Guide for a correct nap in children
Rest is very important for everyone. It is often related to sleeping with the night and although it is true that it is when the sun goes down when more time is spent in this state, there is another time of the day when the body goes into a relaxed state. The nap, one of the moments that usually accompanies the afternoons of many and that takes advantage of the situation in which the body remains after lunch to be able to give a nod.
However, you do not have to take the nap as a synonym of night rest. How to take advantage of all the benefits offered by this special moment for many? From the Spanish Association of Pediatrics and Primary Care, AEPap, several tips are offered with which to get the most out of it.
The siesta is beneficial
Is it recommended to nap? The answer is simple, AEPap indicates yes. From this organism it is indicated that there are several studies that remember the importance that the smallest ones have this moment of break after meals. Among the positive results of this activity include:
- Help to better assimilate the learning made during the day.
- Help save information in short-term memory. Leave the mind clear to learn new things by favoring the performance of activities such as homework.
- Encourages abstract learning and logical reasoning.
- The nap reduces hyperactivity, eliminates tension and fatigue accumulated during the morning.
- The rest that it provides helps to face better the activities of the afternoon. Reactive and sharpens the mind.
- Improves the child's behavior and well-being.
AEPap also banishes the myth that napping is causing insomnia in the little ones. In fact, this organism emphasizes that not betting on this activity supposes a smaller rest in the children which entails a greater irritability that prevents falling asleep correctly.
Tips for the right nap
Once the benefits of napping for the little ones are known, there are some tips to get the most out of this time of day:
- Sleep routines. As with the night rest, betting on sleep routines in the nap will help the child to enter a state of relaxation at certain times of the day favoring this practice.
- Maintain the same schedule. Following in the wake of the dream routine, betting on the same nap schedule every day will allow the creation of this habit of long-term rest.
- Know the habits of day care centers. Some children's schools have specific nap schedules for the youngest ones, knowing them will help the parents to maintain these routines on the days that the children do not go to these centers.
- Do not force if you do not want to. If the child does not want to nap, it is a bad idea to force him to do so. The decision of the smallest must be respected.
- No more than half an hour of nap. While the nap is not guilty of insomnia, too many hours of this practice can make it difficult to rest during the night. Half an hour should be the maximum time children dedicate to this activity.
Damián Montero
