Ready or not ready? How do you know when it's time to wean your baby? How to determine the readiness of the baby to switch to adult food? And what to do if the baby is still not ready to give up breast milk.
Breast milk is the best food for babies, but after a while mom starts to feel tired and decides to finish feeding. How to determine if the baby is ready to give up breast, and if weaning will be a big stress for the baby?
Baby wakes up for night feeds
Many babies between 6 and 9 months of age wake up at night to eat, and for some, night feeds can last up to 1.5 to 2 years. In some babies, the digestive system develops quickly, in others a little slower - and this is normal. If the baby wakes up at night to eat, then weaning will not solve this problem in any way: you still have to get up at night and feed with formula. So is it worth the hurry?
The baby has no food interest
Usually, food interest awakens in children aged 6 - 9 months. But if the baby does not react in any way to adult food, does not try to taste something from your plate, then it is too early to stop breastfeeding. In this case, it is better for the child to continue to receive all the nutrients and calories with mother's milk.
The child cannot take food on his own
Pediatricians and psychologists define this symptom as the most important: if the baby is not ready to hold food with his hands and send it into his mouth on his own, then he is not yet ready to give up breastfeeding. This means that the neural connections in the brain, which are responsible for the emergence of eating habits in the child, have not finally formed, and you need to wait some more time.
The kid does not want to eat healthy food
Even if the child eats baby cookies on his own and with great pleasure, this does not mean that he is ready to give up mother's milk. In order to grow and develop well, the child's nutrition must be healthy and balanced, include proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Does the kid not want to eat meat or vegetables? This means that he is not yet ready for good nutrition, and there is no need to rush to complete breastfeeding.
Digestive problems when switching to regular food
Breast milk is easy to digest, and when a baby starts eating an adult food, troubles such as stomach pain or allergic reactions may occur. In such situations, it is better not to wean the baby, but gradually introduce new foods into his diet and monitor the body's response.
The kid drinks very little
Before weaning, the baby should be taught to drink water and other fluids. When breastfeeding a baby, you do not need to add some water, because it is contained in the milk itself. At the end of GW, the balance of water and food should not be disturbed, otherwise the child will suffer from a lack of fluid in the body.
A child does not eat without a mother
Mom not only feeds the baby - she is a source of affection, warmth and protection for him. If a child refuses to eat without a mother, even when he is offered a bottle of breast milk, then you should not rush to complete breastfeeding. Of course, after a long hunger strike, the baby will still start to eat, but is it worth weaning him from the breast with such cruel methods?
The child is not yet a year old
It may seem to you that the baby has begun to lose interest in hepatitis B and is ready to switch to adult food, but until he is one year old, you still should not give up breast milk. Loss of interest in HV in a child can be the next phase of his development, when all the child's attention is focused on another, important activity for him. Or it could be a reaction to teething. According to doctors, breast milk is the best food for babies under one year old.
Severe teething
Some children eat little and reluctantly when teething. Others, on the contrary, are ready to hang on their mother's breasts for days. In either case, the cessation of breastfeeding can negatively affect the condition of the child: he is already experiencing stress from teething, and his mother's chest is a kind of consolation for him.
The kid is sick
It is easier for a child to tolerate any disease by receiving antibodies from the mother's breast milk. While the baby is sick, do not stop breastfeeding. You can think about this later - when the child is completely healthy.
Well, and most importantly, the mother will always feel when her child is ready to give up breastfeeding. And she will not need any advice from doctors, grandmothers or girlfriends. If mom understands that the time has come, then it really has come. There is no need to rush anywhere, no need to explain anything to anyone or make excuses. After all, the duration of breastfeeding concerns only you and your baby.
