Deep Breathing For Babies: 5 Wonderful Benefits
Deep breathing helps us live better. This is undoubtedly one of the daily actions that we can teach our children. Its benefits also concern the management of emotions and even the possibility of sleeping better.
Breathing properly is good for the body, mind and our emotional health. It will come in handy in everyday life, for us and for our children.
Let’s face it, we live in a fast-paced society where haste, stress and anxiety cause a discomfort that we all feel a little bit. On average, people breathe 17-18 times per minute. In situations that make us anxious, we can go up to 30 breaths per minute. Without a doubt there are many.
As for children, the situation can be more complex. According to data provided by the Spanish association AEPNYA (Spanish Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry), cases of anxiety and stress among children and adolescents are among the most common psychiatric pathologies. How is it possible? What kind of education are we giving our children that causes them the same anxiety as adults?
This could be the subject of another article. Surely we should refer to the little time children have today to “be children”, to play, to enjoy free time and life in the open air. Childhood should be a golden age. However, there are children who feel overwhelmed by their emotions and external pressures.
One way to address this problem is to make changes in the way we educate and provide our children with appropriate coping strategies. Emotional intelligence and deep breathing practices can help us in this task. Today we will explain the benefits to you.
1. Use deep breathing to make our children relax when they are angry
Let’s start with an example. When our children are learning to accept frustration, it is very common for them to be overwhelmed by those emotions accumulated in the mind and body that explode at the least opportune moment.
Furthermore, there are circumstances where we too, as parents, feel overwhelmed, tired and easily lose patience. These are the times when children become more restless, rebel and protest more easily.
In these situations, there is nothing better than telling our children the following:
- Now we calm down and play a game together.
- We take a deep breath until the entire belly is filled with air as if it were a balloon.
- We hold our breath for four seconds as if we were underwater.
- Now let’s throw the air out with our mouths open trying to imitate the sound of a rocket taking off. In this way we let out the bad mood and see how we feel.
2. You can teach deep breathing to your children from the age of 4
4 years is a perfect age to start using this practice. It is also a time when you can teach children some relaxation techniques. It is important that children do not think that relaxing means playing video games or spending time on the internet. In this sense, we parents must lead by example.
To achieve this, we can spend 5 minutes each day practicing deep relaxation as if it were a game. We must act as in the previous example.
3. Babies will sleep much better
As our babies get used to breathing deeply and slowly, they will immediately notice many benefits. These include: the regulation of metabolism, heart rate and muscle relaxation. If they get used to practicing deep breathing before bed (just do it for a minute or two), they’ll fall asleep more easily.
We assure you it’s worth a try.
4. Deep breathing for healthy and strong lungs
Children are constantly changing, growing and needing to have healthy habits that enhance their development. Although there are already schools that integrate yoga as a relaxation technique into their daily practices, nothing can be more useful than teaching our children proper breathing through which to take care of their lungs.
- Deep breathing improves the elasticity of the lungs and chest. Furthermore, the workload of the circulatory system is reduced, making it more efficient.
- Let’s not forget that breathing slowly and deeply regulates blood pressure making the lungs more efficient day after day.
5. Breathe deeply to improve concentration
When we breathe slowly and deeply, the mind becomes more aware, external pressures are relativized and we come into greater contact with our body and with the reality we live.
If our children get used to practicing deep breathing since the age of 4, whenever they feel agitated, anxious, nervous or angry, they will know that they can use this breathing technique to change those physical and psychological conditions in seconds. . Their minds will clear up and they will feel lighter, rested and relaxed.
We are sure that together with your children you too will begin this healthy practice. Start breathing better today, the benefits are guaranteed.
