A newborn comes into this world after a long nine months of being in a cozy and warm mother’s tummy. Therefore, it is difficult for him to instantly adapt to the usual rhythm of life for adults. Breasts not only do not know how to distinguish between day and night, but even often confuse them. To establish a normal mode, kids need time and, of course, the help of loving parents.
But even in this case, mothers are not always calm, because some children do not wake up during the night even once, while others constantly spin; some sleep very quietly, while others moan. So why is the child moaning in a dream and whether it is harmful for him, let's try to figure it out.
Watching, admiring
Breasts at the very beginning of their lives outside their mothers sleep almost all the time. They wake up only in order (besides several times a night) to eat. It is known that one of the most important components of a baby’s life is healthy sleep. It was at this time that they were growing and gaining strength for a rather difficult event for them - knowledge of the world around them.
Almost all mothers are faced with the fact that their newborn baby groans in a dream, that the baby has a restless sleep. It is interesting to observe how the baby sleeps - this is a very moving sight. Each smile, each grimace evokes a sense of pride and admiration for its child. Moreover, the face of a sleeping little one reflects a whole gamut of feelings. But if in a dream he shudders, screams, cries or groans, his parents immediately begin to worry and think that something is wrong with the child, and he needs to be urgently treated.
Baby sleep stages
Before you begin to understand why the child groans in a dream, you need to find out what stages of this process exist. Among them are the following:
1. Calm deep sleep of the baby. The baby sleeps, clenching his fists, there are no visible movements, but his muscles are in good shape. This phase of sleep involves the production of growth hormone.
2. Active paradoxical sleep of the baby. Mom, watching her child, can see that he looks excited, on the face - a smile or grimace, eyes under the eyelids move, legs and arms of the baby make small movements, there are some pauses in breathing (about a quarter of a minute). When a mother looks at her child, she may think that he is about to wake up and cry or scream.
3. A nap of a newborn baby. The kid is half asleep. During this period, it is better not to talk to him and not to pick him up, because you can wake him up.
4. The calm awakening of the baby. The little pean is very calm, moves a little, very carefully studies everything around him. If mom asks for something or just comes up to talk, she can answer her with a smile.
5. Active awakening of the baby. He is very tense and indignant, sharply moves his arms and legs. It seems that he is about to wake up. The baby's sleep is very restless.
6. The excited awakening of the baby. The baby cries loudly, groans. Mom can’t calm him down for a long time. Usually this phase can be observed only in the first few weeks after birth, and after two months of the baby’s life, these manifestations disappear.
Parents are better off not interfering in their baby's sleep cycles . Do not confuse the waking state of a baby with an active paradoxical dream, when the child smiles, whimpers in a dream, opens his eyes. You should not take him in your arms, because then it will be difficult to put the baby to bed again. It is better to follow his behavior: maybe the crumb after a while will clearly show his desires.
Colic in the baby
But do not immediately draw conclusions that are not supported by anything. It’s better to calmly figure out what these unpleasant changes are connected with.
Indeed, there are so many causes and problems that can affect the baby’s sleep, so even if he occasionally moans, this does not mean that he was sick.
As a rule, such moans are in no way connected with the fact that the baby’s nervous system is impaired. Most likely, the whole thing is in the dreams of a peanut. If parents, even wise by life experience, are sure that such little children don’t dream, they are mistaken. In fact, the crumbs also dream.
So, the child groans in a dream. Causes may be different. One of them is colic. But as soon as the peanut manages to release gaziki, he immediately falls asleep soundly. Yes, and mom stops worrying.
Teeth are cut
A month old baby moans in a dream he (especially if it's a boy) often. At this age, this happens with many peanuts. The baby can calm down after a light massage of the tummy clockwise or when mom gives him some dill water.
It happens that the nightly rest of the baby is disturbed during teething. Little baby groans and groans in a dream very plaintive. And the dream itself during this period becomes short-lived and restless. In order to alleviate the condition of the crumbs a little, the mother can use painkillers, which are released in the form of ointments or gels. Carefully treat the baby’s gums and he will be able to rest.
Addiction to the world
If the child moans in a dream quite rarely, then the parents have no reason to worry. Because these sounds can only be a reaction of the body to the fact that the child adapts to his new life already outside the mother’s tummy.
Babies, as well as adults, have two main stages of night rest: deep and shallow. In infants, the second prevails, but the transition from the first for a still weak organism of the crumbs can occur accompanied by various sounds.
Visits by relatives or friends
The child is already one year old. He groans in a dream from time to time until now. Why it happens? It would seem that the period of the newborn has already passed, and the baby is a little used to his surroundings. But during this period of his life, a moan during a night's sleep can be an ordinary reaction of the peanut organism to those events that he experienced during the day. For example, if relatives came to visit a large company or friends of parents. All this can simply overwork the child.
Horror and other causes of restless sleep
It may happen that the baby has a terrible dream. For him, it is akin to impressionable adults watching a very scary movie before going to bed.
Another reason is the climatic conditions in the baby’s bedroom (it’s too cold or stuffy, too dry or humid air, an unpleasant smell).
And yet, most pediatricians are inclined to attribute moans during a baby’s sleep to normal, normal physiological processes in the active phase of a baby's sleep.
Early independence and home decor
If the parents decided that it was time to accustom the baby to sleep in their crib, then the main reason for his crying or moaning (at a psychological level) is the absence of his mother nearby. The babies are intuitively able to feel the absence of a close person near them, and with their tears (and then with a groan) they will call their mom or dad to themselves.
There is another psychological reason why a child is moaning in a dream. 3 years is the age when, it would seem, the baby is already "adult", but he still reacts to the situation in the family. Any screams, quarrels, or, even worse, broken plates and fights - all this does not affect the emotional state of the baby in the best way.
Often, in order to understand the cause of a child’s restless sleep, one just needs to watch him for a while. By eliminating this source of the problem, parents will give their child a healthy and sound sleep.
Groans of a grown baby
So, the child is one year old. The baby moans in a dream as before. Parents begin to worry again. And again, this is not always a reason for such a strong concern.
A child (1 year old) moans in a dream, not necessarily because he has something to hurt or is worried about something. He grows up, gradually learns something new, new reflexes appear and consolidate in him.
In children of this age, a urination reflex is gradually developed, but at night it is not yet completely controlled. I want to go to the toilet, the sphincter is ready, and the baby, being in the process of sleep, until he himself can figure out what's what.
Therefore, this situation arises: a child (2 years old) groans in a dream. Nothing hurts him, he just reacts to what is happening in his body. In addition, 2 years is the age when teeth are still climbing. This, too, can become one of the reasons for the night groans of babies, and this happens during the growth of the last teeth (the gum has not even swollen yet, and the moot has already begun to moan). In this case, with the “birth” of the last tooth for this age, all moans cease.
And another important point that parents should not forget about: cartoons. Usually by the age of two, kids are already quite consciously starting to watch different cartoons. Adults should keep track of everything that happens on the screen, because many modern cartoon stories can disturb the psyche of a child. And at night, as a rule, these impressions (often not very positive for the baby) pour out in moans and crying.
And at this age, you can bathe children in the evenings before going to bed in weak decoctions of lavender and succession. You can put a small pillow in which these soothing herbs are sewn up near the bed on which the little one sleeps.
We try for our children
All parents worry when their child moans in a dream. To make the baby’s night rest more relaxed, one should not forget that gradually the baby should be accustomed to the regimen. This process must begin with feeding - it is more correct to give food by the hour than by demand. Little children quickly get used to the regime proposed by their parents, and then it will be much easier for them to get used to the fact that the day is divided into day and night.
No need to accustom the baby to prolonged motion sickness before bedtime (especially at night). Even if he has a very comfortable modern rocking bed, the baby will quickly get used to swinging, and without it it will not be able to sleep normally. And it’s best to accustom a child to his own crib from birth. So he will have much more personal space, and careless actions of adults will not interfere with him.
If you go for a walk with your baby in the evening, his night's sleep will be much stronger and calmer. In addition, after the exercise, the appetite wakes up in the children, and well-fed and tired, they fall asleep faster. If there is no way to go out with the baby, you can put the stroller on the balcony, only wearing a peanut in the weather before that.
The correct actions of parents
If it happens that young mom and dad are faced with the fact that their child is groaning in a dream, they should as soon as possible look for the cause of this state of crumbs at a time when he is resting at night.
After examining the baby, the pediatrician must explain to parents why the child’s behavior undergoes these changes. If we recall that the groans of the baby can be directly related to nervous disorders, then a visit to a neurologist will be the right way out.
How to make a baby sleep? Recommendations to parents
To ensure a sound and healthy sleep for young children, it is enough for parents (in most cases) to eliminate all possible causes as follows:
1. Before you put the baby to bed, give him rest, try to take him a more relaxed game than during the day.
2. That room in which it is supposed to put the baby to sleep should be well ventilated.
3. In order for a baby to create a sense of security, one must sing him a lullaby or read a fairy tale.
In addition, one should not forget about another "secret weapon", such as the proximity of the dearest person for each baby - mother. Her love and care are quite capable of protecting the crumb from all anxiety in a dream.