What should I do if my child does not want to take a nap? It turns out that there is such a big difference between napping and non-napping children!

Recently, the National Day holiday has arrived, and many children have gone crazy and have unlimited energy throughout the day, as if they do not need to rest. But there are also mothers who are worried, this holiday has just begun, their own baby has already played crazy, the habit of napping that was hard to cultivate before, now does not sleep, other people's children can sleep for hours in naps, but look at their own baby, like chicken blood, from morning to night full of energy, this wait until the end of the holiday back to kindergarten do not want to take a nap can do?

Regarding the question of whether children need naps, a study from the University of Massachusetts found that whether young children need naps is not related to age, but to the structure of the child's brain. There is a structure in our brain called the hippocampus, which is mainly responsible for consolidating short-term memories into long-term memories, and napping can help process memories.

When young children's immature hippocampus reaches the limit of stored memory, children will have higher sleep pressure and need to take naps; For children with a more developed hippocampus, their storage capacity can last all day, so napping is not necessary.

In other words, although napping is very important for children, it can make children energetic, improve memory, and reaction ability, due to individual differences, there are indeed some children who do not need to take a nap. Forcing your child to nap can be counterproductive.

Children of different ages have different nap times.

If it is a baby under 6 months, the sleep duration during the day is 5~8 hours, usually divided into 3~4 naps. Babies aged 6~12 months sleep for about 3 hours during the day, and will fall asleep in 2~3 stages. 1~2-year-old babies usually sleep about 2 hours during the day, basically just napping at noon.

However, the length of a child's sleep during the day is determined according to the sleep law of the growth process, and there are individual differences between different children.

What does napping mean to children?

After the child reaches the age of 3, it is actually very normal that he does not like to nap. Because for children, the meaning of taking a nap is to relieve brain fatigue, but if the child's brain does not feel tired and the emotional state is also very good, then why do you need to take a nap? Parents forcing their children to take a nap will only make the child feel aggrieved, but it is not conducive to ensuring the child's most important night sleep quality.

How can I tell if my child needs a nap?

Half an hour after the child has finished lunch, parents can try to let the child be quiet for a while, or take the child to bed together. After about 15 minutes, if the child still does not sleep, it means that the child cannot sleep at all.

If the child has not taken a nap, and the mental state is also very good all afternoon, it is always a very excited state, which means that the child does not need to take a nap.

What should I do if my child does not take a nap and affects other children?

At home, if the child does not nap can play by himself, but in kindergarten, generally at noon is to take a unified nap, what should the child do if he does not sleep and affects other children?

1. Adjust your work and rest time in advance

If the child does not need to take a nap, but parents are worried that the child will affect other children, parents can also gradually adjust the child's routine before entering the kindergarten. For example, train children to keep quiet during nap time, tell children that this is his "rest time", even if they do not sleep, they should lie in bed to rest, or quietly read picture books, etc., during the nap time, can not affect others to rest.

2. Communicate with kindergarten teachers in advance

Parents can also communicate with the kindergarten in advance, explaining that the child does not have the habit of napping, nor does it need to take a nap, hoping that the kindergarten can respect the child's needs, but ensure that the child will not affect the sleep of other children. For example, let the child bring some of their favorite toys, dolls, etc., when other children sleep, the child can lie quietly and play by himself, without affecting other children, I believe the teacher will also understand and cooperate.

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