another room). Some parents, fearing that the baby will catch a cold, do not open the windows in the nursery at all, but doing so, of course, is wrong.
Your baby should definitely go for a walk during the day. fresh air– in a stroller, in a sling with mom, it’s better to walk three to four hours before bedtime.
Sometimes the baby is bothered by tummy pain.

The influence of sleep phases on a child

An adult has many phases - about six, but small children tend to alternate between only two:

Peaceful and deep sleep. Children at such moments are completely relaxed and resting.
Restless (superficial) sleep. The baby is also resting, however, the brain is active, the baby tosses and turns, shudders, moves its arms, and grimaces. It's quite easy to wake him up now - by shifting things, talking too loudly.

The calm phase occupies the majority - 60 percent of the total duration, and the superficial phase - the rest of the time. During two to three hours of sleep, the crumbs both phases replace each other after 20–30 minutes. While the baby is still very small, the corresponding periods last:

up to six months – 50 minutes (30 minutes deep and 20 minutes restless). In total it comes to three or four cycles;
from six months to two years – 70 minutes. The number of cycles at this age depends on the total duration of sleep;
from two years to six – up to 120 minutes.

True, the older the baby gets, the faster other phases characteristic of adults are added to the sleep phases - slow superficial, paradoxical, for example. But parents must understand; in your opinion, the baby is sleeping soundly, however, the phase deep sleep from time to time it gives way to a restless phase, and during this period any sneeze can wake up the baby. Therefore, try not to interrupt your newborn’s sleep prematurely:

maintain silence by eliminating street noise and muting the TV;
turn off bright lights by switching to a night light in the evening;
Cover the windows with curtains during the day.

conclusions

Starting from the birth of the child until one year, and then up to two or more years, the duration baby sleep can change every month or two, and in a newborn – even after two weeks. The periods given by us are considered average, because all children are individual, and you should not “push” them into a “Procrustean bed”, forcing them to sleep at a strictly defined time.

Rather, it’s like this: the baby is fine with at least an approximate similar regime. But if the baby’s sleep noticeably deviates from the agreed limits, it’s time to consult a pediatrician.

It primarily depends on the parents whether their baby will gradually begin to sleep longer and longer at night - to achieve long-lasting sleep. good sleep simple rules will help.

Many mothers ask us the question “What time is it better to put a child to bed?” Let's find out!

The influence of biological rhythms on humans

Despite the fact that technological progress makes a person largely independent of the natural conditions in which he lives, like any creature on the planet he is subject to influence biological rhythms. The most significant of them are circadian rhythms - the change of dark and light times of day, day and night. Depending on these rhythms, a person’s physical and emotional state and intellectual capabilities change. Such changes are determined by daily fluctuations in the synthesis of certain hormones. In particular, it is the hormonal background that tells us when it is best to sleep and when to stay awake.

How does melatonin, the “sleep hormone,” work?

The sleep hormone is called the night hormone melatonin hormone. It begins to be produced in the body in the early evening, reaches peak concentrations late at night and decreases sharply in the morning. One of the useful functions of this hormone is to regulate the duration and change of sleep phases. It is with the beginning of melatonin synthesis, approximately in the third or fourth month of a child’s life, that the appearance of deep and very deep subphases of slow-wave sleep in the sleep structure and the “starting” of the biological clock are associated. Before this, the baby lives rather in the rhythm of feedings.

Melatonin causes sleepiness at night. Under its influence, all processes slow down, body temperature drops slightly, blood glucose levels drop and all the muscles of the body relax a little. If you go to bed at this moment, it will be very easy to fall asleep, and your sleep will be as deep and restful as possible.

The “sleep window” can last several minutes or half an hour - it all depends on the child’s temperament, the development of his nervous system and physical condition.

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What if we missed the sleep window?

so as not to miss new videos! If the baby does not go to bed at this time, the synthesis of melatonin is suspended, and instead of it, the stress hormone cortisol enters the blood. Its main function is to maintain vigor. Cortisol increases blood pressure, causes a rush of blood to the muscles, aggravates the reaction rate, and at the same time it is quite slowly eliminated from the body. The excited state persists throughout the night. A child who goes to bed later than the time that is convenient for his body from a biological point of view, falls asleep more difficult, with protests and tears, and subsequently sleeps superficially and restlessly. If you have a tendency to wake up at night, then if you go to bed late, your baby will wake up especially often

What time do you put your child to bed?

. Our grandmothers and mothers often call the effect of cortisol with the household word “overnight.” And indeed, a child who has “overstayed” his “sleep window” is very active and difficult to put to sleep. So, from birth to approximately 3-4 months

Until the synthesis of melatonin is established, the baby can be put to bed at night when the mother goes to bed - for example, at 22-23 hours. But, starting from the age of 3-4 months , we highly recommend finding out your child’s “sleep window” and putting him to bed at this favorable moment, starting all getting ready for bed

How can you determine what time to put your child to bed?

To determine the "sleep window":

1. at least 30-40 minutes. At the same time in the evening (somewhere between 18.30 and 20.30), the baby will show signs of being ready to sleep: he will rub his eyes, lie down on the sofa or chair, yawn, and slow down his movements. Coordination of movements may be impaired. The gaze stops for seconds and becomes directed “to nowhere.” It is this moment that will show the mother what time to put the baby to bed. It is at this moment that the child should already be in bed, well-fed, washed, and having listened to a fairy tale.

This state can last for several minutes, then the baby will experience something like a “second wind.” This may result in unnaturally increased activity or unusual excitability or moodiness. In any case, such a surge of vigor will mean that the “sleep window” has been missed.

It can be difficult to notice the signs of readiness for sleep. They may be subtle, and bright light and noisy environments only help the child hide them. In this case:

2. Calculate convenient time. Normal night sleep duration for children from 3 months to 5-6 years 10-11.5 hours. At the same time, small children, as a rule, wake up early - no later than 7.30. If you subtract the age-recommended length of sleep at night from the usual time of awakening, you will get exactly the approximate moment for ideal falling asleep.

3. Finally, just pick up exact good time, shifting bedtime by 15-30 minutes every 2-3 days and remembering (or writing down) how long it took the child to fall asleep and whether the night passed peacefully.

In any case, if your child falls asleep crying, most likely you are putting him to bed later than necessary. Analyze his regime and perhaps the next day put your child to bed earlier, start rituals 15 minutes earlier.

Changes in daily routine.

It is important not to forget that before starting a night's sleep, the baby must be awake and tired enough for his age. Therefore, when the regime shifts to the earlier side, it is desirable day dreams Also, accordingly, shift and gently wake the child if he sleeps for too long during the last nap of the day. At some point, it is better to completely abandon extra daytime sleep if it becomes difficult to put the child to bed at the right time after it. As a rule, children are ready to completely give up the 4th nap at the age of 4 months, the 3rd nap at 7-9 months, and the 2nd nap after 15-18 months.

Sleep patterns need to be adjusted as you get older. As a rule, after giving up one of the daytime naps, it is advisable to shift the child's bedtime at night 30-60 minutes earlier. But at the same time, if at normal times for several days the child is cheerful, calm, and does not demonstrate readiness to sleep, and once in bed he cannot fall asleep for a long time, it is quite possible that the time has come to put him to bed 30 minutes later.