The average sleep of newborns lies during day and night, although they wake up in between for feeding after a few hours. It is slightly challenging for new parents to understand their sleep patterns and analyze how long they sleep & wake up during bedtime. Every child has different sleeping hours, some babies prefer to sleep during the day and make their parents awake throughout the night, and rest follows a distinct pattern. Every parent tries to keenly focus on sleep hygiene for kids that maintain the overall health of newborns.
On average, during the day time, newborns sleep for 8 to 9 hours, and the night for 8 hours. However, a significant challenge for parents is infants’ small stomachs that make them awake after every few hours of sleep.
Early Signs of Sleep Disorders Among Infants
- Parents can observe regular snoring during their baby’s sleep hours
- Trouble falling asleep
- Check if there is a breathing pause during their sleep phase
- Too much disturbance in sleeping & frequently waking up in between night
- Trouble in waking up during day hours
- Any unusual events as when a baby wakes up suddenly and starts crying
- The problem of teeth grinding
- Too much occurrence of bedwetting
- Increased restlessness in their sleep
- The difficulty of waking up in the morning
Tips to Make Your Infant Sleep Well
Understand Baby’s Signs of Sleepiness: Every baby creates different signs, such as rubbing their eyes, yawning, staring off, and pulling their ears. These are a few patterns mainly observed by mothers. She understands that babies feel like sleeping and start arrangements for comfortable baby sleep. So, parents can notice a repeated pattern in their infants when they crave sleep.
Maintain a Daily Sleep Schedule for Babies: If parents develop consistent sleep timings for their babies, it will reduce disturbances in their nighttime sleeping. However, it is advisable not to cut out baby naps during day hours as this may result in overtiredness.
Make a Comfortable Environment for Baby Sleep: Sleep hygiene for kids includes basic measures such as a comfortable mattress, cushion, and soft blanket. Take special note of seasonal patterns. Parents must arrange beds for babies, whether the environment is hot or cold. Also, keep their bed clean and fresh to ensure smooth sleep.
Surround Baby Bed with Interesting Objects: A few observations reveal that when parents put stuffed animals, favorite soft toys, and other cartoon figure cushions. Babies find it more attractive, and it helps them to get good sleep when they cuddle them around.
Use ‘Drowsy But Awake’: Drowsy and awake technique is used to help your infant develop self-settling techniques. After preparing for the bedtime routine, parents can put the baby drowsy but awake, encouraging them to fall asleep immediately. It is a relaxation technique that slowly helps infants take naps and finally sleep peacefully.
Use Turn by Turn Technique: Parents also require a good amount of sleep to manage their babies, so parents can wake turn by turn during the night to guard their baby’s sleep. In most cases, when a baby awakens in the middle of the night, they may start crying or quietly awaken. So, if one person is there to take care of such movements, it will be more convenient for them to manage without compromising on their own sleep.
Take Consultation from a Child Specialist:
- Take note of any unusual things that may happen during the baby’s sleeping hours.
- Observe their snoring or breathing pattern.
- Consult the doctor immediately if there are any different symptoms.
Common Sleep Problems among Infants
Insomnia: Under this condition, infants find difficulty in falling & staying asleep. They require any object or favorite toy to cuddle and get a relaxing sleep.
Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome: This syndrome makes it difficult for children to fall asleep even after 2 to 3 hours of their regular bedtime, and it delays waking time in the morning. Due to this syndrome, it becomes difficult for parents to schedule all day.
Hypersomnia: Children with hypersomnia condition have excessive daytime sleepiness. The main reason behind hypersomnia is a neurological condition resulting in daytime dozing, temporary loss of muscles, and hallucinations. This occur while a child falls asleep and wakes up.
Other Disorders: Many medical conditions disrupting comfortable baby sleep are parasomnias, movement disorders, obstructive sleep apnea, and behavioral & mental health disorders.
How can Ankura Hospital Help You?
One of the best women and child care hospitals in India, Ankura hospital presents a pediatrics department that works continuously for children’s well-being covering their physical, social, and emotional health. Our well-experienced doctor team is trained to diagnose and treat childhood illnesses. Ankura hospitals being a multi speciality hospital in India for women & children, offer services of General Pediatrics, Pediatric Endocrinology, Pediatric Cardiology, Neonatal intensive care unit, Pediatric Pulmonology & Allergy, Pediatric Gastroenterology, Pediatric Surgery & Pediatric Urology, Pediatric Rheumatology & Immunology, Pediatric ENT Pediatric Cardiology and Pediatric Dermatology and Child Development Center.
You can consult their services to maintain sleep hygiene for kids and treat other medical conditions. Visit their website to collect more information and locate the nearby center of Ankura Hospitals.
