Every mother has been dominated by the fear of crying before going to bed. No matter we pick up the baby, shake it, sing it, or even put the breast directly into the baby’s mouth, we still fail to cultivate an angel baby who does not cry before going to bed.
So, which link went wrong, so that the baby cried every time before going to bed?
Today, IMPI International Infant Sleep Consultant Xiao Nuan will tell you what to do if the baby cries before going to bed.
Is it normal for the baby to cry before going to bed?
It’s normal.
In the past 4 years, among the baby sleep cases I have come into contact with and handled, a large number of parents will blame their children’s crying before going to bed for their own reasons, and therefore feel very stressed. As a result, the handling is getting worse and worse, gradually stepping into a dead cycle.
In fact, the baby’s bedtime crying is a special moment, and there are many reasons for it. One of the most important points is that babies and adults all need to use crying to express their emotions and release their emotions. Parents do not need to blame themselves or worry about intervention. The less disturbed they are, the faster the baby will calm down.
Knowing this, we can easily observe the baby and reasonably deal with their needs. Only in this way can we suit the remedy to the case and really solve the problem.
What are the reasons why babies cry before going to bed?
Crying before going to bed sometimes has specific reasons, and the common reasons are as follows:
1. Physical discomfort or poor sleep environment
Every time a sleep lecture is held or a sleep consultation is held, a mother always remembers that the light in the baby’s bedroom is too dazzling and the sound in the room is too noisy when she hears this. After returning home, she adjusts the sleep environment and the crying situation of the baby is obviously reduced a lot.
Therefore, when the baby cries, it is better to check whether the baby is unwell or whether the environment is not good first, and then find other reasons after elimination.
2. Improper timing of sleep
Babies will have different awake periods at different ages, that is to say, they will be sleepy again at certain intervals after the babies wake up and need to fall asleep again.
However, if parents cannot observe the baby’s sleep signals and cannot grasp the baby’s awake time, it is easy to arrange the baby to sleep too early or too late.
If the baby is arranged to sleep too early, the baby will cry because he is not sleepy enough but has to lie down. If he is arranged too late, he will cry because he is too tired.
3. Sleep dependence, unable to sleep on their own
Babies will not fall asleep on their own, so they will rely more on parents to provide comfort measures to help them fall asleep before going to bed, such as coaxing sleep and milk sleep.
Over time, the previous methods of appeasement are not easy to satisfy the baby, and it is easier to collapse and cry.
Step 4 Release your emotions and energy
This is also what Xiao Nuan wants to remind everyone most: [crying before going to bed] There is no need to be nervous a lot of times.
When the baby is sleepy and wants to sleep, they will be a little agitated and sleepy, and crying is easy to occur under such feelings.
Sometimes the baby just wants to release the extra energy and emotion accumulated during the day by crying. After release, the baby can sleep better at night.
At this time, parents do not need to intervene, just be patient with them.
How to deal with baby crying before going to bed?
If the baby cries before going to bed, we should first calm the baby down. We can hold the baby a little and so on to play a soothing role.
Then, put the calm but awake baby on the bed.
After putting in bed, if the baby happens to be sleepy but not particularly sleepy, he will whisper impatiently and even cry before falling asleep.
Parents should pay attention to the baby’s crying is normal, he is trying to appease himself, release extra energy, isolate the outside world to disturb, so as to let himself fall asleep. Parents must not rashly pick up the baby, even sing, dance, talk and shake, these actions are a kind of interference instead.
How to reduce the baby’s crying before going to bed?
1. Stick to a relatively fixed bedtime ceremony
Such as bathing, nursing, drawing curtains, singing, massaging…
In this way, the baby can gradually become calm from the excited state due to the steadfast expectation in his heart, thus reducing crying.
Step 2: Create a comfortable sleep environment
Such as dim lights, not too noisy environment, appropriate temperature, comfortable pajamas and bedding, comfort toy company, etc.
This can reduce external stimulation and establish a quiet sleep environment.
STEP 3 Seek the Sleep Opportunity
The baby’s sleep habit is that the more sleepy he is, the more unable he can sleep. Therefore, we must watch the baby’s sleep signal and awake time so that the baby can fall asleep when he is sleepy, which will be smoother.
4. Talk to your child before going to bed
Whether it’s talking with the baby or chatting with the big baby, it can help them sort out their experiences and emotions all day long, relieve the pressure in their hearts, and make their state easier and more stable.
5. Let the baby learn to sleep peacefully and autonomously.
The ultimate goal of parents to improve their baby’s sleep is to hope that when drowsiness comes, the baby will be willing to lie in bed, turn over, talk to himself, and finally fall asleep peacefully.
In short, by discriminating the real causes of the baby’s crying, avoiding unnecessary intervention and giving correct guidance, the baby can stop crying before going to bed.