Not only does the baby stay awake in the middle of the night, but it is also difficult to soothe him to sleep? As long as you master the 6 soothing techniques and the 3 principles of establishing a bedtime ritual, your child can sleep comfortably and peacefully.

For parents who have given birth to a new baby, the biggest change in their lives is that they no longer have to distinguish between day and night. How to help babies develop and establish sleep habits is a college question. What should novice parents do?

3 factors determine sleep status

It is difficult for the baby to coax him to sleep, or even does not want to sleep at night, which always makes new parents very distressed. When the baby does not want to sleep at night, it will be divided into three situations.

1 Environmental factors: Make sure whether the temperature is too cold or too hot, noisy noise, too bright light, etc. that the baby cannot adapt to. In addition to paying attention to whether the bed of the crib is suitable for the baby, you should also observe whether the baby is wrapped in too many clothes. Causes body heat. In addition, reducing the interference from other people in the dormitory will also improve the baby's sleeping condition.

2 Physiological factors: Newborns have their own sleep rhythm. If it is not time to sleep, the baby may not fall asleep easily. In addition, pay attention to the baby's physical condition, such as allergies, colic or gastroesophageal reflux, or even some infections that cause physical discomfort, which will also make it more difficult for the baby to fall asleep.

3. Parental factors: Because new parents are too nervous, they sometimes frequently check the baby's sleeping status, which can easily stimulate the baby and prevent him from falling asleep. In addition, if you are breastfeeding, mothers should be aware that coffee is a neurostimulant food and will also affect the baby's sleep through milk.

6 tips for soothing yourself to sleep

1. Be more active during the day and adjust the lighting at night: Increase daylight stimulation during the day, such as taking the baby out for more activities and opening the curtains to allow sufficient daylight in the room; at night, dim the lights and keep the room dim to allow the baby to secrete melatonin to help sleep. .

2. Fixed sleep time: Fixed sleep time can allow the baby to form a sleep biological clock, thereby making the baby want to sleep at a fixed time.

3. Drowsiness is the best time to put the baby in the crib: When coaxing the baby to sleep, you should not wait until he is completely asleep before putting him in the crib. You should put him in the crib when the baby shows signs of wanting to sleep. It will create a sense of familiarity and security in the crib environment, and it will be less likely to wake up and cry in the middle of the night.

4. The smell of parents increases the baby's sense of familiarity: You can cover the baby with a loose T-shirt from parents, but be careful not to cover the mouth and nose. The familiar smell will make the baby feel more at ease.

5. Don’t interfere with your baby’s dynamic sleep: The baby will have some expressions when sleeping, such as smiling, frowning, blowing his nose, or some body swaying, but in fact he is still sleeping. This is dynamic sleep, which reminds parents when encountering dynamic sleep. Don’t mistake sleep for your baby not sleeping well. Keep checking your baby’s sleep status, as this may interfere with his sleep.

6. If the baby cries frequently, comfort should be delayed: Do not let the baby establish a pattern of comforting the baby as soon as it cries. If the baby cries regularly, the time for comforting the baby should be slowly delayed, or When you are concerned about your baby, you need to increase the distance. For example, if you are originally next to the crib, slowly step back 1 or 2 meters to increase the distance where the baby can see you. If the baby starts to cry, you should delay going there for 5 minutes each time. Look at him and let your baby's emotions slowly be soothed.

Sleeping safely is the most important thing

The most important thing for children to sleep is to sleep safely. It is recommended that children sleep alone in a crib before they are 1 year old, and not to sleep with siblings or even parents, because tragedies of parents rolling over and compressing children, causing suffocation, still happen from time to time. In addition to being safe,  baby cribs are also less likely to disturb sleep.

In addition, there is no need to use pillows before 6 months, especially for newborns, because they are not yet able to raise their heads and turn over, and they can easily get stuck and cause suffocation. Pay attention to whether the mattress is flat and the baby bed surface is clear. There should be no toys or dolls to reduce the possibility of sudden infant death syndrome.