Summary

Sleep deprivation in babies or infants is not very different from sleep deprivation in adults. A number of adults find it difficult to sleep each night and similarly infants also have problems while trying to sleep. The only difference is that the causes of sleeping problems in babies are entirely different from the causes of sleep problems in adults.

In adults sleep problems are usually blamed on the factors like stress, jetlag, depression, work, etc. but what have these factors to do with the babies that can’t sleep ? In fact every child or baby has varying sleep patterns and different sleeping habits. Even the time, when they go to sleep also varies from one infant to other. Usually during the first few months from their birth, babies on an average, sleep for about 16-18 hours per day. The baby may wake up once or twice during this sleeping period but normally falls back asleep on his own.

Babies experiencing sleeping problems usually:

• Find it very difficult to go to sleep

• Wake up quite early in the morning

• Wake up a number of times during the night and have a difficult time in getting back to sleep

Sleeping problems in babies are often due to one or some of the following reasons:

• Babies or young children may want to grab the attention of their parents at all the times.

• The baby may be suffering from some digestive problems like colic.

• The most common reason is that the baby might be hungry and not getting proper feed.

• Sleepless nights are very common the infants start their teething process.

• The baby may be having some serious health ailment.

Some tips to handle babies that can’t sleep:

• If the baby starts crying in the middle of the night, there is absolutely no need to rush there immediately. Most of the times babies stop crying on their own and fall back asleep themselves. Your attention or intervention at each and every cry will provide the baby with a reason to remain awake.

• Make sure that the outside noises are not disturbing your baby’s sleep. If you think that such noises are preventing your baby from sound sleep then you can try to cover up these noises by playing some soft music.

• Do not encourage the baby’s habit of going to sleep in your arms. Try and cultivate the ritual of his falling asleep in the crib. Make sure to select a comfortable crib and provide the baby with soft pillows that can mould perfectly according to the shape of the baby’s head.

• Unless the doctor prescribes, you should never use any infant medication on your own, to make your child fall asleep.

• The market is replete with baby products that help in promoting sleep. These devices are called sleep machines and produce white noise. These machines allow the child to have a restful sleep.

As a responsible parent it is important for you to know when to go to a doctor regarding your baby’s sleeping problems. Despite of all your efforts, if the number of consecutive sleepless nights of your baby keeps on increasing then you must head to a physician for a thorough check-up of your baby.