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It seems that the little one, bravely tasting broccoli, will very soon be able to do without midnight snacks. But there is a time for everything: first of all, we deal with the schedule of daily meals, build a daily routine. And only after that we begin the process of smoothly weaning the child from night feedings.
Until what age to keep night feedings
Eating at night is a physiological need for children under one year old. It contributes to the harmonious growth of the child and provides his mother with stable lactation – when it comes to breastfeeding. It is also important for artificial babies to have round-the-clock access to nutrients in order to develop properly.
The older children get, the less often they get up at night to satisfy their hunger: newborns wake up 3-4 times, one-year-olds usually have fewer feedings. Of course, this process is different for every baby, so watch your baby carefully and don’t hesitate to ask your pediatrician for advice if you’re worried about something.
It is worth delaying the refusal of night feedings if the child:
| gaining weight poorly | worried about teething | is ill |
| experiencing strong emotional experiences | not getting the right amount of food during the day | “regulates” during the day |
Night feeds and breastfeeding
The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding children up to two years of age. There is no contradiction: reducing nightly attachments by no means means a complete rejection of breastfeeding if the mother does not want it.
Normalization of sleep – namely, we are talking about it in this case – is necessary when chronic fatigue and lack of sleep become a problem for parents.
“The absence of night feedings is not the same as that the child is ready to wean, and vice versa,” says Ekaterina Zaets, lactation consultant, pediatrician, leader of courses for pregnant and lactating mothers. – Everything is individual: there are families in which there are several feedings during the day, and there are no night feedings from eight months.
Night feedings and artificial feeding
It is believed that formula-fed babies are much easier to wean from eating at night: they do not have the habit of falling asleep on their chests. But, again, everything is very individual. Some children continue to demand a bottle of formula, and their peers easily part with nightly attachments and sleep sweetly until the morning.
What to do to wean a child from night feedings
We wean in stages
Before cutting down on nighttime feedings, observe your baby’s behavior.
What you should pay attention to:
- how many times during the night does the baby wake up;
- which awakenings are associated with hunger and which are not;
- Is the quality of sleep different when the baby sleeps in his own crib, separate from you;
- whether the baby can fall asleep without formula or breastfeeding.
After analyzing this information – and you will definitely see patterns – smoothly begin work on reducing nighttime feedings.
We go to sleep full
A child who has dinner at six in the evening will definitely wake up closer to midnight hungry, and how hungry! Include a snack in your diet half an hour before bedtime – and you will feel the difference. Feed something light and nutritious, such as fermented milk products.
We remove the first feeding
First, start saying goodbye to feedings that fall in the first hours of sleep. At this time, the baby still does not have time to get hungry, so it is enough just to rock him without additional manipulations.
At night – less food
Try to organize night feedings so that the baby spends less time on the breast. For artificial children, try to reduce the concentration of the portion.
During the day – more calories
Night feedings are removed from children who are already familiar with complementary foods. Make sure your child gets enough “adult” food and water throughout the day. The diet is also important to build.
Sleep and food – separately
Breastfeeding is almost always a key part of the sleep ritual. Incredibly convenient: the baby eats and immediately goes to sleep. But this bundle must be separated if you are determined to regain a good rest. Feed the baby so that he calms down, relaxes, and eventually falls asleep without a breast.
Practicing self-sleeping
The easiest way to reduce night feedings is for children who have mastered the skill of self-sleeping: they no longer notice the change in sleep phases and wake up less often.
We connect dad
Dad, as you know, can do anything. Including rocking a baby who woke up in the middle of the night. Probably, at first, the laying process will be delayed, but gradually the child will get used to it.
Trying separate sleep
Feeding non-stop in a dream is a common story for mothers who are no longer able to get up at night. The child settles comfortably under the side, finds food on his own and, having had his fill, falls asleep again. Mom may not even know how many times a night he ate. This habit is probably the most difficult to give up, but without separate sleep, night feedings cannot be removed.
Vodicka and other tricks
Pediatricians disagree on whether to offer water to a child in the middle of the night or not. It will give only a temporary feeling of fullness and will not replace a baby who really wants to eat, milk or formula. If you see that the child did not wake up from hunger, pour him a drink – some water can calm him down (only it should be in a cup, not in a bottle).
A few more life hacks to help reduce the number of nighttime feedings are related to the organization of children’s sleep. Cool and humid air in the room, late bathing, performing “sleep” rituals help children fall asleep faster and sleep better. If you reduce the duration of daytime sleep, it is likely that the child will also sleep better at night.
Starting to remove night feedings, do not expect an immediate result. This is a leisurely, careful process filled with love and care for the child. Give your baby even more attention during the day than usual. At some point, he will stop waking you up, the feedings will go away, and you will be able to enjoy a full night’s rest.
Popular questions and answers
Ekaterina Zayets, breastfeeding consultant, pediatrician, will help answer the questions:
How to understand that the child is ready to stop night feedings?
Mistakes that moms make when starting to clean up night feeds?
Everything must be done carefully, with basic knowledge. Ideally, the most advanced level is when a mother consults a specialist clearly on her issue (tells how old the child is, how many feedings, etc.). It is optimal to at least read something on this issue, especially if the child is very small – a year and a half. Emotionally, children at this age are not ready for such attacks from the mother.
Many mothers do not understand an important point: if breastfeeding is completely gone (i.e., night feeding is the last one), you need to set the daily diet, introduce complementary foods correctly, and make sure that the baby is getting enough liquid. It is with this that mothers most often get consultations, and in extreme cases, children can even end up in a hospital with dehydration, this is not a joke, in fact.
Are there any differences in weaning from night feedings in children of different ages?
All children are different in temperament, it is laid down initially, at birth, we cannot change it. And each child has its own unique mother, who also has her own temperament.
The surface layer of this situation is a resource. This may be the mother of the first child, who is exhausted (and this is one story), or also the mother of the first child, but she is full of strength, or even the mother of the fifth child, but she has so much energy that she would still feed and feed.
Each case has its own tactics. There is a way when self-weaning is chosen – the child is offered to gradually reduce the share of feedings himself. And he outgrows his needs, he has enough of everything, and his mother remains in the resource. With age, this ends – by the age of 2–2,5 with the right actions.
Tips for moms whose kids keep waking up at night for a snack after two years?
It is also important to receive competent information support. Often mothers are afraid of weaning as a fact, but in fact there is a story that you can simply reduce the proportion of feedings for a start, and everyone will be fine.
Watch your child’s daily diet: 4-5 meals, drink (water is a priority). About a liter of food even with continued breastfeeding, plus emotional readiness on the part of mother and baby, are good indicators to start weaning, or reduce the share, or complete breastfeeding.