Three essential tips for parents in raising their children

Paternity does not come with any instruction manual, which is why in the first months and years of the child, the loving assistance of a loving grandmother is so important to solve some mysteries of child rearing. However, any reliable source is valid, such as the following tips shared by specialists.

1. Daily dose of exercise for children

Running, climbing, romping… Small children often do it alone. And that’s good, because little activity is bad for children’s health and the parents have here a model function.

Little ones need to exercise in order to develop in a healthy way. But how much activity should they do?

This depends on age, according to experts. Young children up to three years old should move around as much as possible. Between the ages of three and six, of kindergarten age, three hours a day is recommended. From the age of six to 18 years, at least 1.5 hours a day are recommended.

Even the simple movements of everyday life count as part of the recommended time, whether it’s on the way to school, riding a skateboard or bike to visit friends, or playing on the playground.

Exercise not only keeps children in good physical condition, but also avoid weight problems. It also strengthens the trust in itself, it eliminates stress and is usually always fun.

That’s what it should be about when you enroll your child in a sports club, fun and not high performance. If a child does not enjoy a sport, it may not be the most suitable for him; then, you should be able to try another sport.

And it should never be forgotten that children especially like praise and recognition and words of encouragement when something doesn’t work out.

The experts observe concern that more and more children and adolescents spend too much free time sitting down. In the long term, this can be detrimental to health.

2. My son snores and stops breathing, when do I take him to the doctor?

The snore It is not only a matter of adults, there are also children who snore quite loudly. When snoring is circumstantial, that appears from time to time, there is nothing to worry about. But if it occurs three or more times a week and to that is added some other striking element, it is better to consult a doctor.

Frequent snoring and interruptions in the normal rhythm of breathing during sleep can increase the risk of high blood pressure, both in children and adults. What’s more, studies suggest that mood, the immune system, metabolism, and the circulatory system can be negatively affected by disorders of this type.

Children with some type of allergic rhinitis, with some respiratory tract condition, with reduced muscle tone, enlarged tonsils or polyps, overweight, cleft lip and Down syndrome are more likely to suffer from this type of disorder at night. The harmful substances and cigarette exposure They also favor the appearance of these interruptions of breathing or apneas and snoring, says pediatrician Hermann Josef Kahl, from Germany.

Sleep apnea is particularly prevalent in children between the ages of two and eight, as this is when the palatine and pharyngeal tonsils grow, experts say. While these brief interruptions in breathing at night can be caused by being overweight, they are usually caused by enlarged tonsils or polyps.

Sleep apnea makes itself known through various symptoms, such as snoring on three or more nights a week, sleep-disordered breathing, neck-straight sleeping, mouth-breathing, headaches upon waking, and daytime tiredness, says Dr. Kahl.

In the case of children, if you notice that they snore at night and are very tired during the day or have behavior problems or difficulties in school, it is better to consult a doctor.

3. The child does not like his name: a temporary nickname can help

Normally, the child grows along with his name. But what if this is not so? If other children are called Leo, Pablo and María, but one was baptized Nepomuceno… Or if Paula prefers her name to sound a bit more exotic…

Normally, parents racked their brains for months and tried very hard to find the right name for their son or daughter. That’s why it hurts them when the boy or girl one day tells them: “Actually… I do not like my name!”. But how should they react then?

It is best to respond with an invitation to dialogue, for example: “So you don’t like your name anymore? Tell us why.” recommends psychologist Kathrin Mikan in the journal eltern family in its January 2022 issue.

Because it is important to take seriously what the child says, he explains. It is not about banalities, he affirms, but about a part of his identity.

In case the child is a victim of pranks at school or in kindergarten, it is necessary to provide support. Here it is useful, for example, to have a conversation with educators or pedagogues, to find the real reason for the bullying, instead of looking for a new name.

“If a child is being bullied, it’s generally rare that it’s because of their name, it’s much more to do with (the child) standing out in another way,” Mikan indicates.

The case is different, he details, when the child “only” wants, with his name, to belong to a certain group. The psychologist points out that this phase is temporary. And he points out that it can be a solution to find a temporary nickname with which everyone is happy.

Peter Ernst, of the Viennese Institute of Germanistics, states in eltern family that, if the dissatisfaction continues, you can also —if you have it— use the middle name. It also adds that it is even possible to modify the order of the names in the respective civil registry. (I)