How to recognize that a child is tired and not overwork him. The main signs that indicate that it is high time for the baby to rest
Small children are very often naughty. And not at all because of childish "harmfulness". With the help of whimpering or crying, the baby tries to show that something is wrong. The most common reasons for this signal: the child is hungry, he is uncomfortable (for example, because of a full diaper), he has something in pain, or simply does not have enough mother's attention. But there is another type of whims that arise due to the fatigue of the baby. If you have a poor sleep schedule, it can be difficult to recognize them. Meanwhile, if you do not catch them in time, fatigue can accumulate and turn into a phase of overwork.
What could be easier than recognizing fatigue? At first glance, this is the most obvious reason for a child to go to sleep calmly. Played - tired - turned on the side and gain strength until the next wakefulness. In fact, everything is much more complicated. Up to two years old, a child is not able to independently recognize fatigue and therefore cannot go and go to bed on his own. Visually, he will be active and ready to continue playing, however, certain signs will appear that are not typical for a cheerful baby.
Each child has these signs of his own, so the mother will have to be patient and turn on all her observation in order to accurately determine the baby's fatigue. However, at first, it is worth taking note of the recommendations of neurologists. Doctors identify 6 main signals with the help of which the body of a small child says that he needs rest
Baby yawns
Yawning may indicate fatigue in babies / istockphoto.com
Yawning in young children is a sign of brain fatigue. It is oversaturated with impressions or information, and requires an additional supply of oxygen from the body. If the baby began to yawn intensively, it's time to curtail active games and move on to quiet pursuits. Literally half an hour and your child will be ready to doze off.
However, there are some nuances here: sometimes the yawning of the baby can indicate that the apartment is stuffy and there is not enough fresh air. Therefore, here you need to rely on common sense. If your baby has only woken up an hour ago, and at the same time yawns, you should not drag him back to bed. You may be better off ventilating the area.
Also, neurologists note that from about six months, young children can yawn because they are bored. Again, we focus on the regime: if it is too early for the baby to sleep in all respects, try changing the occupation and entertaining the child with something.
Child rubs his eyes
Tired kids rub their eyes often and intensely / istockphoto.com
The eyes are one of the important indicators of child fatigue. The fact that there are enough impressions or games at the moment may be evidenced by the "glass" defocused gaze of the baby or active rubbing of the eyes. However, in this signal it is also important to exclude “side” factors. For example, a child may rub their eyes because there is little or much lighting in the house. It can also be facilitated by too dry and dusty airwhich causes the cornea to dry out and become irritated.
The child pulls his ears
One of the obvious signs of fatigue is when a child tilts his head and starts twitching his ears. This is an impulsive movement that indicates brain fatigue. In addition to the ears, the baby can also tug lightly on his hair. If this signal is missed, after a while the child will begin to pull his ears with all his might. This already suggests that fatigue turned into overwork.
The child loses interest in the game
Tired toddler is not interested in favorite games / istockphoto.com
Loss of interest in toys and games, in familiar entertainment, in food and in the people around them is another signal that the child's brain is oversaturated with information and requires rest to process it calmly. At the same time, the child himself can be quite cheerful outwardly and even refuse to go to sleep. In this case, change his activity to a calmer one - for example, read a book or tell a fairy tale. Most likely, in 10-15 minutes the baby will already be sleeping sweetly.
The child cannot concentrate
Fatigue of the baby is evidenced by a decrease in mental and physical activity. If you play a game, collect blocks or jigsaw puzzles, the child often "freezes" and thinks for a long time about the usual task for him. Movement becomes slower, coordination is impaired: for example, when walking, the child's legs "braid" or he stumbles.
The child asks for his arms
From fatigue, children want to be as close to their mother as possible / istockphoto.com
A tired baby unconsciously strives to be closer to his mother. He follows her with his tail, constantly asks for hands, nestles and reacts very sharply to separation. Begins to be capricious if his grandmother or another, less intimate adult picks him up. This is a sign that it's time for mom to put everything aside and get the baby ready for bed. Typically, this sign of fatigue is followed by falling asleep very quickly.
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The child refuses to sleep during the day: what to do?
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