The question of how to put a child to bed at 1 year old is relevant for young parents. A full rest is necessary for the whole family to maintain health and good mood. But what if the child does not want to fall asleep? Consider the answers to these and other questions in the article.
How much should a child sleep in one year?
This question interests many mothers. Therefore, we will analyze it first. Newborns can sleep up to 17 hours a day. When a child turns one year old, this indicator decreases to 14 hours and remains on average until the age of two years. Do not worry if your baby does not fit into such standards, each child is individual.
Usually in children aged 12 months, two daytime sleep. One of them takes place before lunch, and the second is an afternoon rest.
Mode change
Up to 14 months, children tend to sleep 2 times during the day. Most often, these are the same intervals of time, which are divided into a short morning and longer sleep after lunch.
By 12 months, the duration of night sleep increases, and the wakefulness periods during the day are on average 5 hours. The day regimen in a given period of time can vary significantly, since it is common for some children at this age to switch to one daytime sleep.
To make life easier for yourself and your child, you must carefully adjust the child’s regimen on their own. It depends on the duration of sleep crumbs at night.
When everything went wrong
Sometimes it happens that it is impossible to put the child to sleep at 1 year. Children tend to perceive time as something abstract. But if the kids get used to a certain regime, then they know exactly what awaits them next, and can prepare for this. Phrases such as “We brush our teeth, wash our face, have breakfast, go for a walk, read fairy tales ...” are acquired by the kids quite simply. When actions of one character are repeated daily, the child gets used to stability and a specific daily routine.
The standard program for babies before going to bed is to swim in the evening, put on pajamas, and read bedtime stories. In 1 year, in addition to children's stories, you can use modern calm and relaxing melodies to lull a baby. Soon the baby will get used to it and will easily fall asleep under familiar motives.
Comfort as an important part of sleep
For many parents, waking up at night is a real luxury. Deep sleep itself is essential for good health and good mood throughout the day.
Often babies can wake up, various factors can be the cause. For example, the baby has become hot. Perhaps he wakes up when he is very thirsty. Often this phenomenon can be associated with too dry air in the room. The optimum temperature in the nursery is considered to be 20 - 22 degrees with a humidity of 50% - 70%.
A cot for a child from 1 year old should be properly selected. It should be made of environmentally friendly materials with a rigid and even base. It is also very important to choose a mattress that will correspond to the age category of the child.
Properly selected pajamas can protect your baby from overheating at night. It should be made from natural materials based on cotton. If your experiences are related to the fact that the baby can throw off the blankets in a dream and freeze, there is a great alternative to blankets (baby cocoons and sleeping bags).
Parents need to prepare for the fact that the child’s sleep will not always be calm. Even if the mode will be debugged at 100%, crumbs are characterized by periods of restless sleep.
It is considered normal if sometimes a child in 1 year sleeps poorly. The main thing is that this happens very rarely. Usually babies in this age category are worried about teeth and growth spurts. But maternal warmth, calmness and care can always help in laying the baby.
Joint dream
Many parents continue to cradle the baby in their arms. And then they ask how to wean a child? Rocking a baby at this age is no longer quite convenient, since he has already grown up and weighs more.
If the baby cannot refuse the close presence of her mother before bedtime, it may be worth considering the option of a joint sleep.
Before deciding to take this step, you need to consult with dad. A baby at the age of 1 can still wake up at night to eat. And mom with a joint sleep will be easier to feed him without getting out of bed. But if you have already finished breastfeeding, it is worth looking for other options.
After a year, it is advisable for the baby to get used to sleeping exclusively in his crib. But, despite this, it is important to understand that in the first place, everything depends on the decision of the parents themselves.
Blackout curtains and the effect of light
When a child is 1 year old before going to bed spinning and spinning, the cause may be a bright light. The fact is that babies at the age of 12 months are very susceptible to it. Therefore, in the afternoon it is better to use blackout curtains that will obscure the room. So the baby will understand that the time for games is over and it's time to sleep.
This also applies to a children's nightlight. It should give a dim light, otherwise a bright glow will adversely affect the full sleep of the crumbs.
Scented bath
If it is impossible to put the child in 1 year, you can use pharmacy herbs. But they should be prescribed or recommended exclusively by a pediatrician.
For many babies, taking a bath is a relaxing ritual. A broth of pharmacy herbs is added to the bathing water. Most often, chamomile and a string are used. Healing steam is able to penetrate not only through the respiratory tract, but also through the pores of the skin. After such a relaxing procedure, the baby will be much calmer, and putting him to bed will be much easier.
Soothing massage
How to put a baby to sleep at 1 year? So that the child’s sleep after water procedures is sweet and calm, massage can be used. Lubricate your hands with baby cream or massage oil. Then start stroking the baby. First, gently move your fingers around the eyebrows, cheeks and chin. Then go to the chest, tummy, arms and legs. The tummy area must be stroked clockwise. Finally, do a light back massage. During the massage, pronounce how you love the baby, do not forget to mention his beautiful arms, legs, and more.
Songs for the night
Lullaby for fast falling asleep the child belongs to the category of a special genre of folklore. It can be noted that today a children's song about a gray top is still not forgotten. The lullaby is so well thought out that it performs its main function perfectly. It is much easier for a child to fall asleep under such motives. This is mainly due to the fact that such songs are based on certain features of the rhythm and manner of performance.
As you know, the lullaby is aimed specifically at the baby’s sleep. It is unlikely that one of the mothers humming her, preparing dinner or putting things in order in the house. And the time before bedtime is accompanied by singing. The baby gradually realizes and begins to understand such a ritual, and knows very well that this is followed by a dream.
In addition to all of the above, a lullaby for quickly falling asleep gives the baby attention, love and care for parents. Songs of this type create a special connection between mom and baby. Dads are also encouraged to take a direct part in this evening ritual. In addition, the baby feels that he does not go to bed alone. It is believed that many children can not quickly fall asleep due to experiences associated with separation from their parents. And some babies feel such moments very sharply, therefore they are pressed against mommy and do not want to let her go. And the usual evening ritual is able to calm the child and set up for a quiet sleep.
Despite the fact that the main purpose of the lullaby is to put the baby to sleep, it is necessary to observe the rest of the rules aimed at the baby’s comfortable sleep.
How important mother's voice
The fact is that, starting from the 26th week of pregnancy, the future baby has a reaction to sounds. During his stay in the tummy, he gets used to a certain timbre and rhythm of his voice and even then begins to distinguish his mother's voice among extraneous sounds and noise. Therefore, as soon as the baby is born, he can quickly find mommy by a familiar sound. And hearing her voice, he calms down and relaxes. It is common for newborns to absorb every word, even though they still do not understand the meaning. For a baby, mother’s voice becomes the best, for him it is unique.
Preparing to sing a lullaby
How to reassure a child before going to bed at 1 year? It would seem that the question is rather complicated, because it is necessary to observe so many factors and rules. But a mother’s song can work wonders:
- Choose the lullaby that you like best. You can make your choice immediately in favor of several compositions in order to alternate them in the future. As a result, you will not get tired of the same text.
- Rehearse the text. You can record your performance on the recorder, and then listen and make the necessary adjustments. To delay, of course, with rehearsals is not worth it. After all, the mother’s voice for her child is the best in the world.
- Set yourself up for relaxation and calm. Babies tend to feel all the mood swings of mom. And they can worry and get nervous with them, since the maternal state is transmitted to them. Therefore, before going to bed, you should isolate yourself from unresolved problems, unnecessary thoughts and anxieties. Make the atmosphere as comfortable as possible. Nothing should distract you from the crumbs.
- Sing softly. Pronounce the text monotonously, stretching out words and sounds. You can’t add dramatic notes to the lullaby.
- Enjoy. Try to go back to childhood, remember how important this ritual was for you.
- Do not leave the baby after the end of the lullaby. After you finish, sit next to the baby for some more time. Perhaps the baby by this time is already sleeping sweetly. If not yet, then kiss and wish good night.
Lullabies will soon become an important ritual for you and your baby.
Bedtime tales
Considering the question of how to put a child to bed at 1 year old, one should touch on the topic of bedtime stories. This is an amazing family ritual. Fairy tales not only positively affect the process of falling asleep, but also perform several important functions.
Reading stories with a positive ending favorably affects the child. Tales can relax and give a lot of pleasant emotions and impressions. After listening to the story before bedtime, the child is provided with vivid and good dreams. In addition, listening to fairy tales helps the baby fall asleep more easily.
Bedtime stories relate to the peculiar wish of a good night to a child. It is very important that the tale is long, interesting, saturated with positive feelings and emotions. A short story with strange semantic content will not do any good. It is generally accepted that a fairy tale has some kind of magic, do not destroy it.
Thanks to fairy tales, children begin to learn to fantasize. They represent the characters who are involved in the plot. Moreover, they learn to distinguish between good and evil. And also to feel, worry and worry about what is happening in the tale.
What fairy tales to read
The problem of putting a child to bed at 1 year old is sometimes more serious than falling asleep older children. The fact is that many kids at this age are not particularly tuned in to listening to the story. They are more interested in colorful pictures in the book, which they like to view with pleasure. On average, babies aged 1 year may be interested in pictures for 10 minutes. But it is important to understand that all children are different, so you need to focus solely on your personal situation.
Choose good tales. They should not be eventful. Children in 1 year need stories aimed at wishing good night. Listening to a positive story, the baby is easier to relax and tune in to a wave of calm and sleep. Moreover, the risk of nightmares is reduced.
Read with pleasure, putting your soul into it. If the baby does not want to listen to the tale, do not insist. It is better to perform such an evening ritual in turn, that is, one day the mother reads, then the father and so on. This prevents a skew in the relationship between the child and the parents.
It is necessary to read quite slowly, calmly, quietly, but with expression. Do not forget that the timbre and rhythm of your voice affects the emergence of thoughts and images in the head of a baby.
And remember that listening to audio books will never replace reading fairy tales by dad or mom.
Most parents noted that children under the age of two are very fond of rhyming lullabies and fairy tales.
It is desirable that the story of the story be as close as possible to real life. Fairy tales, magic wands and elves are not suitable for kids of this age. The main storyline should be built on love, care and kindness.
Moreover, it is noted that if parents cannot devote much time to their children throughout the day, then reading fairy tales before going to bed makes up for the child’s need for attention, thereby making him even happier.