Important to Know! Beneficial Bedtime Activities for Children

A good routine for your little one before going to bed is eating healthy snacks, cleaning themselves, and reading stories with their parents. These activities can provide good stimulus for their development and maintain their health. Want to know what the benefits are? Let's see the further discussion below!

Healthy Snacking Before Bed

When you go to bed with an empty stomach, it's certainly very uncomfortable, right? So is your little one. Giving healthy snacks before going to bed can help them sleep soundly. This is because the nutrients they get can fill your little one's stomach all night long.

Ideally, healthy foods that are good for your little one are snacks that contain carbohydrates, protein, are low in sugar, and fat. For example, fruits, vegetables, and milk. These three foods contain tryptophan which can make them sleepy after consuming the snack.

In addition, avoid giving your little one a lot of heavy food before going to bed. This is because heavy food takes a long time to digest and can disrupt sleep patterns. As a result, the quality of sleep is not good. So, just give healthy snacks such as fruits and vegetables before going to bed.

Cleaning Yourself

If your little one has trouble sleeping, you can try bathing him/her in warm water. This is because the decrease in body temperature after bathing gives a signal to the body to go to sleep immediately. So, your little one will quickly become sleepy.

However, what if your little one doesn't like bathing in warm water? Then, the duration of the bath must be shortened. This is because a child's body is more susceptible to cold temperatures than an adult's. Therefore, make sure that you and your partner continue to supervise him/her so that nothing happens.

In addition to paying attention to body hygiene, your little one's teeth must also be clean when sleeping. Because after eating lots of snacks and heavy meals during the day, food residue is still left in the teeth. By routinely brushing your teeth before going to bed, your little one's dental health can also be maintained.

Reading Stories

As your little one grows and develops, you and your partner must continue to train their fine motor skills. One way is to read stories. Reading stories has many benefits, including strengthening relationships with parents, reducing stress levels, and training your little one's literacy, imagination, and language skills.

For example, when Mom reads a story, your little one will imagine how the story happened, so that their imagination is trained. Then, the language used in the story is definitely different from what Mom and Dad usually use every day. So, your little one can absorb new vocabulary from the story.

Therefore, choose a short story that is interesting, easy to understand, and contains a moral message. So, your little one will be more interested in listening and can learn a lot from the characters in the story. Then, Mom and Dad can also invite your little one to discuss so that they can provide a correct understanding of the story.

This recommendation for a good bedtime routine for children will have a huge impact on your little one's development in the future. To support their growth and health, Mom can provide nutritious intake such as milk to your little one before going to bed. Come on, find out more about the benefits of drinking milk before going to bed here: 5 Benefits of Drinking Milk Before Going to Bed for Children.

Reference:

Kidspot. Why bedtime stories are so important. Accessed June 20, 2024. https://www.kidspot.com.au/features/v3/nd-393/why-bedtime-stories-are-so-important/

Little Kids Dentistry. Why is it important for children to brush their teeth before sleep?. Accessed June 20, 2024. https://www.littlekidsdentistry.com/why-is-it-important-for-children-to-brush-their-teeth-before-sleep/

Disdikpora Kabupaten Buleleng. Choose Age-Appropriate Reading Books. Accessed June 20, 2024. https://disdikpora.bulelengkab.go.id/informasi/detail/artikel/pilih-buku-bacaan-tetap-usia-84