When the child does not want to sleep alone, how to encourage him to achieve this autonomy?
Many are the steps that a child takes in his development until reaching full autonomy in his adulthood. A path that becomes evident in some very special moments such as the passage from the cradle to its own room. A gesture that is a big change in his life because it assumes that the little one takes charge of his own space.
However, some children feel unprotected by this situation. The change of his parents' room to his own is, in his opinion, a situation that causes his helplessness. How should parents react? Should they continue to spend the night with their parents or should their autonomy be encouraged? The pediatrician talks about it Gabriel Ruiz.
Change little by little
This pediatrician explains in one of his texts that the change should not be sudden, overnight a child who is afraid of sleeping on his own room He can not overcome this fear. At the same time, parents must be convinced of the decision that is made and bet on it from love and understanding. You have to remember that every process takes time.
These are some of the keys to start working with the autonomy of the child in this sense:
- Establish a fixed time to put him to bed. One of the keys to getting the child to be able to sleep alone is to be so relaxed, that he can achieve the dream through it. Something that is achieved by establishing a daily routine by reaching an hour, the body of the child enters a state of relaxation.
- Sleep routine. It is also a good idea for the child to establish routines prior to rest that cause his body to enter the relaxation phase. A bath, a talk in bed, reading a story.
- A dream partner. If the child is afraid of being left alone, the parents may try to calm him down by leaving him in the company of a friend like a cuddly toy appreciated by him.
- If he wakes up at night, scared, parents can accompany him until he is relaxed and asleep again and leave him alone. The next morning the child will see that he is able to rest without other company than his.
Benefits of your own room
As it has been said, the change from the parents' room to their own is a gain in autonomy for the parents. More smalls. These are some of the benefits that this space brings for the child:
- Responsibility The room is yours, so their good direction will depend on them. If they do not find something lost in it, they should learn to pick it up better next time.
- Independence The room is their space, they decorate, they manifest their own personality and have a place to develop their activities.
- Space to develop. In the room you do not just sleep, you study, you read, you listen to music and you can even play. A good place to develop many skills.
Damián Montero
