Okay new mamas, we’ve all been there:
one second you’re watching your precious new bundle sound asleep and the next moment you’re questioning when the wiggle-worm replaced your child.
Seeing your child moving around so much while they’re supposed to be safely in dreamland can cause you to have many curious questions as to if you’re doing this whole parenting thing right.
Well, good new mama, your baby thrashing in sleep time, that’s a perfectly normal movement that happens in most newborns.
Here are a couple of reasons as to why your peaceful newborn turns into a dolphin in the middle of the ocean some nights and how you can comfort your bundle when this happens.
Don’t Feed Them After Midnight
While that is not a serious thing
some babies do find that if they are fed directly before bed it disturbs their sleep cycle and makes it more difficult for them to find a comfortable position while their stomachs are still digesting their food.
While babies have smaller sleep cycles than adults
and wake up far more often
if possible staying up with your little one for an extra ten to fifteen minutes can help them to digest their food comfortably before falling into a soothing sleep instead of one that is broken up by their tiny tummies trying to break down the materials that they have just ingested.
Check For The Monsters
Unfortunately, just like older children and even adults, many infants can have night terrors as well.
If baby thrashing in sleep happens, it could simply be because they are in the middle of a not so great dream.
In the event of this taking place, be sure to carefully and comfortably soothe your baby through the dreams just as you would an older child.
Nothing is better than the arms of a mother
or a caregiver, to chase away all of those bad dreams and monsters that might come out in the nighttime hours.
That nighttime trashing will be comforted in the best way possible.
Watch The Reflexes
When your tiny one is so little they don’t have the best grip on exactly how their reflexes work just yet.
In fact, many of their movements are involuntary as their nervous system grows and matures along with them.
Many of their movements just happen without their brain telling them to happen or even without them being able to control what is going on within their tiny bodies.
Your baby may just be in the middle of an immune system growth and they may not even know what is going on or that they are even moving in their sleep.
Your little one is going through a ton of changes and learning how to be out in the bright big world still.
Sleep Cycle Upset
Another problem could be your Childs daytime napping.
If your little one sleeps through most of the day they might find it a little more difficult to sleep well through the night without the constant wake-ups.
Baby thrashing in sleep may scare you
but it also maybe because they are getting too much sleep and not enough awake time.
Try spending more time keeping your little one awake during the day, seeing if that makes any sort of change in their movements during the night.
It might help to entertain them and make sure they are good and ready for those longer periods of sleep
making them less restless and more ready to duck into dreamland.
Dietary Woes Take Place
As we all know what you eat is said to have an effect on how you sleep as an adult
but did you know that what your infant eats can also have an effect on them?
That’s right mamas, if you are breastfeeding the diet that you have may have repercussions that are taking place in your little one as well.
This is why the doctors can help you to maintain a diet that is good for both mama and baby, to ensure that what you’re eating is also good for your offspring.
However, it isn’t only just breastfeeding mothers that could affect their little one’s sleep pattern.
No, some babies have the same reaction when it comes to the formula that is in their bottles.
If your newborn is playing the squirm game at night it may just be because of their diet.
Pass The Gas
Gas passing could be another reason that your tiny human has a habit of thrashing and squirming in the night.
Your little one could be dealing with a gassy stomach that is making them move around.
In this case, it’s perfectly normal for your cuddle bug to be not so cuddly.
Your baby has to have a way to get those sounds and aches out too and their thrashing could be them just trying to get comfortable when their tiny tummies are filled with gas that needs to be let out of their small bodies.
These things are perfectly natural and happen to all newborns who are still adjusting to life on the outside.
Your new baby’s thrashing is perfectly normal and all parents have the same wonderers.
Before you find yourself calling up your pediatrician to report any problems there are a couple of things could you try first in order to soothe your new baby into comfort during the night.
Swaddling Saviors
Knowing how to swaddle your baby well is one of the ways that could help you to stop baby’s thrashing.
Providing your newborn with a safe and secure spot that reminds them of being inside of the womb could be just the comfort that your little one needs in order to find themselves sleeping a little more peaceful at night.
Wrapping them up in the perfect little bundle could be just the right type of comfort that they’ve been seeking and needing without even knowing it.
Clear Tummy
Monitoring when your little one is eating and how close it is to when you lay them to sleep could be what your baby needs to feel comfortable and cozy in their beds
this could even help them to sleep better and not experience to many night thrashing episodes.
Keep an eye on when you’re feeding your little one in conjunction with when they are going to sleep and you might find that you both begin to sleep better.
Playtime Cures All
Perhaps even keeping them up a little bit longer before putting them down for the evening might help your little one to be tired enough to sleep peacefully.
You know those nights when you haven’t done much all day and can’t seem to figure out how to sleep well
well, your tiny one may find that they are having the same problem without knowing how to express these feelings just yet or even what these feelings are.
Having a child moving and thrashing around in their sleep can be a scary thing
it can make you worry and wonder if you’re doing the right thing and doing everything right for your offspring.
Take a breath and know that all of this is very normal.
Just as you’re adjusting to this whole parenting thing your newborn is adjusting to the world around them.
Enjoy the moments you have with your baby and don’t worry so much about the smaller things.
This is something that happens to all babies and parents
everything will smooth out soon and you’ll miss the days when you watched your infant thrash and move around in their sleep.