Top mistakes about baby's sleep and how to avoid it

Getting a baby to sleep without fussing can be quite a challenge, and sometimes parents inadvertently make it worse, according to sleep experts. Here are some common sleep mistakes and how to fix them easily.

When there is not much time to spend with their children after work, some parents let their babies or toddlers stay up late into the night. Some families have a habit of only letting their children sleep when the parents are also preparing to rest. In fact, going to bed late will make children tired and irritable, leading to fussiness and unwillingness to sleep.
How to fix
Set a suitable bedtime for your baby and stick to a fixed schedule every day. Besides, parents also need to watch for signs that their child is tired, such as drooping eyelids or rubbing their eyes. If you put your baby to bed when he's drowsy but still awake and not too tired, he'll learn to fall asleep on his own more easily. As children get older, plan activities, create a regular routine for your child before bedtime and nap time.

You can rock your baby to help him relax before bed, but stop when he's fallen asleep. If you let your baby depend on this movement, your baby will ask for the same swing every time he wakes up at night.
Pediatricians say the stimulation of movement can also affect your child's sleep quality. If your baby sleeps in a moving condition, such as in a stroller or car, they are more likely to not sleep deeply. Children's sleep quality with movement is as bad as when adults sleep on an airplane.
How to fix
Only rocking the baby to comfort a moment, not to put the baby to sleep even at noon or at night. Try not to let your baby fall asleep repeatedly in a car, hammock, swinging electric bassinet, or in a stroller when out with you. If your baby starts to nod off in the swing or car seat, gently move her to bed as soon as possible.

You might think that animated videos on mobile phones, colorful night lights, or quiet music will help your baby fall asleep. In fact, this is one of the mistakes when putting your baby to sleep, as using these can distract and make your baby more alert.
Remedy
Keep baby's room dark and quiet, don't leave electrical entertainment around the crib. It's best to let babies and toddlers sleep in pitch-black rooms. You can also use a fan or white noise machine to drown out indoor or street noise. Do not leave all electronic devices in the bedroom, including TVs, smartphones and tablets. The light from electronic screens can make the brain think it's still daytime, making it harder for people to rest.

Most of us have a routine to relax at the end of the day, and children of all ages need it. Without a fixed routine at night, it will be difficult for children to settle down and the quality of sleep will also be affected.
How to fix
Create a relaxing sequence of activities before putting your baby to sleep .
For babies, a bedtime routine might include bathing, changing into pajamas, cuddling, telling stories or singing lullabies. For toddlers, you can also sing a song or play a simple game together. If your baby is 12 months or older, give her a favorite soft toy, such as a blanket or stuffed animal, to bring to bed. This can help make bedtime go more smoothly, and your baby will find it more comforting to wake up in the middle of the night. However, you need to make sure that the stuffed animal does not have an open seam that causes the cotton to fall out, as well as do not attach any other removable parts such as ribbons, buttons... Babies can take them off and swallow them. , leading to suffocation due to foreign body choking.

When babies start to fuss at night, many parents quickly come to breastfeed, check diapers or hold their baby to cuddle and comfort. In fact, this action of parents is considered a mistake when putting the baby to sleep, because it accidentally loses the child's opportunity to learn how to go back to sleep on his own.
How to fix
Wait for the baby to cry for a few minutes before coming to check. Just like adults, babies will naturally wake up several times during the night. Since she's too young to know how to settle back to sleep on her own, she needs opportunities to learn. When your baby cries, give her a few minutes to self-soothe, perhaps as simple as sucking her thumb. One day, your child will fall asleep on his own without your help.

Bottle-feeding before bedtime can help your baby sleep well, but this is a habit that makes your baby addicted and also comes with risks such as:
Your baby may start to get used to this, only breastfeeding can sleep. Weaning becomes harder once your baby reaches the age of drinking from a cup Baby can choke More likely to get ear infections More likely to have tooth decay. The fix
Save the bottle for mealtime, not before bedtime. You just create a fixed bedtime routine as listed above, making sure there are no risks.

Some parents let their baby sleep in the same bed with them a few times a week, especially when fussy. But this inconsistency inadvertently disrupts your baby's sleep habits.
How to fix it:
Decide on a fixed sleeping place for your child, sleep on the big bed of the whole family or sleep in a separate small bed.
If you don't want to have to visit your baby at night, keep him in his bed all night. You can tell your child that doing so everyone sleeps better. If your baby sleeps alone, don't yell or talk to him when he comes to your room at night. Just gently lead your child to his room, hug him tightly, say, "Sleep well, dream well" and close the door. Maintaining this response for 1-2 weeks will help your baby learn to sleep through the night in his own room.

Toddlers often ask to hear a story or more songs before bedtime. As their cognitive development increases, babies can probe their parents' limits by cooing before sleep. Indulging and following every child's wishes like that is a mistake when putting your baby to sleep, not only creating bad habits, but also making your baby sleep not enough time needed.
How to fix it
Be calm and strategic. You can avoid your child's nightly demands by anticipating his needs, setting and enforcing rules, and letting him create a bedtime routine on his own.
One suggestion for parents is to let your child choose. For example, tell your child that you will only sing two songs, then turn off the lights and go to bed, and let your child choose the song he wants to listen to.
Above all, stick to the bedtime routine every night. A fixed and familiar schedule will give your child a sense of security, make it easier for him to relax at night, and feel refreshed when he wakes up.
Parents need to understand the child's sleep characteristics as well as the mistakes when putting their children to sleep, fussing to observe, set up and put their children to sleep in a scientific way. This not only teaches children good habits but also helps them sleep better and develop more evenly.
Besides sleep, nutrition is also an important factor in the development of children. If children are not provided with adequate and balanced nutrients, it will lead to diseases of excess or lack of nutrients, which adversely affect the comprehensive development of children in terms of physical, mental and motor skills.
Children need to provide a sufficient amount of elemental zinc/day for them to eat well, reach the correct height and weight and exceed the standard. Zinc plays a role in affecting most biological processes taking place in the body, especially the breakdown and synthesis of nucleic acids, proteins,... When organs in the body lack zinc, it can lead to a number of diseases such as neurological disorders, easily irritable, ... Therefore, parents need to learn about the role of zinc and guide appropriate zinc supplementation for children.
In addition to zinc, parents also need to supplement their children with other important vitamins and minerals such as lysine, chromium, B vitamins,... errands.
Please regularly visit Vinmec.com website and update useful information to take care of your baby and family.

Reference source: babycenter.com