"Sleepy kingdom": how to put a child to sleep
"Sleep, my joy, sleep ..." sometimes you can hum this lullaby, iron the back or tell stories endlessly, and the little mischievous person, as if on purpose is not going to fall asleep. But healthy sleep is a guarantee of good health and proper development of the baby. Therefore, today we will talk about what methods will help parents to put their child to bed on time and without whims.
Content
How to put a child to sleep without tears
On the process of falling asleep and the quality of sleep baby up to a year, the following "irritants" are more influenced: anxiety in the tummy, hunger, wet bottom, uncomfortable clothes, stuffiness in the room. Therefore, in order for the baby to fall asleep faster, parents need to provide him with comfortable conditions.
The baby's nervous system is not yet perfect, and he does not always manage to fall asleep and sleep for a long time on his own. Gentle motion sickness on the arms helps very well in this case, the child feels that his mother is next to him, calms down and sinks into sleep more easily.
Children 2-3 years and older already consciously refuse to go to bed. They are interested in learning about the world around them and do not want to interrupt this fascinating process at all. However, they can be lured by preparing for bed, offering to take their favorite toy to the crib, explaining that today is the time to rest, and tomorrow is the time for new entertainment.
Baby sedative: herbal teas
Mother nature helps to cope with the disturbance of children's sleep at all times. She gave us a large number of plants and herbs that contribute to its improvement: chamomile, lemon balm, mint, linden flowers.
Often, children up to three months, colic and increased gas formation interfere with falling asleep, in this case fennel can be added to a soothing drink.
A cup of aromatic herbal tea, drunk 1 hour before bedtime, will help calm the baby's nervous system, and will also have a beneficial effect on his entire body as a whole.
Today the store offers a wide range of ready-made herbal teas for children. They can be composed of one or more types of herbs. Such tea is produced in filter bags and in granular form, so it is very convenient to brew it for your crumbs.
You can prepare this drink yourself from herbs purchased at the pharmacy, keeping the proportions according to the age of the child.
It is recommended to start giving such tea to a baby from 3-4 months in a very weak concentration. It is best to use only one component the first time, as an allergic reaction may occur.
Preparation for sleep
To child agreed to go to his bed on time, it is necessary to start preparing for bed well in advance. For an hour and a half, it is recommended to stop all noisy games and watching TV. At this time, it is better to switch the child's attention to quiet activities: drawing, application, modeling from plasticine. You can use soothing music or nature sounds as a background.
Starting at 6 months of age, it is very important to follow a specific procedure with your baby before bed. For example, water treatments, then massage, lullaby or bedtime story. You need to follow it strictly, so the baby will quickly get used to this routine, and as he grows up he will understand that it is time to sleep and go to bed voluntarily.
Massage before bed
A relaxing massage is a great way to tune your baby to a "sleepy" mood, because there is nothing better than a gentle mother's touch.
The most suitable time for massage treatments after bathing. It is very important that all movements performed by mom (or dad) are smooth, unhurried and affectionate. The child should feel the love and care of the parents at this moment.
Preparation for massage:
- wash your hands thoroughly with warm water;
- remove all jewelry, nails should be trimmed short;
- Prepare massage oil or cream and pajamas for sleep in advance;
- the child should lie on a hard surface covered with a blanket, oilcloth and diaper;
- create twilight in the room;
- the optimal temperature for the room is 22-24 degrees;
When all preparations are completed, you can proceed to the main part:
- in a circular motion of the palm, gently massage the baby's tummy and breast clockwise;
- alternately stroke the handles from the wrist to the shoulder and the legs from the lower leg to the thigh (without touching the knee joints) - do not forget to stretch your palms and feet;
- turn the baby onto the tummy and stroke it on the back, remember its buttocks;
- remember to talk to your baby in a quiet, soothing voice, comment on your movements, or hum a song.
The duration of the procedure should not exceed 15-20 minutes.
This massage is well suited for children under 3 years old; an older child can only massage the back.
Bedtime stories
Reading at night can become a good and kind tradition in every family. Thanks to fairy tales, the child develops imaginative thinking, develops imagination, in addition, they calm the baby well before bedtime and help strengthen relationships with parents.
You should choose fabulous stories with a calm plot and a good ending, so that the crumbs have a positive impression of reading, and he fell asleep in a good mood. You can sit next to him, so the baby can look at the pictures in the book.
So that the reading does not drag on indefinitely, you must immediately agree on the number of fairy tales that will be read in one evening.
In our age of modern technologies, audio fairy tales that can be turned on on a computer are becoming more and more popular. In some situations, they will be excellent "helpers", but they should not be abused, because not a single even the most interesting fairy tale can replace a child with live communication with parents.
Lullabies before bed
As noted above, a certain order of actions when preparing for bed is very important for a baby. The lullaby can be the final stage in it.
Our ancestors believed that it has a kind of healing power, and modern scientists have proven its beneficial effect on the psychological state of a child throughout life. Children to whom mothers sang lullabies in childhood grow up to be kind, sociable people and more resistant to stress.
To sing for her baby before bedtime, a mother does not need to have special vocal abilities, the main thing here is love and care, which she gives to the baby through singing. The native voice acts on a child of any age as a "magic" sedative and he quickly plunges into a calm and sound sleep.
