A good sleep is win-win for everyone
Baby needs food, sleep and love in equal parts. As a parent, you can show care for your baby's body, mind, brain and development by teaching him how to sleep well. But I know it is not an easy task…
It's no secret that a good night's sleep is important. Poor or lack of sleep can affect mood, well-being, energy and joy. The body needs sleep in order for it to function optimally and for it to thrive, grow and develop as it should. It is therefore a good idea to pay attention to the baby's sleep - it can pay off to a great extent, because you will find that your baby will be happier and easier to be with from getting his sleep.
As a bonus, you as a parent also get a good night's sleep when the baby sleeps well, and this is an important factor because even parents have a need for sleep that must be met. When you as a parent have had a good night's sleep, you are also both healthier, funnier and more inspiring to be with for your child. So it is win-win for all parties to establish good sleeping habits for baby.
Sleep cleanses the body of stress hormones
If you have a baby who sleeps poorly, as a parent you certainly have a lot of stress hormones in your body, which means that you probably don't feel as tired as you really are. Poor or lack of sleep causes a high stress hormone level, and this applies not only to you as a parent, but also to the baby.
It may look like your baby is perfectly healthy, but if he hasn't had the amount of sleep that a "standard baby" needs, then it's probably the stress hormones that make the baby seem more awake and healthy. If sleep is difficult or bad for baby, it is really hard because babies sleep more than they are awake. When you have to sleep most of the day, and this is associated with crying and restlessness, the whole day is easily ruined by a heavy mood. Children become more irritable, sensitive and cry more when they are tired or sleep-deprived. The brain also does not follow as well when the child has not had the sleep it needs - this means that it will have more difficulty learning new things and concentrating because the energy and surplus are not there.
Sleep is not straightforward for baby
There can be many different reasons why a baby can have difficulty sleeping. Babies have many bodily experiences while they sleep because their internal organ systems and gastrointestinal tract have to adjust to life outside the womb. In addition, babies need to sleep on their backs to avoid cot death, and lying on their backs can make it harder for babies to get rid of air, which can disturb sleep.
In addition, the baby's brain works at high pressure during sleep to digest and store all the sensory impressions that come during the day, and in addition, the baby's sleep is also naturally interrupted by its food intake, which is necessary for it to get the calories it needs to grow and develop. This means that sleep is not so straightforward for baby.
How to swaddle baby for a better sleep
If you have not tried your hand at swaddling a baby, then we would recommend that you give it a try, as the swaddling technique can make the baby sleep better.
The purpose of baby wraps is to make baby feel safe, secure and protected. It should feel exactly like when the baby was inside the mother's safe, secure and protective belly. The baby swaddling gives a feeling of being held because the swaddling provides light pressure on the whole body.
When the baby is swaddled, the baby is more relaxed, and the swaddling technique is a good help when you need to get the baby to fall asleep. The swaddling technique also prevents the baby from being woken by its body, for example by the moro reflex, which is activated during sleep, or when the newborn baby is woken by the sucking reflex when the hands touch the cheeks. Babies who have a lot of physical energy can have particular difficulty falling asleep, and swaddling the baby is ideal here.
You can experiment with how loose or firm the swaddling should be - it can be different what works best from baby to baby. Below you can see our video, which shows the different steps for swaddling a baby.
