How to put a one-year-old child to sleep without tears and without motion sickness – mom’s secrets

The sleep mode of a one-year-old baby is 11 hours at night, 2.5 hours before lunch and 1.5 hours after. Although, in general, the regimen will depend on the parents and the child’s activity – 9 hours of sleep is enough for someone, while 11 hours of sleep will not be enough for another baby. At such a young age, babies are the most capricious – sometimes it is difficult to put them to bed during the day, at night you have to rock the crib and sing lullabies for a long time, and the child’s mood swings exhaust parents so that they are afraid to look at themselves in the mirror in the morning.

See also: Why your baby sleeps badly – important tips for parents.

How can you teach your baby to fall asleep without crying – calmly, quickly and independently?

• A baby’s sleep is not just a period of time when a mother can rest or take care of herself. Sleep is the foundation of a baby’s health (including mental health). Accordingly, you need to take your child’s sleep schedule seriously. Without outside help, the baby will not be able to learn to sleep “correctly”, which can threaten first with sleep disturbances, and then with serious problems. Therefore, no “through your fingers” – take your baby’s sleep seriously, and then problems in the future will bypass you.
• The child’s restructuring to the “solar cycle” begins after 4 months – the baby’s nighttime sleep increases, the daytime sleep decreases. The habituation to the “adult” regime passes gradually, taking into account the peculiarities of the baby and the development of his “internal clock”. Certain external stimuli – day / diet, light / dark, silence / noise, etc. – will help parents to correctly set up these “watches”. the child should feel the difference between sleep and wakefulness for the correct operation of the “clock”.

• The main “tools” for setting the clock: calmness and confidence of both parents, parents’ understanding of the importance of “sleep science”, patience, the obligatory observance of the regularity of evening procedures and external elements (crib, toy, etc.).
• By the year the baby can already be accustomed to one day’s sleep (afternoon). The child himself will tell his mother what time it is best to do it. By reducing the number of hours you sleep during the day, you will get a better night’s sleep. Of course, if one day’s sleep is not enough for a crumb, you should not torment him with wakefulness.
• The psychological attitude of the parents is very important. The baby will always feel that the mother is nervous, worried or not confident in herself. Therefore, when putting your baby to bed, you should radiate calmness, tenderness and confidence – then the baby will fall asleep faster and more calmly.
• The method by which you put the child to sleep should be the same. – the same method for every day. That is, every evening before going to bed, the scheme is repeated (for example) – to bathe, put him to bed, sing a song, turn off the light, leave the room. It is not recommended to change the method. The stability of the “scheme” – the confidence of the baby (“now they will redeem me, then they will put me to bed, then they will sing a song …”). If dad puts it down, the scheme is still the same.
• External “elements” or things that the baby associates with sleep. Each child falls asleep in the mother’s arms. As soon as the mother stops pumping, the baby wakes up immediately. As a result, the child sleeps all night long next to his mother’s breast, or clinging tightly to the bottle. Why? Because it is soothing. But sleep is not for food, sleep is for sleep. Therefore, the baby should sleep exclusively in his crib and, of course, without a bottle. And in order not to injure the psyche of the baby and add confidence, we use stable “external elements” – those that he will see both before going to bed and waking up. For instance, one and the same toy, your beautiful blanket, a night light in the shape of an animal or a crescent above the crib, a pacifier etc.

• Teach your baby to fall asleep on its own. Experts do not recommend a one-year-old baby to sing songs before going to bed, swing the crib, hold the hand, stroke the head until he falls asleep, put him in his parent’s bed, drink from a bottle. The child must learn to fall asleep on their own. Of course, you can sing a song, pat the head and kiss the heels. But then – to sleep. Leave in the crib, dim the lights and leave.
• At first, of course, you will be sitting “in ambush” half a meter from the crib – in case “what if he gets scared and starts crying.” But gradually the crumb will get used to the laying pattern and begin to fall asleep on its own. If the baby nevertheless cried or suddenly woke up and got scared, go up to him, calm him down and, wishing good night, leave again. Naturally, you don’t need to mock the child: if the baby is roaring at the top of his voice, then you urgently need to “show your mother” and once again tenderly wish you quiet dreams. But if the child is just whimpering, wait it out – most likely, he will calm down and fall asleep. After a week or two, the baby will understand that his mother will not run away anywhere, but he needs to sleep in his crib and alone.
• Show your child the difference between sleep and wakefulness. When the baby is awake, hold it in your arms, play, sing, talk. When falling asleep – speak in a whisper, do not pick it up, do not play hug / kiss.
• The place for a child to sleep is the same. That is, a child’s crib (not a parent’s bed, stroller or rocking chair), with a night light in the same place, with a toy near the pillow, etc.
• During the day, lay the child in a slightly dim light. (having curtained the windows a little), turn off the light completely at night, leaving only the night light. The baby should perceive light and darkness as signals for sleep or wakefulness.
• No need to walk on tiptoes during daytime sleep and hiss out of the window at noisy passers-by, while at night provide the baby with silence.
• Before going to bed, bathe the child (if bathing calms him down) and for half an hour before laying down, turn down the sound from the TV or radio. Half an hour before bed is the time to prepare for bed. This means no noisy games, loud sounds, etc. In order not to overexcite the baby’s psyche, but on the contrary – to calm him down.
• The baby should be comfortable in the crib while sleeping.… This means that the linen should be clean, the blanket and clothes should be optimal for the room temperature, the diaper should be dry, the tummy should be calm after eating.
• The air in the room must be fresh. Be sure to ventilate the room.
• Stability means safety (children’s understanding). Therefore, your layout, external auxiliaries and procedures before bed should always be the same… And (mandatory rule) at the same time.
• Pajamas. Pajamas should be optimally comfortable. So that the baby does not freeze if it opens up, and at the same time does not sweat. Cotton or jersey only.
• The dream of any child is for his mother to endlessly read him a fairy tale, sing lullabies, straighten the blanket and iron the recalcitrant whirlwinds all night long. Do not fall for the cunning and whims of your little robber – monotonously (this way you will fall asleep faster) read the story, kiss and leave the room.
• Getting up to a one-year-old baby 3 times a night (or even 4-5) is not the norm. After 7 months, the little ones should: go to bed calmly and without tantrums, fall asleep on their own in their crib and in the dark (with or without a night light), sleep for 10-12 hours fully (without interruptions). And the task of the parents is to achieve this, so that later the crumbs will not have problems with insomnia, moodiness and serious sleep disturbances.

And – be realistic! Moscow was not built in a day, be patient…

See also: Where can you go with a one-year-old child – affordable entertainment for parents.

Video: How to properly put your baby to bed?