Are you struggling with your toddler, trying to get him to nap, but take tantrums, makes a thousand excuses and refuses to relax? If you've come to this article, you're probably looking for some solidarity, sanity, or maybe just a little peace and quiet.
Take a deep breath, this stage won't last forever, and all your efforts to get your child to sleep will pay off. You just need to follow these tips.
The good sleep habits they can be key to a child's development. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) includes naps for babies and toddlers up to 5 years of age in their sleep recommendations, and they are also endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
What are the benefits of our little one taking a nap?
Benefits for children who sleep the recommended number of hours on a regular basis include a better learning and memory, better attention span, more positive behavior, better mood and physical health, as well as an overall improvement in your quality of life, according to the AASM.
So what can you do when your child doesn't want to do that valuable and beneficial nap pm? These 7 consejos will help you:
1. Soothe him with a light massage
A good technique is to give them gentle massages. on the back and head. Massage increases the bond between a child and their caregiver, according to Infant Massage USA. Increases melatonin levels of the child, which improves their sleep cycle.
3. Set "the stage" for naps ahead of time
In the same way that you turn off the lights, prepare the children for nap time. It is best to start the relaxation period about an hour before nap.
It is not about eliminating screen time completely an hour before nap time, but leaving it at a very low volume. And adults should keep quiet and not noisy activities.
4. Use story and meditation apps
Applications like Nighty night y Stop, Breathe & Think Kids serve as interactive ways to relax children enough to have a quiet moment and lull them to sleep.
En Nighty night, the children will listen to a narration about an entire farm full of animals that fall asleep, one by one, encouraging them to do the same. Stop, Breathe & Think Kids is one of several applications available on iOS and Android to teach children to meditate away from the busy day and in a state of attention and relaxation.
Storytelling apps can be used similarly to urge nap time.
5. Take a drive
Many adults know the effects of a long trip and eyes closing. It's easy to fall asleep behind the wheel when you're already exhausted and comfortably seated, listening to the gentle roar of the car engine. It is a dangerous habit for drivers, but for babies and young children as passengers, drive by car It could be the ticket to a solid nap.
Once asleep, getting them home from the car is easy.
6. Offer a reward for napping.
In this case we try to persuade the little one, although it is not one of the best options. It is always preferable to try to help or explain than to end up "negotiating", especially with children under 5 years of age. Still, if there's no human way to get him to nap, you can choose to offer him something he likes. For example, if you take a nap, you can watch television for half an hour.
The Center for Parenting Education says parents should negotiate whenever possible from the age of 6, and that negotiation is a typical 8-year-old emotional development. According to KidsHealth.org, children «Who participate in decisions are more motivated to carry them out».
7. Recognize when to go from napping to getting more sleep at night
It is completely normal that children take fewer naps as they get olderaccording to Miller Shivers, a clinical psychologist in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago.
We have to be aware of our child's age and realize when their nap days should end.
La National Sleep Foundation say what young children need 12-14 hours of sleep a day; however, only 50% of 4-year-olds still nap, and only 30% still nap at 5 years.
Children should nap regularly, but if you're having a hard time with your 3-year-old or older, it may be better to stop napping and go to bed earlier. Learning to recognize when your child is ready to put a nap on the sidelines is part of being a parent. When this is the moment, you should make sure that he sleeps more at night.