Question
My baby has started being fussy about sleep recently. Before, they would fall asleep during the day as soon as they fuss, but now they cry for a long time before they can fall asleep, both during the day and at night. The treatment and its effect were: taking cod liver oil for a month. I’m looking for help: What are some good ways to handle a baby’s fussiness? Also, the baby sleeps very restlessly, always waking up with a start, and is easily startled when closing their eyes. I always put them to sleep on their side.
Answer
When a child is “fussy” about sleep, it refers to the child’s constant crying and fussing before falling asleep. Once picked up by an adult and shaken or patted, they fall asleep quickly. Some older children may also need to be rocked or suck on a nipple to fall asleep. Children who are “fussy” about sleep often cause parents great distress, and sometimes even anger towards the child. However, it is not known that this “fussiness” about sleep is often caused by the parents themselves. Newborns’ brains are not fully developed, and most of the time after birth is spent in a state of sleep, with about 18-22 hours a day in sleep, only short periods of being awake. After waking up, they quickly feel tired, and at this time, children often use crying to express their fatigue. As long as the environment is quiet and comfortable, the child will naturally fall asleep in an instinctive way after a moment. However, many parents are afraid of their child’s crying and fussing, often picking them up as soon as they cry. In fact, “crying” is an instinctive need of newborns.