Healthy sleep: five secrets of a good baby's sleep

Healthy sleep is a healthy child. And what kind of sleep is healthy? How long should it last? What are the conditions for taking place?

To summarize, all modern knowledge of pediatricians, pediatric physiologists and family psychologists agrees that a child's sleep must meet two conditions:

The first is to be useful. That is, it is not easy to bring rest and vigor to the sleeping body. It is often enough for us, adults, to have such a dream. And sleep should help the baby grow and develop properly.

Secondly, children's sleep should not be a problem, but a help to parents. Sleepless, chronically tired dad and mom are by no means the norm for a happy family life. The simplest and most correct thing is when the baby falls asleep quickly and easily, giving his parents the opportunity to relax. To achieve this, you need to understand a few simple truths. Well, or myths that need to be debunked. Well, or secrets that need to be revealed.
That's what we're going to do in this article.

Safe sleep? Not isolation and sterility, but freshness and naturalness

Sleep is not harmful – it is, first of all, the correct answers to the questions "where to sleep?" and "what kind of air should I breathe?" At the same time, parameters such as the noise level, the sterile purity of the air or objects near the baby are far from the main ones for children's sleep. 

Moreover, the habit of sleeping "without noise and dust" makes sleep vulnerable, fragile and demanding. Such a child will not fall asleep in a noisy place or with the sound of a TV. And sometimes it's oh so useful...

The main earthly "guardian angels" of children's sleep are the surface of the bed, materials and air. This will be confirmed by any competent pediatrician. The surface is smooth and rigid so that it does not bend. The mattress is soft and non–thick, hypoallergenic, and washable (like the sides of a crib or stroller). The air is fresh, moist, and cool.

Such conditions must be observed both for daytime sleep and for “shutting down” during walks. Therefore, we recommend paying special attention to the stroller in which the child is walking. Taking a nap during a walk is one hundred percent beneficial for both him and his parents. A sleeping child gains strength and health, while parents enjoy peace and companionship.

An example of a cool "sleeping carriage" is a stroller Carrello Vista Air. Her secret is real inflatable wheels, which improve the softness and silence of the ride. The flat, tight backrest with an adjustable tilt angle allows you to smoothly lower the baby into a horizontal position when he falls asleep. And the large hood of the Vista Air stroller protects it from the wind and sun.  All materials of the stroller are made of certified safe hypoallergenic materials.

By the way, parents of newborns are advised to take a closer look at the demi-season transformer stroller Carrello Fortuna 2 in 1. In addition to the same cool inflatable wheels, this stroller has a durable and dense fabric, frost-resistant plastic, a mattress with a rigid base, necessary for the formation of a correct and healthy child's posture, as well as the ability to easily turn the cradle into a walking unit.

Is it easy and quick to put the baby to sleep? Easily!

We saw moms frantically shaking their children so that they (yes, how long can you stay awake!!!) Did you fall asleep? Or dads who can only calm their child to their favorite song or cartoon on their phone (dad, go lull him to sleep, he's not listening to me!)? 

Under the influence of many objective - and more often subjective - circumstances, the baby's falling asleep turns into a whole ritual. Until all the conditions are met, the baby screams and is not going to sleep at all.

What is needed to prevent this? Modern research claims:  sleep for a child is the same physiological and natural need as eating or breathing. In other words, if nothing prevents its satisfaction, it is 100% feasible.

But if parents create conditions for the formation of habits – for example, falling asleep only with motion sickness in my mother's arms – over time this will turn into a real problem. 

So, the main thing is to create comfortable and safe sleeping conditions for all occasions. He plays in the arena – he can pass out right there, near his favorite toys. Riding in a car seat, he will fall asleep without any problems while driving the car. Eating porridge – why not take a nap right here, after the meal?

The main thing is that these places should be equipped with conditions for children's sleep, which we discussed in the previous section. And at the same time they made life easier as a parent. Here are some specific examples for you:

The child fell asleep in the car seat included in the universal stroller Carrello Optima 3 in 1 – no need to take him out, risking waking him up. The car seat is equipped with a carrying handle, and is also attached to the mobile base of the stroller: attached and rolled.

Or

The child fell asleep right in the playpen Carrello Treviso – you don't need to wake him up to put him in the crib. The bottom of the arena is soft and smooth, there are no sharp corners inside, and the wheels allow you to roll the arena away from drafts and excessive noise. They covered him with a blanket – let him sleep!

Or

The baby fell asleep during the meal in the feeding chair Carrello Cascata – you can, again, quietly adapt it to sleepy conditions: lower it into a lying position, turn on pleasant sounds and even start the motion sickness function. 
Speaking of motion sickness.

Motion sickness is possible! But...

Every parent is probably familiar with the thought: is motion sickness harmful?.. Modern knowledge of this question answers it in the affirmative, yes, but... only half.

What is the motion sickness effect? In short, it is the activation of the vestibular system, during which brain waves that control sleep synchronize. According to scientists, this is how the body adapts to the conditions from the womb of the mother: after all, it is constantly swaying slightly there.

Let's return to harmfulness. Yes, motion sickness is harmful – but... only for parents. Thus, the child develops a habit: if they don't let him down, I won't fall asleep. Well, follow the logical chain yourself.: rocking in your arms means getting tired three times more – making a child's sleep dependent on their own hands... Let's not mention that you need to rock properly so as not to harm a fragile body. Practicing pediatricians can tell dozens of cases from their own practice about concussions in children after diligent rocking in their parents' arms...

Output? Assign someone else to rock you – someone reliable, knowledgeable, and someone who is always at hand. We're talking about motion sickness centers. Such devices today can not only accurately repeat the movements of their mother's hands (who doesn't know – you need to rock the baby smoothly and move only along the body – from the crown to the heels), but also be controlled from a distance, sing lullabies and even be modified into other devices.

A worthy example of such an assistant is the motion sickness center Nanny from Carrello. It pumps in five intensity modes, is controlled by a remote control, has a soundbar with pleasant melodies and sounds of nature, and besides, it can easily be converted into a comfortable and compact chaise longue on curved reliable skids. It can easily be used as a high chair, has strong five-point safety belts and easily supports a child up to 15 kg.

And don't be afraid that the baby will be lonely without his mother's warm hands! Smooth movements, pleasant music, and most importantly, not tired mom and dad will be much more happy for the child than a simple "manual" motion sickness.

You need to start sleeping alone early

The recommendation of child psychologists from the first years of life to teach a child to his own space is easy and correct only in words. The problems begin at the stage of its practical implementation. There may not be a separate room. A separate crib is a place where they just drive you to sleep. But they still understand that you can't teach a kid anything by force and simple persuasion...

In this case, experts recommend giving children at least their own corner in the room – where only his toys, his rules of the game and his orders are.
We will go further and assure you that a cool simulator for educating a child's sense of private property and the boundaries of his space can be ... an ordinary children's playpen!

Think about it: it protects the child from all the dirty tricks of the outside world. He's beautiful, bright, and funny. It's full of favorite toys. And it's also a place where you can sleep sweetly.

Yes, a modern playpen is a great place for a child to sleep. Yes, not necessarily daily. But definitely filled with comfort and a homely atmosphere.

For example, this is the playpen Carrello Piccolo+. A comfortable and safe play area is complemented by a separate option – a mattress, which is attached above the playpen floor and thereby turns the playpen into a full-fledged crib. Let's go on a visit – the crib went with you (Piccolo + compactly and quickly folds into a small "cane"). Let's go to the sea – you don't have to worry that the baby won't sleep well on an unfamiliar bed.

Eating before going to bed is not harmful!

Exactly! Do not compare with yourself and your adult problems - excess weight, sedentary work and slow metabolism. The child's body is designed in such a way that most of the energy consumed does not go to the “bins”, but is spent on growth and development. Therefore, eating your favorite porridge or fruit purees before going to bed is the norm. Moreover, for most (of course, not all) children, it is the feeling of fullness that is a signal to the body: should we switch off for a couple of hours? 

There are several rules of proper nutrition before bedtime. The food should be easily digestible, as well as complement the baby's daily diet.:  If he hasn't eaten cottage cheese or fruit yet today, give him cottage cheese, an apple, or a banana. 

An important condition for the nutrition of children in the first three years of life is the comfort of their body position during meals and the accompanying opportunities for games. A child at this age does not know how to concentrate on eating, so when your favorite toys are at hand, it is very useful. Well, there is nothing to say about the fact that during a meal the baby should not press, bulge, rub or create other inconveniences.

It was to create such conditions that high chairs were invented. They are compact - they can be easily installed both on the floor of a home kitchen and in a garden on the grass. They have safe and upholstered chairs. They are equipped with a tabletop, which initially acts as a place for games, and later, when the baby learns to eat on his own, a dining table. 

An example of such a high chair is Carrello Toffee. It has seven seat height modes, low weight and a convenient folding mechanism. A special advantage is the adjustable backrest. It allows you to comfortably organize a nap after a delicious lunch or afternoon snack, and is also a reliable assistant for evening lulling.

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Most of even the most responsible young parents, when planning their first child, know for sure even at the prenatal stage how they will love him and what system they will bring up, what books they will read, what songs they will listen to, and what second foreign language they will use with their own (certainly brilliant!) communicate with the child. 

But as soon as a child is born, many people face many hitherto unknown and unpleasant problems that run counter to the concept of “happy parenthood.” For example, irregular breastfeeding, irregular stools, or sleep disorders. 

It's good when newly minted dads and moms do not give up, do not shift part of the parental burden to grandparents, expensive nannies or nurses in a panic, but begin to look for affordable and promising solutions to the problems that have arisen.

Armed with many years of experience and analyzing the most common mistakes of inexperienced parents, we know how to make our dreams of happy parenthood come true. And we will be happy to share our knowledge with you.

Good health to you! And sweet dreams)