Soothing your crying baby
Parents response their babies' cries instinctively. Soothing methods vary from person to person. To calm an upset baby, we might try breastfeeding, skin-to-skin contact, soothing sounds, or gentle movements.
But what happens when your baby suddenly wakes up in the middle of the night and screams or cries in distress? Is it possible for babies to have nightmares? How can you soothe a sleeping baby who cries?
we will discuss babies' unusual sleep patterns. You may want to check your baby's sleep patterns if he or she cries while they are still asleep. The best way to handle these disruptions at night can be determined with a better understanding of the cause.
How do I soothe my baby while they’re still sleeping?
It's best to wait and watch as your baby cries instead of waking them up for a cuddle.
Noises from your baby don't necessarily mean they're ready to wake up. Before settling again, your baby may fuss briefly during the transition from light to deep sleep. When your baby cries in the night, don't rush to pick them up.
Listen to the sound of their cry. It takes a baby longer than a minute or two to fall back asleep when he or she is crying in the night because of wetness, hunger, coldness, or even illness. Your response should be to respond to those cries as quickly as possible.
Try to keep the awakenings calm and quiet in these cases. Feeding or diaper changing can be done without unnecessary stimulation like bright lights or loud voices. Nighttime is for sleeping, so the idea is to convey that.
semiconscious state, a baby making noise will appear to be moving through the stages of sleep. Sometimes, it's hard to tell if they're awake or asleep.
Again, the best course of action is to wait and watch. When a baby is asleep, you don't need to soothe him the same way you would when he is awake.
Infant sleep patterns
Babies, especially newborns, can be restless sleepers. The little internal clocks of newborns aren't fully functional yet, so they can sleep anywhere between 16 and 20 hours every day. Napping, however, takes up most of that time.
Breastfeeding newborns 8 to 12 times a day is recommended by experts. In case your baby doesn't wake up frequently enough on their own, you may have to feed them every three to four hours until they show steady weight gain. Within a few weeks, this will happen.
Following that, new babies may sleep for four or five hours at a time. The baby will likely sleep for eight to nine hours a night until around three months old, when he or she will start napping sporadically during the day. The nighttime stretch may be interrupted by a few things.
The rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep is the most popular stage of sleep for babies, especially newborns. There are a few common characteristics of REM sleep, which is also known as active sleep:
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During this time, your baby's arms and legs may jerk or twitch.
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The eyes of your baby may move from side to side under their closed eyelids.
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This is called normal periodic breathing of infancy, and your baby's breathing may appear irregular and stop completely for 5 to 10 seconds before starting again rapidly.
When your baby is deep sleep, or non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM), he or she does not move at all and breathes deeply and regularly.
It takes about 90 minutes for an adult to transition from light sleep to deep sleep and back again.
Babies sleep for 50 to 60 minutes per cycle. As a result, your baby is more likely to make nighttime noises, including crying, without even waking up.
Is my baby having a nightmare?
Parents worry that their babies are having nightmares when they cry at night. There is no clear answer to this question.
Night terrors and nightmares may begin at any age for a variety of reasons.
As early as 18 months of age, some babies can experience night terrors, which are uncommon, though older children are more likely to experience them. Children from the age of two to four are more likely to experience this type of sleep disturbance than nightmares.
Deep sleep is the time when night terrors occur. A disruption in this stage may cause your baby to cry or even scream suddenly. You probably find it more disturbing.
It's not something they'll remember in the morning, and it's not something they know they're doing. Your main focus should be on keeping your baby safe.
When should I call a doctor?
If your baby is crying while sleeping, there may be other reasons for it. Consult your doctor if it affects your baby's routine during the day. An illness or teething could be contributing to the problem.
Related Article:
Co-Sleeping Myths & 6 Tips to Break Them
How To Put a Baby To Sleep In 40 Seconds
