Life
As much as you love spending time with your child, having a break from your little one is a healthy and rejuvenating time for parents. That's why you bust out a happy dance as soon as your baby shuts her eyes and sails off into dreamland. Unfortunately, sometimes a baby just won't sleep and, what's even worst, is that sometimes their inability to sleep last for days. When this happens, parents go on a mission to find the causes of insomnia in babies.
Suffering through nights with a baby who won't settle at bedtime or wakes often after you've put them to sleep, you're in the majority. According to data gathered by the National Sleep Foundation, more than two-thirds of children suffer from frequent sleep problems. However, it's not always easy for parents to figure out why their child is going struggling to get the amount of shut eye needed. Additionally, pediatricians do not regularly screen for sleep issues in children or discuss the possibility with parents at office visits, according to the website for the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Taking responsibility into your own hands will be easier when you scan for these possible insomnia causes in your baby.
1
Teething
The nagging ache of teeth coming in can be a big sleep interrupter for little ones. According to The Bump, if your health care provider has signed off on giving your baby pain medication, make sure to give it about 15 minutes before bedtime to help avoid insomnia.
2
Food Allergy
Perhaps what's keeping your baby up at night is what's in that little belly. In a study published in the journal Pediatrics, researchers found that babies with an allergy to cow's milk suffered from sleep disturbances when ingesting it. When milk was excluded from their diet, however, their sleep pattern normalized. Milk or other food allergens could be the cause of sleeplessness in your child.
3
Colic
It's hard for little ones to get some shut eye when they're uncomfortable and crying. According to Parents magazine, colic can keep babies awake for hours at night. If your baby is crying inconsolably for extended periods at night, talk to your pediatrician about the best approach for treating the colic.
4
Vitamin Deficiency
The cause of your baby's wakefulness may be as simple as a lack of certain nutrients. As Healthy Beginnings magazine explained, adding extra magnesium through supplementation helps bring on the Zs. If your kiddo is too little to take oral supplements, you can use a magnesium gel or oil that absorbs through the skin.
5
Breathing Troubles
According to Health Hype, airway obstruction including nasal blockage, sinusitis or hay fever; asthma, bronchitis or pneumonia could be causing your child's insomnia. Likely finding treatment for these symptoms will also treat the sleeplessness.
6
Sickness
Those nasty colds cause more than coughing and sneezing — you're baby's illness may be why she can't get enough shut eye. Illness can cause kids to wake more often at night as well as nap time, as Baby Sleep Site pointed out.
