Can a newborn be rocked?

In our lives, many mothers will rock their babies when they are coaxing them to sleep, because this will make the baby feel dizzy and slowly the baby will fall asleep. In fact, this method is not scientific, and the various organs in the baby's body are not fully developed when they are young. It is very likely that excessive rocking by mothers will cause organ damage. So, can newborns be rocked?

When the baby is crying and making a fuss, the mother will pick him up and rock him, or put him in a cradle and rock him to sleep. If the baby cries harder, the mother will rock him harder until the baby falls asleep. Mothers should be careful. Although this method can make the baby fall asleep while being rocked, its potential harm cannot be ignored. It is especially dangerous for babies under 10 months old. Because the baby's brain is not fully developed, shaking the baby will cause the baby's brain to swing constantly in the skull cavity, causing the brain to collide with the skull and cause small blood vessels in the brain to rupture. In mild cases, the baby will suffer from mental retardation and limb paralysis, and in severe cases, the baby will suffer from cerebral edema, brain hernia and death. If the retina in the eye is affected, it can also cause impaired vision or blindness. From another perspective, forming a sleeping habit of not falling asleep without being rocked will cause trouble for the mother.

Babies between 0 and 6 months old should not be shaken excessively, even before 10 months old. This can cause chronic craniocerebral injury without the parents realizing it. At the same time, the baby's bones and joints are very fragile, and the internal organs are also developing.

Can't the baby be rocked?

Newborns should not be shaken because their brains are fragile and soft, and are susceptible to concussion, which can lead to cerebral hemorrhage. Experts say that head and brain injuries in children caused by shaking are relatively extreme cases. Children's hospitals rarely encounter such cases, but there are 1-2 cases every year, and the injuries are usually quite serious. Some even suffer lifelong disabilities.

The brain of children under one year old is still in the development stage, and the skull grows much faster than the brain. Since the head of an infant accounts for about 25% of the body weight (10% for adults), and the infant's brain is softer and more fragile than that of an adult, and the neck muscles are weak, when the child is shaken, the fragile brain tissue will constantly collide with the skull wall, causing rupture of brain blood vessels and cerebral hemorrhage.

How to get your baby to sleep

Some babies sleep soundly during the day, but won’t fall asleep at night no matter how hard you try. Experts point out that in addition to having a safe and comfortable environment, it is also very important to understand your child’s sleeping patterns. Experts say that newborns have not yet formed a circadian rhythm. They begin to form a 25-hour circadian rhythm at about 4 weeks, and basically form a 24-hour circadian rhythm at 4 months.

Therefore, newborns need to develop good sleeping habits from infancy, such as falling asleep at a fixed time and place, bedtime, number, length and time of naps, and bedtime and waking times should all be basically fixed. Experts recommend that you actively encourage your baby to fall asleep alone and develop the habit from the moment he is born. Even newborns should not sleep in the same bed with their mothers. Sleeping with your mother for a long time will make the baby develop a "mother complex". When the baby reaches the age of going to kindergarten or even elementary school, it will be difficult for him to separate from his mother.