SLEEP is a very important part of children’s life, and must be preserved in quality and quantity. With the start of the holidays, most of the time there is a change in the rhythms and habits of the entire family, including children.
Even the strictest parents often loosen their sense of control and duty in the summer months. That is, they become more flexible and condescending on the rhythms that mark the days of the children. Sleep included. No school or kindergarten, no work, just vacation and relaxation. And so the hands of the clock advance quickly before the baby is put to bed.
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Different experiences, stimulating situations, new games and new friends: many emotions lived frantically, all together, with that energy that is typical of their age. Children, therefore, should be so tired in the evening that they collapse on the sofa. Yet it is not uncommon to have some difficulty falling asleep. This disregards the expectations of mum and dad who, looking at their son engaged in a thousand activities, think “tonight he will collapse destroyed”.
In fact, the opposite can happen. Especially if the children are happy and enthusiastic about the changes to the point of not being able to relax, to “switch off”.
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What to do? First, I’ll tell you what not to do. That is, do not be alarmed if in the first few days the child will struggle to fall asleep: he must find his new balance. Don’t scold him because he doesn’t want to sleep, but try to reassure him and make him relax. Make sure the room is cool and airy, safe from annoying mosquito bites.
On vacation as at home, the rules for a good sleep always apply. Especially if the child is small, it is important to adapt the rhythms of the family to those of the child and not vice versa. Always choose a suitably prepared environment, with soft lights, possibly with soft background music to facilitate the approach to sleep.
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On the contrary, i media device as mobile phones and tablets can interfere with the quality and quantity of sleep, so it is advisable not to use them in the evening. Finally, avoid milk or other liquids, including chamomile, during awakenings. Better to replace them with a comforting object to go back to sleep.
* Elena Bozzola, Pediatrician at the Bambino Gesù hospital in Rome
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