Children under 5 years should not stay more than one hour in front of the screen

The debate on the use of screens by children is wide and varied. Can you use them? For how long? At what time? As well, the mere presence of a cell phone or a tablet may negate the possibility that boys will go play. Although there are several strategies for combining these elements (and even a video game offers a real move as a way to get virtual rewards), parents may find themselves without knowing how to proceed.

To solve this problem, the World Health Organization (WHO) decided to intervene in the situation with Physical activity guide, sedentary behavior and sleep for children up to 5 years. These tips were developed by a group of experts from the organization in order to build a reference manual for adults to know what to do with the technology.

All of its content can be summarized in one sentence: for them to grow up healthy, boys need to sit less, rest better and play more. Of course, this is the ideal and that's why they have stipulated estimated hours and special tips for each year of life. "Early childhood is a period of rapid development and a period in which the family's lifestyle can be adapted to improve health," said the Director General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Why is it important for children to move? According to Fiona Bull, head of the Chronic Disease Prevention and Surveillance Program, improving physical activity, reducing sedentary lifestyles, and ensuring sleep quality will help prevent diabetes. obesity and its diseases badociated with adulthood.

It should be kept in mind that, according to the WHO press release, failure to adhere to exercise-related recommendations would be responsible for more than 5 million deaths per year in all groups of people. # 39; age. Currently, More than 23% of adults and 80% of adolescents are not active enough. This is consistent with a recently published study that marked 7 years as the moment when we stopped doing exercise.

To achieve these goals, the organization recommends recover the game without neglecting the hours of rest (As we tell you, this is the key to children's physical activity). They therefore recommend reducing the time children spend on chairs, walkers or cradles (as well as in front of a screen) and replace it with an active game, which helps them move from place to place. other. Another suggestion is Give quality to sedentary life by reading, singing, telling stories or making riddles.

Here are the basic tips for each age, which will help boys with motor and cognitive development, as well as their life expectancy.

Babies less than a year

They are recommended physically active activities several times a day, especially with field interactions. For those who still can not move, this translates into at least 30 minutes on your stomach (or "belly time") several times.

Do not leave them in the stroller or chair more than an hour at a time and do not use screens at the moment. It's better to tell a story. The dream? From 14 to 17 hours between 0 and 3 months; from 12 to 16 hours if they are between 4 and 11 months (including naps).

Boys between 1 and 2 years old

Here we should guarantee them At least 180 minutes of physical activity, with a variety of intensity and type. This time can be spread throughout the day.

Like before, it is not advisable to leave them alone more than one hour at a time or to sit for a long time. Regarding screens, it is not recommended for the first year; while those of two should not exceed the time of television, videos or games (always remember that the least is better). Again, reading and narration are excellent options for these moments.

As for the dream, they should to sleep between 11 and 14 hours, including naps. It is also advisable to plan hours to get up and go to bed.

Boys between 3 and 4 years old

The time of physical activity is maintained at 180 minutes throughout the day, although the WHO specifies that they should have At least one hour of moderate to intense exercise. The recommendation also continues to avoid sedentary lifestyles for more than an hour at a time and to use screens for more than an hour a day. In these years, they should sleep between 10 and 13 hours.