1. Maintain a sleep routine.
Pre-setting your daily waking and sleeping times helps set your biological clock. Inculcating this habit every day from childhood is beneficial in the long run.
2. Make sleep a priority.
Parents need to plan meals and sleep. As soon as a child comes into our life, meticulous planning and scheduling becomes an inevitable part. This saves parents from neglecting basic tasks. This gives us time to relax to keep anxiety and fatigue at bay. This is imperative for us because, most of the time, unavoidable tasks pile up suddenly and need immediate attention.
3. Limit socialization.
Unexpected family events, parties, festivals etc. Children come into our lives and it is beneficial to include them in these ceremonies, but their participation should be limited. Often, we fail to maintain this and allow children's routines to be disrupted at the expense of losing sleep time, compromising on meals, etc.
4. Get enough sleep for your age.
It is a well-researched fact that mental development in children is greatest from birth to age five. Since the brain works non-stop, it must be well-rested to function at its best. Also, during sleep the brain processes all the information gathered during the day. Infants need about 16 hours of sleep and this period decreases with age. By the age of five, children need 8 to 10 hours of sleep, including nap time and nighttime sleep. Insufficient sleep can make them feel restless, and cranky, which interferes with their day's work.
5. No screen time before bed.
This issue is all over the internet as kids these days have access to mobiles and internet. Also, the pandemic has forced us to provide education through the Internet. Prolonged exposure to mobile screens is harmful to their eyes and also limits their creativity. Watching a show on a mobile phone requires less mental and physical effort than reading a picture book or coloring. It makes them lazy, detached from the real world and prevents them from participating in daily activities. If left unchecked, this can lead to childhood obesity as they are unable to burn off their natural physical energy. Watching cartoons etc. before going to bed makes their mind wander and makes it difficult for them to sit on the bed. This can cause nightmares in children.