When to wean a child from night feeding artificial. How can a mother wean a child from night feedings. Artificial feeding of the child. Weaning the baby from the night reception

29.04.2019

How to wean a baby to eat at night? It is not a secret for any of the experienced mothers that the pleasure of giving the baby a breast at night after a certain time becomes doubtful, since the resource of the mother's body is still not unlimited. Experience shows that a night's rest for a young mother is extremely important, including in order to prolong the period of full breastfeeding. During a quality night's sleep, a woman's strength is restored and milk arrives.

In this regard, at some point in time, you may quite rightly have a question: can I already refuse a toddler a night meal and thereby ensure both myself and him a normal night's sleep?

About when, how and what mistakes parents sometimes make in the matter of weaning a baby from night feedings, we will discuss further.

When can you think about giving up night feedings?

There are many opinions on this matter. Pediatricians, speaking about when to wean children from night feeding, proceed from the fact that by 6-8 months the baby has already received from the mother everything that is contained in breast milk and consider this time to be quite suitable.

Psychologists, on the contrary, do not exclude the possibility, painless for both parties, of putting the baby to the breast at night up to a year or more. They motivate this by the fact that as long as possible close tactile contacts between the baby and mother make them more protected from stressful situations, contribute to a balanced state of the nervous system and, finally, increase the immunity of the crumbs.

Practical experience shows that by the age of one year many women can already afford both themselves and the child a calm, full-fledged night's rest while continuing a sufficient quality breastfeeding process during the day. Both mother and baby in such cases are happy and quite healthy, and their daily routine is well adapted to the rhythm of the life of the whole family.

However, there are more than enough exceptions to this convenient habit. Prejudices, stereotypes, as well as the reproachful views of the "caring" mother-in-law and many other factors lead to problems with establishing a feeding schedule that is comfortable for everyone. So it turns out that the mother performs nocturnal exploits for a year, and feeds the child much longer.

Thus, the solution of the problem of until what age it is advisable to continue night feeding, in fact, falls entirely on the shoulders of the mother.

How should a baby be weaned from breastfeeding at night? Here we allow ourselves to note that the older the child becomes, the easier it becomes for him to control you, and, consequently, the more difficult it will be for him to “persuade” him to take your side in this matter. Therefore, care should be taken to establish an optimal feeding regimen from the first days of a child's life and further, by 6-7 months, smoothly approach the transfer to exclusively daily meals.

When can a newborn be baptized and how best to do it

This is exactly the age when you can afford to experiment a little and choose the most convenient way for you to refuse food at night.

We refuse feeding at night: where to start?

First of all, engage in elementary observations and find out for yourself under what conditions your child sleeps stronger, better, calmer. Provide in the room where the baby sleeps the most suitable microclimate for this: the baby's room should be clean, well ventilated, with sufficient air humidity and a temperature of 18-20 degrees, if possible. You should also make sure that the baby does not freeze, is not wrapped up, and his movements are not constrained.

When weaning from night feedings, do not forget about the hormone prolactin, which is responsible for milk production. Most of it is produced precisely from 3 am to 8 am.

For those mothers who do not want to have problems with lactation and breastfeed their baby for a long time, it is still advisable to feed the baby at least once in this period of time.

At the age of 6-7 months, it is already quite possible to start transferring the child to independent sleep in a separate room. True, in this case, both parents will have to experience some discomfort for some time, since there will still be getting up in the middle of the night and rocking their son or daughter for several days.

However, sleeping away from the mother's breast still stimulates the child's appetite less than the smell of warm milk under a small nose.

When answering the question of how you can wean a child from night feeding, one should not forget about such a wonderful method as replacing a night nanny and shifting her duties from mom to dad (until the little one establishes a persistent habit). For this method to be effective, communication between father and child, even before the start of weaning from eating at night, should be close enough and as frequent as possible. Then the baby, feeling a loved one, his support, protection and warmth, will calm down faster.

When does a child begin to see the world around him after birth?

Another way to increase the duration of a child's uninterrupted sleep at night is to increase the interval between the penultimate feeding and the meal immediately before bedtime. This option is quite real and effective, because when the baby has passed the second half of the first year of life, it can be wonderful to play, walk, swim, finally.

By the way, about swimming. The well-known pediatrician E. Komarovsky today recommends that the baby take a bath in cool water before a night's sleep and feeding for a more relaxed and quality sleep of the child at night. The procedure is useful, causing pleasant fatigue and stimulating appetite.

If the baby still continues to wake up and tirelessly demand his own, you can try to offer him water. Given, however, the significant differences in taste between water and breast milk, not all babies are happy to accept such a replacement. Therefore, you can try to replace the water with a children's soothing tea. It tastes a little better. Today, such a thing can be purchased in almost every pharmacy or large supermarket. Beforehand, you should definitely consult with a pediatrician or a pediatric neurologist so that the components of the tea would not affect your child in an undesirable way.

A pacifier is also one of the breast replacement options. It is best to combine this method with dad as a nanny.

If your baby is over six months old and solid foods have already been introduced, then bedtime breastfeeding can be replaced with formula or another favorite meal. As a rule, artificial nutrition is more high-calorie and takes longer to digest, during which the child sleeps.

If we talk about how you can wean a child from night feeding with a mixture, then the approaches will be almost the same.

What contributes to the trouble-free refusal of feeding at night?

First of all, advance preparation and awareness of parents. You, in particular, must know and correctly relate to the fact that sooner or later, but it will have to be done. Yes, this is really one of the stages of weaning the baby from the breast and, in principle, from breastfeeding. But growing up a child, fortunately, is a natural and irreversible process. And mommy should be able to grow up with him. Realizing that it is necessary and convenient for both of you, you will more easily cope with small difficulties. And with your right attitude and approach, the child will avoid unnecessary stress.
An established sleep, wakefulness, feeding, outdoor walks, exercise and water procedures are a prerequisite for the successful solution of such an important moment as weaning from nighttime breastfeeding. The nutrition schedule should organically fit into all the vital processes taking place in the life of the baby. Loads, sleep and food should be reasonable and adequate. If you have little experience or doubts about baby management, then you should resolve them in a conversation with your pediatrician.
Persistence, determination, ingenuity and unanimity of parents in weaning the baby from eating at night. Mom and dad are equally dear people for a child. Mutual support to each other and to your little one in this short and difficult period will definitely contribute to a faster and smoother achievement of the goal. And the role of the pope should by no means be underestimated.

Criteria for compiling a menu for a 7-month-old breastfed baby

What mistakes do parents make?

Do not abruptly refuse a child. It is very likely that with this step you will exhaust both yourself and him. As we have already said, it is more effective and with less effort and nerves when this process occurs gradually.
No need to tighten. A child who has reached one and a half years and more is already much less accommodating in many matters, especially with regard to pleasures, which, of course, are mother's warm breasts at night.
Do not be nervous: it still will not speed up the process, but it may well have a negative impact on the child's psyche. Your mood will certainly be transmitted to the baby and as a result you will get unstable behavior and tantrums.
Do not intimidate or lie to your baby about feeding at night. Better tell the truth, give examples from life, assure him that despite the fact that you no longer breastfeed him during sleep, you are still always there and love him more than anyone in the world.

Here, in a nutshell, is everything we wanted to say about how you can wean a child from nighttime breastfeeding. Bon appetit and sweet dreams to you and your children!

Breastfeeding or formula feeding at night, their frequency and duration is one of the burning topics that concern mothers. How the mother sleeps depends on her mood and well-being, and hence the well-being of the baby. How to wean a child from night feeding if it has become a burden, if not unbearable?

What should be considered before eliminating feeding at night?

If we are talking about breastfeeding, then mother's milk is not a burden on the gastrointestinal tract of a child either at 6 months, or at 7 months, or even at 2 years. Eating at night is natural and physiological for children, especially very young ones. Over time, children's sleep becomes deeper, the ability to quickly saturate with milk increases, therefore, after a year, children eat less often than in infancy. According to studies, night feedings by themselves do not provoke the appearance and progression of early childhood caries.

However, the reason to stop this practice may be the desire of the mother to sleep, associated with fatigue from lack of sleep, the inability to rest during the day, and other reasons. If it was not possible to establish an acceptable regimen, then the question arises of giving up night feeding.

An adapted formula is more nutritious than breast milk, it is harder to digest, so it would be advisable to transfer the bulk of the formula intake to the daytime. In addition, bottle feeding at night is often more difficult for the mother. And here the question of how to wean a child to eat at night becomes relevant. Fortunately, many children on IV stop waking up at night to eat before they are 8 months old.

Up to what age do children usually eat at night?

Each child is individual. It is generally believed that artificial people from birth sleep through the night without waking up. This is not always the case, some children on IV continue to beg for food at 9 months, 1 year and beyond, because the pacifier satisfies the sucking reflex, but does not saturate. According to modern concepts of on-demand feeding, this is not a problem for the baby, but can be exhausting for the mother.

Babies are usually fed more often in their sleep, as mother's milk is quickly and easily absorbed by the body. In addition, breastfeeding at night is most conducive to the production of prolactin, a hormone that causes milk production in a woman. Therefore, if a mother wants to feed for a long time, it is not worth completely curtailing feedings at night, but you can try to reduce their frequency and duration.

Emergency, fast weaning

There are situations when it is necessary to stop feeding urgently. This situation is extraordinary and is associated, for example, with the urgent hospitalization of the mother. Usually, it is not possible to urgently stop only night feedings in babies under one year old, therefore, in such cases, breastfeeding is completely curtailed. However, it can be restarted at the end of treatment, which will be difficult with a very young child, and much easier with a child after a year.

With an urgent cessation of feeding, the mother must definitely monitor her well-being, as well as express her breasts if the amount of milk absorbed by the baby was significant. This method rarely goes without crying and stress for the child, so if a woman chooses such a solution, you need to be patient and, if possible, support relatives who can calm and comfort the baby.

It is not often said that abrupt weaning affects the emotional state of the mother due to changes in hormonal levels. At such minutes and hours, you can remember your love for the baby, which does not become less with the cessation of breastfeeding night and day.

Soft refusal of night feedings

Both for the mother's body and for the child's psyche, a gradual, smooth reduction in night feedings is optimal. As the baby gets used to not having night feeds, motherhood can become easier for those who couldn't get enough sleep during nighttime feedings. But we must remember that with the natural cessation of HB, nighttime and pre-morning applications are the last to go, which means that a conscious change in this scheme will require certain efforts and perseverance.

1. Feed your baby more often during the day. The sucking reflex is strong even at 1.5 years old, and if it is not realized during the daytime, the baby will certainly get it at night.

2. Try not to combine the refusal of nightly attachments to the breast or bottle with other new, unusual situations, changes in the family's lifestyle: adaptation to kindergarten, moving, etc.

3. Remember the importance of hugs and kisses, do not move away from the child so that he does not have a need to get tactile touches at night.

4. Offer alternatives. At the moments of waking up, stroke the baby on the back, sing a lullaby, give some water, take him to the toilet, whisper in his ear, pump him in his arms.

5. Tell about the fact that people and animals sleep at night, mother's chest sleeps, the baby also needs to sleep, and it is better to eat during the day.

6. Use the help of dad, grandmother or other loved ones. In the absence of the mother, it may be easier for the baby to adopt a new, unfamiliar way of falling asleep.

7. Separate the sleeping places of mother and child. Sometimes children sleep worse apart from their mother, but some find it easier to fall asleep on their own without food in their crib or nursery.

8. With IV, you can use this trick: dilute the mixture with a small amount of pure water, gradually increasing the percentage of water. The child will not be interested in waking up in order to just drink some water.

9. Share food and use other techniques to fall asleep. That is, do not refuse the baby a breast or a bottle, but after them read or tell a fairy tale, sing a song, lie with the baby, no longer giving him food. This should also be done gradually, feeding the baby well in the evening.

At what age is it better to wean from night feedings

The optimal age for each mother-child pair will be different. A one-year-old baby learns to walk independently, for someone learning this skill occurs at 10 or 11 months. Often, the development of a new one is accompanied by a kind of rollback in development, and a baby who has already stopped eating at night may again begin to ask for a breast or a bottle. In addition, until at least 2 and a half years of age, children undergo a process of teething, which may be accompanied by nighttime restlessness. But the later the refusal of night reinforcement occurs, the easier it is to agree with the child, and at 1.5 years it will be easier to teach the baby to sleep without food than at 6 months.

A similar problem arises in any family after a few months have passed since the appearance of the little man. The accumulated fatigue forces mothers to ask the question: “When to wean a child from night feedings?” It is important to catch the moment when weaning will be most painless.

Small children should not be weaned from night feeding. Psychologists believe that in infancy, children are extremely sensitive to moments of closeness with their mother, and too early weaning can adversely affect the mental development of the baby. Communication with mom, especially tactile, makes the baby balanced, resistant to stressful situations in the future.

Whether a newborn is breastfed or formula fed, it does not affect the age at which a baby should be weaned from nighttime breastfeeding. Until the age of six months, the baby cannot withstand long breaks in the whole night between feedings, he needs to feed. It should be remembered - the baby should not starve.

The development of the baby occurs gradually, in the process of growing up, he will independently refuse nightly breastfeeding. Pediatricians believe that it is possible to wean a baby from eating at night from the moment complementary foods start, from about 4-5 months. From the beginning of the introduction of additional foods, the child receives all the necessary nutrients and at night he will not need an additional meal.

It is important for a nursing mother to feed her baby at night in order to stimulate lactation in order to continue breastfeeding. At night, the processes of recovery, renewal of the body are activated, immunity is strengthened.

one year old baby

At this age, the baby is already receiving good nutrition. The intervals between meals are increasing. By the age of one year, the digestive system becomes functionally mature and nutrients are absorbed most fully.

A year after birth, the little one becomes much more active, begins to walk, learns the world around him from his own experience. Having run over during the day, the child gets tired more and sleeps more soundly. If at six months it was not possible to wean the baby from night feedings, now is the ideal time when he becomes more self-sufficient.

How to wean a baby to eat at night

Please note that a sharp change in the usual way of life of the crumbs is a strong stress. You need to be patient and slowly but surely move towards giving up breastfeeding. The best option should be considered to reduce the number of night feedings by increasing the number and volume of daytime feedings. Before going to bed, if necessary, you should give additional complementary foods. Sometimes it is necessary to specifically wake the child just before bedtime in order to feed him. Then the little one will be well fed with food and will wake up less often at night. But do not expect a miracle that on the first day the baby will sleep soundly all night. With the right tactics, the number of night feedings will gradually decrease. After a short period of time, how to wean a one-year-old child from night feeding will be forgotten.

Watch your baby's diet. It must be balanced and complete. The better the nutrition during the day, the more restful the baby will sleep at night. It is worth remembering that the child does not need to be fed during the daytime - follow the measure! There are calorie norms developed for certain ages. The pediatrician can suggest specific norms.

In addition to the physical health of the child, his psychological well-being is important. The baby should communicate enough with his parents, especially his mother, then there will be no question of how to wean the child from night feedings. He must be surrounded by attention and care in order to feel safe. Babies at this age are very fond of spending more time with their mother, just being close to her, feeling her caress.

The child must be put to bed after feeding. The room should be warm and cozy. The child in the crib should be comfortable. Sit with him, rock him until he falls asleep. The same should be done if the baby woke up at night. Just try to shake, stroke, sing a lullaby. When taking the baby in your arms at night, try to put it differently than when feeding. Otherwise, this will provoke an unnecessary reflex, and the little one will think that feeding will follow now. For a similar reason, it is better if the father takes the child in his arms. An unusual smell for feeding and hands will not provoke a reflex. It should be borne in mind that the crying of a child does not always indicate hunger at night. Perhaps the baby is in pain, he is tormented by colic.

Do not run to the baby immediately with a bottle when you hear crying. If the little one is bottle-fed, try giving water. Before giving just water, gradually reduce the amount of formula in the bottle and increase the amount of water. After a couple of weeks, only water will remain. While breastfeeding, this method is obviously not suitable. You can try to immediately replace the night feeding with water.

Get your dad involved! He will replace the mother and distract the baby. Mom simply will not pick up a little one, let a man do it. At first, the baby may be uncomfortable, especially if earlier the father did not approach the child much. In this case, the mother can simply be nearby - in sight. This tactic will be useful in that it allows you to strengthen the relationship between father and child. A tired mother can finally rest. It is convenient to divide the approaches to the child by time, for example, the mother comes during the day while the father is at work, and the father in the evening or at night.

Sleep separately. For the first months of a baby's life, sleeping together is pleasant, safe and practical. Tired parents, especially mother, will quickly approach the child. Night feeding turns into a mere trifle, mom does not have to get out of bed. As the baby grows, teach the child to sleep on his own. If you slept on the same bed, then you should put a separate one. At first, you can adapt the crib by placing it right next to the parent. Then it is worth building a barrier so that the baby cannot snuggle up to the chest at night. Further, the crib can be gradually set aside.

Previously, the psychological moment in feeding a child was repeatedly mentioned. This is no accident, psychological moments in relationships affect the process of weaning from feeding along with physiological ones. Some parents, when a child appears, especially the first-born, try to surround him with care. Sometimes care gets out of control, becoming hypertrophied. This is also called hyper-protection. In this case, the little one gets everything he wants, at his first request. And parents try to satisfy all the whims of the child. This approach to parenting is fraught with danger. They are not always visible here and now, but their echoes in the future can be deplorable. A child can grow up extremely touchy, selfish and capricious.

In relation to breastfeeding, the above is manifested in the desire of the mother to feed the child with her milk for as long as possible, maintaining a special connection with him. If in the first months of life, feeding is a necessity, then it is just a habit and a desire for comfort. Sometimes this action takes an anomalous turn and the child can be fed up to six or seven years. In this case, weaning will be especially painful for both parents and the child. Follow-up visits to a psychologist cannot be avoided.

Often parents, in search of an answer to the question of how to wean a child from night feeding, turn to the older generation - to parents. Mothers and grandmothers, and sometimes fathers and grandfathers, can give some advice. For example, strict parents who are not accustomed to messing around with children and taking into account their desires and morale may advise radical methods. Some of the irresponsible parents may advise you to abruptly quit nightly approaches to the child. In this case, the weaned peanut will quickly stop asking for breasts at night. This approach entails a lot of stress for a small child, which is undoubtedly a minus. Another drastic advice might be to smear your breasts with something unpleasant, such as mustard. This approach will only bring stress and can injure the delicate mucous membrane of the baby's mouth. In addition, in the future, the baby will not ask for food both at night and during the day.

In search of an answer to the question of how to wean a child from breastfeeding, you should plan a visit to the clinic to the pediatrician. Even the most experienced parent cannot know all the nuances of a child's development. The doctor will always tell you how best to proceed, assessing the general condition of the baby, conducting, if necessary, tests. You should not use any of your radical methods especially uncontrollably.

A child in the first months and years is a gentle and sensitive organism. It should not be subjected to unnecessary stress. The kid is just entering a big and not always benevolent world. The wrong and unsystematized approach to how to wean a child from breastfeeding can bring physical and psychological discomfort, destroying the fragile bond between mother and child. However, do not think that the process of weaning from night feeding is difficult and can be easily broken. Sometimes it pays to give your child a little more affection, care and warmth, to make him feel loved and protected so that he can sleep peacefully all night.

In all civilized countries, pediatricians have long proved that a newborn child does not need a nightly break in nutrition, and the baby should receive feeding on demand day and night. The baby's body is adapted to receive mother's milk without any interruptions.

In addition, it is night feedings that are stimulated due to the fact that prolactin, the hormone responsible for lactation, is produced mainly at night. And the amount of the hormone depends on the number of attachments of the baby to the breast.

In addition to milk, the baby during feeding receives close bodily contact with the mother, which he needs constantly. During feeding, the baby wants to feel maternal protection and support. This is especially necessary for a child in the process of any new stage of his development (during teething, mastering the skill of walking, etc.).

Every mother after the birth of the crumbs, trying to create all the necessary conditions for normal nutrition and development, normally refers to the need to wake up at night and breastfeed the baby. But the child is growing up, and the mother has to decide when and how to wean the child from night feeding.

When to wean a baby from night feeding?

Babies often suckle their mother's breasts all night long. This does not mean that a woman has little milk and the child is hungry. Perhaps he thus makes up for the lack of communication with her.

Pediatricians believe that it is necessary to wean the baby from eating at night after a year. But psychologists recommend doing this after reaching the age of two, when the need for close contact with the mother in children is already less. For each child, this issue must be addressed individually.

If, while sleeping with the mother, the baby suckles the breast all night, this does not mean that he experiences a feeling of hunger. Most likely, a newborn or a child older than a year in this way fills his need for contact with his mother, which was not realized during the day. In this case, established bodily contact and communication with the baby during the day will help wean him from night feeding.

If the baby receives artificial nutrition, then it can be weaned from the age of 6–7 months: the physiological development of the child allows him to do without food for up to 5–6 hours. When breastfeeding, the process can be more difficult for both the baby and the mother. All experts advise the process of weaning from night feedings to be carried out smoothly, with the least suffering for the baby.

You can wait until the period when the child himself stops waking up at night with the requirement of feeding. But if insufficient sleep affects the mother’s well-being or any other problems arise, then you will have to help your beloved child refuse food at night.

How easy is it to wean a baby from night food?

There are several methods to help a mother wean a child from night feeding. These simple tricks are suitable for both breastfed babies and artificial babies:

It is easier to achieve refusal of night feeding during the period when the child receives, when he receives not only mother's milk or. Having received 2 hours before bedtime and or a mixture before bedtime, the baby feels full for a longer time.
With artificial feeding, it is easier to wean a child, because the mixture is more high-calorie than breast milk, which is faster and easier to digest. Eating the mixture before bedtime, the child does not feel hungry longer and sleeps longer without requiring feeding.
Many mothers who are busy with household chores do not have time to pay enough attention to the baby, take him in their arms only when the baby is crying or it's time to feed. Such a child who is not caressed during the day will often wake up, seek the attention of his mother at night.
It is necessary to provide adequate nutrition during the day, because sometimes the new experiences of a growing baby distract him from hunger, and the mother is used to feeding the child on demand. Food lost during the day is replenished at night. In order to fully saturate the baby, you can increase the number of feedings in the daytime. Therefore, mothers should be offered feeding even to a child who is keen on playing. You should not distract him with anything while eating, so that nothing interferes with complete saturation.
Gradually reduce the amount of formula in the bottle or breastfeeding time at night. If possible, skip one of the nightly feedings and try to put the baby to sleep without another meal. So you can achieve an increase in the intervals between feedings.
If the child is receiving artificial nutrition, you can gradually dilute the mixture and bring the mixture to a complete replacement with water. Many children stop waking up to drink water after a while.
Before falling asleep to the mother herself, you can additionally feed the child, even waking him up for this. After that, the baby will get hungry much later, will give the mother a rest.
If possible, you can involve dad in the process of weaning from feeding at night. In the hands of the father, the baby will not smell the milk, calm down faster and fall asleep without food. The father must remain calm during such nightly educational receptions so that the child understands that dad can also console. The kid may at first loudly protest against such a replacement for his mother, but then he will learn to accept comfort from his father.
You can try to teach the child to fall asleep without a breast: after feeding, dad can vilify the baby in his arms or shake it in a sling on the street, and put him already sound asleep in the crib. In this case, the child will associate falling asleep with the father, and at night it is the father who will be able to quickly calm the child.
Even without dad's participation, try to reduce the number of night feedings: try to calm the child, sing a lullaby quietly, put him to sleep by stroking his back or rocking him to sleep. After a few nights, the baby realizes that he can not always get a breast or a bottle on demand.
When sleeping together with a child, it is recommended to create some kind of barrier between the baby and the mother's breasts (put a roller from a folded towel between them, put on pajamas for the mother at night, etc.). After all, having smelled milk, the baby can demand the breast instinctively, even without being hungry.
If the child already understands the speech addressed to him (from 1.5 to 2 years), you must constantly tell him that everyone is sleeping at night (both toys, and a kitten, and a bear, and a doll, and a bottle of milk), and you can eat in the morning when the sun rises. You need to be reminded of this every evening, that is, you will have to “negotiate” with the child not to eat at night. You can tell a fairy tale about how a bunny's tummy ached after eating at night. The kid, of course, can be capricious and cry for several nights, but then he will reconcile and get used to it. The mother's voice should be calm, and the child should not give in after crying, otherwise success will not be achieved.
It is undesirable to wean a child from night feeding in situations that have changed his usual life: for example, an early exit of the mother to work. After all, this will lead to a reduction in the time of joint communication and contact with the child, and the baby will compensate for the lack of attention at night. In such cases, one should try to give him maximum pleasure even in a short time of communication with the baby: hug him, caress him, hold him in his arms. Let him have a feeling of comfort and security during the day, then he is less likely to wake his mother at night.
If the child is older than a year, you can try putting him to sleep in another room. Even better is the option of co-sleeping with an older brother or sister in another room. At the same time, you can additionally tell the baby that the milk is over and it will only be in the morning when everyone wakes up.
You can stop feeding your baby in bed, and feed sitting in a chair. This will help the baby stop associating feeding with the bed. The main thing is to be patient and not lose your calm, even if not everything works out right away.

And is it worth giving up?

To wean the child from night feedings, shift the duties associated with putting him to bed to dad.

If, despite all the tricks and efforts for several nights, the child continues to wake up, cry and demand feeding, you should temporarily stop the measures, return to the previously adopted feeding regimen and resume any of the above methods for weaning from nighttime eating after 2-3 weeks . In any case, the baby should not suffer.

Sometimes it is not possible to completely wean from eating at night, but at least more rare breastfeeding and tolerable rest conditions for the mother, if night feedings created problems for her.

Many mothers, after an unsuccessful attempt, continue to feed the child at night even after 2 years until the child himself ceases to feel the need for night feeding and does not wake up at night. US pediatricians believe that night feedings are a necessary stage in the development of a child, which passes on its own when the baby's nervous system is fully matured.

Some pediatricians recommend giving your child a soothing tea before bed. But in this case, it doesn’t hurt to consult a pediatric neurologist, because if the child has symptoms of increased intracranial pressure or other neurological problems, such remedies may be contraindicated.

You should not continue to apply the methods of weaning the child from night feeding in cases where they cause changes in the behavior of the baby during the day: he often cries and does not let his mother go away from him for a minute or, on the contrary, moves away.

The period of nighttime inconvenience for the mother is not so long, over time it will end on its own, but the baby will not be deprived of the feeling of happiness and love available to him.

Summary for parents

Preparing to become a mother, a woman understands that she will lose her rest for some time, not only during the day, but also at night. But the child is growing up, parents no longer really like the child’s nightly awakenings for feeding, although pediatricians do not see this as a problem and consider night feedings to be the norm.

The health of the baby directly depends on proper and sufficient nutrition. If the child is unwell, then nightly feedings should unconditionally be extended. You should not refuse such feeding if the mother sleeps with the child, and nightly “feeds” do not cause her much concern. If

Why does my baby need night feeds? At what age can you refuse them? Detailed tips on how to wean your baby from night food.

Sleepless nights are what most mothers associate with the first months of motherhood. If desired, these troubles can be avoided. But you have to deprive the crumbs of night feedings. At what age can you teach your baby to sleep without milk all night? How to wean a little lover to eat after midnight from late eating? And does it need to be done?

Breastfeeding at night

Feed the baby at night or not? The answer to this question depends on what the child eats. If he is breastfed, then the answer is unequivocal - yes!

For the first two months, pediatricians advise feeding the baby on demand. This technique is independent of the time of day. Whenever a child cries, day or night, he should be put to the breast and tried to be fed. If he refuses, then it is worth checking if he has other reasons for crying: uncomfortable clothes, cold, wet diaper.

Late feedings are important not only for the baby, but also for the mother. After all, after three in the morning, the production of prolactin becomes maximum. This hormone promotes the conversion of colostrum into mature milk and regulates its amount. It turns out that night feeding in the first months of a baby's life is the key to successful breastfeeding in the future. In addition, night feedings will save you from lactostasis and mastitis.

If the baby woke up at night, the easiest way to put him to sleep is to breastfeed him. The baby calms down not only from the feeling of fullness, but also from the sucking movements themselves. He feels his mother's warmth, hears the beating of her heart, smells a familiar smell .... But he is already sleeping, and mom also has time to rest. Until the next feeding.

Formula feeding your baby at night

The situation is different if breastfeeding has failed. In this situation, only the baby will benefit from late feedings, but not the mother. Does your little one sleep soundly at night? Then it makes no sense to wake him up and stuff him with a mixture.

If the baby is healthy and cheerful, he is not underweight, and he eats well during the day, let him sleep for 3, 5 or even 7 hours in a row. In the morning he will make up for lost time. But if he wakes up every couple of hours and loudly demands his favorite bottle, do not refuse. To do this, it is convenient to keep water for the mixture in the heater, heated to the desired temperature. This way you can cook your food faster. It is impossible to prepare the mixture in the evening.

The mother of the artificial is often tempted to calm the awakened baby by giving him a bottle of food, and go to sleep herself. Never do this. The child is not yet able to fully control the process of eating. He may choke, drop a bottle, or regurgitate food. You always need to wait until the end of the meal, and then hold it upright. So the air that the baby could accidentally swallow with food will come out faster. So, the baby will not be tormented by colic.

How many times to feed the baby at night?

What should be the break in feeding at night? Most doctors already in the hospital allow mothers to sleep for 5 hours if the baby does not require food. During the day, it is recommended not to let him stay hungry for more than three hours.

Mothers of small and premature babies feed their babies every three hours, both day and night. In this case, the baby is awakened, even if he was not going to eat.

Do I need a break from night feeding?

Starting from the third month, you can move on to the method of free feeding. It is similar to feeding on demand, but the pause between meals should be at least two hours. A new serving of food can upset a baby's delicate gastrointestinal tract if it contains undigested leftovers.

IMPORTANT: Do not forget: after the break in feeding becomes more than six hours, prolactin in your body will decrease. It stops the ovulation cycle. If you do not want to become a mother of the weather, you will have to use contraceptives.

Up to six months, a break in night feedings is determined, rather, by the baby himself than by the mother. The task of the mother is to make the day of the child so full and so rich that he wakes up as rarely as possible and gives his parents a good night's sleep.

Night feedings: until what age?

Pediatricians say that already from six months a healthy baby is quite able to do without night feedings. After this period, a late meal is already your good will. The child has no biological need for it.
The famous pediatrician Yevgeny Komarovsky recommends that frequent night feedings should be abandoned if they burden parents. Although he treats children, his main principle is “Mom is also a person!”. Komarovsky comments: “Such a regime is harmful for mom. It is necessary to try to change the feeding system of the child in such a way that he eats less at night. For example, at 6 months you can eat 3 times a night, but this is a lot. Bringing the situation to one feeding is more than realistic.
By the way, sometimes it happens that a baby sleeps soundly all night until six months, and after this period it suddenly starts to wake up and demand a “supplement”. It has to do with teething. During this period, children get used to "hang" on their mother for hours, because the gums are swollen and itchy.

In this case, you can replace night feedings:

pacifier;
cooling teether;
anesthetic ointment for the gums.

And remember that when the teeth erupted, night feedings even become harmful. The baby may be threatened with bottle caries, which is caused by the remnants of sweet milk or mixture on the first teeth.

Do I need to wake my baby up for feeding at night?

Until recently, all mothers were advised to feed their children on a schedule. In this case, the baby had to be woken up to feed on schedule. Now doctors do not recommend disturbing the sound sleep of the crumbs. The only exception is small children.

How to teach a child to sleep at night without feeding?

Most often, babies by six months themselves are accustomed to sleep through the night. If the baby still often disturbs you by crying, try changing his regimen.

The mentioned doctor Komarovsky advises three tricks to make your baby sleep sound. First, take a long break before the last feeding, so that by dinner the baby will be as hungry as a wolf. Secondly, bathe him in cool water just before going to bed. Third, feed tightly after bathing. And, of course, the baby's day should also be busy, so that by the evening he is just tired.
If you have already introduced complementary foods, try giving porridge instead of breasts before bed. "Adult" food is more high-calorie, and the baby will stay full longer.
Check the situation in the room. During the heating season, the air in the nursery can be very dry. Accordingly, it dries up in the mouth of the child. Perhaps he wakes up thirsty, not hungry.
Try replacing your nighttime meal with water or a pacifier. Experienced mothers say that by switching to water, children gradually stop waking up at night.

dad at night with baby

Involve dad in the process. Dad's arms are just as warm and cozy, but they don't smell like milk. Having learned to fall asleep without food, the child will simply stop interrupting sleep.
If you sleep with a baby in the same bed, wear closed pajamas so that it is difficult for the baby to reach the chest. Create a small barrier-roller between you and the baby. Think about whether it's time for the crumbs to move into their own crib. But if the baby perceives the “move” negatively, there is no need to create two stresses at the same time.
Change your daily food routine. The child should not lose one feeding. Let the night meal take place closer to the morning, and gradually turn into the first breakfast.
Even a well-fed baby may simply demand your attention. Talk to him more during the day, take him in your arms more often. If it is not possible to play with him for a long time, sing songs and tell stories while doing household chores.

Night feedings are important not only for the newborn, but also for the mother. They allow the baby to gain weight well, and the mother to produce enough milk, avoiding lactostasis and mastitis. But over time, they only become harmful to both.

After six months, it is desirable to reduce the number of night feedings to a minimum. There are many ways to do this, but the most important of them are sanity, patience and love.