At the age of 6 months, infants very quickly digest the liquid food they receive from their mother. Due to such a quick metabolism, babies equally need night-time feeding with artificial feeding and natural nutrition. However, after some time, the gastrointestinal system begins to work as usual, the menu of the child becomes more diverse. By this time, the baby's parents are already exhausted by constant awakenings. Therefore, a completely logical question arises before them. Is it worth it to wean a child from nightly feeding? Let's consider this question further.
In this matter, everything depends on the specific circumstances, the well-being of the mother and other factors.
How to understand that the time has come to abandon night feeding
This procedure, although it is quite natural, causes a lot of difficulties. The kid, of course, is always happy about the new portion of delicious. However, for the mother, nightly feeding after a year of daily lack of sleep becomes a real torture. This is not surprising, because frequent nightly rises lead to problems with the health and nervous system of women.
If the representative of the fair sex is experiencing severe discomfort, and her well-being and mood are deteriorating, then it is better not to scoff at herself. In situations where the mother is young or falls asleep well after repeated lifts, you can wait a bit.
Do not worry that if you do not stop nightly feeding the baby, then the baby will get used to this lifestyle. Over time, the child will begin to sleep harder, and his digestive system will stop giving him signals that the time has come for another dinner.
When to Continue Nightly Feeding
In this case, it all depends on the indicators of the baby. If the child weighs too little and eats very poorly in the daytime, then with the rejection of night feedings after a year, it is worthwhile to wait until the child has gained the required mass. But if the baby is fast asleep in the dark, then you should not wake him up and force food into him. The baby must receive food when he himself will notify about it.
If the baby has congenital or acquired pathologies, then experts also do not recommend refusing the child the desire to eat at any time of the day or night. This is especially true when children are diagnosed with digestive problems. The composition of milk includes useful components that help normalize the intestinal microflora, so you should not give up breastfeeding or midnight dinners.
Also, experts do not advise puzzling yourself with how to replace night feeds if serious changes occur in the baby's daily life (for example, if a mother goes to work and is forced to leave the child for a long time with her father or grandmother).
It is worth considering the reaction of the baby. If he is too violently indignant and continues to cry for several days, then perhaps the time has not yet come to transfer him to the new regime.
Advantages and disadvantages of night feeding
With this decision, it is important to consider all the nuances. Before weaning the baby from nightly feeding, the mother must decide why she wants to do this. If a woman is simply tired of getting up at night, then she should consider that a sudden cessation of breastfeeding leads to a loss of milk. If she wants to continue useful procedures in the daytime, then problems may arise.
The fact is that the hormone responsible for regulating lactation (prolactin) is most actively produced in the process of nightly feeding.
In order not to encounter such consequences, weaning is carried out gradually. First, the baby is fed 3 times at night a week, then only 1. In this case, the woman will not lose milk and will be able to continue to supply the baby with nutrients in the daytime.
The most ardent opponents of nighttime procedures are mothers, who immediately transferred the babies to artificial nutrition. In this case, the woman needs not only to saturate the child, but also to spend time preparing the mixture. Of course, it is very difficult to fall asleep after such manipulations. Therefore, there are thousands of arguments that it is enough to be limited to afternoon dinners.
However, experts do not highlight any cons of feeding at night. Except in situations where a woman begins to experience serious health problems.
When you need to wean a child from night feedings
If we are talking about milk, then already at 6-7 months it is completely possible to limit the baby’s nutrition at night. During this period, complementary foods are introduced into his diet, so the baby can do without replenishment of resources up to 6 hours.
However, it is important to consider that before weaning a child from nightly feeding, you need to make sure that he received proper nutrition earlier. Before 6 months, starting to transfer the child to the new regime is not worth it.
You can continue feeding for up to 1 year. However, it is worth considering that in this case there is a high probability that the baby will start asking for milk not because he is hungry, but because he realized that every time he asks for a legal dinner, he receives the attention of his mother. Some believe that this can spoil the child. However, some psychologists, talking about how much to wean a child from nightly feeding, argue that the procedure can continue for up to 2 years or more. It is believed that in this way there will be a stronger bond between the mother and the baby. So he will feel protected.
So, there are no clear rules when to wean a baby from nightly feeding with a mixture or breast. It all depends on the individual characteristics of the child and the position of the parents in this regard. However, you can definitely say for sure that it is not worth stopping these procedures too early.
Of course, you should not go to the point of absurdity and allow the 5-year-old baby to wake himself up every half hour. In this case, he will grow up moody and impatient. Therefore, there should be a rational approach in everything.
How to wean a baby from night feeding
It is immediately worth noting that there are no guaranteed methods in this matter, it all depends on the specific situation and the individual qualities of the child. Nevertheless, there are some of the most effective tips that can be useful in this difficult from a moral point of view process:
- The baby needs to be fed right before bedtime. If he eats a hearty and satisfying meal, he will sleep a lot longer and calmer. In this case, you can conduct several experiments. First feed the child with breast milk, the next day with porridge, on the third - with complementary foods. This will help determine what kind of food the baby sleeps the longest.
- If the child is more than 1.5 years old, then he already understands well when they are talking to him. In this case, every time the baby wakes up and demands food, you can start telling him tales and singing songs. From this, the child quickly falls asleep and forgets about his original purpose.
- Porridge is the most nutritious, so in the evening (but no later than 2 hours before going to bed) it is worth giving it. Such a dinner is enough for the baby until the morning. Before going to bed, you can give your baby some breast milk or special baby kefir.
- If you bathe your baby in the baths with the addition of soothing oils or herbs, he will relax and sleep longer. However, exclusively natural compounds and fees (hops, mint, motherwort, valerian and others) are suitable for this, which can not cause an allergic reaction in the baby.
Speaking about how to wean a one-year-old child from night feedings, it is worth considering that a tired child sleeps much longer and more willingly. Therefore, all active games and entertainment should be postponed until the evening.
In this case, you need to constantly contact with the baby. Often children wake up because they lack the touch of their parents. Therefore, it is worth giving the baby maximum warmth and care in the evening.
There are other useful recommendations that will help you figure out how to wean a baby from breast-feeding at night. However, before resorting to any method, it is worthwhile to once again consult with a pediatrician or child psychologist.
Distance increase
If you graduate gradually, then this is the least traumatic for the psyche of the baby, who may not understand why he was suddenly denied his wishes.
Many children aged 1.5-2 years sleep in bed with their mother. Due to this, they have constant and unlimited access to the breast with nutritious milk. As soon as the child wakes up, he has the opportunity to eat. Of course, this is very convenient for the mother, since in this case you do not need to get up again.
If the situation develops in this way, then in this case you need to start daily to increase the distance between the power source and the baby himself. When the baby falls asleep, it is recommended to put him in the crib. If you do not want to do this, then you should start to put on pajamas to limit the baby’s access to the chest.
Alternative
This method is suitable for older children. In this case, in the daytime, you need to tell the baby that all his peers, mom, dad and grandparents do not drink from the chest, because they are adults. You need to offer the child to become an adult too and start drinking drinks for older children. For this, natural juice, compote or tea is suitable.
When at night the baby, as a matter of habit, begins to demand breasts, it is worth trying to offer an alternative drink. Thanks to this child, it will be too lazy to sprinkle for the sake of an unusual drink, so gradually he will abandon this habit.
Explanation
You need to start by telling your child in detail what night is and what day is. We can say that in the dark, the sun, birds, dogs, cats and all the fabulous animals go to bed and none of them asks to eat until morning.
In this case, you do not need to persuade the child. It is necessary to let him know that this is the normal course of things, that the baby should sleep like all animals and people. We can say that those who do not sleep are doing wrong, because you need to stay awake only in the daytime.
Say no
You need to understand that the child’s body after 1.5-2 years no longer needs breastfeeding, as he is ready to digest other foods and get all the necessary nutrients from it. This is the normal course of things. It is necessary to explain to the child that he is simply used and should not be capricious without a good reason.
You can also say that mother’s breasts, so she decides when to feed her and when not. If the baby is hungry, he can drink juice or eat porridge during the day. But no one is going to feed him at night, because everyone is tired and wants to sleep just like him.
Cycling father
If before the husband did not take part in the nightly laying of the baby, then it is worth rectifying this situation. When the next time the child wakes up, you need to send his father to him. Of course, he does not have the desired milk in his chest. However, he will be able to lull the baby and he will gradually wean himself from getting up.
This method is very useful in that if you simply ignore the child, then he can begin to feel stress because they do not pay attention to him. If the father is nearby, then he will receive the necessary amount of affection from his own person and will fall asleep again sooner.
It is also worth making a rule that the baby should sleep in a separate room (if there is such an opportunity). This will help him become more independent and stop manipulating the feelings of his parents.
Recommendations of specialists
On the question of how to wean a baby from nightly feeding, some doctors advise giving babies soothing drops or special teas. However, resorting to such methods is possible only after consultation with a neurologist. If you uncontrolledly give the baby a sedative, you can greatly harm his health, so you can not pick up sedatives on your own.
If we talk about European pediatricians, then they choose a psychological approach to solving this problem. It is only natural that gradually mother ceases to be the only central figure in the life of a small child. Because of this, he is very worried and experiencing stress from the slightest changes in his day and night regimen.
Many babies perceive night feeding as an occasion to once again be with their loved one. Therefore, even when they do not want to eat, they still cry in order to attract attention. In this situation, it is worth spending as much time as possible with the child in the afternoon, so that he receives a charge of the energy he needs.
Some mothers take their babies in their arms only during the feeding process. It is not right. You need to hug and rock the baby and without unnecessary reason. Then he will feel loved.
Finally
Undoubtedly, sooner or later the baby needs to be weaned from this habit (if this did not happen automatically). Otherwise, such a regime may become the only normal one for him. You need to understand that for the formed digestive system it is not very useful to work throughout the day and night. Therefore, you need to gradually accustom the baby to adulthood.