How many parents wonder when their newborn baby is tired or sleepy? One of the challenges for any new parent is the ability to determine the signs of tiredness and sleeplessness in newborns. Many parents try to soothe their little ones with a warm milk bottle, stuffed toy, or blanket. But these are not effective solutions for the root cause of the problem. This article will focus on ways that you can recognize the symptoms of how your baby is feeling and whether or not it warrants a call from the doctor.
If your baby is tired or crying during the nighttime, he may be hungry or need more rest. Many parents inadvertently feed their babies too early or feed them so frequently that they become exhausted. You have to remember that babies have a very different sleeping pattern from adults. They really need eight to ten hours of sleep at night. So if you notice your baby’s sleeping patterns are all messed up, then you really need to take him to the doctor to be checked out.
However, another problem with newborns is that they sleep for only four to six hours at a time. There are various reasons why babies tend to sleep for shorter periods of time including factors like the weather, hormones, or the number of feedings that they get. In most cases, if the baby sleeps better after four to six feedings, he is probably hungry and needs more rest.
Another indication of how your baby is feeling is if he wakes up during the night. Babies usually wake up because they are feeling uncomfortable or not feeling well. Most times, a sleepy baby wakes up because he has had a brief awakening from a deep sleep. However, there are other instances when a deep sleep does not make him wake up. If your baby awakes more often than usual, he probably needs more attention.
You will notice that newborns cry more frequently at night when compared to the amount of crying that you would hear from an older baby or toddler. This is simply because the lungs of a newborn are very sensitive. Your doctor can check out your baby for any allergies, if there are any, by giving him skin tests. There could also be a medical reason why your newborn wakes up more than usual in the night.
Many parents are worried when their baby wakes them up during the night. The reason behind this concern is that it can be very difficult to get a good amount of sleep for a baby who is only four to six months old. For parents who think that four to six hours of sleep is still best for their newborn, you should know that babies need at least five hours of sleep at night. This is more like adult sleep. It is better to sleep with your baby for five hours every night.
When you are having problems with your newborn, you should remember that there is no such thing as being too worried. Newborns are still in the learning stage of life. They cannot reason out and make sense out of what they see around them. They simply react to whatever they see and experience. So, worrying about your baby may actually make him scared and confused.
One of the things that you can do when you are worried is to keep a calm and quiet heart. Your baby will not understand what you are trying to say if you talk in a loud voice or if you use a lot of gestures. A little one does not have the capacity to understand the words that you are using. So, you should try to put your attention on other things, like your baby.