Me as a carefree girl who had time to rest used the term “ Slept like a baby” to describe the nights that I slept well. Then I had one baby of my own and witnessed how they really sleep. A baby will only need a split second to roll around and change his position. For new parents who are disillusioned by the phrase “sleep like a baby”, it is a scary experience to watch how fast their baby changes the position. Although it is completely normal, moving around the crib can lead to sleep accidents. This article will address why the baby moves around the crib, how can it become risky, and crib safety tips.
CONTENT
1. Why does the baby move around the crib in sleep?
2. Should I reposition the baby?
4. How to stop my baby moving around even when swaddled?
5. Is it safe for the baby to sleep with his face against the side of the crib?
6. How to make the crib safe for the baby?
1. Why does the baby move around the crib in sleep?
A baby will move around the crib quicker than you could ever imagine. If you believe that sleeping on the back is the safest position for your baby to sleep, these rapid movements will worry you a lot. The main reason for these movements inside the crib during sleep is the nature of the sleep patterns that the babies have.
Babies spend most of their sleep in REM or active sleep cycle. Compared to us, they have twice much REM. They also have shorter NREM to REM cycles making them more likely to wake up and move around. As adults, we begin with a state of deep sleep or NREM. We spend the first part of the night in this state. Our breath becomes shallow, muscles relax and make no or very few movements.
Then it switches to REM where we will move, twist, and dream. Adults spend few hours in REM but most of their sleep is deep sleep or NREM. Sleep paralysis might occur when your body fails to switch from NREM to REM sending your body the signals not to move. In your baby’s sleep cycles, REMs are longer than ours explaining why your baby is such a dancer inside the crib at night. Read this to understand further how your baby’s sleep pattern differs from yours.
Another reason is that they will also move around for more comfort like we do. We wake up, reposition our bodies, hug a pillow and go back to sleep just to feel better in sleep. Babies do the same. In a way, it is a natural adoption for the safety of the baby. Maybe they are in a risky position blocking their airway or hurting their body but in REM they will move to a comfortable position.
A sleep cycle lasts for about 40 minutes. At the end of each cycle, the baby may wake and stay up for few minutes. If your baby can soothe himself to sleep back, he will just move around and fall asleep again without seeking your help. Within 3-6 months, babies get better at sleep and get used to merging sleep cycles well.
Further, babies have developing immature nervous systems. It will respond to the things that our adult and mature nervous systems don’t. As a result, they make more movements than we do as a response to changes in the environment. It can be a weak sound or a quick beam of light hovered over the crib. Research hypothesize that these changes in positions are how the baby connects the brain’s signals to muscle movements.
Your baby will move around the crib covering every inch of space and wake up in the corner, sideways or with their face against the wall/ side of the crib. This is biologically very normal and there is no way you can prevent it. As a parent, all you can do is creating a safer environment for your baby to sleep in avoiding all the possible dangers.
If your baby’s movements really bother you, you can seek advice from your pediatrician or even take a video record of your baby throughout the night. There can be other reasons such as acid fluxes making your baby move excessively but it is highly probable that your baby is just an active sleeper like all the others.
2. Should I reposition the baby?
It is recommended for the babies to sleep on their back at least for the first year of their life. If the baby rolls over by themselves, you do not have to reposition them every time. When they become capable of rolling over, they have the strength to move back again in case their airway is blocking. If it looks like they are trapped in a position disabling to move back again such as the leg stuck between the crib railings, help them as soon as you notice it. Also, help them if your baby is in a position straining their muscles.
3. Why does my baby always end up sideways or corner of the bed?
Why does my baby rotate in the crib?
As adults, our brain is programmed to sleep with our heads on top of the bed and our feet at the bottom. Any other way will make us feel uncomfortable and weird. The babies do not have that kind of learning yet neither a sense of the top and bottom of the crib. So they will move around freely to end up in different positions, sideways or corners of the crib.
Sometimes we know when our sleeping position is not right by the feel of our pillows and other stuff in and around the bed. But babies do not have such landmarks in their crib or no such sense even they had any. Therefore, it is understandable for babies to wake up in positions that might look abnormal to us adults.
4. How to stop my baby from moving around even when swaddled?
Swaddles mimic the womb environment and make it easier for newborns to fall asleep. But swaddling is no longer safer when your baby starts rolling over. A swaddled baby can’t move easily to a comfortable position if they feel that they are smothered. If the swaddle becomes partially undone, the swaddle blanket itself will smother the baby but the baby will be trapped in the swaddle wrap which is still there.
5. Is it safe for the baby to sleep with his face against the side of the crib?
As active sleepers, babies will frequently end up in this position. It gives them the same comfort of being swaddled on a sleeping space that has no other comforters. If your baby’s crib meets the safety guidelines of the American Association of Pediatrics, there is no risk for your baby to end up in this position where he faces the side of the crib. Crib liners and bumpers become risky because of this reason as they might suffocate the baby.
6. How to make the crib safe for the baby?
It is practical and easier to make your baby’s crib a safe, risk-free environment than restricting the movements in sleep. Below are some tips to make the crib safe for your baby irrespective of how much they move during the day.
Avoid crib liners or bumpers – These are suffocation hazards for swaddled babies and babies who cannot roll over themselves. So make sure you have no such soft cushions lining the sides of the crib.
Choose a mattress that fits right – If the mattress does not fit right to your crib, it can trap your baby in the space between the crib and the mattress. Ensure the quality of the mattress material as soft beds too can suffocate the babies.
Never allow soft toys and blankets in the bed. – Soft toys are cute and the blankets are warm. But still, they can suffocate your baby in seconds. Remove them from the crib so you do not have to worry about the movements that your baby will make in sleep