Night feedings of children: when and how to wean a child

An overprotective mother may get up several times at night to feed her child. At the same time, no one finds out whether he is actually hungry or not. We need to feed, period. In fact, this is a mistake - proper sleep for a baby is no less important than nutrition. Therefore, there is no need to wake him up in the middle of the night to give him something to eat. If he wants to eat, he will let you know about it.

Until what age do children eat at night?

It is impossible to accurately determine the moment when a child should be weaned off night snacks. The mother herself knows her baby better. Pediatricians identify several signs that indicate that you can stop feeding at night:

• Quite clear intervals are established between daily meals. Accordingly, the number of appointments is reduced, but they also become longer. In other words, the baby does without snacks;
• Introduction of complementary foods. Throughout the day, the child receives a sufficient amount of vitamins and microelements for growth and development;
• The baby wakes up at the same time at night. This happens out of habit, and not because of hunger;
• The process of growth and weight gain occurs without deviations.

Important! When weaning a child from night feeding, at first you should monitor the general condition of the baby. There should be no lethargy or fatigue. The child should behave just as actively.

Most experts are inclined to believe that weaning from night feeding should occur at 12-13 months. By this time, the baby has grown so much that he no longer needs night snacks.

To wean or not

It is night feedings that are largely “responsible” for the amount of milk produced during breastfeeding. The peak production of prolactin, the “milk” hormone, occurs at night. And if it is not further stimulated at this time, the amount gradually decreases.

Of course, night feedings tire the mother and are not always necessary for the baby. A pediatrician who knows the baby well will be a good adviser. The doctor will tell you when it is best to wean your baby off night feedings and whether it is worth doing it at all.

According to the World Health Organization and breastfeeding consultants, feeding at night is necessary. Many pediatricians, including Dr. Komarovsky, take a different position. In their opinion, it is important to determine whether the baby really wakes up from hunger or is simply accustomed to falling asleep on his mother’s chest and cannot do otherwise. In the second case, night breastfeeding can be canceled. The age of the child also plays a big role.

Up to 6 months

Night feedings are vital for a newborn. In the first few months, the baby is generally not able to withstand more than 4 hours without mother’s milk. If a child is hungry, all processes in his body are disrupted, development slows down, the baby cries at night and does not get enough sleep.

Pediatricians and breastfeeding consultants recommend maintaining at least one night feeding (more is possible) for at least 6 months. This will help the mother improve lactation, and the baby will grow and develop faster, getting used to the new world.

Artificial babies, although they feed by the hour, need night snacks just as much as breastfed babies. Even though this may cause more trouble for the mother than regular breastfeeding, under no circumstances should the baby be deprived of the necessary nutrition.

From 6 to 12 months

After six months, night feedings are still needed. Each breastfeeding is emotional and physical contact with the mother, which is important for a child at any age, and especially up to one year.

However, at this time, significant changes occur in the child’s life - he begins to receive complementary foods, his digestive system works more smoothly and efficiently, so more nutrients enter the body from food. Active babies at 6-10 months already begin to crawl, get more tired, so quite often they themselves stop waking up at night.

At this age, you need to carefully monitor whether the child wakes up to eat or is simply accustomed to sleeping “on the chest.” A hungry baby will actively suck and often swallow milk, and will eat for at least 10-15 minutes. By the way, sometimes mothers themselves wake up their babies, mistaking whimpering in their sleep for hungry crying. After hearing crying, you should give the baby the opportunity to fall asleep, and not immediately pick him up for feeding.

But if this is just a habit, he will fall asleep almost immediately and will suck sluggishly, almost not swallowing the milk. In this case, you can teach your baby to fall asleep on his own. Nightly “rituals” are well suited for this - a song, a fairy tale or something else, the main thing is that he does not fall asleep on his chest. Otherwise, when he wakes up at night, he will demand “to return everything as it was.”

Separately, it is worth mentioning the period of teething. If he goes through unpleasant symptoms, there is no need to aggravate his suffering and “take away” night feedings. Sucking on a warm breast helps the baby calm down, relieve pain and fall asleep. It's better to put this question off for a few months until the teeth show.

After a year

Night feeding of a child after a year is more of a psychological phenomenon, caused by habit rather than hunger. At this age, most children themselves refuse it, because they eat well during the day, move actively and get more tired. And they sleep soundly at night without waking up.

“Eliminating” night feedings with breastfeeding is a little more difficult than with artificial feeding. Artificial animals eat according to a schedule, and after six months they are quite capable of getting used to the new routine, with a break of 5-6 hours at night. Breastfeeding, especially when sleeping together, often gets used to breastfeeding just like that, for comfort and pleasure.

To wean a one-year-old child from night feedings, you need to review the daily routine and its menu. By changing your habits, you will achieve a sound and uninterrupted night's sleep for baby and mother.

Two years and older

Psychologists are sure that eating at night is a psychological problem, so get rid of night breastfeeding at 2 years.
At this time, weaning will be most painless and easy. Stopping night feedings after two years is usually quite easy - the baby is already very active during the day, eats well and variedly. Having had enough exercise during the day, the child begins to sleep all night without disturbing his mother. And if night feedings were necessary for babies up to six months, then after two years it is better to replace breast milk at night with water or compote. If the child really wants to drink and does not require his mother’s presence.

Should I wean my baby off night breastfeeding or formula feeding?

Menu for a 5-month-old bottle-fed baby

Every mother asks a similar question. Young women who are having their first child experience particular concern; they try to provide ideal conditions for growth and development. It’s good when the child stops waking up at night on his own, solving most of the parents’ problems. However, this does not happen very often.

Of course, it is necessary to wean off night feeding. The question is when should it be done. The main rule remains – do no harm. The child must be physically and psychologically ready for change. In what cases is it better to postpone the abolition of night feedings:

• The child is developing or growing slowly. There is a lack of weight;
• The baby is going through the teething stage, is sick or suffers from a lack of vitamins;
• Recent change of environment (moving);
• The presence of unfavorable factors (quarrels between parents, upset mother);
• The baby spends little time with his mother (premature departure to work).

At what months should you wean your baby off night feedings?

Doctors recommend starting the weaning process at the age of 1 year, psychologists are inclined towards 2 years, explaining this by the fact that by the age of 2 the child already has a sufficiently formed psyche.

2 month old baby's daily routine

Only the mother herself can determine the exact moment, based on the behavior and physical condition of the baby. Experts give the following advice on organizing your diet:

• Up to 3 months, night feeding should take place every 2-3 hours;
• From 3 to 6 months, milk or formula should be given once at night;
• Depending on the situation, after 6 months the baby can be gradually weaned.

Important! It should not be weaned off before 6 months. During this period, the baby is introduced to high-calorie complementary foods that promote development and growth.

Baby with a bottle

Expert opinion: recommendations of Dr. Komarovsky

Pediatricians believe that night feeding of children over 6 months is no longer necessary. On the contrary, it can harm the child because he is overfed.

Komarovsky gives the following recommendations to parents in this regard:

• You can feed your baby small portions during the day, and give him a little more for dinner, but not so much that he overeats. This diet provides the longest possible feeling of fullness;
• Before going to bed, the child needs to be bathed. Bath procedures relax, he falls asleep peacefully;
• Make sure the room is not too hot. The optimal temperature is 20–23 degrees;
• Keep track of how much your baby sleeps. The optimal number of hours by age: up to 3 months 17–20 hours, from 3 to 6 months - no more than 15 hours, from six months to a year - up to 13 hours;
• teach your baby to eat and sleep from birth.f

Gradually, the child will get used to when it is time to have lunch and when to go to bed, and there will be no problems with night meals.

Why wean off night breastfeeding?

Daily routine of a one-year-old child

If a child develops and grows normally, the weaning procedure is a necessary life stage. A long night's sleep without interruption helps speed up the growth process. This is also useful for the mother herself, who will be able to get a good night's sleep.

However, everything needs to be done in due time. If your baby is not yet ready to give up nighttime snacks, you should not traumatize him or force him to sleep. With this outcome, you can achieve nervousness and frequent daytime whims. Many children begin to perceive this as stress and do not leave their mother for a minute during the day.

How to understand that your baby is ready

The main symptoms of readiness for weaning appear after 7-8 months, when the baby’s additional diet is increased. With the right approach, by 11 months he begins to behave as follows:

• The child tries more and more new foods, expanding complementary foods and receiving additional vitamins;
• Breastfeeding or formula feeding during the day is significantly reduced;
• Constant weight gain;
• The baby is healthy, cheerful and active;
• The child is interested in everything around him and is often distracted while eating.

If such symptoms are present, we can say that night feeding is no longer a vital necessity or a desire to be with the mother. It’s more likely that the baby just has a habit. Weaning a baby in such situations is much easier; the process is painless.

It's time to wean

What to consider before, how to eliminate feeding at night

There are two options for weaning off night feeding: gradual and instant. Pediatricians and psychologists recommend doing everything gradually, explaining the method as causing less trauma to the child’s psyche.

More difficulties arise when weaning from breastfeeding snacks. The reason is that the formula is higher in calories than mother's milk and takes longer to digest. Accordingly, babies fed formula sleep longer and more soundly. In addition, babies receiving formula gradually wean themselves from night snacks.

Basic recommendations from experts on weaning from night feeding, both for breastfeeding and bottle feeding:

• Before going to bed, the baby needs to be fed. He should be well-fed, but not overfed;
• The food you receive before bed should be nutritious, rich in vitamins and microelements;
• Daily food should be balanced and rich. It is worth increasing the portions;
• Night baths are necessary, it helps the baby relax, calm down, and get ready for sleep;
• Active games stop 2-3 hours before going to bed;
• Humidity and temperature in the child's room must comply with established standards;
• If your baby wakes up in the middle of the night, you shouldn’t give him food right away. Sometimes tactile contact with his mother is enough for him to calm down and fall asleep again. You can stroke his tummy, head;
• Gradual reduction in the amount of food at night;
• During the day, children need attention and communication with their mother, then at night they do not experience a lack of intimacy and the need for tactile contact;
• Before bedtime, infants should replace breast milk with formula because of its caloric and nutritional content;
• It is best if dad puts the baby to bed during the weaning period;
• For bottle-fed children, the formula is gradually replaced with water, diluted with it. So they will wake up at night for a while only if they want to drink.

Tactile communication

How to wean your baby off breastfeeding at night

You need to make sure that the baby is ready for such a turn of events. This is determined by increasing the intervals between daily meals, increasing portions of complementary foods, and good weight gain. Waking up at the same time at night is also indicative. This does not indicate hunger, but rather habit.

Weaning off night feedings should happen as smoothly and gradually as possible, otherwise the baby will be very stressed. Pick a few recommendations and implement them gradually. If the baby is ready for change, night feedings will soon stop disturbing mother's sleep.

Increase the volume of daily feedings

To prevent your child from feeling hungry at night, he must get his entire daily calorie intake during the day.
Therefore, you need to diversify its menu as much as possible and fill it with all the necessary calories and nutrients. Breast milk is easier for the baby to digest, while formula takes longer to digest, providing a feeling of fullness for a longer period of time. Therefore, you should take into account the peculiarities of weaning children on breastfeeding and give not breast milk before bed, but formula, porridge, cottage cheese or milk with cookies.

Replace feeding with water

To remove the connection with the breast at night, you can gradually replace feedings with a sippy cup of water or compote, although you shouldn’t get carried away with them either. You only need to give your child water if he really wants to drink, and is not looking for reassurance and a familiar environment. Otherwise, he can drink up to several liters of liquid, which, in fact, he does not need at all and can negatively affect the functioning of the kidneys.

In order to reduce stress from being “deprived” of night snacks, formula-fed babies are recommended to gradually dilute the mixture with water. After a few weeks, only water will remain in the bottle and the baby himself will refuse such a treat.

Reach an agreement

Children aged 1.5-2 years are already quite capable of understanding speech addressed to them, so you can try to negotiate with them or explain that night is the time for sleep, and you need to eat during the day. This can be done in different ways, for example, in a playful or “fairytale” form - sending everyone to “bed” in the evening, and toys, and books with fairy tales, and a bottle with a mixture.

Connect dad

Finding himself in his mother’s arms at night, the baby smells milk and strives for the breast every time. If you involve dad in the nightly calming, there will be no “irritating” smell, as well as the temptation to have an extra snack.

Of course, at first the child may protest against such a replacement. But if dad is calm and persistent, over time the baby will understand that he can get attention, reassurance and consolation from dad. And she will learn to fall asleep without her mother’s breast.

You can also transfer responsibility for the evening bedtime of the child to the father. At first, the mother can remain nearby, gradually leaving the baby’s field of vision. At the same time, it is important to give the baby enough attention during the day so that at night he does not try to compensate for the lack of communication with his mother.

other methods

When sleeping together with a baby, the mother should take care to create a “barrier” between him and the breast with milk - wear pajamas or gradually move away from the baby. For this purpose, special cribs are suitable, which are attached to the parent's. Children over 1-1.5 years old can be accommodated not only in their own bed, but also in a separate room.

If your baby wakes up at night, it is not necessary to immediately offer him breast or water. You can try to put him to sleep with a lullaby, rocking the crib, or stroking him. It is quite possible that this will be enough for the baby to fall asleep soundly again, especially if the reason for awakening was not hunger.

And of course, you definitely need to communicate with your child during the day. Very often, mothers busy with household chores and chores take the baby in their arms only if he cries or it’s time to feed. In this case, the child, of course, will try to compensate for the lack of tactile and emotional contact at night. To avoid this, you need to provide him with enough affection and attention during the day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIA321pLBOY

Weaning off night feedings without stress for your newborn

There are a large number of ways, methods and approaches to weaning from night feeding. How to wean a breastfed baby from night feedings:

• This is done through denser evening portions. It is best to give your baby porridge or vegetable puree an hour before bed. A well-fed child wakes up less often at night. At the same time, breast milk production decreases. The technique is also suitable for the gradual cessation of breastfeeding. The main advantage is that the baby falls asleep well-fed; the mother does not need to express excess milk;
• If the child periodically or constantly sleeps next to the mother, the woman needs to wear closed clothes at night so that the child does not gain access to the mother’s breast;
• The distance between parents and child increases. It is best to teach him to sleep in his own crib or in a separate room with a brother or sister.

This method of weaning has a number of negative aspects:

• Strict adherence to the diet is required, which some parents do not always succeed in;
• The mother needs to choose a special evening diet that the baby would be happy to eat and fill up;
• Some guys don't make the transition to regular evening meals well. Therefore, you will have to be patient when refusing breast milk to your baby.

Important! The period of refusal of breast milk is stressful for both the baby and the mother, so more attention should be paid to the child at this time. You need to talk to him, stroke him, kiss him, play with him. Only in such a situation will the child not feel abandoned, and the process of weaning and night feeding will be as painless as possible.

What not to do

Some women follow the advice of doctors and breastfeeding specialists, others try to learn from the experience of their friends, and still others use “harmful” advice from relatives. No matter what anyone says, it is worth removing inadequate recommendations from the list. Among them:

1. Smearing the breast with brilliant green, something bitter, sour or salty - this can make the baby very scared, and the mother can get burned;
2. Saying “titka kaka”, “titty has spoiled” - the child does not understand so quickly why just yesterday his mother’s beloved breast was so tasty and healthy, but today there is something wrong with it;
3. To shame a child and allow others to do this - the baby should not feel guilty that he needs his mother’s attention, warmth, “painkiller”;
4. Scolding for crying is how the baby shows that he does not want to give up his mother’s breast, that it is still important for him to feel contact with her;
5. Giving the child to other relatives or leaving herself for a few days - in such a radical way, the mother can disrupt the relationship with the baby and cause distrust in herself.
6. Also, you should not stop night breastfeeding when the baby is teething or is sick: you should wait until the illness has completely recovered and teething has improved. Weaning can also cause stress when moving from one apartment to another, even if it's just a trip to grandma's.

Wanting to somehow replace the child’s nightly “snacks,” mothers sometimes try to give something from a bottle: formula, juice, compote or sweetened water. In a situation with formula, the child gets used to constantly feeding at night, and as for the sweet liquid, it spoils the teeth of babies at night.

Recommendations for eliminating night breastfeeding

The famous children's doctor, Dr. Komarovsky, tries to give mothers the necessary advice and recommendations on the issue of weaning children from night feeding. First of all, in this matter everything depends on the daily diet. The atmosphere in the house and communication with the child are no less important. A well-known specialist believes that you can wean yourself off night snacks within six months. Preparing your child for bedtime is also very important:

• The daily diet should be normalized and clear. The baby should be fed at the same time;
• The child should be bathed late, after 23:00, in cool water;
• Before taking water procedures, feed “from hand to mouth”;
• After taking a bath there should be a full dinner;
• The humidity in the baby's bedroom should be 40-70 percent;
• The air temperature is at least 18 degrees.

Much attention is paid to humidity and temperature in the room. The room should be cool. Warm and dry air in the room provokes thirst, so the baby wakes up, confusing the desire to drink with hunger.

Surprisingly, the doctor believes that eliminating night snacks should be abrupt and quick. At the same time, the baby should be taught to sleep separately from his parents and without his mother’s breast. A one-year-old child sleeping with his parents has a negative impact on family life.

The child should sleep separately

Popular mistakes when weaning off night feeding

The lack of sufficient experience among young mothers leads to a large number of mistakes, especially in the first stages of weaning. What should be excluded from actions and behavior first:

• You should not start weaning off nighttime snacking during the early days of teething or if your baby is sick. Otherwise, you can cause additional stress in your baby. It is better to postpone the procedure for 2-3 weeks;
• Leaving your baby with relatives, even close ones, to wean him off night feeding is a bad idea. In such a situation, the baby begins to get nervous, capricious, and in the worst case, he will lose trust in his parents;
• Advice like “smearing red pepper or mustard on the pacifier or sippy cup” is completely wrong. This can cause a burn to the mucous membrane, vomiting, diarrhea and much more;
• Under no circumstances should you raise your voice, put pressure or intimidate your baby during the period when night feeding is cancelled.

How to replace night feedings for children

If a mother decides to eliminate night feedings for her child, this should be done gradually. To make adaptation go smoothly, you can use the following tricks:

1. Replace milk with herbal tea or baby water. This approach is due to the following: the baby does not always wake up just because he is hungry. For example, he may simply be thirsty.
2. Rock it in your arms. It is possible that the child could have been scared of something or that something had disturbed him. There could be many reasons why he woke up. And it is not at all necessary that the baby is terribly hungry.

It is impossible to predict the child’s reaction to the cancellation of night feeding - everything is individual. So, monitor your baby’s reaction, adjust your actions if necessary, and in unclear situations, contact your pediatrician.

Why you should hold off on stopping night feedings

Canceling night feeding should be done on a case-by-case basis. A few reasons why you should wait to cancel:

1. Feeding is directly related to weight gain. This is very important during growth periods. If the child is malnourished or malnourished and eats little during the day, weaning may not be the best idea. It can cause serious harm to the baby's health. The exception in this case is if the child sleeps soundly at night and does not wake up on his own. Of course, you don't need to wake him up to give him food.
2. The second situation in which canceling a snack will not be relevant is illness. It's not just about teeth or ARVI. Any illness, even the most minor one, is a reason to wait. It is especially important if the baby has problems with digestion and intestinal microflora. First of all, you should put the young body in order, and then start weaning it off from snacking.
3. When changing your daily lifestyle. Any seemingly minor event can be perceived by a child as additional stress. For example, the appearance of a pet. Moreover, the child has a hard time moving to a new apartment and his mother going to work prematurely. At this time, it is better to pay as much attention to the baby as possible and not carry out the withdrawal procedure.
4. If the child's behavior does not correspond to the situation. If from the first days of withdrawal the child begins to be very capricious, his sleep is disturbed, he behaves restlessly, and constantly reaches out to his mother.
5. Unfavorable home environment. This is another additional stress for the baby. Quarrels between parents or other family members, insufficient attention from mom and dad - all this makes the baby worry. Therefore, refusal of a late-night snack will be perceived extremely negatively.

Stress

So how to wean your baby off night feeding? First of all, approach the process with maximum love and care for the little man. You should carefully monitor his behavior and general condition. There should be no sudden weight loss or lack of sleep. Increased moodiness and nervousness are also negative symptoms. If difficulties arise, a young mother, especially one without experience, should seek advice from a pediatrician or child psychologist.

Common Mistakes

Almost all children are able to achieve their goals through whims and hysterics. During the period when they begin to be weaned from something, they use these skills with success. Against this background, parents often make the following mistakes:

• I feel sorry for the child. He cries and doesn’t want to fall asleep until he is given what he wants. In the end, mom gets tired of this and follows the lead of the little manipulator;
• deception. To spice up the pill, the mother may tell the baby that he can’t eat at night because the food has spoiled and some monster has come and taken it away. Do not do this;
• abrupt cessation of night feeding. Some parents don’t see anything wrong with eliminating night feedings one day - the child will scream and scream and stop. In fact, this is stress for the body, not education. There is no need to do this.

If you doubt anything or your baby’s reaction to innovations seems strange to you, be sure to consult a pediatrician!