How to wean a child by the hand? This question is asked by many modern parents. Carrying a baby in his arms is recognized as important and useful for his development. However, the weight of the crumbs increases with each passing month, and mom becomes harder. The banal lack of time for household chores, the upcoming exit to work and so on makes you think about weaning the child by hand. How to solve this problem and is it necessary to do it?
Do I need to do this
How to wean a child by the hand? First of all, you should understand what gives the baby the closeness of the mother's body. The first three months of life, the crumbs, experts call the "fourth trimester." Such a comparison is quite acceptable, since the child in the emotional and physical terms is still completely dependent on her mother, even if she is no longer connected with her umbilical cord. The proximity of a loved one gives the baby a sense of reliability, security. Thanks to hugs, he builds up a basic trust in the world around him, which then develops into a desire to learn space.
Carrying on hands has a beneficial effect on the physical development of crumbs.
- Body contact stimulates the development of the cerebral cortex.
- Touching improves the nervous and endocrine systems, stimulates blood circulation, and strengthens the immune system.
- Carrying on the hands creates the conditions for the optimal formation of the hip joints, spinal column and musculoskeletal system. This is true if the baby is held correctly.
- The baby, being in his arms, is actively involved in the activities of an adult. The child monitors maternal manipulations, receives a large amount of information. This contributes to its intellectual development.
How is dependency formed?
How to wean a child by the hand? It is important to understand how the excessive need for maternal embrace is formed.
- Many mothers respond to almost every baby squeak, strive to satisfy all his possible needs. If the newborn is constantly held in his arms when he is awake, this provides the conditions for the occurrence of painful dependence.
- Many babies up to four months of age suffer from intestinal colic, which is accompanied by pain. Carrying on hands facilitates this condition, which contributes to the formation of habits.
- A child can cough, have a fever, suffer from cutting teeth. The motion sickness on his hands is capable of comforting him, which in turn leads to the formation of a habit.
The difficulties of the first months are left behind, however, dependence on maternal hugs remains. The baby gets used to this state of affairs and does not seek to abandon it.
Good reasons to wean
How to wean a child by the hand? When the baby begins to crawl, begins to show an active interest in the world around him, the desire to constantly be in the mother’s arms ceases by itself. However, there are good reasons to speed up this process.
- Mom is torn between the baby and household chores. Part of the trouble can be passed on to other family members. If this is not possible, the presence of the child in his arms should be limited. The child needs a rested mother.
- Forced access to work is another serious reason. The child will easier endure the separation from his mother, if wean him in time at the hands. At the same time, it is worthwhile to gently accustom him to the presence of other people, to invite friends and relatives to visit.
- The kid begins to crawl or, moreover, tries to learn to walk. It's time to give him the opportunity to explore the world around him. Of course, this does not mean the absence of parental supervision, which the baby will need for a long time.
0 to 3 months
Suppose the baby is one month old. How to wean from the hands of a baby? During this period, the baby is still too connected with his mother emotionally and physically. It’s not worth it to wean him, but don’t go too far with this so that the natural need does not transform into a habit.
- The child is 1 month old. How to wean by hand? A baby who is one month old is quite capable of being without a mother for some time. Of course, if he is fed and clothed in a dry diaper. You can turn on calm music, which will have a calming effect. If the baby begins to cry, do not immediately take it in your hands. It is possible that it is enough to shake the rattle so that he returns to a state of calm.
- The child is 2 months old. Constantly holding him in his arms is no longer necessary. It is enough to lay the baby next to him on the bed. If the baby is nervous, you can calm him down by stroking his stomach and back, make a massage. The main thing is not to deprive him of tactile interaction.
- The child is 3 months old. At this age, the baby is already actively playing with rattles. Toys can be distracting. Tactile interaction is still impossible to refuse.
How to wean a baby from the hands? Which rule is relevant for the first months of life. The baby needs to be raised only when he "insists" on this himself. But do not wait until the call of the crumbs is transformed into a tantrum. Confidence in the world will not be formed if a loved one does not respond to his needs.
4 to 6 months
The above describes how to wean a month old baby by hand. What to do if an older baby constantly needs a maternal hug? At the age of 4-6 months, it is still important for the baby to be with her mother. However, he is less likely to want to sit on his hands, prefers to follow his own person's eyes.
At this age, the child likes the game, so there are many ways to switch his attention. Mobiles, rattles - devices that produce noise, have a positive effect on coordination and motor skills, contribute to the development of visual perception. In addition, these toys make the baby forget about the desire to be in her mother’s arms for a while. If a child lying in bed begins to cry, he can be reassured with the help of the Ku-ku game. The adult first hides, then appears and joyfully says “Ku-ku”. Children are happy to participate in this entertainment.
At four months, you no longer need to constantly carry the baby in your arms. However, one must not forget to stroke and kiss him, to communicate with him.
At 6 months
How to wean a child from motion sickness on his hands, if he is already 6 months old. Colic was already left behind, but cutting teeth became a problem. The baby often cries, which causes a desire to pick him up and calm him down. However, tears can not only be caused by an objective cause, but also serve as a tool of manipulation.
If the child asks for arms, you can lie down next to sing a song. The baby will feel necessary and loved, calm down. Also to develop his attention will help developing mat. A little researcher will like to mess around with a variety of mirrors, cubes, pendants. In addition, the child’s desire to crawl should be encouraged, you can even keep him company in this fun business.
A playpen filled with toys will be a salvation for mom in 7-8 months. You can install it in the kitchen and combine household chores with communication with the baby.
From 1 year
How to wean a child by the hand in a year? In most cases, this can be achieved much earlier. If this did not happen, the baby needs to be occupied with a variety of gaming devices. Cubes, cars, children’s piano - it’s important only to be nearby during the game, since the child is not yet able to have fun in solitude.
If the baby asks for arms, this means that he needs bodily contact. You can sit next to him, talk, hug and pat on the head. All these actions will help to realize the need that arose in a child without raising it. You can also put the baby on his knees.
Sling = hands free
How to wean a child from motion sickness in his arms? Sling is the most loyal solution to this problem. Its use allows the mother to provide the baby with the necessary bodily contact and at the same time do household chores. The child is actively involved in the activities of an adult, and this has a positive effect on its development. In addition, it teaches the baby to fall asleep in any noise, which is also a plus.
How to wean a child to fall asleep on his hands quickly
Many children refuse to sleep in the crib. How to wean a child to fall asleep in his arms? The recommendations given below will help to cope with this task.
- For some time, the baby can not be put to sleep during the day. You can also significantly reduce the time allotted for an afternoon nap. During this period, it is important to provide the child with an interesting lesson that will help him not to be distracted.
- How to wean a child from sleep on his hands? Instead of motion sickness, you can sing lullabies to your baby, read or tell tales to him. In parallel, you need to stroke the baby to provide him with the usual bodily contact.
- A soft toy can replace a mother’s hug. The child will quickly fall into a dream if he holds a teddy bear in his hands. The toy will not only brighten up falling asleep, but will help to avoid fears, nightmares.
Some parents try to calm the baby with sedatives. They make a big mistake. Calming the crumb is necessary in natural ways. If it is impossible to lay it without motion sickness, there are symptoms of excessive agitation, it is better to pay a visit to the pediatrician.
When you don’t need to wean
The above describes how to wean a child by hand. However, there are situations when this should not be done.
- Age. Up to three months, you should not actively wean the baby from maternal hugs. During this period, he actively needs bodily contact. Lack of it will become stress, undermine confidence in the world.
- Disease. If the baby is sick, his teeth are being cut, then do not deny him comfort. The only result in this case will be a heart-rending cry, and the baby will feel even worse.
- A change of scenery. For the baby, stability plays an important role. It is not recommended to wean a child by the hand when changing his place of residence, while traveling. Also, do not do this when there are a lot of strangers in the house. A denial of a maternal embrace in this case will be regarded by the baby as a danger signal.
Conclusion
The best age for weaning is 7-8 months. Nevertheless, it is necessary to take into account primarily the individual characteristics of a particular child, and only then listen to the recommendations of specialists.
The duration of weaning depends on many factors. You need to consider maternal perseverance, the nature of the child, the strength of his need to be in his arms. In any case, you should not count on instant success. From the moment of the beginning of graduation and until the first results appear, at least 7-10 days will pass.
During this period, it is important not to injure the psyche of the child. Hand weaning does not at all mean a denial of maternal love. The kid needs to demonstrate by any means that he is still important and needed. Communication, hugs and kisses, stroking - all this will help him easily come to terms with the fact that he will no longer be in his arms constantly.