Cuando los niños no quieren irse a la cama
Guide F-110/Guía F-110
Diana S. Del Campo
College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, New Mexico State University
Author: Extension Child Development and Family Life Specialist, Department of Extension Family and Consumer Sciences, New Mexico State University. (Print Friendly PDF / Imprimir PDF amistoso)
Parents sometimes find that getting a child to sleep is one of the most frustrating problems they have. Children who have always slept well may suddenly refuse to go to bed or may start waking up during the night.
Children need regular routines and regular times for sleeping, just as they need regular times for meals. Both you and your children need to know when naptime and bedtime will arrive. You will have an easier time getting your children to sleep if you have a set time every day. A special bedtime routine helps young children go to sleep. Tell your children about 15 minutes before bedtime to finish what they are doing. Then follow a regular routine of tooth-brushing, putting on pajamas, reading a story or singing a quiet song, and getting into bed.
Children need to learn to fall asleep by themselves. If you stay with your children until they fall asleep, they may begin taking longer and longer just to keep you around. Follow your bedtime routines, read or tell a story, give the child a hug and kiss, and leave the room when it’s time for sleep.
Some children need a few minutes of quiet time in bed before they can fall asleep. Let the child look at a book or play quietly with a doll, but avoid exciting games like tickling and wrestling. Tell the child that in a few minutes it will be time to stop reading and go to sleep. You may want to use a kitchen timer. Set it for 5 or 10 minutes and when the bell goes off, it’s time for sleep.
If your child doesn’t want to sleep in the dark, put a small night-light in the room. Don’t make fun of a child’s fears. When a child wakes during the night and cries, be loving but firm. If you let the child get up or come into your bed, you’ll be starting a habit that’s hard to break. Reassure the child that she is safe, but tell her that it’s sleeping time now, and she must go back to sleep.
Most sleeping problems can be solved in a short time if you are gentle and loving but firm. If your children sense that you will not enforce bedtime routines, they will keep trying to push the limits.
Stick to your bedtime routine. On some days a child might not be as sleepy as other days, but he can still spend quiet time in his crib or bed.
A veces los niños no quieren dormirse o irse a la cama. Esto puede ser un problema frustrante para los padres. Algunas criaturas que siempre han dormido bien pueden negar irse a dormir o despertarse durante la noche.
Los niños necesitan una rutina y horas regulares de sueño, igual que para las comidas. Tanto Ud. como su hijo necesitan saber cuándo es hora de tomar la siesta y de acostarse. Si Ud. establece una hora fija todos los días, le resultará más fácil que su hijo se duerma pronto.
Para facilitar los preparativos de irse a la cama, adopte una rutina especial. Quince minutos antes de acostarse, dígale a su hijo que termine lo que está haciendo. Siga luego la rutina normal de lavarse los dientes, ponerse la piyama, leer un cuento o cantar una canción suave y meterse en la cama.
Los niños necesitan aprender a dormirse solos. Si Ud. se queda con su hijo hasta que se duerma, puede comenzar a demorar el proceso simplemente para que Ud. no se vaya del cuarto. Siga la rutina preliminar, léale o cuéntele un cuento, déle un beso y un abrazo y salga del cuarto cuando llegue el momento de dormir.
Algunas criaturas necesitan unos pocos minutos de reposo en la cama antes de quedarse dormidos. Deje que su hijo mire un libro o juegue tranquilo con un juguete. Evite los juegos que excitan los nervios, como las cosquillas y los juegos de manos. Dígale a su hijo que en unos pocos minutos deberá dejar de leer y acostarse a dormir.
Si su hijo no quiere dormirse en la oscuridad, deje una pequeña luz prendida. No se ría de sus miedos.
Cuando una criatura se despierta llorando durante la noche, sea cariñosa pero firme. Si Ud. permite que la criatura se levante o venga a su cama, puede comenzar un hábito difícil de romper. Asegure a su hijo de que todo está bien, pero dígale que es hora de dormir y que debe acostarse.
La mayoría de los problemas relacionados con el sueño pueden resolverse en poco tiempo si Ud. trata a su hijo con cariño, suavidad y firmeza. Si su hijo se da cuenta que Ud. no le hace cumplir la rutina nocturna, tratará de retrasar al máximo la hora de irse a la cama.
Siga su rutina de cada noche. Algunas veces su hijo podrá no tener tanto sueño, pero puede quedarse quieto y tranquilo en su cuna o en su cama.
Additional Information/Informacion Adicional
Family Development publications produced by New Mexico State University’s Cooperative Extension Service are all located at https://pubs.nmsu.edu/_f/
Guide F-108: Guiding Young Children/Guiando a los niños pequeños
Guide F-109: Toilet Training for Toddlers/Su bebé aprende a usar el baño
Guide F-110: Helping Children Go to Bed/Cuando los niños no quieren irse a la cama
Guide F-112: Temper Tantrums/Ataques de mal genio
Guide F-115: Showing Love to Your Child/Demuestre el cariño a su niño
Guide F-116: Listening is Important/Eschucha a su hijo
Guide F-120: Creating Strong Families
Guide F-122: Understanding Teens
Guide F-213: When the New Baby Arrives/Cuando llegue el nuevo bebé
Adapted from a publication of the Cooperative Extension Service, University of California, Berkeley.
Diana Del Campo is the Extension Child Development and Family Life Specialist in the Department of Extension Family and Consumer Sciences at NMSU. She earned her doctorate at the University of Michigan and her master’s degree at Virginia Tech. She is the co-author of Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Childhood and Society from McGraw-Hill, which is in its 9th edition.
To find more resources for your business, home, or family, visit the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences on the World Wide Web at pubs.nmsu.edu.
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Revised and electronically distributed February 2012, Las Cruces, NM.
