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A newborn baby's sleep is different from the way adults are used to sleeping. The baby often wakes up, sleeps in short intervals and confuses day with night. Only over time will his sleep pattern begin to resemble that of adults. There are many reasons for this: from the production of melatonin to the small stomach of a baby. Let's look at some amazing facts about baby's sleep that will help parents care for their baby.
Fact 1: Newborns need up to 18 hours of sleep per day
Every baby is different, but a newborn may need up to 18 hours of sleep per day, and the average is about 16-17 hours. Babies need this long rest for good reasons.
The brain of a newborn baby is three times smaller than the brain of an adult. In the first years of life, more than a million neural connections are formed every second; this rate is no longer possible to achieve in the future. This is why the baby needs so much sleep in the first months of life.
The child “gains” all these hours in intervals - 3-4 hours of sleep, which are followed by wakefulness.
Fact 2. A baby can wake up up to 15 times a night
Finnish scientists observed infants, studying sleep intervals. They observed that three-month-old infants woke up an average of 2.2 times per night, although this range varied from 0 to 15 times.
Waking at night usually persists in the first six months to a year of life, while the number of hours of sleep and wakefulness gradually increases. In the second year of life, most children no longer wake up even once at night.
Such frequent awakenings both at night and during the day are associated with several factors. One of them is evolutionary. The baby is highly dependent on his parents, and frequent awakenings at night are signals to the parents. For example, “I’m fine, I still have an appetite.” And newborns just have a tiny stomach, which is why they want to eat more often, even at night.
Fact 3. After heavy feeding before bed, don’t expect your baby to wake up less during the night
It seems logical that feeding heavily before bed will help avoid frequent awakenings at night. But, as studies have shown, this will not help at all: there is no connection between the calorie content of food and the number of night awakenings. In other words, the child will still wake up at night.
Another interesting fact about feeding and sleeping. Breastfeeding is thought to affect melatonin production and sleep quality. According to research, children who drink mother's milk rather than formula sleep better.
Fact 4. Newborn babies confuse day with night
To be more precise, babies simply do not distinguish between them. Frequent falling asleep and waking up is associated with circadian rhythms.
Circadian rhythms are an internal “biological clock” that tells the body when to sleep and when to wake up. They are regulated by the hormone melatonin. In newborns, the increase in melatonin production begins only at 3-4 months. At the same time, circadian rhythms gradually form, which will fully develop only by 6 months of life.
It is precisely thanks to the development of rhythms that the hours of sleep and wakefulness gradually increase.
Fact 5. Your baby may wake up more often after he learns to crawl
Learning a new skill - such as crawling or walking - can cause a child to wake up more often, even if the sleep was previously restful. This period is often called “sleep regression.”
It's all about overstimulation from learning a new skill, it can cause the child to wake up or have difficulty falling asleep. Rituals (bathing, massage, singing a lullaby) that prepare the baby for sleep, as well as avoiding active games before going to bed, can help during this period.
Fact 6. Soft mattresses, toys and loose bedding can be dangerous
Research has shown that a soft mattress and toys, large amounts of blankets, loose bedding and overheating increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. This is the name given to sudden infant death during sleep before the age of one year.
The risk increases more if you put your baby to sleep on his stomach. That is why the safest sleeping position is considered to be on your back. In this position, the likelihood that the baby will suffocate after regurgitation is reduced - lying on his back, he will spit out or swallow the food mass.
Fact 7. Sunlight during the day and darkness at night helps improve your baby's sleep
Sunlight during wakefulness and darkness during sleep can improve infant sleep and affect circadian rhythms. Experts advise maintaining a comfortable, slightly cool (20-22 degrees) temperature in the room when the child is sleeping. But the effect of white noise for falling asleep and other gadgets on a child’s sleep has not been proven, although this may help many children.
Children can wake up not only due to unformed circadian rhythms, but also for objective reasons. For example, due to colic, awkward posture, teething or discomfort from an overfilled diaper. They can help with the last problem diapers YokoSun Premium. They provide up to 12 hours of dryness, carefully and gently caring for your baby's skin. There are many reasons why your baby may wake up, but with YokoSun you will definitely get rid of one of them.