How much should a six-month-old baby sleep and what to do with him during periods of activity. How much sleep do 6 month old babies sleep? Baby care: hygiene procedures and air baths

Six months is a small milestone, which is marked by new successes in the life of the baby. During this period, an established daily routine is important. It contributes to the proper and healthy development of the infant.

Approximate table of the regimen of a child at 6 months

The daily routine of a six-month-old baby carries changes in comparison with the previous first months of life. : the child becomes more active, learns with interest the world. The periods of wakefulness increase their duration. However, it is very important to alternate them with sleep. The table of the daily routine by the hour will tell you the approximate schedule of sleep, feeding and wakefulness of a six-month-old baby.

The daily routine is described as an example and may change. In this form, the table describes all the activities to meet the physical needs of a child of 6 one month old in rest, food and daytime activities.

Advice! Considering the above recommendations, one can best option for your child by adjusting the hourly schedule to individual characteristics and natural biorhythms of the baby.

Features of the nutrition of a 6-month-old baby

During the first year of life, breast milk is the ideal food for a baby. According to pediatricians, it is necessary to maintain lactation and breastfeeding as long as possible. But it is quite difficult for a growing body to get enough of only mother's milk, therefore, at the age of six months, the child gets acquainted with complementary foods.

The introduction of the first complementary foods is better to start with the second feeding, so during the day you can follow the reaction of the child's body to a new food product. The baby is given only 0.5 tsp for testing. new food. For six-month-old babies, vegetable and fruit purees from one component are considered ideal complementary foods ( cauliflower, zucchini, broccoli, pumpkin, apple, pear). Then juices are introduced in 2-3 drops for the first dose (apple, pear, carrot).

The daily diet of a child of 6 months looks like this:

- 7.00 - breast milk / formula feeding;

- 11.00 - vegetable puree (zucchini, broccoli) + egg yolk;

- 14.30-15.00 - breast milk / mixture, fruit puree;

– 19.00 – one-grain dairy-free porridge, vegetable juice;

- 23.00 - breast milk / mixture.

Daily routine for breastfeeding may be slightly different from the mode of artificial children. Breast milk is digested faster than formula, so the baby may be breastfed more often than described in the regimen. With the introduction of complementary foods, the number of feedings will gradually decrease to 5 times a day. Daily routine for artificial feeding may approach this figure of feeding earlier by 1-2 months, since complementary foods are offered to children on a mixture earlier (at 4.5-5 months).

Baby care: hygiene procedures and air baths

Under the daily hygiene procedures for a six-month-old baby are understood:

• morning toilet

Washing the baby, cleaning the ears, washing the eyes and caring for oral cavity- that's what is included in the concept of morning toilet. These procedures are necessary for the health of the child, gradually forming a good habit in him. Use only safe baby care supplies.

- The eyes are wiped with boiled water using a cotton swab from inner corner eyes to the outside. The swab should be slightly moistened with water, and the water temperature should be comfortable for the baby during the procedure.

– Cleaning of the ears from sulfur is carried out using cotton buds with a limiter so as not to accidentally damage hearing aid child.

- The first teeth of the child should be cleaned with soft brush- a fingertip, or a special napkin with a special solution. It is safe to use, does not require rinsing, this wipe can be used from the first days of a baby's life.

• Washing throughout the day as needed

It is necessary to carry out washing after each act of defecation of the child. Do not neglect this rule, in order to avoid diaper rash, redness and irritation of the delicate skin under the diaper in the baby.

• Air baths

In day mode six month old baby regular air baths must be included. To do this, let the baby lie down on the diaper naked while changing. 3-5 minutes is enough to get started if you are only practicing them with your child. Air baths are one of the gentle ways of hardening, they can even be arranged for newborns.

On a note! The impact of air on the baby has a huge impact: it regulates the work of the cardiac and nervous systems, positively affects the formation of strong immunity.

• Bathing before bed

Evening bathing can be a pleasant ritual before going to bed. The water in the bath should be equal to body temperature (36-37 degrees), bathing is carried out in a draft-free room. Washing with warm water, washing all skin folds should be carried out with all care.

Note! If the baby is too excited, then a liter of decoction of soothing herbs can be added to the evening bath: thyme, oregano, valerian.

We develop by playing - classes with a baby at 6 months

A six-month-old baby impresses with its joy, energy, facial expressions and the beginning babble, which delights loved ones. A kid at this age can get carried away for a long time with a bright toy, musical and rustling objects.

• Sounded, squeaking, moving toys are very interesting for six-month-old crumbs. The parent who deals with the baby should voice the object that he gives to the child - this is how the child trains memory, and will soon distinguish new toys from those with which he has already played;
• Sensory and motor skills of the hands are well developed by objects from different materials: wood, fabric, plastic, rubber. Feeling the differences between the surfaces, the baby learns new tactile sensations. The concept of softness, hardness, elasticity is known precisely in such games;
• Fine motor skills are also well known by the child in games with objects. different shapes. A standard pyramid with rings, wooden cubes, toys - spirals - playing with them will have a beneficial effect on mental development your baby;
• Old, forgotten games with fingers - in the "magpie - white-sided", "patties" give the six-month-old baby not only the pleasure of communication, but also develop touch and hearing.

See another example of the daily routine and in video format:

Sleep schedule for 6 month old baby

Given the approximate daily routine of the baby, total duration daytime and nighttime sleep of a six-month-old child is at least 15 hours. About ten of them are allocated for rest at night, and the rest of the sleep time is distributed over the daytime hours.

What you need to know about sleep and its duration in a child of 6 months:

Most babies still need long naps at six months. But if your baby is healthy, active, and has enough of a double period of sleep during daylight hours, then there is no need to overdo it. It is not necessary to force sleep and adhere to a strict schedule if the child really has enough time to rest during the day;

six months is a great age for weaning a child from co-sleeping. Babies are already able to fall asleep on their own, without motion sickness and mother's lullaby. Some babies love to fall asleep with a toy and a pacifier. If with their help your baby falls asleep on his own, then you are on the right track to separate sleep;

- ideal score healthy sleep, this is when a six-month-old baby sleeps continuously at night, and the duration of each daytime sleep is at least 40 minutes. But it is worth knowing that the duration and quality of sleep can depend on many factors: the state of health of the baby, the psychological atmosphere in the house, the mood of the parents, as well as the general regimen of the family day.

Children's sleep is significantly different from adult sleep, especially if we are talking about six months old baby. He cannot, purely physically, sleep for a long time without waking up all night, and during the day he without fail need sleep for good rest nervous system. The sleep of children is divided into superficial and deep, if one of the phases is disturbed, the baby will not get enough sleep.

At six months, the phases of superficial and deep sleep are equal in duration, if something interferes with the crumbs in the phase of superficial sleep, he will quickly wake up, while during deep sleep he will not respond to stimuli. Wherein, night sleep a baby at 6 months is about 8-9 hours, with a couple of awakenings if it is a baby for feeding. Artificers can sleep for about 6-7 hours without waking up. No less important is the daytime sleep of a child at 6 months, now the child sleeps three times during the day. Usually it is morning and afternoon, more long dreams, and evening, short sleep.
So, let's answer how much a child should sleep at 6 months - on average, this is 15-17 hours a day, of which most of it is devoted to night sleep. At the same time, it is easy to determine how much a child is awake at 6 months - this is 5-7 hours a day, divided into several periods. Depending on temperament and health characteristics, total sleep may fluctuate slightly, as well as the duration of night and daytime sleep. But in general, by this age, the child already has a fairly clear schedule of dreams with deviations in one direction or another for no more than half an hour.

How to put your baby to sleep at 6 months

Usually, at six months, there are no problems with putting the child to bed if nothing bothers the baby. But, often babies can fall asleep for a long time, moving from a phase of superficial to deep sleep. During this period, if something disturbs the baby, he may wake up. Therefore, it is necessary not to accustom the child to fall asleep in perfect silence, the usual sounds of the house should not distract him from sleep. It is also worth developing special sleep rituals for night sleep and for daytime. If possible, relax together with the baby, this is useful for a young mother.

How to teach a 6 month old to fall asleep on his own

Often a problem for parents of a six-month-old baby is sleeping only with their parents. This is not always convenient, and you need to gradually accustom the child to sleep on their own. This will help strict regime, bedding and sleep rituals. You can give a bottle with a mixture or a breast, a dummy to sleep, but then after falling asleep, transfer the baby to the crib, slightly shaking. Although there are many teaching methods independent sleep, not all of them are perfect and may simply not suit you, therefore, you need to try and choose the best ones for yourself.

It's so nice to watch a sleeping baby! Dad photographs his baby for a family album, and mom sighs tenderly and just admires. But rare happy parents can boast of sound sleep of their child.

Let's find out what problems young parents may face and how to deal with these problems.

If you are concerned about the question of how much a baby should sleep at 6 months, then you should know that the physiological needs of different children are different. But at the same time, there are standard norms from which all pediatricians are repelled. At this age, the baby should sleep about 13.5-16 hours a day. As you can see, the interval is quite large, because even it takes into account individual characteristics child's body. During the day, the baby should sleep a total of 3.5-4 hours, and at night 10-12 hours.

Features of a child's sleep at 6 months

A six-month-old baby already understands and knows a lot, he begins to grow up gradually, because 6 months is already a serious milestone. And over time, the cub, who slept like a groundhog most of the day, refuses to sleep during the day. Moms are sounding the alarm and bombarding the forums with questions: “What if a child at 6 months old does not sleep during the day?” or “What should I do if a baby at 6 months does not sleep well during the day?” In fact, there is nothing wrong with this. Many pediatricians, including Dr. Komarovsky, argue that if the little one gets enough sleep at night, then he probably will not want to sleep during the day. You can easily determine whether to cancel daytime sleep or not. If your baby is cheerful and active during the day, this means that the baby has chosen his own individual, suitable for him, mode. If he is naughty, whimpering, but still refuses to sleep during the day, then you should consult a doctor.

Posture on the stomach

Now you know how much a child sleeps at 6 months during the day and what to do with sleep disorders. But modern mothers are concerned not only with the duration of sleep, but also with the position of the baby at this time. They wonder if a child at 6 months old can sleep on his stomach? Scientists have not come to a consensus on this matter. It is believed that completely healthy baby, choosing this position, sleeps tighter and longer. It is even useful for the gastrointestinal tract, as well as the muscles of the back and neck. But some doctors say that lying on the tummy, the baby can suffocate, because he still does not see the connection between a closed nose and shortness of breath. However, this version has not been scientifically proven, but exists only as an assumption.

How to help your baby sleep better

• Take a walk in the fresh air before bed. Choose quiet streets, away from heavy traffic.
• Perform a daily bathing ritual. The water in the bath should be warm and pleasant for the baby. You can bathe the child in a decoction of mint, chamomile and others. medicinal herbs. But use only mild plants, because herbs such as celandine can harm the skin of not only a baby, but also an adult. After bathing, wipe it with a soft towel and massage with special oils or baby milk. There is a series of children's cosmetics, which is designed to be used just before bedtime. If you do this every day, the baby will get used to this regimen and remember that after bathing you need to go to bed. BUT warm water and the massage will relax and prepare him for it.
• Try not to play active games before bedtime, do not make the baby laugh, do not play fast music for him, do not throw him in your arms. Before falling asleep, you need to be as quiet as possible. Turn off the TV, computer and other sources of sound and radiation. Turn off the main lights and turn on a night light with a soft and subdued light.
• Check the temperature and humidity in the children's room. Newborns need warmth much less than their mothers think. The room should not be stuffy and dry. Ideal conditions for sleeping, the humidity is about 60% and the temperature is not higher than 20°C. Drying of the mucosa can be a serious discomfort for the baby, so he will wake up and cry at night.
• Feed your baby, he is still at the age when eating before bedtime is useful.
• Check if your baby has skin irritation, use powder and put on a diaper. If you are using plain gauze diapers, check on your baby during the night and change wet diapers.
• Take care of the comfort of the baby in the crib. It should have a firm mattress and a small pillow. Rough or scratchy bedding causes discomfort.
• Sing a lullaby or tell a story- the voice of parents has a beneficial effect on the condition of the baby. It is believed that a monotonous father's voice lulls you even faster than a mother's lullaby.

Mode at this age

Mode plays a big role even in the life of an adult. It has long been proven that people who live according to a schedule feel much better, this also applies to children.
Train your baby to proper routine day. Do not try to make the baby sleep a certain number of hours and wake up every day every second. Firstly, nothing will work out for you, and secondly, you will spend a lot of time and effort accustoming the baby to a strict routine. But still, you can start to gradually prepare your little one for adulthood. Try to feed him at the same time, this will have a beneficial effect on digestive system. Repeat walking, bathing and going to bed every day with the same interval, and then your little one will get used to the new regimen. But this will not happen immediately, please be patient.

Nighttime baby sleep at 6 months

At night, the baby's body needs to rest and recover the most. The night seems to be specially designed for this: the room is quiet and dark, and all evening preparations are completed. But your little owlet does not want to sleep, he spins, cooing and demands to turn on the TV and give him toys.

This can happen due to several reasons:

• Excitement from new experiences.
• Too long naps.
• Violation of the usual regimen or a change of scenery, for example, visiting a grandmother.

If a child at 6 months not only sleeps poorly, but is also naughty, then perhaps he is uncomfortable or sick. It could be a cold or simple dental problems.

Video

Watch this video to learn what to do if your 6 month old is not sleeping well at night.

• In continuation of the topic, we recommend that you read about -. We will tell you how this calming method works.
• Six months is the ideal age to start weaning. Pick the right ones for your little one.
• Do you know what to do if not enough breast milk and ? We will tell you about it.
• While feeding with mother's milk, babies get everything necessary substances, what about moms? What can they eat so as not to harm the baby and enrich their body with vitamins? Find out how the composition of milk is affected.

Girls, answer a few questions in your comments, tell us how many months old is your little one? How does he sleep during the day and at night? And have you established a clear regime of feeding, walking and evening bathing?

In order for the baby to grow up healthy and cheerful, you need correct mode day. Knowing how much a child should sleep at 6 months, it is easy to distribute this time between periods of night and day rest. The baby needs more and more time to develop and get to know the outside world, total time sleep per day now rarely exceeds 14 hours. It becomes more and more difficult for mom: if earlier the baby spent almost all day and night in a dream, and the woman could do a lot of things, now during the day he requires more attention. But there was an opportunity to have a good rest at night, by this time the children usually sleep until the morning, without waking up if nothing bothers them.

6 month old baby sleep pattern

Six months is a difficult period in a child's life: he becomes more active and excitable, begins to show character. It becomes difficult to lay him down, if he doesn’t want to, he won’t fall asleep. At the same time, teeth are cut, complementary foods are introduced into the diet of babies who previously ate only mother's milk. At 6 months, the daily routine also changes: now some children switch to two sleeps during the day. Mom needs to be patient and not be nervous because of the whims of the baby. It is also not easy for him to survive this period. Support the crumbs with your calmness and affection. Your confidence that everything will get better very soon will be transferred to the baby, and he will become calmer.

At six months, the child is awake about the same as sleeping - about 10-12 hours a day. If you correctly distribute periods of activity, by the right time the baby will get tired and it will be easy to fall asleep. Make a daily routine for the baby so that it fits into the lifestyle of the whole family. Do not put him to bed too late in the evening, doctors believe that the most best sleep happens before midnight.

For example, you can organize a child's vacation like this.

• From 21 to 6 hours - night sleep.
• From 9 to 10 hours - morning rest.
• From 13:00 to 15:00 - afternoon "quiet time"
• From 17:00 to 18:00 - evening rest.

During the day it is better to combine sleep with a walk. Well, if you live outside the city, you can put a cradle on the site and do housework. Leaving the baby alone on the balcony is dangerous: they can throw a smoldering cigarette butt from above, spill some liquid, and the wind will bring everything into the stroller.

A little trick will help wean the baby from night feeding. If a mother approaches his crying, the baby smells delicious milk, his appetite flares up, and he asks for food. Let dad come to the crib, caress, give a pacifier or a bottle of water. There is no smell of breast milk, which means there is nothing to ask for, the baby will fall asleep peacefully. After a few days, he will get used to the fact that there is no delicious smell at night, and will not wake up.

The kid sleeps soundly, if he played well during wakefulness, gained new impressions. Do not rejoice that the baby sits quietly alone in the crib and does not interfere with you doing your own thing. If the child is bored, he may not cry, but he is half asleep, does not expend enough energy to get tired and want to go to bed. On a walk, do not immediately try to lull the baby, let him look at people, trees, birds, cats and dogs. Now there is an intensive process of accumulating information, let the baby gain new impressions, in a dream they will take the right place in his memory.

Is it necessary to transfer the child to two naps at 6 months? The best adviser in this matter to the mother will be her observation. Children are not robots, they have different temperaments, different needs. If the baby categorically protests against the previous regime, wants to play, and not go to bed, try changing the daily routine. At night, a 6-month-old baby sleeps for about 9 hours, during the day - 3-4 hours. Divide this time into 2 or 3 periods. At six months, many children themselves fall asleep when they are tired. Observe what time this usually happens, and adjust the regimen for the individual needs of the baby.

Rituals before bed

At 6 months, the baby is quite active, and many mothers complain that it is difficult to put him to bed. The baby moves, swings the rattle, throws toys, mumbles something - it doesn't look like he's tired at all. This is a deceptive impression, your baby is just very excited, one has only to calm him down, and he will quickly fall asleep. Before each rest period, set aside about half an hour for peculiar rituals, this will be a signal that it is time to go to bed.

What to do with the baby at this time?

• Talk to him calmly and kindly.
• Tell a fairy tale.
• Sing a lullaby.
• Take a bath in the evening.

Each mother will be able to choose her own activities that the baby will like. You can put his beloved bear to bed together, walk around the room and wish Good night flowers on the windowsill, playpen, changing table. Hold the child in your arms when you draw the curtains, close the door to the room, turn on the nightlight and turn off the overhead light, explain to him what you are doing. It doesn't matter what you do, as long as it's soothing and repeated every day.

Sleepwear must be suitable for its intended purpose, do not allow the child to play in it. You do not need a wide variety of pajamas, choose 2-3 sets that the baby will get used to and recognize them. Avoid bright colors and dynamic exciting patterns, this recommendation also applies to bed linen. Changing into a sleeping suit will be one of the signals that it's time to go to bed.

To make the baby sleep better, drop a decoction of lavender or lemon balm on the bedding. But first, make sure that the child does not develop allergic reaction to this scent.

What gets in the way of restful sleep?

Stuffiness, heat or cold are enemies sound sleep. Do not forget to ventilate the room, try to keep it at a comfortable temperature all night. The corner where the crib stands should be decorated in calm, non-aggressive colors, there should not be frightening drawings or objects. Experiment with lighting: some children like a twinkling night light, others like a constant bright light.

If there are other children in the family, organize their routine so that there are no noisy games at this time. When a baby hears joyful cries and laughter in the next room, he also wants to have fun in the company and is completely reluctant to go to bed. Let the brothers and sisters play quiet games, watch a calm cartoon, listen to a fairy tale. Too naughty children who cannot be calmed down can be taken out by dad to frolic on the street.

Parents need to learn how to manage their nerves. An irritated tone, a command to close your eyes and sleep will lead to the opposite result. Never intimidate a child, do not say that an uncle with a bag will soon come to pick up naughty children. How can he fall asleep if he hears that he will soon be taken away from his loved ones to no one knows where? Mothers who know their habit of speaking loudly and sharply need to record their conversation with the baby on a voice recorder and listen to whether their voice sounds soft and calm enough.

Sometimes the child sleeps a little more or less than the prescribed time, if the deviation is small, this is - normal phenomenon. Noticing him too severe drowsiness or too long activity, consult a pediatrician or neurologist. Consult a doctor even if the child is cheerful and not capricious. If there are no reasons for concern, everything happens due to the peculiarities of his temperament, you will save yourself from unnecessary worries. And if the doctor notices deviations, you can start treatment on time and prevent more serious consequences.

The internal clock of newborns is not fully developed and a baby's sleep at 6 months is important. They sleep up to 18 hours a day, divided roughly equally between day and night. Newborns wake up every 3 to 4 hours until there is a steady weight gain, usually within the first few weeks. After that, the baby sleeps for more long period time. After these first weeks, babies can sleep for about 4 or 5 hours, which is as long as their small stomachs can handle between feeds. during the day. At first, for many parents, it becomes a dream to sleep at night and not just relax, but relax with the child.

Many babies often wake up to feed 2-3 times a night. After 3 months, the baby should on average spend 14 hours of total sleep, 8 to 9 hours at night (usually with a break or two) and two to three daytime naps.

But this is all purely individual, there are babies who, already at 5-6 weeks of age, are able to sleep all night and spend the night without feeding. But this is rare...

Night awakenings of the child at 6 months

It is important to know that babies may cry and make noises during light sleep. Even if they wake up during the night, they may only wake up for a few minutes and then go back to sleep on their own.

It follows from this that you do not need to immediately run up to the crib and take the baby in your arms, because he can wake up from slight discomfort (the tummy or nipple fell out), and then he will fall asleep again on his own.

But if the child’s sleep at 6 months is disturbed and the baby continues to cry and wake up at night, then in the place of the parents it is already worth thinking about. Maybe your baby is really uncomfortable: hungry, wet diapers, cold, or even sick.

The procedure for night awakenings and feedings should be as quick and quiet as possible. No need to make any extra movements and arrange a whole event from this with dances, jokes and games.

For example, talk, play, turn on bright lights. Encourage the idea that nighttime is a time for sleep. You have to teach this, because your baby is not yet aware the way you are, that during the day people are awake, and at night they rest and gain strength the next day ..

We put to sleep

Ideally, you need to put the baby in the crib before he or she falls asleep, that is, put it in the crib, and not rock it in your arms or in the cradle. This is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance, you just need to create some kind of routine before going to bed. Any calming activities will help you with this: swimming, reading, singing.

If all these "rituals" are done consistently and every day, then a night's sleep will be your reward from your baby. Your baby will associate all the procedures that mom does with sleep, and they will help the child relax and fall asleep. The goal is for babies to be able to fall asleep on their own and if they suddenly wake up during the night, they can fall asleep on their own.

This all applies to babies who, of course, have no health problems and nervous system. With these kids, everything happens differently and according to its own rules. But that is another topic…