Tag: Infants

How to help a child sleep better?

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People go through 4 to 5 cycles of sleep per night with each cycle extending from 75 to 90 minutes. The cycle includes two main states, the Non Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) state and the REM sleep. The REM sleep is the last stage in the cycle and it is the stage where we dream.

It is important to go through REM and NREM to get the full benefits of sleep. Those include better memory, increased creative thinking abilities, and enhanced pathways between the left and right sides of the brain.

When we sleep, the body evaluates the information acquired during the day and decides what to keep for later use and what to discard. Storing the information in long term memory allows us to build on this experience to better sort out related issues. The process itself strengthens the neural connections in the brain.

What goes on before sleep plays a role in sorting out problems as well. One study found that thinking about a question before going to be induced dreams regarding the issue for half the participants and solutions for a quarter of them.

Sleepiness builds up during the day and is released when we sleep. If we don’t get enough sleep, we feel unable to make decisions that require a lot of focus. We are also prone to making mistakes in judgment due to a lack of full attention.

It is important to maintain consistent sleep routines, avoid using the computer the last hour before sleep, have the last heavy meal for the day at least 3 hours before sleep, and sleep in a dark and cool room.

Some children have issues going to bed and keep waking up through the night. The attached video covers states of sleep and factors related to sleep problems including if the child is a morning or an evening person. The video also includes ideas on what parents and educators could do to help the child sleep better.

For additional information, refer to:

Karman, M. (2023, July 15). How sleep improves and impairs creative thinking. Eachnight. https://eachnight.com/sleep/sleep-improves-impairs-creative-thinking/ .

Sleeping like a baby. What does this mean?

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By Majida MEHANA

We go through different stages of sleep depending on the activity level of the brain. The total cycle is between 92 and 110 minutes. Then the cycle repeats itself throughout the night.

Infants go through a shorter cycle of approximately 50 minutes (National Science Foundation [NSF], 2020). Those stages of sleep include two main states, the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) irregular state and the Non-REM state (regular full sleep with closed eyelids). The duration of REM sleep is longer for newborns (50% of sleep time) and decreases to 20% by age 2. The brain activity in the REM state is similar to the waking state.

In terms of hours, newborns sleep anywhere between 10.5 and 18 hours. The sleep is irregular and can happen at different times during day or night times. The number of hours decreases to approximately 12 hours by the end of the first year (Garvis et al., 2019).

The long duration of the REM state activates the infant’s central nervous system and consolidates learning. It is also the state where we dream (NSF, 2020).

Learning occurs in other Non-REM stages as well. One study showed that babies who were shown new learning prior to a short nap (went into Stage 2, which is a light stage of sleep) were able to remember the learning better than the babies who did not take the nap (Horváth et al., 2018).

As sleep consolidates different learning in different stages, it is important to allow babies enough time to sleep through the full cycle, so they go through REM and non-REM sleep. If they need to be woken up, then it should be done gently. The REM sleep is the state that prompts waking.

Parents should note the baby’s sleep pattern and reinforce a transition to nighttime sleep by providing a quieter environment in the evening. Habits of sleep change throughout life; however, helping infants establish a regular sleep system early will give their body the time needed to recuperate and to be healthy.

Reference:

Garvis, S., Phillipson, S., Clarke, S., Harrison, L., McCormack, J., & Pendergast, D. (2019). Child development and learning. Oxford University Press.

Horváth, K., Hannon, B., Ujma, P. P., Gombos, F., & Plunkett, K. (2018). Memory in 3‐month‐old infants benefits from a short nap. Developmental Science, 21(3), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.12587

National Sleep Foundation. (2020, August). Children and sleep. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/children-and-sleep

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Height, weight, teeth, and hair of babies in their first year

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By Majida MEHANA

We are shaped by nature and nurture and this applies to our physical development and appearance; namely, height, weight, teeth, and hair.

In the first year of life, infants’ physical performance and appearance develop as follows:

Height and weight: Newborns are expected to follow a pattern of growth from head to toe and middle of body to extremities. Gross motor skills get refined prior to the fine motor skills required for the efficient use of hands, fingers, feet, and toes. For example, in the early months, the whole body shakes when the baby moves. It is later that the baby is able to differentiate the actions. The brain plays a major role in the implementation of the actions by giving orders to the body to move and then analysing the response and adjusting new orders accordingly.

Height and weight vary according to the genetic makeup of the child and the expected norms in the child’s culture. In general, boys tend to be taller and heavier than girls. With the growth in height and weight, we have changes in muscular development which allows the child to sit and walk. In one year, babies move from moving head from side to side, to rolling over, crawling, sitting, standing, and taking first steps (Alli, 2011).

Teeth: Signs on the gum line start to show up around four months and babies will have their first teeth from five to eight-month-old. Teething can be associated with crying, fever, restless sleep, biting, rash, rejection of food, and diarrhea. The process can be exhausting for both infants and parents. A visit to the dentist should be arranged soon after the first tooth comes out.

Hair Growth:  The process is a byproduct of genetics and balanced nutrition. Newborns lose hair in the first three to six months and by the end of the first year, they have most of their head hair. The strength of the hair is affected by genetics, nutrition, and the quality of the environment. Stressful events can make a child or adult lose hair; a condition called telogen effluvium.

Children are genetically predisposed to hold a height and weight that falls along a continuum. In addition, nutrition during mother’s pregnancy and in infancy influences the child’s appearance immensely. A balanced nutrition is optimal for this age group.

Unbalanced nutrition has been associated with stunting thus preventing the child from developing as per normal. It is also important to allow opportunities for children to move freely so they could practise using their body independently and confidently.

Caring for infants and attending to their needs help them meet developmental milestones. A disruption of care routines would affect the child’s physical as well as all other aspects of interrelated development.

Small encouragements would allow the child to develop an experimental mindset which would take them further in life to become global successful people.

Reference:

Allie, R. A. (2011, October). Baby’s first year: How infants develop. https://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/features/stages-of-development#3

Garvis, S., Phillipson, S., Clarke, S., Harrison, L., McCormack, J., & Pendergast, D. (2019). Child development and learning. Oxford University Press.

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What do infants feel in the first year?

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By Majida MEHANA

Newborns have innate emotions. They cannot speak about their emotions, so they behave and use expressions to help the people around them understand their feelings.

The four emotions that we witness in the first year are:

Happiness: This is expressed when infants are exploring their environments. They are looking around them fully engaged, positive, and open to learning.

Fear: Infants are anxious and look in pain. They turn their faces away as if trying not to face the situation or they could choose to stop responding altogether.  

Panic/grief is expressed when infants cannot sense the presence of the caregiver around them and they look sad and cry seeking comfort.

Rage: When infants experience irritation, anger, or restraint for an extended time, they lash out by physically attacking people within their reach.

Happiness is expressed through open body movements and smiles. Babies’ smiles become more purposeful in the early months. They smile as early as two months as a response to touch, move to a social smile at 4 months when seeing their parents, and would laugh of joy at 5 months.

On the other hand, fear becomes more apparent later. It takes time for babies to recognise familiar from non-familiar faces. Once they do, feelings of fear show up when seeing strangers.

It is recommended to expose the child to the different feelings including feelings of insecurity. Parents could wait a short time prior to intervening just to help the child get used to deal with uncomfortable situations. The waiting time should vary depending on the child’s individual needs.

It will take parents some time to understand the facial expressions of infants; however, the process helps parents develop a positive relationship with the child. It is also very important for parents to become attuned to the temperamental characteristics of the child and avoid the child reaching an uncontrolled fear that takes a long time to console.

In the second year, children become more self-aware and they experience feelings of pride and guilt as a response to people’s interactions with them.

Helping children manage the full range of their emotions and learn problem solving techniques to alleviate each emotion will help them succeed in a global world. Successful people accept their emotions and work through them to achieve a balanced life.

Reference:

Garvis, S., Phillipson, S., Clarke, S., Harrison, L., McCormack, J., & Pendergast, D. (2019). Child development and learning. Oxford University Press.

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