If you want to be fit during the day, you need to sleep well at night! This is true from a very early age, as it is clear that a baby who has had a good night's sleep is much more cheerful and in a better position to develop psychomotor skills. On the other hand, a baby who has not slept well will be cranky and eat less well.
To improve your toddler's well-being, it's important to learn how to spot the things that can disturb him and affect the quality of his sleep.
What can disturb your baby's sleep?
Hunger: this wakes children up every 3 or 4 hours, day and night. During the first few months, toddlers can't stand hunger and always cry, which is the main cause of babies waking up.
Pain: babies can suffer from digestive problems, often referred to as infant colic. The child shakes his legs and twists in all directions, can't fall asleep or wakes up with a start. They can sometimes be soothed when you hold them in your arms and put them on your stomach. The warmth of your hand on his tummy can soothe any pain. Digestive problems can sometimes be relieved by raising the child's upper body on a sloping surface.
Teething pains can also cause babies to wake up during the day or night. To alleviate them, you can turn to homeopathy and give your little one an amber necklace, which often brings comfort.
Thirst can also cause discomfort that can make it difficult for your baby to fall asleep, so make sure you always have a bottle of water near your child's bed.
What you can change to improve baby's sleep
- Room temperature: to ensure baby sleeps well, the bedroom should not be overheated. The ideal temperature is around 18°C. This may seem cool, but when baby is settled in his sleeping bag, he is at the ideal temperature for a perfect night's sleep.
- The quality of the sleeping bag: Sweating can cause dehydration and wake up at night. To prevent your child from sweating, opt for a natural baby mattress made from breathable materials and an organic cotton sleeping bag. Good air circulation limits perspiration and allows moisture to evacuate properly. So baby sleeps at the ideal temperature without waking up.
- Changes and disturbances: when children are small, they need to find their bearings, so it's important to ensure that babies always sleep in the same room, always in the same bed, and to establish a bedtime ritual. Establishing small routines and doing the same things over and over helps to reassure baby and soothe him, helping him to fall asleep.
- Emotional insecurity: babies always need to be reassured, especially by their parents. He needs love and physical contact with his parents as much as he needs to eat and drink.
- Anxiety in the home: babies are real sponges, absorbing and feeling all the emotions in the home. It's therefore very important to ensure that there isn't too much stress in the home.
- Over-intervention by parents: when babies fall asleep, they are often restless, breathing rapidly, moving their arms and legs and sometimes jerking, but this is normal and it's important to let them fall asleep on their own without intervening. Just make sure he's not hungry or thirsty, that his nappy is clean and that he's not too hot in his sleeping bag. If everything's fine, it's best not to intervene and let baby fall asleep on his own!
How to get baby to sleep during a heatwave.
In extreme heat, it's important to choose very light, breathable clothes for your baby.
Natural fabrics such as cotton are recommended, as they help to regulate body temperature without creating an itchy sensation, as some polyesters do in very hot weather...
Make sure you maintain a comfortable temperature, ideally between 20 and 22°C. Use a fan or air conditioning if necessary, but take care not to direct the airflow directly at the baby.
Make sure your baby stays well hydrated throughout the day and night.
You can give your baby a lukewarm bath before bedtime, which can help to lower his body temperature. (However, do not use cold water, as there is a risk of thermal shock).
Use light, cool sheets for your baby's bedding.
If you have air conditioning, you can also place a light blanket over your baby's bedding to prevent a chill in the middle of the night.
Without air conditioning and in very hot weather, a damp (but not icy) Swaddles can be placed on baby to keep him cool.
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