Some parents may worry that their children will have difficulty falling asleep at night when they have taken a nap. In fact, there are many benefits of napping for children, you know. Even taking a nap is said to increase children's intelligence.
Growth and development experienced by Little will drain a lot of energy. Therefore, in addition to sufficient intake and nutritional needs, Little also needs more sleep than adults. Well, one way is by taking a nap.
Various Benefits of Naps for Children
In addition to meeting the child's daily sleep needs, familiarizing children with naps will also provide a variety of benefits, namely:
1. Make it easier for children to sleep at night
Naps can help reduce fatigue from a day of play and activity. Fatigue is one of the factors that can trigger a child more difficult to sleep at night. That is why, napping will actually make it easier for children to sleep at night.
2. Support the child's learning process
Naps can help children remember things they have learned. Not only that, they will be better able to focus.
Research also shows that children who take a nap are superior in games that rely on memory. This benefit will be more optimal if the nap is done regularly.
3. Maintain a child's healthy weight
Research shows that children who don't get enough sleep or have irregular sleep patterns are more likely to be obese. This is associated with the emergence of a child's tendency to eat more when he is tired. When children experience an increase in appetite, they also tend to choose foods with poor nutritional content.
In addition, fatigue will also make the child less active, so that weight gain is easier to rise.
4. Improve the child's mood
Children who take a nap are considered to have a better mood than children who do not take naps. Research also states that children under five years old (toddlers) who don't take naps are more often agitated and give worse reactions to unpleasant events.
How Long Should Children Take a Nap?
The recommended duration of a nap is about 90 minutes. If you feel you are lacking, you can schedule 2 nap times. This depends on the needs of sleep needed by your child.
For example, children aged 1-2 years need 14 hours of sleep. Well, Mother can divide her sleep time into 11 hours to sleep at night and 3 hours nap. The first nap can be done in the morning after breakfast, then the second is done in the afternoon after lunch.
The amount of naps needed by children will decrease with age. Children aged 6 years and over usually only need about 30 minutes of naps.
Easy Ways to Help Children Take Naps
When playing or doing activities, not infrequently children refuse to take a nap. If this happens, there are a few tricks you can do, namely:
1. Making naps a routine
You can arrange your nap schedule at the same time and place every day. Setting the same schedule every day will make naps a routine, so that children will more easily follow it.
2. Imposing "idle time"
Mother can give "quiet time" before going to sleep as a transition from playing to bedtime. For example, Mother can bring Little to bed when nap time arrives and let Little Sleep on its own.
As much as possible do not force children to sleep, because it will trigger resistance from children and make it difficult for them to sleep.
3. Increase the activity in the morning
Mother can also increase the activities of the Little One in the morning, for example, taking him to the market, running in the morning, or put it into a playgroup. Children who have a lot of activity in the morning will usually feel more tired during the day and easier to take a nap.
4. Create a comfortable bedroom atmosphere
The room and the atmosphere is comfortable and cool can also make children more easily asleep. Therefore, Mother should arrange for your Little One's bedroom to be clean, cool, and with dim or dark lighting.
To take the child to bedtime, Mother can also use Little Pajamas, read a short story, and sing lullabies.
Well, now Mother already knows, right, what are the benefits of napping for children? So start getting used to your little one to take a nap. In addition, when Little Si naps, Mother will also have a break to rest.
Komentar
Posting Komentar