Some mothers, in my daily consultations, bring this observation: “Amanda, my baby is lazy. He doesn’t like to roll, he doesn’t like to walk, to play… ”. At these times, I ask the mothers: is your child just lazy?
“Laziness” can be the result of insufficient sleep! I explain.
Sleep is the great energy restorer. This is because it is in this period that the restoration of the individual’s cognitive and physical part will occur, as well as the release of certain hormones. In the case of babies, who are in the development phase and therefore spend an enormous amount of energy on a daily basis, it becomes even more necessary to sleep!
Baby Development: know everything about this phase
What is the importance of sleeping in the dark?
If there is poor quality sleep at night, your baby will probably spend the day drowsy and, I am sorry to say, napping will not be enough to make up for the lack of night sleep. Snooze should not be a repairer of the hours slept at night! This ends up making your baby not have energy, disposition, which is reflected in the so-called “laziness”!
Assess whether his sleep appears to be very restless. For example, if the sheet or pillow is drooling when it awakens, if there are several nighttime awakenings and if, at these times, there is a difficulty in returning to sleep. Be sure to consider whether external factors, such as ambient light or noise in the bedroom and home, may be triggering the awakenings.
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And, of course, if you notice that some of these observations are occurring, be sure to consider a professional who specializes in Sleep Medicine! Organizing aspects of sleep hygiene can be crucial to make your baby have more energy and thus be more open to activities throughout the day!
Written by Psychologist Amanda Pascoal
