Parents of infants very often ask how to rock a child, how to make him sleep better and fall asleep faster. But sometimes it is necessary to wake the child. For example, in cases where a child is not gaining weight well and needs timely feeding. Doctors recommend waking up and feeding such a baby. In addition, doctors recommend waking newborns for feeding if they sleep more than 5 hours in a row. How to wake up a newborn for feeding.
Do not forget that if a nursing mother does not feed her baby at least once between 3-4 am and 8 am, then she risks getting problems with lactation. The fact is that the hormone prolactin, which is responsible for maintaining lactation at the right level, is most actively produced at this time. However, this only happens if the baby stimulates the nipple.
How To Wake Up A Newborn: Simple Methods
Sometimes it is necessary to wake the child if a doctor has come to examine him, or a mother with a child urgently needs to leave home somewhere and there is no way to simply transfer the child to a stroller or car seat for some reason.
So, let’s look at the best ways for how to wake up a newborn.
1. It is best to wake the child during the active, superficial phase of sleep. It can be determined by the movement of the eyelids, lips, moving the arms and legs. A child in this phase of sleep can smile, the eyes move under the eyelids.
2. Open the baby. Often this is enough to wake up the child. If the baby continues to sleep after you remove the blanket, try undressing him or gently hugging him so that he feels your closeness.
3. You can start changing your baby’s diaper. These are habitual actions for him, they will not frighten the baby, but he can wake up from movement.
4. Gently take the baby in your arms and hold it in an upright position, holding the head. This will make him open his eyes. If the child already knows how to sit, you can seat him and, stroking his back, wait until he wakes up.
5. Start talking to your child or hum a song to him. As soon as he opens his eyes, try to make eye contact. This encourages the child to communicate and wake up.
6. To make the child wake up faster, you can wash him with a cool sponge (not cold).
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How To Wake Up A Newborn: Tips and Warnings
Do not turn on the light at full brightness to wake the child. Babies’ eyes are very sensitive to light, so if the light is too bright, they will keep their eyes closed to protect them. But low light, on the contrary, allows them to open their eyes faster and wake up.
In order to wake up a newborn, you can massage his back, arms or legs. This will speed up blood circulation, increase blood flow to the brain and increase activity.
If you wake up a child in order to feed him, then be prepared for the fact that he will quickly fall asleep, taking just a few sips. Change positions or pat him on the cheek to encourage him to suckle. You may have to do this more than once.
Currently, pediatricians recommend feeding newborn babies at least every three hours. The break between feedings of a newborn baby should not be more than four hours.
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