How to calm a child before bedtime: tips for parents

Every mother at least once in her life was faced with the fact that she could not put her baby to sleep. Kids are very sensitive emotionally, so they are easily excited. The child may not sleep if something bothers him or something hurts him. The baby may not sleep if he is overworked. In addition, the reason for the impossibility of going to bed can be a good mood. Many mothers probably faced such a problem as adrenaline in crumbs. The kid played out, laughs and laughs, runs around the house cheerfully, what kind of dream can there be? But mother was tired all day, and nobody canceled my father’s work in the early morning. What to do if the baby does not calm down? How to calm a child and put him to bed? In this case, we have collected for you only proven tips and tricks.

Remove annoying factors

Sometimes a baby cannot fall asleep, simply because something is bothering him. Here are the most common factors that interfere with a baby’s normal sleep.

1. Colic. All children under 3–4 months of age may experience colic, which is normal. They are associated with imperfections in the digestive tract. Often they can occur at the same time of the day, usually before bedtime. To get rid of annoying gases in the intestine, you can apply a warm diaper to the baby’s stomach, make a light massage clockwise, bend the baby’s legs to the tummy to facilitate the discharge of gases. If the baby has not been cocoa for a long time, this can also bother him, you need to stimulate the process. From colic, dill water helps perfectly. In addition, the pharmacy has a huge amount of drugs that you can give your baby from birth.
2. Teeth. Closer to six months, even the longest colic disappears, and a new era of anxiety sets in - teeth. The first teeth can come out even in 3-4 months, but usually appear by six months. To get rid of the disturbing factor, you need to lubricate the baby's gums with special painkillers and cooling gels and ointments. Let the child gnaw rubber toys, massage the gums with special silicone nozzles, in severe cases, you can give the baby an anesthetic.
3. Temperature. ARVI is another common reason why a baby may not sleep. Be sure to give an antipyretic before bedtime, if there is a temperature. If sore throat - use special painkillers sprays. Often, children suffer from the fact that the nose is blocked, this also prevents normal sleep. In this case, vasoconstrictor drops should be used.
4. Zone of active growth. If your baby is 3-4 years old, and he complains of pain in the legs (feet, lower legs or knees), this is probably an area of ​​active growth. When the bones grow very quickly, and the muscles do not keep up, this pain occurs, usually it activates at night. This is not treated, you just have to wait. In this case, you can do a light massage, a warm compress, in extreme cases - take ibuprofen.

These are the main reasons that can disturb the baby at night. But if it’s not the matter, and the baby still refuses to sleep, you need to think about whether he was tired?

Does the baby want to sleep?

Some mothers wonder why every day the child does not want to fall asleep at the time that she determined. Or maybe the baby is not tired yet? If too much time has passed since his last awakening, of course, he will not want to go to bed. Perhaps the time has come when the number of daytime dreams should be reduced?

To the baby quickly and easily fell asleep, he needs to be tired. An evening walk is required. Fresh air and active games will do the trick.After a walk, give your baby a light massage - all mothers know that after a massage, children sleep soundly and continuously. After the massage, water procedures are required. Let your baby swim with a circle around his neck in a large bath. If you make the water a little cool, the baby will move actively and lose the rest of his energy. After bathing, put your baby in clean clothes and plenty of food - you can sleep much better on a full stomach. After such manipulations without strength, even the most energetic child will fall into bed, believe me!

How to calm a child before bedtime

If the baby is overexcited, it is quite difficult to calm him down. Here are a few tricks that will help you calm down even the most restless baby.

1. Dim the light. By nature, it is inherent in us that at dusk the nervous system calms down, a person wants to sleep. You do not need to completely turn off the light, otherwise the baby will be scared.
2. You can put a quiet soothing melody. Classic compositions, the sound of the sea surf, birdsong are perfect.
3. Try not to play active games with your baby in the evening - do not run, do not frolic, do not jump. It is best to assemble puzzles with your child, consider pictures, play with dolls.
4. No gadgets at least three hours before bedtime. Cartoons and games on the screens of tablets, phones and TVs excite the nervous system, it will be more difficult to fall asleep after this.
5. Some odors soothe a person. For example, a sprig of lavender. Just put it on the bedside table an hour before bedtime, and the baby himself will leave his active games.
6. If the baby is less than three months old, perhaps it should be swaddled? The fact is that young children are much more comfortable in cramped conditions, akin to the womb. In the diaper, they do not scare themselves with arms and legs, which they have not yet learned to manage.
7. Disconnect the phone, TV and doorbell, which may disturb your baby.
8. Follow the mode and the specific sequence of actions. The kid should know that after bathing and eating you need to sleep. The daily routine is a great thing that can subjugate a small organism. Lie down at about the same time.
9. Ventilate the room in the evening - clean, cool air promotes deep and long sleep. One of the most common problems falling asleep is hot air or a lot of clothes on the baby.
10. Do not deprive the child of the rituals habitual for him - motion sickness, sucking at bedtime, lullaby, reading a book. Such insignificant but familiar things sometimes become key for the baby.
11. You need to limit the amount of chocolate before bedtime, because caffeine excites the nervous system. If a woman is breastfeeding, she should also adhere to this rule - in the afternoon you can not drink strong tea and coffee.
12. If the baby does not want to sleep, you can give him some herbal soothing tea. It includes chamomile, lemon balm, linden and mint. A couple of sips of weak broth will make your baby more obedient.

Do not worry if the baby's going to bed is a whole battle for you. Over time, the child will outgrow this age and will fall asleep much easier.

Very often, the mother herself perfectly feels what is happening with her baby and why he does not sleep. If all possible irritating factors are removed, and the baby is still naughty and does not want to fall asleep, perhaps it should be shown to a neurologist. At least in order to make sure that there are no problems in its part.

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