Sleep Training Should Be Given to Babies From the Sixth Month

Sleeping well is as important as feeding for babies to grow up healthily. For this, babies need to have a sleep pattern and gain a sleeping habit. One of the experts of DoktorTakvimi.com, Uzm. Dr. Can Emeksiz talks about sleep training in babies.

Sleep health and quality in babies are among the sine qua non for their growth and development. In the newborn period, babies spend 16-18 hours of the day asleep. After the 6th month, with the regulation of metabolic oscillations and the development of night-day perception, this period turns into 12 hours of night sleep and 3-4 hours of sleep twice a day. By the age of 2, the pattern changes into one sleep a day, with 1-1 hours of daytime sleep and 3 hours of nighttime sleep. One of the experts of DoktorTakvimi.com, Uzm. Dr. Can Emeksiz explains that from the newborn period to the 12th month, the baby's own metabolic routine works, and in the 6-5th month periods, he spontaneously creates a sleep pattern. Stating that in babies who do not have a sleep routine due to colic, metabolic effects, and nutrition, parents should support the baby's independent sleep habit acquisition by sleep training as of the 6th month. Dr. Emeksiz says, “Protecting independent sleep habits of babies between 6 and 18.00 in the evening, ensuring sleep hygiene, have a direct effect on their mental development, metabolic health, nutritional patterns such as growth and appetite, secure bonding and learning.”

Nutrition and sleep go hand in hand

Reminding that as of the newborn period, the family goes through multiple processes such as the baby's feeding, sleep, and the mother's adaptation to the postnatal period. Dr. Emeksiz underlines that during this period, the mother's anxiety and stress level not only affects sleep quality, but also has an impact on the baby's sleep and nutrition. Saying "Nutrition and sleep go hand in hand", Expert. Dr. Emeksiz summarizes this process as follows: “The sleeping baby gets hungry and his nutritional needs improve. When fed, he falls asleep more easily and continues to sleep more comfortably. Both are necessary for each other. Babies' sleep needs and sleep patterns are much higher than their adult needs. Babies who refuse to be fed often experience sleep disturbances.”

Babies' sleep may be affected during periods of illness

Reminding that infancy is the precursor of childhood and adolescence, one of the experts of DoktorTakvimi.com, Uzm. Dr. Can Emeksiz says that sleep, nutrition and toilet habits, which are the basic needs in this period, are learned skills and these learnings should be supported. Explaining that consciousness is gained in the transition from infancy to childhood, babies will continue to stay healthy when learning is supported in the early period. Dr. Emeksiz continues: “At the same time, it is a basic requirement for the learning of our children, whose attention skills we will expect as they grow up, not to be affected and for their height/weight gain to develop in a timely manner, it should not be neglected. During periods of illness, their sleep may be affected. Babies who have acquired the habit of sleeping, sleep at an early hour and maintain their sleep quality, adapt more easily to their habits, even if the times of getting sick change. Sleep is an important learning for growth and development, it should be supported and should not be neglected.