Children’s habit of drinking milk at night will make many mothers tired and have to work hard because they have to stay up late and negatively affect their children’s sleep. So when is the right time to wean your baby at night, and how to wean to affect the baby’s nutritional intake. Let’s learn in detail tips on how to night wean your baby!
At what stage can you night wean your baby?
There are many different times to wean your baby. Wean your baby at night, especially when the baby is 4 to 6 months old. When the amount of calories provided during the day has provided enough energy for the body, the baby will not need to wake up, not at night because
Therefore, mothers can start weaning their babies from 4 – 6 months old. At this stage, babies mainly wake up to ask for food out of habit, rather than waking up at night due to hunger. Furthermore, this is also the period when children start teething, catch colds, etc. At the same time, mothers have to return to work after spending time at home taking care of their children.
In case the mother often lacks sleep due to taking care of the baby who wakes up at night to breastfeed, she should think about weaning the baby from night feeding as soon as possible so that the baby gradually adapts to this change. On the contrary, if the mother likes to breastfeed the baby at night without affecting the health, then the mother can keep this habit for the baby.
However, night weaning for the baby is a long-term process, at this time the mother needs to be calm and take it step by step because the baby needs some time to adapt to this change.
Skipping feedings or shortening the baby’s feeding time
Moms only feeding their babies when they want is the first step in how to wean your baby. If you are breastfeeding your baby every day, keep track of your baby’s feeding schedule. This will be one of the ways to naturally wean your baby.
To wean the baby properly, the mother should not suddenly stop breastfeeding but need to plan for the baby to skip breastfeeding or shorten the breastfeeding time.
Reduce the frequency of breastfeeding by:
- Limit the number of times you breastfeed and do not breastfeed your baby in public places;
- Each time the baby is not breastfed, the mother should pay attention and play with the baby for 15 minutes continuously so that the baby forgets about her feeding;
- Time your baby’s feeding by counting to 10, or feed your baby for as long as it takes for the mother to sing a song;
- Reduce the number of feedings, such as the number of feedings before going to bed, before waking up, and before taking a nap, will be gradually reduced;
Increase baby’s weaning meals
Moms can do this in 2 ways:
- Prepare and add delicious meals for your baby: Besides applying weaning tips for your baby, mothers can prepare many delicious and nutritious dishes such as corn, duck, pig brain, potatoes, etc. for their baby. At the same time, increase the number of snacks so that the baby no longer feels uncomfortable, thereby reducing the frequency of asking for breast milk.
- Help your baby enjoy delicious foods before feeding: Feed your baby delicious meals before they ask for milk. At the same time, mothers also need to make sure they have prepared food and drinks available. Therefore, the baby will not have to wait for food or not be breastfed.
A pacifier can be used to wean the baby at night. Therefore, mothers can use pacifiers to deceive their baby’s appetite;
According to research published on PubMed in 1997: Pacifiers can be an effective way to wean babies, but often work well for mothers who have difficulty feeding their babies.
Thanks support from family members
If the mother is the one taking care of the baby at night, the smell of the mother’s body or milk will make the baby want to breastfeed. Therefore, the mother can seek help from relatives, by contacting other people in the family so that the baby will not depend too much on the mother. From there, it makes the baby forget to breastfeed at night.
In addition, playing around will make the baby forget to breastfeed.I fell asleep without having to breastfeed. In short, the way to night wean your baby is that mothers can skip feedings or shorten the feeding time, and increase the baby’s weaning meals
Some notes when night weaning your baby
Besides the benefits, night weaning will greatly affect the baby’s psychology and health if not done properly. Therefore, mothers need to pay attention to the following things:
Do not wean when the baby is having health problems. digestive disorders and can easily cause malnutrition. In particular, you absolutely should not wean at night when your baby is having health problems or infections.
When the baby is teething or has a fever, the mother should not wean at night because the change makes it difficult for the baby to adapt, causing anorexia, rickets, malnutrition, etc. style=”text-align: justify;”>Weaning your baby at night will make the mother worry when the baby is crying, but the mother should still stay calm and persevere to take it step by step. Pay attention to your child’s preferences, then prepare dishes that suit your child’s taste, and regularly change dishes so that your child can eat more.
Monitor your baby’s development
Mothers should meticulously monitor the baby’s weight development during the night milk period. In case you see your baby gaining weight slowly or not, you must pay attention to adjusting to a different diet that is more suitable for your baby.
The most important thing is to approach the weaning process slowly and gently. Remember, your baby is too young to discipline him harshly. Always remember to make everything comfortable and close so that your baby doesn’t get stressed.
This article sharing about how to night wean your baby will help your baby get rid of the habit of drinking milk at night. However, you need to be determined and meticulous to help your baby successfully wean at night without affecting your quality of life!
Kim Dung
