Sooner or later every mother has a question: how to wean from her baby's night feeding? The kid does not get tired of getting milk, and therefore waking up at night is just a pleasure. And the young mother has different situations, which means that night feeding can sometimes cause discomfort.
If the baby is on natural feeding, then the night feeding can be delayed for a long time. For artificers, things are different, they are weaned much earlier: some babies already at three months do not wake up at night to eat. Regardless of when mother decided to wean the child from night feeding, she should know some rules.
The first step is consultation with the pediatrician. If the baby is not good in weight, then no need to give up night feeding, because at night, the milk intake increases, which means that the child gorges on the fill. However, if the baby is overweight, then to cancel the night feeding is quite possible. At normal weight, the mother can decide for herself whether to wean or not.
How to disaccustom a child to eat at night?
There are a number of not very complicated ways to disaccustom a baby from night feeding. These methods are suitable for both children who are breastfeeding, and for those who eat milk formula.
In order to wean the child to eat at night, you should increase the number of feedings during the day. For a day the child should receive the volume of milk, which he used in the day before. The last feeding before bedtime should be dense. As a rule, a child often eats at night in those situations when the day he does not have enough milk. It happens that young mothers are very busy with household chores and forget about their child for a while. If this situation has become the norm, then the baby will wake up at night often and demand that he be fed. So the child wants to fill the lack of motherly attention. If the mother came to work early, which means she does not see her child all day, then the baby will often wake up at night.
If the child goes to bed early in the evening, when the parents are not going to sleep yet, then, before going to sleep, the mother should be able to wake the baby and feed him. Then the baby will sleep longer, and mother will have a longer rest. In extreme cases, the child will wake up mom one time less than usual.
If the child is already over a year old and his mother is going to wean from night feeding, then in this case the child can be laid in another room. The best option is if the elder sister or brother is sleeping in the other room with the baby. Then the kid will switch his attention to the new situation and quickly forget about the night feeding. As an option, you can talk with the child and explain to him that he drank all the milk during the day, and that's why there is nothing at night. At this age, the child is already quite susceptible to words.
When does a child stop eating at night?
Of course, every child is individual and specific time, when the baby no longer needs night feeding, no. However, someday this period will come anyway. As practice shows, young mothers get tired from night feeding much earlier than this is not necessary for children. According to experts, before beginning to wean the child from feeding at night, all necessary conditions should be created for this, everything should be gentle and gradual. In no case should the child suffer because he no longer receives a portion of food at night. You can start learning from the moment when the child was five or six months old. At this age, the child can easily endure such deprivation. Perhaps a couple of nights a kid will not let his parents sleep, will require a breast or a mixture, but after two weeks, as a rule, the child is weaned.
If a child suckles throughout the night, this does not indicate that he is very hungry. Often this suggests that he does not fully receive the attention of the mother, i.e. he thus satisfies his emotional needs. This situation can occur not only in an infant, but also a baby over the age of one. In this case, it is necessary to establish communication with the baby in the day - to talk more, to play, to take in hands.