Chiaus Sharing:If baby does not take a nap, will it affect growth and development?
When raising cubs, many parents will have such a problem: at birth, every day in addition to feeding is sleeping, unlike now coax a nap is time-consuming and laborious. Why do children grow up less like napping? Can the child not nap when he grow up? Will it affect growth and development? With these questions in mind, let’s get down to business.
Mom and dad are confused: Does the baby have to nap? According to the characteristics of different age groups, nap has its necessity.
For example, the baby in the infant period, nap is very important, because for small babies, their circadian rhythm has not been established, when the brain is not fully developed, their energy is limited, there is no way to stay awake for a long time, they physiologically need a variety of sporadic naps to promote their healthy growth.
But when the baby grows up, they will find that their sleep time is becoming less and less, at this time, if the baby does not want to nap, do not force, nap is good, but it is not a necessity for every baby.
The sleep guidelines and data specified by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) scientists show that as the age increases, the baby’s need for nap gradually decreases, in general, parents as long as they ensure that the baby has sufficient sleep time at night, because compared with the afternoon nap, the night sleep is more beneficial to the child’s growth and development. A good night’s sleep can accelerate growth hormone secretion, promote brain development, and enhance memory.
And the baby’s nap time is shortened, which also means that the baby’s nervous system development is gradually improved, indicating that the baby does not rely on daytime naps to develop the brain and regulate growth.
Some people say that the baby to 5 or 6 years old can not take a nap, and some parents think that to go to primary school can relax the baby’s nap rules, in fact, for this problem, there is no clear age division.
If the following situations occur, it means that your child may not need a nap.
- Children become extremely difficult to get to sleep, even if they wake up after a while, and it is difficult to get back to sleep after waking up.
- The child does not nap, the afternoon is still very energetic; On the contrary, it is necessary to cultivate the habit of taking a nap
- The timing of a child’s nap interferes with the overall quality of sleep at night, making it more difficult to fall asleep at night
- The child is very resistant to nap, a nap crying more than, and caused some adverse effects
Children are not willing to take a nap, and parents must force them to rest, which will cause psychological burdens to children, even if they fall asleep, they are not stable, and the spirit becomes worse. Children willing to nap the best, do not want to, parents do not need to force.
For those children who did not have the habit of napping but got enough sleep every day, there was no effect. We all know the importance of sleep, because during sleep, the body secretes growth hormones to help babies grow and develop, the brain’s neural circuits are remodeled, and synapses are repaired.
However, when we talk about sleep duration, we are talking about total sleep duration, not single sleep duration or sleep frequency. Therefore, to ensure the normal development of the baby, it is necessary to ensure that the total length of sleep in a day is up to standard.
- Age Range Recommended Sleep duration Reasonable sleep duration
- Newborns (0-3 months) 14-17 hours 11-19 hours
- Infants (April to November) 12 to 15 hours 10 to 18 hours
- Walkers (1-2 years old) 11-14 hours 9-16 hours
- Kindergarten (3-5 years old) 10-13 hours 8-14 hours
- Primary school students (6-12 years old) 9-11 hours 7-13 hours
That some parents will ask, it is not a nap, will lengthen the sleep time, growth hormone secretion is not more? In fact, our growth hormone also has a rhythm cycle, and normally, the amount of secretion is the most at night, and relatively less during the day. Moreover, a large number of data prove that the peak of growth hormone secretion is closely related to deep sleep, and the time of deep sleep at night is more and the duration is longer, which is the key to affecting growth hormone. So parents do not need to worry, do not nap will not affect the growth and development of children.
Although the nap is not a necessity for every child, if the child has the will to nap, it is recommended that mom and dad help them develop a good nap habit. Because lunch breaks are really good for kids.
- Parents lead by example
Parents are the children’s first teachers, they will learn from their parents’ behavior habits. If parents don’t nap themselves, but force their children to nap, it will only get half the result. To develop the habit of taking a nap, parents have to sleep with their children, and in the long run, the child’s lunch break habit will slowly develop.
- Create a bedtime ritual
Mere coaxing to sleep can be slightly tedious and less effective. Try creating some simple and happy rituals for your baby before bed. Such as singing or listening to music with your child, or telling him a favorite bedtime story.
- Do less strenuous exercise
A quiet and peaceful sleeping environment is also very important for the baby to develop a lunch break habit. The light should not be too harsh, try not to do strenuous exercise before going to bed, the body will be in a state of excitement will be difficult to fall asleep.
In short, a nap is the icing on the cake for the baby’s growth, do not have the habit of lunch break, do not be too anxious, as long as the child is energetic, ensure enough sleep time at night, it does not affect the healthy growth of the baby.
Chiaus,18years of diapers manufacture and R&D experiences.
Steps to Genius,Care from Chiaus
Post time: Dec-15-2023