Baby cries in his sleep: how to apprehend him?

We are in the middle of the night, and you sleep peacefully, when suddenly it is the drama. Your baby’s crying comes to wake you up from your sleep. You run up to his room and, surprise, he is still in Morpheus’ arms, and the crying takes place in his sleep ! This astonishing situation is quite common in the sleep of young children. But what are the reasons? How can you help your baby? We take stock of these baby crying and the possible sleep disorders they can mean with Kelly Champinot, child sleep specialist and founder of the Bébé & Confidences site.

Baby is crying and struggling in his sleep? Awakening is coming!

In some cases of crying during sleep, it just means that the baby will soon wake up for reasons that are discomfort, says Kelly Champinot: “In infants, crying can be due to hunger, to a stuck burp. , pain (colic, teething, erythema …), a need for hugs and reassurance but also discomfort such as a dirty diaper for example. Do not hesitate to observe your child’s body language. If he makes mouth noises or heads his fists, it certainly means that he needs to feed.

Crying newborn baby with eyes closed, in full sleep: a likely cycle change

Another less well-known cause of crying when a baby is sleeping may be switching from one sleep cycle to another, explains Kelly Champinot: “It is a completely normal event in his behavior which is in no way a sleep disorder. As you move from cycle to cycle, your baby may start to cry. This can last a few seconds, but sometimes a good ten minutes. In this case, stay close to him for observation and try not to wake him up by talking to him or through physical contact as the moans are very likely to stop on their own. If the crying does not stop quickly or your baby is crying, you will need to wrap and soothe him to help him fall back to sleep.«.

Night terrors: how to deal with baby crying at night?

If your child suddenly cries very loudly in his sleep in the middle of the night, it could also be due to night terrors, often impressive for parents, as Kelly Champinot emphasizes: “These sleep disturbances usually appear around the age of 18 months, although a 6-month-old baby may have them. Night terrors take place during a phase of slow sleep, and in the first part of the night, 1 to 1 hours after falling asleep. The child may be in a seated position, may scream or struggle, and this may take about 3 to 5 minutes. It is very impressive for the parents, but the child will go back to sleep soon after and will not have any memory of it.. As a parent, if possible avoid waking your child in this situation. You can, however talk to him or sing softly because during a night terror, the child’s hearing is the sense that remains the most connected«.

Infant who cries and moans while sleeping: cases of confusing arousal

Resembling night terrors, confusing arousal is a wakefulness disorder that can also generate crying anytime in the night, but also after a nap. These awakenings are however different, affirms Kelly Champinot: “Confusional arousals begin more gradually first with moans, then weeping and screaming. The child appears awake, he can even get out of bed if he is older and resists consolation. This parasomnia can also be associated with drowsiness or bedwetting.«

Crying related to nightmares

Bad dreams are frequent in babies and children, puts Kelly Champinot in perspective: “Nightmares happen most of the time during second third of the night, during the REM sleep phase. Usually, the child has drawn features and calls his parents. In this case, it is obviously necessary to reassure the child after his nightmare. Hugs and heartwarming words will allow him to quickly forget about the nightmare«.

From when and at what age does a baby sleep his nights?

Perhaps from hearing your baby cry at night, you ask yourself this question impatiently: “but when is he going to sleep at last?“! Unfortunately, there is no miraculous fixed age at which all babies sleep. Every baby is different and sleep problems are not the same during their first months of life. On average, however, by the age of 2 months, only one in four babies sleep through the night. On the other hand, from 10 months, it is considered that 90% of babies sleep well. In order to best help him, do not hesitate to institute a bedtime ritual, to fill his safe and emotional reservoirs and to guarantee him a good quantity of sleep during the day so that he finds a quality sleep more quickly.