Common Sleep Problems and Solutions
Babies need 9-12 hours of sleep during the night and a few naps during the day to ensure that they are well-rested. A healthy sleeping pattern contributes greatly to their overall growth and keeps them in a good mood. However, for several reasons, infants may develop problems falling or staying asleep from time to time. Most of these are caused by temporary factors such as changes in routine, location, environment, or any developmental changes the child may be encountering. All problems are solved easily by using successful sleep solutions recommended by experts worldwide.
1. Your baby sleeps too much during the day. When babies sleep too much during the day, they complete their resting hours and do not feel tired at night. As the baby is not exhausted at night and takes too many naps during the day, they are getting confused between day and night. This leads to the child sleeping not at all during the night, or even if they do, it is for very short intervals. To prevent this, parents must take care of their toddler’s sleeping schedule and ensure they get the right amount at the right time.
2. Toddlers’ feeding time is not suitable for them. Each child has a different appetite, so it is imperative that their nutrition and feeding comply with their needs. Following this, parents need to align the feeding and sleeping time of the infant so they do not sleep hungry or too-full, as that may result in sickness. Most of the time, an infant is uncomfortable while falling asleep because of their unsatisfied hunger. They are not well-fed, and an empty stomach prompts the mind and body until the child has eaten properly. Children should be fed in the appropriate segments and not too early from or close to their sleep time.
3. Your child is too attached to being cradled. In earlier stages of infancy, parents either rock their babies to sleep or hold them until they drift off. This results in the child developing an attachment to falling asleep while their parents hold them and are rocked. This attachment creates a disruption when the toddler is left alone to fall asleep on their own. They will be fussy and irritated without the setting that they are used to. To solve this, the parents should make sure that they start placing their children in their cots when they are almost asleep and keep patting their stomachs as they fall asleep. This will ensure that the child keeps feeling the physical touch of the parent they are accustomed to and do not face an abrupt change.
4. Inconsistency in your response to their behavior. Babies are tricky to handle, and especially when the parent does not stick with one approach to address this issue, it may not get solved. As a parent, discover a strategy and give it time as your child may adapt to a different scenario. For example, your toddler uses electronic devices before sleeping, and you wish to reduce their screen time. To successfully remove them from this habit, you cannot just take their device away from them as it will cause bursts of irritability and anger. Tackling this situation requires the parents to gradually decrease their child’s screen time over time in intervals. At one point, the screen time will be significantly reduced without the child being aware of the change. Being patient with kids is the key to solving their problems.
Night-time disturbances are involved in new parenthood, but the consistency of these issues needs to be addressed and corrected. Once the problem is identified, a solution can be deciphered and actively worked upon until favorable results are achieved.
