Tearfulness, capriciousness, irritability, irritability - these problems have recently been increasingly compared with childhood. And such behavior of the child will not necessarily indicate the development of any mental illness- most often, troubles with adults, stress and worries of the baby in kindergarten, discord with friends become the cause of this condition. It is not surprising that a pediatrician may recommend that parents give their baby sedatives (sedatives). But you need to immediately clarify - only a specialist has the right to prescribe this type of medicine!
Many parents believe that if their child does not nap during the day, he will simply make up for this sleep at night. Jyoti Krishna. Poor sleep usually means a bad night's sleep. A child who is upset and overtired will have difficulty falling asleep and may wake up several times throughout the night. This is the best way to ensure he gets enough rest. Sleep programs promise exhausted and desperate parents improve the sleep characteristics of their offspring and restful sleep of the child within a few days.
Often these programs are associated with stages where the child, when he starts to cry, should not calm down, but should cry for a certain time. An aspect that many parents cannot come to terms with each other. In her book Sleep Instead of Cry, Elizabeth Pantley presents her successful 10-point sleep plan that is guaranteed to be dry.
In general, sedatives help not only to calm an overly excited child, get him out of hysterics or prevent its development - these same drugs will help normalize a child’s sleep, relieve him of discomfort during a sudden change in weather, and relieve abdominal cramps.
Prerequisites for the implementation of the 10-point plan
The most important prerequisite for the successful implementation of the plan is patience. It may take some time for you to see an improvement in your child's sleep behavior. In the Panteli testing phase, which involved 60 children aged two to 27 months and even a five-year-old child, more than half of the children were asleep after 20 days, after 60 days - 92 percent. "Sleep through sleep", according to the medical definition, for at least five hours of uninterrupted sleep. Here are 10 steps your baby can learn to sleep without crying or screaming.
In medicine, there are several methods of influencing the brain to regulate the processes of inhibition and excitation:
- herbal medicine - decoctions and teas from medicinal plants are prescribed to the child;
- traditional medicine;
- drugs with a sedative effect;
- pedagogical measures of influence.
Separately, it is worth pointing out homeopathy - many traditional healers working in this direction assure that it is homeopathic remedies that will give an effect and will not harm the health of the child. Official medicine is very controversial about this statement - no serious studies have been conducted, not a single international scientific organization has given any conclusions and conclusions to the public. Nevertheless, homeopathy is quite widespread - it will also be mentioned in this article.
As with all change processes, you should only implement this plan if you have a good feeling and can fully stand behind it. Pantley also recommends that you only select items that you agree with, or apply them only to the extent that you feel comfortable.
Unlike sleep programs where short-term crying phases are scheduled, your child does not need to shed tears for Pantley's approach. When your child starts crying in realization, always go to him, take him out of your bed and soothe and soothe him. You can do whatever you think is right now. Be breast-feeding, rocking or singing, the main thing is that your child feels safe and secure.
Phytotherapy
We recommend reading:Parents most often prefer to give their child sedatives of plant origin - they act on the nervous system and the body as a whole sparingly, and have practically no contraindications, and some of them are allowed for use by children under the age of 12 months.
Factors in a child's poor sleep
If the child cannot sleep and sleep, then there may be various reasons for this. In addition to the specific sleep habits covered in this 10-point plan, other factors may also play a role. They can also be the cause of perceived failure if the program has already had an effect.
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Developmental progress, such as your child's "rubbing". . Before you start with step 1, you need to make sure that none of the above factors justify your child's sleeping behavior. If that's the case, you should get it sorted out first before starting with the 10-point plan. If in doubt, talk to your pediatrician about it.
Note:despite the seeming safety, sedatives of plant origin should be given to the child in a strictly dosed manner, and some contraindications will also need to be taken into account. In no case can you independently decide which particular remedy the child will take - this is the prerogative of the doctor.
Soothing baths for children
Make sure your child sleeps in a safe and comfortable environment. The most important precautions, such as staying in the supine position, can be found in our article. In addition, you will find in our useful offers for a child-friendly environment.
Step 2: Understanding sleep behavior
Sleep is a science in itself: children and adults move between deep sleep and sleep sleep, waking up and falling asleep again or not. If you know what's going on in your baby's sleep and why your baby can't sleep, it may also be easier for you to understand your baby's reasons for sleeping and sleeping. In our article, you can read the most important information about sleep behavior. Sleep duration also plays an important role in healthy sleep. Thus, children and children need sleep than adults. In our article, you will find out how much sleep children and young children need on average, and how sleep is distributed day and night among small children.
In pharmacies, you can find quite a lot of similar products belonging to the category of "herbal medicine", but the most common specifically for childhood Melissa officinalis, peppermint and valerian officinalis are considered, although there are others.
Valerian officinalis
We recommend reading:Preparations based on this plant will help not only relieve nervous excitement, but also relieve spasms - they contain a unique combination of alkaloids and essential oils. As a rule, it is advisable to use drugs based on valerian officinalis for increased nervous excitability and restless sleep, and a doctor can prescribe such a remedy literally from infancy.
Understand that your child needs sleep by keeping a sleep log. plays a special role daytime sleep, which affects nocturnal sleep behavior. For example, if your child sleeps a lot during the day, it may be late in the evening. This is important to know in order to be able to draw up an individual plan. good night your child in the next steps. To obtain good review, you should ever run a sleep log during the day, evening and night. The journals are included as templates in Pantley's book. If you would like to create your own template, this should include the following items.
Peppermint
The stems and leaves of this plant are used, extracts are prepared from it, which are then added to medicines, although the peppermint decoction itself has a calming property. The composition of the stems and leaves is complex - there are tannins, and essential oils, and manganese, and copper, and everything in the complex has an anti-stress, anti-depressant effect and relieves nervous tension.
Number of daily cuts Length of daytime sleep Time of nighttime awakening Morning Number of nighttime awakenings Maximum sleep time Total daily sleep time Is there a sleep ritual?
- How it works?
- Calm, quiet and in dim light?
- Does the ritual promote relaxation for you and your child?
- What is noticeable?
similar pharmacological action Melissa officinalis also possesses, but doctors emphasize that this plant contains much more vitamins in comparison with peppermint. Due to this, lemon balm, and preparations based on it, have a mild antihypoxic effect and anticonvulsant effect.
Persen
This drug in its composition contains three active ingredients - valerian, mint and lemon balm. Doctors may recommend taking Persen for emotional or motor anxiety in a child - for example, if the baby has insomnia, irritability, or unmotivated irritability.
Analysis and selection of the best sleep for your child
Because every child and every family is different. What works well for one child may not necessarily work well for another. Therefore, you should choose the advice that you think is best for your situation. You can also change them individually.
4a: for newborns up to the fourth month of life
The proposals are divided into two parts by Elizabeth Pantley. It is unlikely that the newborn is likely to sleep. However, with the help of advice, you can create a good foundation for your child's subsequent sleep behavior. Suggestions apply to the following situations and can be found in our article.
Note:Persen is available in tablets and capsules. In the first case, it is allowed to take the remedy for children from 3 years old, but the capsules can be given to a child who has reached the age of 12.
Herbal teas and decoctions are still considered the most common form of medicines in the herbal medicine section. Herbal teas with a sedative effect can be produced in granules, but most often they are sold in bags - they are very convenient to use, and you can’t make a mistake with the dosage. Such herbal teas usually contain lemon balm, fennel, motherwort, mint, chamomile, linden, valerian and other components.
Improving the health and well-being of the child
This section is all about changing your child's sleep habits. You must first ask yourself how important changes in sleep behavior are to you. Is it really your desire, as well as your partner's desire to change your situation? Or maybe it's other people's influence that makes you feel like you need to do something? Only if you are sure that a change needs to be made, you should also resolve it.
When you start introducing it, make sure your child is always full when you sleep him. His calorie needs were to be covered in the afternoon and with the last supper. Your child is older and already eating solid food, make sure it is healthy and digestible. Valuable information can be found in our special. In addition, your child must be healthy. A sick or hungry child will always wake up. Specific advice for better sleep Elizabeth Pantley we summarized in our article.
Note:granulated herbal teas may contain fructose, sugar and/or maltodextrose.
Some soothing herbal teas can be prescribed to a child literally from the first days of life - for example, Sweet Dreams granulated tea, which can be given to a baby from 2 weeks of age. The composition of this remedy includes thyme, lime blossom and lemon balm. If the child is already six months old, then he can be given tea bags "Grandma's Basket", which does not contain preservatives and dyes.
Step 5: Create a personalized sleep plan
In addition to these tips for better sleep, Pantley gives specific advice on the following issues. To break this so-called sleep-nipple association, Elizabeth Pantley has developed her gentle weaning plan, which guides your baby to sleep without nipples in an especially gentle and gentle way. A detailed description can be found in our article. Sleep alone in your own bed: step by step, your child will be introduced to sleep without your help. Individual steps can be found in our article.
- When they wake up at night, this is what many children need to fall asleep.
- Details of the weaning plan can be found in our article.
Note:a doctor should prescribe even such herbal teas to children, because the same remedy can have the exact opposite effect - to help someone, on the contrary, excite someone even more.
Many are interested in the notorious dietary supplements - they must be handled with extreme caution, because many contain components that can affect not only the mood of the child, but also his psychomotor reactions. Only a pediatrician can give recommendations on the use of dietary supplements, set the dosage and duration of administration.
To do this, select the solution approaches that seem most appropriate and practical to you. In her book, Elizabeth Pantley provides a suitable template. However, you can easily create your own plan by writing down the solutions you want to solve. In addition, you can write down specific processes, such as the time you want to bring your child immediately, or the time of the evening ritual.
Step 6: Implement a Ten Day Plan
While it's not always easy to set up, try to stick to your child's sleep plan strictly. The more consistently you follow the plan, the more likely it is that success will be achieved quickly. Delegate other family members and make appointments that conflict with your plan. The effort is temporary, but will definitely pay off for you. Also, don't be discouraged if you've already decided on success and it will reappear the next day. Sometimes unexpected things happen, like your child might get sick.
To improve sleep and cheer up, restore activity and relieve apathy, Bayu-Bai drops (BAA) will help, which include extracts of mint, oregano, peony, hawthorn fruit, as well as lemon acid and glutamic acid. If this homeopathic remedy is used by children of school age, then increased efficiency and normalization of sleep will be noted. Bayu-bay can be used by children over the age of 5 years.
Creating a new journal in ten days
While that is the case, it would be impractical to get used to his own bed if she always shared a bed with you. It is better to delay your plan and start a new attempt when your child is healthy again. Ten days later, it was time to draw the first conclusion. Save the results as described in step 3 in a daytime, evening and nighttime daytime sleep log. Of course, you can also choose a different interval for creating a new protocol. However, according to the author, it should not be less than ten days, as successes are not so well known and you may be disappointed.
If a depressive state is noted in a teenager, coupled with aggressive behavior and a sharp change in mood, then stabilize the psycho-emotional background and restore the structure nerve cells Epam 1000 drops (BAA) will help.
We recommend reading:For some children who have non-pathological changes in the psycho-emotional plan, it is advisable to prescribe medication sedatives. The list is quite extensive, and the specific choice is made only by a doctor and exclusively on an individual basis.
Step 8: Review progress
Compare your output log to the log you made ten days later by calculating the changes. Then analyze your approach based on the following questions. What plan changes are needed? How do you make changes?
- How have you consistently implemented your plan over the past ten days?
- What positive or negative changes have you noticed?
- What is the extent of these changes?
- What do you notice about your child's sleeping habits?
- What parts of the plan worked and what didn't?
Glycine
It is generally one of the most used drug sedatives, which is an amino acid. Glycine promotes emotional unloading, improves brain function, normalizes sleep, and reduces the level of excitability.
tranquilizers
Phenazepam, Sibazon, Elenium - these tranquilizers can be prescribed by a neurologist only in extremely rare cases. The fact is that they can be addictive, although they help to cope with feelings of fear, anxiety and nervous overexcitation.
Tranquilizers can be given to a child only as prescribed by a specialist, under the supervision of a doctor and for a short time.
Potion Citral
It's sedative medication used in pediatric practice, but also with great care - it contains sodium bromide, which, with prolonged use, leads to the accumulation of bromine ions in the body. As a result, nervous overexcitation, insomnia disappear, but apathy, drowsiness, and memory impairment come in their place.
Atomoxetine
This drug is prescribed only in the case of diagnosis and confirmation of the diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children over 6 years of age and in adolescence. This remedy does not belong to the group of psychostimulants and is not addictive, but should not be independently chosen by parents as a sedative drug.
Note:in no case should you independently start taking any medicines having a sedative (sedative) effect. For all behavioral or sleep disorders in a child, you need to seek help from specialists.
Important! Doctors and scientists are quite skeptical about drugs from this category and most often do not prescribe to their patients. There is no evidence that homeopathic medicines are effective. Nevertheless, homeopathic remedies are produced, they even have "their" buyer - you need to know at least a minimum of information about such drugs.
Under stress (for example, during the first visits to a kindergarten, when parents divorce, when moving to a new place of residence), doctors usually recommend such homeopathic preparations like Notta and Baby-sed.
If the baby's nervousness, his whims and insomnia are associated with teething, then Viburkol homeopathic suppositories are sometimes recommended to alleviate the child's condition. If there is a sleep disturbance, then Dormikind is prescribed - it is allowed to use it even to normalize sleep in a child under the age of 1 year.
Folk remedies
Of course, you need to try to do without medication in case of violations of the psycho-emotional background. There is a mass folk remedies, which will not only help the child normalize his behavior, improve sleep and relieve excitability, but will not cause any harm. Here are just a few of the most common:
- Put an aromatic pillow in bed with your child. It is quite possible to sew it with your own hands, filling the pillowcase with chamomile, mint, lemon balm. The only thing you need to pay attention to is how the child's body reacts to these medicinal plants, whether there is an allergy to their smell and upon contact. Chamomile, mint and lemon balm can be collected and dried on their own, but it is more advisable to purchase them at a pharmacy.
- In the evening, give the baby a bath with the addition of herbal decoctions. You need to prepare a decoction according to the classical scheme: boil 3 tablespoons of herbs in 500 ml of water in a water bath for half an hour. The resulting amount of broth is added to 10 liters of water. Motherwort, valerian, nettle can be used as raw materials. The duration of such a warm soothing bath is 15 minutes.
Note:at the age of up to 12 months, a child can be given baths with only one medicinal plant, but for older children, combined decoctions are perfect.
- Baths with sea salt. They generally have no contraindications for children at any age. A bath with sea salt not only soothes, but also tones, strengthens - iodine ions penetrate the body through the skin. Doctors recommend such procedures for children diagnosed with rickets, with birth injuries, and in case of sleep disturbance. How to prepare a bath: 5-30 grams of sea salt should be added to 1 liter of water, a doctor will prescribe a more accurate concentration. The water temperature should be an average of 38 degrees, and the duration of the procedure should not exceed 15 minutes. After a bath with sea salt, the child must be rinsed in the shower - it is necessary to wash the salt off the body.
In many cases, the problems that have arisen in the psycho-emotional plan of the child can be solved only by pedagogical correction. To do this, it is not at all necessary to have any specific knowledge, it is enough just to carry out a number of activities. What to do first:
- create and strictly observe the daily routine;
- make sure that the duration of sleep is appropriate for the age of the child;
- control the time that the child spends in front of the TV or computer;
- make sure that the child is sure to walk in the fresh air every day;
- the family should have a normal, stable psycho-emotional environment.
It is highly desirable that the child attends a kindergarten and various circles / studios - being in a society of his own kind stabilizes his emotions, makes it easier to respond to some stressful situations. But here you need to be extremely careful - for some children, excessive stress has the opposite effect, the child becomes irritable and easily excitable.
Inappropriate behavior and tantrums may be associated with a violation of the child's biorhythm. After all, everyone is well aware that someone is a “night owl”, and someone is a “lark”, and therefore a violation of these biorhythms can easily lead to a violation of the psycho-emotional background. Try to understand what type of people the child belongs to and adjust his daily routine, according to the biorhythm.
Sometimes it is quite enough to exclude noisy entertainment in the evenings, visiting guests and watching television programs or computer games, as sleep becomes complete. In order to calm the child in the evening, you can take a short walk in the fresh air, read a book, draw.
Parents should be clearly aware that any sleep disturbances, behavioral deviations, unmotivated tantrums and other controversial facts should be a reason to visit specialists. Only a pediatrician, neurologist, psychologist or psychiatrist can conduct a competent examination, make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe sedatives. Independently make the choice of the group in question medicines at least not reasonable, but at the most dangerous for the child.
Tsygankova Yana Alexandrovna, medical observer, therapist of the highest qualification category
Very often, parents are faced with the problem of overexcited children. There can be many reasons for such a condition in a child: from quarrels and problems in the family to entering a kindergarten or school. The modern pace of life contributes to the emergence of stressful situations for both adults and children. To cope with this condition, doctors often prescribe sedatives for children.
Nervousness, overexcitation, moodiness and sleep disturbance can occur in children at any age. And if in a child up to a year such deviations are associated with hunger, colic, bloating, then in older children this condition can be provoked by social factors. If you observe similar behavior in your baby, then it is advisable to consult a therapist and, if necessary, a neurologist. And in case this is not a sign of serious disorders, you will be prescribed a sedative for children or a sedative. Such drugs will help relieve nervous tension in a child, normalize the work of an organism that is sensitive to weather changes, relieve cramps in the abdomen and improve (deepen) sleep. Most often, herbal teas (decoctions), soothing medicines, homeopathy and folk methods.
Herbal preparations that soothe the child have a mild effect and have minimal contraindications. That is why many parents prefer to give them to their children, especially when it comes to a child under one year old.
However, remember that medicinal herbs nevertheless have an effect on the body and have contraindications. The doctor should prescribe them, choosing the dose depending on how old the child is.
The most popular are the following plants:
- valerian officinalis;
- motherwort;
- peppermint;
- Melissa officinalis and others.
The main property of valerian is the removal of nervous excitement in a child or adult. It is able to have an anti-spasmodic effect, which is facilitated by the presence of essential oils and alkaloids. Valerian is good for sleep disorders and is indicated even for babies.
Peppermint has a calming effect, can reduce pain, relieve spasms and dilate blood vessels. Its composition perfectly helps to cope with nervous tension, stress and depression. Mint is indicated in the presence of neuroses and insomnia.
Thanks to the beneficial substances found in lemon balm, the plant not only has a calming effect on the nervous system, but also enriches the body with vitamins and microelements. It has antihypoxic and anticonvulsant effects.
All these herbs can be purchased individually at the pharmacy or as ready-made fees. For children up to a year, instant teas are specially produced. Their action depends on the composition. In addition to calming herbs, it often includes fennel and chamomile to help get things going. gastrointestinal tract. Sometimes children are prescribed a herbal preparation - Persen. It contains herbs that help to cope with excitement and improve sleep.
Any, even such a harmless option as children's instant tea, should be prescribed by a doctor. After all, there are many reasons for the appearance of overexcitation or sleep disturbances, and only a specialist can identify them. By self-medicating, you can harm your baby.
Important advice from the editor!
If you are experiencing problems with the condition of your hair, special attention should be paid to the shampoos that you use. Frightening statistics - in 97% of shampoos of famous brands there are components that poison our body. The substances that cause all the troubles in the composition are designated as sodium lauryl / laureth sulfate, coco sulfate, PEG, DEA, MEA.
These chemical components destroy the structure of the curls, the hair becomes brittle, loses elasticity and strength, the color fades. Also, this muck gets into the liver, heart, lungs, accumulates in the organs and can cause various diseases. We recommend that you refrain from using products that contain this chemistry. Recently, our experts conducted analyzes of shampoos, where the first place was taken by funds from the company Mulsan Сosmetic.
The only manufacturer of completely natural cosmetics. All products are manufactured under strict quality control and certification systems. We recommend visiting the official online store mulsan.ru. If you doubt the naturalness of your cosmetics, check the expiration date, it should not exceed one year of storage.
Medical preparations
A large flow of information that falls on children from birth does not weaken during the first years of life. Add to this an early passion for computer games, mobile phones, tablets, TV, and you get a favorable environment for the development of stress and nervous overexcitation. Therefore, doctors often have to prescribe a sedative for children. And in order to normalize the work nervous system medications are used.
The leader among such drugs is the drug Glycine. It contains an amino acid that helps the child emotionally unload. At the same time, the intensity of excitation processes decreases, sleep normalizes, and brain activity improves. In combination with it, other sedative drugs can be prescribed - Pantogam, Magne B6, Citral, Phenibut.
If the doctor is worried about your child's excessive nervousness, he may prescribe you more serious drugs - tranquilizers (Phenazepam, Sibazon, Tazepam, Elenium). In addition to normalizing the functioning of the nervous system, they are able to relieve feelings of anxiety and fear. The disadvantage of their use is a very quick addiction. Therefore, they are used only in rare cases and for a very short time. In this case, a small patient must be under the supervision of a doctor.
Some experts in their practice use the drug Citral. It is based on plant components and bromine. The last component can lead to negative consequences (apathy, drowsiness, memory impairment), so you should not take this remedy for a long time.
Keep in mind that many drugs for children are only suitable for certain age groups. Therefore, the treatment of nervous excitement in a child at 3 years old will differ from the scheme painted for a child at 7 years old.
Homeopathy
One of the treatment options that a doctor prescribes are homeopathic remedies. They differ in composition and effect from plant-based products. Depending on the problem you have, you may be prescribed one of the following medications:
- Dormikind;
- Bayu-Bai;
- Valerianakhel;
- Bunny and others.
If you are worried about sleep disturbance in a baby under 6 years old and his increased excitability, then small Dormikind tablets will help you cope with it. The reason for violations can be both admission to kindergarten, and moving or divorce. Valeriankhel is an analogue of Dormikind and can also be used for babies up to a year old.
Hare syrup will be a delicious addition to the daily diet, and due to its special composition it will not cause allergies.
The drug Bayu-Bai is usually prescribed to children after 5 years. These drops, in addition to the plant component, contain citric and glutamic acid. They not only soothe, but also increase the body's resistance to viruses. They are credited with anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. They also help to improve performance, concentration and normalize all phases of sleep.
Folk methods
Help in solving the problem of overexcitation and sleep disturbances can be folk methods that were used by our grandmothers.
For example, you can put a special scented pillow in your baby's bed. It is very easy to make it. To do this, it is enough to fill a simple pillow with fragrant soothing herbs (mint, lemon balm). But before doing this, make sure that your child is not allergic to them. You can use those plants that are sold in a pharmacy or prepare them specially in the summer.
A warm bath with the addition of herbs helps to relax well. To do this, an infusion of soothing herbs is poured into a bath filled with water (at the rate of 500 ml of decoction per 10 liters of water). For these purposes, you can use ready-made decoctions, which are easy to purchase at any pharmacy. If we are talking about a baby, then doctors recommend using only one herb.
Baths with sea salt have a very beneficial effect on the body. In addition to the soothing effect, they enrich the skin with important trace elements. Such baths are good for children with birth trauma, rickets and sleep disorders.