We know that babies sleep many hours, between 16 and 18 hours in a day, but Do babies dream during this time? This is a very complex question. Because any mother or father has seen their child laugh and grimace in their sleep, but does this guarantee that they dream? Scientific research speaks of the brain activity during sleep already occurs in the fetal stage, while they are still in the womb.
However and although during the 7th and 8th month the fetus has a very deep sleep pattern and its eye movement indicates that it is in REM sleep, there is no scientific proof that these dreams occur.
Dreams of a baby in the womb and newborns
We don't know anything about what the basic dream world of a baby unborn, slightly immature and elemental, if it would be inhabited by sensations, sounds, forms. It could be something as organic as it is instinctive. These ideas are defended by an article that appeared in Psychology Today magazine.
The technology is not yet so advanced as to analyze the brain patterns of babies. But you do see brain behavior very similar to those of children. Thus, without being categorical, more or less everyone considers that babies dream. And they would do it after 7 months of gestation.
It seems like the fetus synthesizes the experiences of the mother and processes all the information it receives in dreams, sounds, sensations, etc. According to some studies, the baby does not have nightmares, his dreams are basic and do not cause future trauma. As the baby grows in the womb, it stays awake longer and the senses develop.
If we consider that a large part of our being responds to genetically inherited patterns, Any fetus that reaches an adequate brain maturity will have sensations such as fear, tranquility, pleasure or anguish.
And now let's move on to the next question with what do newborn babies dream? Well, it seems that with the experiences of the day and they do it through sensations. What seems logical is that his first dream contents have to do with his first contacts with the world, textures, smells, flavors like that of the mother, heat, cold ...
How babies dream from the year
As the babies grow, his dreams are becoming more lucid and complex. Although all within a fairly basic structure. According to Spanish Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry is from 18 monthsMore or less when children are able to communicate with words, they will begin to relate what they dream and become aware that they have dreamed.
Then, nightmares can appear after three yearsYes, because it is at this time that the child's personal anguish is revealed. These nightmares are usually related to darkness, monsters, fear of abandonment or loss.
However, it is recommended that the baby be as old as the baby, also before the age of three, the environment in which you rest is calm and quiet, No loud or annoying noises like mixer, conversations, loud music, television, so these sounds don't get into your dreams.
Children's sleep characteristics
Babies go through periods of light sleeper and deep sleeper, both are important to your health. The objective of NON-REM sleep is to replace the energy that they have consumed during the waking period, while the REM phase (stage in which dreams with argument appear) performs a specific task in the development of attention and memory, thus as in the consolidation of learning.
This means that if the baby does not have enough NON-REM sleep, his growth may be delayed, and the lack of REM sleep can have negative consequences on his cognitive development and behavior.