A sleeping baby is a magical sight, akin to a miracle. And this picture seems especially implausible to those exhausted parents whose babies cry for no apparent reason, arching their bodies, and scream incessantly 24 hours a day. Do not despair! And don't punish yourself - you don't bad parent! You simply don’t know the ways that can rock even the most capricious child without depriving his mom and dad of clarity of mind, self-control and a sense of parental happiness. We will teach you how to properly calm your child.

From the very first words it is worth noting - all the tips below on how to calm crying baby, (namely, a baby between the ages of 0 and six months) refer to those cases when the baby cries and screams “for no apparent reason” - that is, his tummy does not hurt (not swollen, not tight, can be easily palpated), he is not hungry , is not cold and does not need a diaper change. Rather, these tips are for those tired and exhausted parents, in whose eyes the question is read: “How to calm a child who just likes to cry and yell?!”

How to calm a 0-3 month old baby? Put yourself in his position!

One of the world's most competent experts in the field of children's crying is American doctor, professor of child psychiatry, pediatrician Harvey Karp. He has been teaching young parents for over 20 years effective ways How to quickly calm a crying infant. Dr. Harp's book dedicated to these methods has long been an undisputed bestseller in its segment. On the one hand, these methods are extremely simple, judge for yourself:

• swaddling;
• holding in a side position;
• “white noise” or hissing;
• rhythmic rocking;
• sucking.

But refrain from being surprised and doubtful until you try all five methods in action. What is the essence of this technique? In his book, Dr. Harvey uses such an ambiguous concept in relation to newborn children aged 0 to 3 months as “ fourth trimester of pregnancy».

During this period of life, babies are in dire need of conditions that would closely replicate the mother's intrauterine environment. It is in such conditions that babies instantly calm down, instinctively gaining a sense of familiar comfort and safety.

Actually, Dr. Karp based his technique on this principle. For example, tightly swaddling a newborn simulates its presence in the mother's uterus in the last stages of pregnancy, where the baby becomes quite cramped. The side position is also the most familiar for him. Hissing sounds are the most familiar to the baby, because while in the womb, he constantly hears the mother’s breathing and the passage of fluids through her intestines. An unborn baby constantly experiences monotonous motion sickness (almost shaking) when his mother moves. And if you look at the ultrasound pictures, you will see that starting from the 24th week, while in the mother’s womb, the baby reflexively sucks his thumb.

Here is the nature of the origin of all five methods of effective motion sickness according to Harvey Karp.

And if you learn, using Dr. Karp’s tips, to imitate for your baby all these states that are most comfortable for him in the first months of life, then you will not have problems with how to calm your child. So:

5 magical ways of Harvey Karp, or How to calm a child:

Method 1: Swaddling. Of course, it’s not a good idea to keep your newborn tightly wrapped in diapers all the time. But if the baby is worried and cannot fall asleep for a long time, sometimes it is enough just to wrap him tightly in a sheet or diaper (it is necessary to swaddle him with his arms) so that the baby immediately calms down.

If your baby is often restless and has difficulty falling asleep, it makes sense to buy modern diapers that even dads can easily use.

Method 2: Side position. Place the baby on your arm or on your lap on its side so that it seems to fall slightly onto its stomach. Gently support your baby's head. This position can also be used in cases where the child suffers from minor colic.

Method 3: Rhythmic rocking (shaking). Holding the baby in a position on his side, begin to gently but rhythmically rock him from side to side. This method can be immediately combined with the next one - simulating hissing sounds.

See clearly how to properly hold your baby on his side and rock him:

Method 4: “White noise”. The idea is to play monotonous hissing sounds directly above the baby's ear. This is perhaps the most unusual of all the ways to calm a child put forward by Dr. Karp, but it works perfectly.

Method 5: Sucking. A pacifier is an excellent universal soother for a baby. With the same success, you can put your baby to your breast (if you are a nursing mother) or give a bottle with a small amount of formula.

In Harvey Karp's own experience, sometimes it is enough to use one or two techniques from this list to stop a newborn from crying and worrying. But often you have to use all five methods sequentially. However, according to the doctor, these simple ways, together or separately, help in almost 100 percent of cases.

Agree - this is literally a “gift from heaven” for those exhausted parents who, due to the constant crying of their children, are, figuratively speaking, on the verge of committing suicide...

4 ways to calm a baby over 3 months old

Dr. Harvey Karp's methods are good, but it is worth mentioning once again - almost all of them are suitable only for newborn babies. If you try to swaddle or “hiss” a six-month-old crying toddler, you are unlikely to succeed. To calm older children, you can try other methods. Moreover, in this case, the expression “how to calm a child” will not always be equal to the expression “how to rock a baby to sleep.” To calm down means, first of all, to distract from screaming and sobbing.

Method 1: Carry in a sling. Carrying in a sling, by the way, combines two points proposed by Dr. Harvey: rocking and swaddling, and if you add “white noise” to this list, for example, going outside with the baby, then it will immediately become clear why Children love slings so much. And if swaddling is only suitable for newborns, then you can carry a baby in a sling from time to time as long as you comfortably bear (literally) the weight of your baby.

Method 2: Switch your attention. Children older than 3 months have already quite successfully and for a long time fixed their attention on objects and sounds - they are especially attracted to bright colors and clear, loud sounds. Rustle bright paper or a bag, ring a bell, let them watch any commercial on TV. All these manipulations (especially the last one!) instantly capture the baby’s attention: he is distracted from the hysteria, begins to show interest and gradually calms down and calms down.

Method 3: Let the excess air escape. When crying, a child swallows a lot of air, which gives him very unpleasant sensations. Thus, the hysteria risks closing in a circle: the baby cries, swallowing excess air, from which his tummy begins to ache and he cries more than ever, swallowing air again and again. Therefore, as soon as the child begins to show anxiety or scream, take him in your arms and hold him in a column for a while - by burping out excess air, the baby will most likely calm down. And if not, use the previous method by trying to attract his attention with a bright toy or unusual sounds.

Method 4: Dance together. It may seem strange, but smooth dance movements can help you solve the problem of how to calm a crying baby. Take your baby in your arms, smile at him, talk to him in a soothing tone and move around a little - rocking him from side to side, up and down, humming a simple melody. When the baby stops crying, put him to your breast for a short time (if the baby is artificial feeding- give a bottle of water) or give a pacifier. Most of the time it works!

The child falls asleep during breastfeeding- this problem worries many mothers. The scary thing is that young parents do not know how to properly put their baby to sleep without breastfeeding. Use various methods, harmful to the health of the baby.

Before weaning your child from falling asleep at the breast, you should first familiarize yourself with all the methods, rules and features of the process. And only after that should attempts be made.

In the first months of life, the baby falls asleep while breastfeeding. This is due to the fact that the baby feels psychologically comfortable. Over time, this becomes a habit, without which the baby has problems falling asleep. The longer this continues, the more dependent the baby becomes on breastfeeding. This turns into emotional dependence to calm down. The baby demands the mother's breast when he is hungry and excited. There are several reasons for this:

1. Meeting new people when visiting guests, going out.
2. Change of diet, sleep.
3. Feeling of pain (teething).
4. Disputes, disagreements in the family. The baby is sensitive to the emotional state of the mother and responds with concern if the woman is worried.
5. A lack of maternal attention is usually associated with the mother's early departure to work.
6. Increased fatigue in the baby. It occurs if parents did not notice the signs of the baby’s fatigue in time and did not put the baby to bed.
7. Discomfort. Characterized by extraneous sounds and bright objects within the baby's visibility.

When a baby suckles at the breast in his sleep, he calms down faster and falls asleep, which allows the mother to rest.

Who is it for?

Weaning a baby to fall asleep without breastfeeding is suitable if the mother is in no hurry to wean. An important factor is the age of the baby. The older the baby, the easier it is to do this. If the child is already 1-2 years old, it will not be difficult to wean him from sleeping without a breast. Until this age, in order for the baby to fall asleep, he needs to suck something.

The baby will not be able to give up his mother’s breast until he reaches 1.5 years of age. Until this age, the child is strongly attached to his mother.

Weaning a baby from breastfeeding is due to the fact that the baby begins to constantly wake up at night and demand the mother's breast. Because mother and baby wake up regularly during the night, they both don't get enough sleep. This causes the development of many diseases.

How to teach a child to fall asleep without breastfeeding

It is important to eliminate external stimuli that prevent the baby from falling asleep normally. For a baby, breastfeeding is mother's presence, calmness, protection. Abrupt weaning will provoke the development of stress, which will have serious consequences.

Mother's milk contains sedative components. These substances help calm the baby's nervous system. These elements also have an analgesic effect, which is very important during the period of baby’s teeth growth.

The age of children when it is allowed to wean from breastfeeding should be more than 1.5 years. Until this time, the child is not ready.

To put your newborn baby to sleep without breastfeeding, you need to follow these tips:

1. Ask relatives to put the baby to bed. This factor will wean the baby from regularly staying near his mother.
2. It is recommended to read fairy tales to children before going to bed. However, you need to do this in a calm and measured voice. Instead of fairy tales, you can sing lullabies or turn on a calm, light melody. This way the baby falls asleep faster.
3. To speed up the process of falling asleep, the baby is given a relaxing massage. The procedure includes stroking from top to bottom.

By following these simple rules, you can put your baby to sleep without any problems.

It is necessary to put the baby to bed without breastfeeding not only at night, but also during the day and during night awakenings.

First stage

To teach your baby to sleep without breastfeeding, you can distract your baby with some activity. However, it is prohibited to combine entertainment and breastfeeding.

If a child falls asleep while breastfeeding, you can distract the baby by reading, talking, stroking and similar actions. However, you need to be prepared for the fact that after being distracted by reading, talking and other distractions, the baby will still fall asleep with the breast in his mouth. Be patient. Sooner or later, the baby will fall asleep while listening to reading or conversation.

Second phase

When your baby has learned to fall asleep while reading, you should gradually stop offering the breast before bed. Instead of feeding, you should immediately distract the baby using other studied methods. However, if your child asks for food, you should not refuse. You just need to limit yourself a little in time.

A few key points

The mother is prohibited from using the breast during the daytime to soothe the baby. During the day, it is recommended to only breastfeed your baby. And to calm down, use distractions.

In the first few days, it is recommended to use the “timer” method. To do this, you need to turn on the timer for 10 minutes at the moment when the child is about to sleep. You should explain to your baby that as soon as the time runs out, you need to stop suckling and go to bed. This will be difficult at first, be patient. After a few days, reduce the time to 4 minutes. At the same time, practice reading fairy tales and talking.

And after a couple of days, stopping breastfeeding before bed and at night will become quite simple.

Why does my baby wake up at night?

Before the age of 15 months, the baby wakes regularly at night. This is due to several factors:

1. Toothaches and other illnesses.
2. Development stage. During this period, the baby learns to stand up and walk, so he can wake up and jump up at night, practicing this skill.
3. Regime change. Usually during this period of life the child begins to sleep less at night.

When the baby has weaned and sleeps peacefully, it is necessary to limit nighttime breastfeeding. The timer method will also help for this. When reducing the feeding period, it is important to distract the baby with conversations and fairy tales.

A competent daytime feeding regimen helps reduce night feedings. To make sure your baby wakes up less often at night, you should feed him half an hour before bedtime.

You also need to follow several rules:

1. As soon as the baby wakes up, you should not give him the breast. If you give children breastfeeding on demand, in the future the child will cry for everything he wants. In this case, it is recommended to talk to the baby, stroke, and press. Usually, children only need to feel their mother's presence to calm down.
2. You should not scold the baby, because babies sense intonation. Raising your voice will make the situation worse.
3. It is forbidden to lie to children, because in the future the baby will also begin to lie.

Basic mistakes

There are several options for putting a baby to bed without breastfeeding, but psychologists do not approve of them:

1. You should not put your child to sleep in the crib, and then go into the next room and wait for the baby to cry and fall asleep. This method works, but it is dangerous because it leads to a nervous breakdown. Against the background of nervous disorders, various diseases develop, including those of a psychological nature.
2. It is not recommended to be nearby and ignore the baby’s crying. He doesn’t understand why his mother doesn’t come to him anymore, it scares him, which becomes a serious test for his nervous system.
3. You should also not use pacifiers, as they spoil your bite.
4. Apply substances to the breasts unpleasant odors. This method is harmful to the health of the baby.
5. Draw scary images on your chest. The baby will begin to be afraid of her, and nervous shocks are dangerous for babies.

You can teach your baby to fall asleep with his mother's breast, but this requires patience. The procedure should be carried out gradually, sequentially. If your baby is used to falling asleep on his own, you can begin the process of weaning.

There are many ways to help a child fall asleep and calm him down before bed, but each is effective in a specific case for a specific child.

Again, it all depends on why the baby is not sleeping? There can be many reasons. For example, because of the weather. What does it mean? Yesterday it was cold, but today it became sharply warm and vice versa. Also cloudy weather: snow, rain affect sleep infant. Another reason for not wanting to sleep: tummy problems.

For example, infant colic or simply abdominal pain can cause the baby to cry and, as a result, not want to sleep. Another reason for a child’s poor sleep is fatigue. A striking example of this is the presence of a large number of people around, for example, relatives, who want to pay attention to your child.

So, let's move from reasons to practice. How to put a child to sleep? Let's try to go through all the methods that I know.

• When the baby was not yet a month old, I used your method of putting a child to sleep. I don't even know what to call him. I'll describe it better. I walked back and forth in the kitchen very quickly. She took 600-700 steps, and the child calmed down and eventually fell asleep. Probably, this method can be attributed to motion sickness. I had to use it in this form because the baby didn’t want to just sit in my arms after feeding. He needed me to definitely move. As soon as I stopped, he immediately showed his displeasure.
• Sound of water(this can also include noise washing machine, hair dryer and vacuum cleaner). A very effective and natural method of calming a baby, because... In the mother’s tummy, the child was in a constant stream of noise (heart noise, blood flow, environmental sounds). It helps not only to help the baby fall asleep, but also to simply calm down and not cry. We pick up the child and go to the bathroom. Everything is very simple. It doesn't always help, of course. If the child is very overexcited, then the noise of the water will not get you off.
• Tight swaddling in combination with any of the above methods of calming the baby.
  
  
  This method can be used at night. For many babies, tight swaddling allows them to sleep through a large number of hours at night, which undoubtedly pleases parents. I did not use this method, because... My baby doesn't like to be swaddled. But I found an alternative a little later. At the end of the second month, I remembered how my baby lay under the lamp in the maternity hospital. The nurse swaddled his arms and legs in such a way that only they were shackled, and not the whole body. How to swaddle only the arms (I only swaddled the arms because the baby distracted himself with them and constantly woke up)? Take a diaper, preferably a square one, and fold it in half diagonally to make a triangle. Next, lay out the diaper as follows: the baby’s head is located in the place where the arrow is.
  We tuck the corners of the diaper under the arms, pressed to the body. Thus, it turns out that the edges of the diaper are tucked under the baby’s back and bottom.
• Mobile.
  
  
  Anyone who doesn’t know what it is can find a lot of information on the Internet. I won't dwell on this in detail. I'll just say that this method is not suitable for everyone. My baby, looking at the toys moving in a circle, had fun and did not fall asleep at all, but only became more and more disinhibited. This device helps me when I need to do some work in the kitchen or want to stay in bed longer. 20 minutes is enough to distract him.
• Pacifier.
  
  
  Helps calm the baby in combination with rocking, swaddling, and lullaby methods. This method is suitable for those whose child is accustomed to this device.
• Co-sleeping.
  
  
  It doesn't always work either. It only helped if the child was already very tired or after feeding, and also in combination with a pacifier.
• Breast.
  
  
  Of course, how could we forget about this. Feeding or simply suckling at the breast can help your baby sleep or simply calm down. But here you need to know when to stop. You don't need to let your baby hang on your chest all day. Better try other methods.
• Also an effective method are walks in the open air.
  
  
  This is only beneficial, not only for the child, but also for the mother, who needs physical activity after childbirth to get back in shape. Or you can make your dad or grandma go for a walk, while you do a bunch of household chores or just sleep. That's basically what I do.
• Reading fairy tales. This method is for older children. I haven’t gotten to it myself yet, because... We are still just kids.
• And there is also funny video “7 ways to put a baby to sleep”, which I came across on the Internet. I advise you to watch it, you won’t regret it.

Ideally, a newborn baby wakes up every two hours. However, in fact, a child cries much more often at night. Even if the baby sleeps with his mother, the mother shudders from his every movement and uneven sigh. Night after night she sleeps in one position on the edge of the bed, afraid to move. After a year, the sleep deficit becomes critical, and the woman wonders: shouldn’t she listen to advice like “let the baby scream”? Surely all the mothers who, tired, resorted to this method, cannot be wrong?

To the organization baby sleep There are two strict approaches. The first is that the child should be allowed to cry to his heart's content, and then he will stop calling his parents every five minutes. The second boils down to the fact that the mother must fly up to the baby at his every squeak. Both have their positive and negative sides. Let's figure out how to put a child to sleep without any medications.

How to quickly put a child to sleep according to Spock

Dr. Benjamin Spock was very popular with our grandmothers. This extremely extraordinary person assured that babies should be taught to live according to a schedule. – in 3-4 hours, not earlier. And don’t teach him to use his hands, otherwise you won’t wean him off. He assured that children often manipulate their parents, and therefore wake up every five minutes for no reason. For mom to come up and take her in her arms. The best way to get rid of this kind of “childish egoism” - leave it to shout. He’ll yell and yell, but he’ll stop, says the eminent doctor. This will teach him to calm down on his own and not manipulate adults. “If a child is crying until he vomits, go into the room, clean up after him and leave without making contact with him,” advises Spock. As a result, children actually learned to sleep independently, but in adulthood this led to enormous psychological problems.

So, in the 70s, Dr. T. Berry Brazelton studied newborns to see if they might experience despair or depression. Babies who cry inconsolably, trying to get a reaction from their mother, were filmed. It is obvious on the film that at first the children try to cry louder, and after some time, having tried the entire arsenal of means and still not catching the mother’s gaze, they begin to turn away from her. In the end, they generally refuse to look at their mother, drop their heads, become quiet and seem to fall into despair.

As a result, such children learn only one thing - you can’t trust anyone, and my needs don’t matter. As adults, such children do not know how to set boundaries and say no, and consider loneliness and fear natural form human existence. They do not know how to build long-term love relationships, and they satisfy loneliness and pain with the help of alcohol and drugs. These will not betray you and are always available. And all because the need for emotional contact with the mother is innate.

Of course, as a result of implementing this approach to organizing children's sleep, you yourself will finally get enough sleep. And the baby will sleep all night. But at what cost? In addition, this method can hardly be classified as a method: “How to put a child to sleep in a minute”

We satisfy every whim

Modern neurophysiologists have proven that the future of a child depends entirely on the parents. The fact is that 85% of a person’s neural connections are formed before the age of three based on the experience of relationships with mom and dad. A child who grew up in an atmosphere of love and attention subsequently considers the world kind and generous. He grows into a happy, healthy and caring adult. Scientists assure that a child must be held in his arms when he cries. His brain is not yet ready for manipulation, and at this age he cannot be spoiled.

The same babies whose parents often left them to cry alone or reacted angrily to their cries often display aggressive antisocial behavior, mental illness, and an inability to cope with stress as adults.

The fact is that newborns are unable to express themselves in the words we are accustomed to.

Therefore, they are very sensitive to pheromones. If mom is not there when she is needed, the baby loses the sense of security that the smell and warmth of his mother's body gives him. Dr. Jay Gordon believes that children who are hugged or fed throughout the night will sooner or later learn to calm down and sleep on their own.

However, not all women are able to selflessly serve a child. Many people do all these obligatory actions “because it’s necessary” and end up feeling unhappy.

Sleep is an important component happy life. If a mother does not get enough sleep regularly, she herself becomes aggressive. And often, having lost control, he can lash out at the child. Your children will always copy your behavior, and if you are unhappy and ignore your own needs, they will grow up to be the same adults.

Therefore, if you are already tired of sleeping like this, being completely at the disposal of your baby, think about your own well-being.

How to quickly put a child to sleep: an alternative

How to put a baby to sleep? If you're determined to get your baby to sleep through the night in his own crib, keep the following in mind. Firstly, he should not be left alone in the room. It’s clear that you feel calmer this way: you don’t hear crying and don’t experience stress. However, the baby feels abandoned. Just be there. Pat it, try the "sizzling" method, . Sit next to him and just put your hand on him. He needs to know that you are always there. Music can also put a child to sleep.

Tell him that from this day on the rules are changing, explain the new rules, and follow them strictly. Even if your baby is crying, he will know that you are nearby. Over time, he will definitely separate from you.

One of the problems of parents of a fidgety five-year-old is putting him to bed at night or during the day. Often, the child categorically refuses to go to bed, does not want to fall asleep alone, and demands that they lie down with him, sing a song, or read a book. How to solve the problem of falling asleep?

Almost all parents have constant problems putting five-year-olds to bed. There are so many interesting things around, the TV is on, the lights are on, the parents are not sleeping, and the child needs to go to bed. He uses any tricks to delay going to bed as long as possible - he needs to drink, then go to the toilet, then eat, etc. This can last indefinitely if you don’t teach your child to fall asleep on his own. Of course, the most the best option There will be a simultaneous bedtime of all family members at once - everyone lay down, turned off the lights and fell asleep. But not everyone has this opportunity. Often babies demand that one of their parents lie down with them, otherwise they will not sleep. This can also become a problem.

How to put a child to sleep at 5 years old

There are no universal sets on this matter that apply in all cases. For some, reading books before bed helps, for others, falling asleep with the child, stroking his head, and for others, only the stern look of his mother. Therefore, it is difficult to say what will help in your case. First of all, you need to create special sleep rituals that are strictly observed every day. This will help the child get ready to rest and fall asleep. This could be a warm bath, a book and a kiss from mom good night. Or it could be dad's stories and back pats. Gradually you need to reduce the time it takes to fall asleep and teach your child to fall asleep on his own.

How to teach a 5-year-old child to fall asleep on his own

Falling asleep on your own will be an equally difficult issue. Often children sleep well when they come to their parents' bed, but flatly refuse to sleep in their own bed and fall asleep on their own. In this case, sleep rituals will also help. It is important to talk to your child and explain that he is an adult and needs to sleep in his own bed. Choose a plush animal, toy or object with him that he can take with him to sleep (just so that it does not harm the baby if the baby falls asleep with him in his arms). Initially, you can put the baby to bed by lying next to him and explaining that the toy is the mother’s assistant, he will protect the sleep while the mother is also sitting. You can come up with a fascinating fairy tale or story about a toy that will help your baby sleep peacefully.

A 5 year old child takes a long time to fall asleep

Also, at this age, it may be a problem that a 5-year-old child takes a very long time to fall asleep. There are many reasons for this; perhaps the child is simply not very tired all day and has not used up all his energy reserves. Then he needs more time to go to bed. It may also be the other way around: the baby is overtired and the nervous system is overexcited; he needs time for all processes to balance and sleep to occur. If a child follows a strict daily routine and always goes to bed at the same time, sleep problems are rare. But if there are frequent failures in the regime, if the child gets up and lies down different time- It’s harder for him to fall asleep. The baby’s body gets used to certain changes in activity; if they are not strictly observed, the nervous system may react inadequately to habitual actions. And even with timely bedtime, it will be difficult for the child to fall asleep. Therefore, the basis of healthy sleep is a clear daily routine, even on weekends.