My Child Won't Sleep. A Strategy for Survival

Keeping your child asleep is one of the most important parts of development during childhood. Newborn babies typically need between 14-to-17 hours of sleep to encourage their growth. Though necessary, this is not the case for all babies. Mothers sometimes complain of a baby keeping them up all night and sleeping like an angel during the day. Insomnia, night terrors, bedtime fears, and bedwetting are common causes of children's sleep problems. For newborn babies, the causes of their sleepless nights are different from older children.

Getting a newborn to sleep is not an easy task. It is sometimes a daunting process especially when the first few go-to tricks and advice that you’ve used in the past don’t work. 

Here are some methods to try:

Develop consistent bedtime routines. Newborn babies have sleep patterns that change from time to time as they cannot differentiate between day and night. They can't seem to form a consistent sleeping pattern. Parents need to create a bedtime routine such as bathing, settling, and feeding for their babies and ensure its consistency. With a consistent routine, the newborn baby will slowly adjust their sleeping patterns and enjoy peaceful sleep through the night.

Warm showers and gentle massages. There is nothing more relaxing than a warm bath followed by a massage. For hundreds of years, a warm bath for a newborn has been known as sleep therapy. To massage your baby, you can slowly stroke or knead each part of your baby’s body starting with the stomach and spending one minute on the head, neck, shoulders, upper back, waist, thighs, feet, and hands. 

Observe your diet, not just your newborn’s. If you are breastfeeding, make sure you keep careful track of the foods you eat. It has a big impact on what your baby digests through your breast milk. Certain foods you eat may upset your baby’s stomach and should be avoided, especially near bedtime. 

Put your baby in his or her own bed. Parents should get used to putting their children down in their own beds. Setting them in their bed at night creates a routine that makes this process easier. This helps the baby get acclimatized to their bed and adapt to falling asleep in their own bed faster. 

Finding the right position for your baby. Generally, it is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics to lay your baby on its back as the best measure to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Also, parents can try putting their hands on the baby's forehead, showing their presence, and waiting for a few minutes to allow the baby to settle. 

What to do about Crying. According to Seattle Children’s Hospital, it’s normal for babies to cry 1-to-2 hours a day for unexplained reasons. Babies also cry when they are hungry, tired, fed too much, too hot, too cold, have a dirty diaper, colic, or are in pain. It’s a long list and it’s hard to know which is the cause. However, if your baby has a temperature, vomits, or displays other signs of being sick, be sure to see a doctor. 

Parents of children past the newborn stage require different solutions. Here are some strategies to try: 

Discourage naps close to bedtime. Parents should discourage their children from taking naps close to bedtime. These naps disrupt the child’s sleep pattern and make it harder to create routine sleep patterns. This is true for both kids and adults. Naps can be helpful in the middle of the day, but they should not be close to bedtime.

Avoid forcing your kids to fall asleep. Children face a challenge shutting their brains off and being ready for the night. Forcing children to sleep increases their anxiety and makes them nervous which makes it hard for them to fall asleep. Instead, parents should create a relaxed environment that calms their kids down and helps them sleep effortlessly.

Limit interaction with screens

Allowing kids to spend their last two hours before bed on a phone, computer or TV can result in some bad sleep habits due to overstimulated brain activities. Parents should discourage their kids from screens before bed.  Kids don't often feel sleepy while playing video games and need time to wind down before they can sleep. 

If you’ve tried all of the tricks above and your child is still having problems falling asleep, experiencing nightmares often, snores, or has trouble breathing at night, it might be time to consult a doctor. In rare cases, your child may have a sleeping disorder and need more help so they can get a good night’s rest. 

Sang Pediatrics is dedicated to helping parents and their children with their health needs. Call us for an appointment or more information