Bedtime can be a real nightmare for many parents because they don’t know how to make a kid sleep instantly. Some children have trouble falling asleep and test their parents’ patience at night. Knowing different tricks to put toddlers to sleep early will help turn bad moments in this aspect into an anecdote.
How To Get Your Child To Sleep Through The Night
During sleep, children assimilate what was experienced during the day, internalize it create lasting memories, and develop the necessary skills to shape their personality and behavior.
A study published in the journal Science Advances states that the REM or rapid sleep phase turns experiences into lasting memories and abilities in a child’s brain. Sleep helps young brains to properly adjust their neural connections.
This is why sleep is known to directly affect a child’s abilities at school, for example. Sleeping well also has a great impact on the mood, learning, attention, and physical and mental development of the little ones. When a child doesn’t get the necessary hours of sleep, the growth hormone that is released during sleep doesn’t work well. This hormone influences the development of tissues and cells, as well as modulating protein metabolism.
Science has also shown that children need sleep to grow. Michelle Lamp, from Emory University (USA), and Michael L. Johnson, from the University of Virginia (USA), published a study on the biological mechanism of “lugs” in the journal Sleep. In it, they conclude that the little ones who sleep a greater number of hours grow more quickly and correctly. This occurs because sleep is directly related to weight and body fat gain.
Bedtime Routine For Toddlers
Different guidelines can help parents to get a toddler to sleep more easily. Stipulating a specific time to go to bed will help you be aware of when you should go to sleep. Depending on the child’s age and needs, the child must sleep a specified number of hours according to the National Sleep Foundation:
- Until the first year of life, the baby usually sleeps about 16 hours during the day
- From 1 to 3 years the figure decreases and toddlers sleep between 12 and 14 hours
- Between 3 and 5 years, the youngest need between 11 and 13 hours of sleep at night
- From 5 years of age, sleep needs decrease to 10 hours
From these data, we can establish a certain time taking into account the habits of the little ones. Creating a series of routine activities before bedtime such as reading a story, brushing teeth, or preparing the next day’s clothes can help children become aware that it is time to go to toddler bed.
Play Sports During The Day
To maintain the health of the little ones and avoid problems such as obesity, sport is essential in their lives. Carrying out activities of this nature in the late afternoon can cause excitement and, therefore, impair sleep. However, playing sports during the day ensures that the little ones get to bedtime tired, relaxed, and with less energy, which gives them better rest.
Activities such as video games or television can also be exciting for the little ones in the hours before going to bed. Also, the blue light on the screens makes reconciliation difficult since it deceives the body and makes the system behave as if it were daytime. Avoiding these types of activities before going to bed is necessary for good sleep.
Take Care of Food Before Going To Bed
To avoid children feeling heavy and having difficulties with digestion, heavy dinners, and foods with large amounts of sugar should be avoided since they can cause them to be over-excited. Liquids are other products that should not be eaten during the last hours of the day, especially those that contain caffeine.
For its part, the National Sleep Foundation indicates that children should not eat two hours before bed. This allows them to feel lighter and therefore be able to sleep more quickly.
Create a Perfect Atmosphere In Your Room
When going to bed, the perfect environment must exist so that children can sleep without problems. Avoiding noise, having the right temperature, and reducing lighting are some of the essentials to promote your rest.
Also, children should feel a bedroom is a comfortable place. Children’s mattresses, for example, ensure that the child rests on a comfortable surface adapted to his development. There are multitudes of mattresses to ensure the well-being of children, depending on the characteristics you are looking for and the tastes of your children, you will find a wide variety of options.
How To Fall a Sleep Easy And Fast
How to make a kid sleep instantly is a big question for all parents. Professor Andrew Weill of Harvard University created this breathing-based technique. Through 3 simple steps, children will achieve a state of total relaxation by lowering their heart rate and increasing oxygenation of the brain. It can be turned into a fun game by following these actions:
- Taking the air through the nose, the little ones should inspire while mentally counting to four.
- To slow the heart rate and eliminate anxiety, they will need to hold air in their lungs for a count of seven.
- Finally, they must expel the air for 8 seconds smoothly and continuously.
- These steps should be repeated several times to ensure that the body relaxes and rest is optimal.
The rest of the children is essential for them to have the correct development. These sleeping tricks will help both you and your children fall asleep at night.
In Shorts – Drafting Pediatrics and Family
Deep sleep accompanied by food and exercise contributes to the good health of children. However, to get the children to rest deeply we give you some recommendations:
- Set times to go to sleep, preferably before 9 pm.
- Maintain age-appropriate nap times or daytime naps.
- Establish a consistent routine before bed.
- Make the room a suitable place for sleep; cool, dark, and calm.
- Encourage your child to fall asleep autonomously.
Also, keep these factors in mind so that your dreams and rest are of quality.
- Avoid exposure to bright light at bedtime and night and increase light exposure in the morning.
- Avoid heavy meals and vigorous activity near bedtime.
- Keep electronic devices (including TVs, computers, mobile phones) out of the room and limit their use close to bedtime.
- Avoid drinking caffeine, including cola, coffee, and tea.
- Maintain regular hours throughout the day, including mealtimes.