How to wean a baby from night feeding

A newborn baby is a happiness inextricably linked with anxieties and experiences. Why is he crying? Maybe the kid is sick, or something he does not like? It is very hard to understand such a baby, and parents, especially those whose first child is experiencing all the time. In fact, in most cases in vain. Today we will talk about one of the most common problems of new mothers and fathers - the nightly awakenings of the baby. Why is this happening, and how to wean a child from feeding at a late hour - this is the topic of conversation.

We will agree at once: the baby is a very small person, but still. He already has a psyche, individual character traits and the manifestation of various emotional reactions. Many young parents forget about it, treating the new-born treasure as something magical, completely unrelated to this mortal world.Such a worldview was reflected in the expression “children are angels”, which is not true. These are, first of all, people, and, therefore, they may have many reasons for nightly awakenings, and reducing them to the banal “wants to eat” is not entirely correct.

When can I feed at night

Night feeding is a necessary process. But it is needed only in the first months of the baby’s life. And although, if you still believe the Soviet approach to feeding babies, there should be a 6-hour respite at night (the last time a child eats at midnight, and it’s impossible to feed him before 6 in the morning), in practice this is quite difficult to achieve. Yes, and not necessary. While the baby is still very small, he needs close contact with the mother. And constant nutrition.

Deprive this little man is not worth it if you do not want to injure the psyche. Leading activity at such a tender age is emotional communication with the mother, which the baby receives, including, and feeding on the breast. Today, a different approach is common - feeding on demand. Plus refusal from artificial nutrition. Most maternity hospitals practice breastfeeding immediately after birth and do not provide any complementary foods so that the mother can have a good lactation.That is why in the first months you can not focus on a non-existent problem: let us breast on demand, even at night, set up close contact with the baby, do not be nervous and do not worry. And all will be well.

What to do if the baby is bottle-fed? It is even easier to control the situation. First, each pack indicates how many calories a child receives, how many times it needs to be fed, and in what portions. Unlike breastfeeding, the mother knows exactly the amount of food eaten. Secondly, you yourself are developing a feeding scheme. Here you just have to be patient. Just a few sleepless nights with demanding shouts and rocking - and the goal is achieved, the child learned to sleep without asking for anything. He will quickly understand that there is no point in waking up if they still don’t give anything. But you will have to worry and indulge.

Causes of nighttime awakenings: is hunger alone?

Unfortunately, the opinion has taken root in everyday life that a child wakes up at night only because he wants to eat. Poking this misconception, many mothers tend to feed the baby, give him a breast, thereby unwittingly accustomed to night concerts.The baby in the first months of life knows only 2 types of emotional state: “I feel bad” and “I feel good”. Next to my mother, at the breast, and even with warm milk - fine. And, if you let him know that it’s worth shouting at night to get what you want, the baby will wake up. And you along with him.

In fact, there are much more reasons for nighttime wakefulness, and they are by no means reduced only to hunger:

1. I had a terrible dream. The child was scared, woke up, wept, he was immediately fed. Having received positive emotions, the brain has established neural connections. It is quite possible that your treasure will also wake up the next night, but already in order to receive the happiness due, eat and feel the mother next to you.
2. Something got sick. The child is the same person, and from time to time he may have health problems. From pain or discomfort (for example, wet diapers), he wakes up and cries. Sometimes it is enough to shake, warm, change clothes and bedding, but many parents also feed. Again, making a mistake.
3. Confused day and night. A common cause of awakenings in the dark. Your baby can sleep very well almost all day, but at night he will definitely wake up and will happily shout.The reason is not hunger, but in violation of the regime of rest and wakefulness. There is no need to feed, and rebuild the body of the child.

These are only the main causes of nighttime awakenings, there are actually more of them. Many parents consider only one way to be the only panacea for the cries of a newborn: give a breast, let it calm down and fall asleep. This behavior leads to a persistent night feeding ritual, which is then very difficult to wean. Hence the main advice: initially do not accustom! To do this, follow a few rules:

1. Try to find out the true cause of crying and waking the child, do not seek to solve the problem of feeding.
2. Do not go on about demanding crying and screaming. At night, it's easier to give a breast or a bottle than to listen to a baby crying. But it's not right. Sometimes it is necessary to let the baby scream and get tired. Usually no more than a week of such ignoring, and the child will stop waking up at night. Remember, even very young children can be capricious and demand their own.
3. Do not panic, do not wind yourself. Yes, the child is still quite small, yes, it is scary for him. But the kid even at that age understands perfectly well when he is good, and he can show character, trying to achieve the right one with a cry. Especially, if you once gave him.
4. Remember that night feeds are exactly normal up to six months, in some families it is possible up to a year, but then you definitely need to be taught to sleep all night. Therefore, while the son or daughter is very small, do not worry and do not listen to anyone: it is absolutely in the order of things to eat even after midnight for such children. They, after all, do not diet.
5. Do not listen to anyone except a trusted doctor. Another great adviser is your own heart. It is always the mother and father always tells the right decision. Therefore, even if a friend has a child sleeping all night since she was born, and her cousin a month after she was born, do not listen or compare. Your baby is only your responsibility, and no one knows it better than you. Therefore, each family has its own problems and its own regimes.

And yet, despite all the warnings and advice, you have already made a mistake, and now the baby wakes up regularly at night, demanding to eat, and you are 100 percent sure that this is just a habit and not an urgent need, but you don’t know how effectively deal with it? Well, let's take a practical look.How to wean a child from night feedings, if they are no longer needed? Let's look at all the ways.

Wean from the night feedings

So, to begin with we will establish borders. When to eat at night is normal, and when - no? Most pediatricians are inclined to believe that after a year the child must sleep for the whole night without waking up for a snack. In fact, the boundaries are more vague, a lot depends on you and on the child. If you feel it's time, start. On average, from 6 months to 18, but after one and a half years, the baby should normally sleep at least 8 hours: from 22.00 to 6.00. Time may vary depending on the individual mode, but sound eight-hour sleep is an indicator of the proper development of the one and a half year old child. It is important to understand.

To achieve the goal, do the following:

1. Feed well for the night. Transferring the child to lure, follow this scheme. Approximately a couple of hours before the night’s sleep, feed them with nourishing porridge, and just before putting them in - kefir. The baby will feel comfort and satiety. Perhaps he will not need to wake up.
2. Only work out your own ritual of going to long sleep. For example, with jokes, wash the hands, tell a fairy tale, stroke your son or daughter.A psychologically calm situation should be created that is relaxing and setting up rest. In addition, there is one more meaning in such rituals: by spending them every day, you form the right reaction in the child. He knows for sure: after such and such an action, I must go to bed and not wake up until morning. Well, if this installation also will be spoken, unobtrusively and gently.
3. Do not forget to love your child. It happens that a baby wakes up in the middle of the night because it has not received the necessary amount of caress in the afternoon. Stroking it, praise, touch. Such relationships give comfort and confidence that the child is loved. And with a good mood and sleep better.
4. Keep your baby full during the day. An excellent option: feeding in small portions 6 times a day. Here is the secret. Growing up, the child constantly receives a stream of information that carries away and makes you forget about hunger. And my mother used to give food on demand: the baby is silent, and she is calm. However, the lack of food during the day may then be reflected in the night awakening. Carefully follow the proper nutrition of the younger person!

Caress, care, sensitive attitude will help to avoid serious problems. Listen to yourself and your child, and then motherhood will surely bring only joy and positive!

Video: how to wean a baby from night feedings