Sleep: when baby sleeps a lot

How do you know if your baby is ready to sleep through the night?

Having a baby who sleeps peacefully all night long is the dream of many young parents! While the majority of children will take weeks to sleep for several hours at night, some newborns lengthen, from the maternity, their sleeping spots. This is what Aurore, mother of a 2 and a half month old Amélia, experienced: ” I gave birth at 17:50 p.m. I offered to feed my daughter right away, but she didn’t take anything. She then fell asleep. Around midnight and at 3 am, the midwives came to see me, but Amélia was still asleep. It was the first day. I didn’t know what to expect. I was a little worried, but I told myself that the 44 hours of work had certainly exhausted her. The next day, she asked for her first bottle at 8 a.m. and then every three hours. The second night, she woke up to eat at 3 a.m. and then at 7 a.m. “. And the little girl kept that rhythm when she got home. ” I gave birth on Tuesday, and by Saturday she was practically a full night’s sleep. I put her to bed at 1 am after the bath and her last bottle, and she would wake up at 7 a.m. ».

How many hours of sleep for my baby?

« They are a minority », Specifies psychologist Elisabeth Darchis, but some infants only wake up once or twice at night from birth. On average, when baby is sleeping through the night, he needs 12 to 16 hours of sleep per day between 4 to 12 months; from 1 to 2 years, it is between 11 and 14 pm; from 3 to 5 years old, between 10 am and 13 pm; then at least 9 hours from 6 years. There are several reasons that our child sleeps more than average. First of all, there are the newborns who take advantage of the feeding. ” Sometimes babies calm down by hallucinating that they are sucking on their mother’s bottle or breast. From the first hours or days of life, they make what are called angels’ smiles, often preceded by a small sucking movement. These hallucinating babies actually believe that they are nursing and that they are in their mom’s arms. As soon as they are hungry, they will repeat this sucking movement. It will work once, twice … and after a while, hunger will win out over satisfaction. It is only then that they will show their desire to eat. », Explains the specialist. These babies almost have an ability to ” empower yourself “And” an inner life that helps them calm down “. Indeed, ” by dreaming of the presence of their parents, they gain security very early on. They can then extend their sleep time up to several hours in the evening, while they do not differentiate between day and night until the third month. », She emphasizes. The environment also comes into play. Thereby, the little one will sleep more peacefully in a quiet space.

How to make baby sleep despite breastfeeding?

While some babies lengthen their sleep phases because they feel good, others, on the contrary, sleep a lot because they feel insecure. ” When the parents are not really available to the child, the child takes refuge in sleep. Infants can also become exhausted: à force to fight against fatigue, they cry, collapse and thus stay asleep longer. In addition, the last bottle also has an impact. As soon as it is increased, for example on the advice of early childhood professionals, the prolongation of sleep is observed », Explains Elisabeth Darchis. Aurore confirms this last point: “ For the past few days, I have been giving Amélia a 210 ml bottle before going to bed. And she wakes up at 8 a.m. », She says.

With some exceptions, it is not recommended to wake a baby in order to regulate his sleep rhythm. Likewise, if the interaction with a newborn is essential, do not prolong the awakening moments too much in order to avoid an association between arousal and pleasure and lead to an increase in the number of awakenings. It is also important to help him distinguish day and night as he goes by, giving him natural light and talking to him during the day, and whispering and staying more in the dark for him. bottle or breast feed at night. Living according to regular schedules as much as possible for the toilet, early learning games or even going for a walk also generates a feeling of security.

To sleep, baby needs parental calm

Parents’ attitudes have a real influence on their child’s sleep, although this does not explain everything. On average, newborns who sleep more than others at night have a good weight and their parents try not to express anxiety about their sleep and their possible loneliness.. ” They don’t say to each other: I have to put him to sleep in my arms, he doesn’t like the bed… Parents’ safety can soothe their baby. Of course, this does not work 100% of the time, but some little ones manage to lengthen their sleep slices as well. », Remarks Elisabeth Darchis. And for good reason, there is bodily transmission of the parents’ availability and their well-being. Aurore also believes that her zenitude played a major role: “ I was very zen during my pregnancy. I’m still calm today, and I think Amelia is feeling it.

« I sometimes hear parents say that their baby cannot stand his bed but in reality I feel that it is they who do not accept to see him alone. Sometimes also, as soon as the child whines a little, they pick it up quickly. Without realizing it, they break the lengthening of sleep. However, very often, baby only needs a simple caress to fall back to sleep. They make it too secure in the arms, but it is essential that the child learns to self-secure in bed », Insists the psychologist.

How to get baby to sleep at night from 1 month?

It is important that the child ” dream the arms of his parents », The bottle or the breast if it is breastfed. As Elisabeth Darchis explains, “ some babies confuse sleep with eating. They cannot carry away their daydreams and feelings of well-being in their sleep. As soon as they wake up, they will claim the breast. In this case, the child cannot find autonomy. He cannot “survive” without the real presence of his parent. We must therefore try to put him to bed, once he has benefited from the feed, without prolonging the dependence on the arm too much. “. In addition, according to the psychologist, the children who sleep in the parents’ room often make their nights later. ” There is more stimulation and interaction between the baby and his parents. Parents respond to the slightest call and the toddler remains dependent on their presence “. The difficulty is to find a happy medium because, in order to dream of the nourishment and love of his parents, it is necessary that the baby has received sufficient answers. Indeed, he also needs to feel that we are interested in him. ” There are mothers who are too quiet who can let go of their babies. Abandoned, these little ones will fall back to sleep », Warns Elisabeth Darchis.

Can newborns be depressed?

When a baby sleeps a lot, especially in the maternity ward, professionals pay close attention. ” This sleep can reveal a relationship leak », Notes the psychologist. ” Sometimes there are babies who are very wise, even too wise. We can then ask ourselves if the newborn does not have depression. There are many explanatory phenomena, especially following a difficult cesarean section for example, or when the parents did not have the strength to take care of their baby. “. In fact, the mother-child bond, in particular, is created from the very first days. ” For me, 50% of the feeding is done with milk and the other 50 with the relationship. When the mother is not really available and the newborn does not have a family psychic cradle that welcomes him enough, he can fall back. This is called waiting babies. This little withdrawal is not serious at first, as long as you pay attention to it and wake them up to the pleasure of the relationship by the adjusted voice or eye-to-eye contact. This will give them an appetite and little by little they will find their eating and sleeping rhythm. », Specifies the specialist. Note also that babies can, conversely, also fall back into sleep when the parent is too intrusive.

How does baby’s sleep rhythm change?

« As our pediatrician told us, if Amélia has taken such a rhythm, there is little chance that this will change. », Aurore tells us. ” Babies who sleep well enough can go on like this for weeks and months. TO 1 months, the child sleeps 17 to 20 hours a day and may only wake up once in the night. There may be a few micro-awakenings, but a caress is enough to put him back to sleep. TO 2 months, the baby is able to do almost a full night, sometimes until the early hours of the morning, i.e. 6-7 a.m.Says Elisabeth Darchis. And contrary to what one might believe, the number of naps does not affect the quality of evening sleep.

But during the development of the child, several hazards will disrupt this sleep cycle: separation anxiety around the 8th month, teething, leading to pain and sometimes diaper rashes (the child then supports his diaper less. dirty)… ” There are ups and downs in the child’s sleep without this being pathological», Emphasizes the psychologist. ” Some sleep well on vacation, while others are upset and have trouble getting to sleep. Later, at the time of the opposition crisis around 2-3 years, sleep is once again disturbed. The child, who constantly says no to his parents, sometimes has nightmares at night She continues. Sleep for toddlers is therefore a long process that fluctuates over time.