What is the best time to wean your baby?

Families with babies always worry that their children’s food is not nutritious, or that the nutrition does not meet the baby’s growth needs, and they worry that their babies will be weaker than other families’. Mothers all know that breast milk is the best source of nutrition for babies. Nothing can beat breastfeeding. Breastfeeding babies can improve their immunity and help them grow healthily. In families that practice breastfeeding, mothers all want their babies to grow better, but they usually don’t know when or in which months it is best to wean their babies. The following is an explanation of this issue.

When is the best time and season to wean your baby?

It is best to wean a child when he is 10 months old, and no later than one year old. Although breast milk is rich in nutrients, the nutritional requirements of children change as they grow and develop. At the same time, the quality of breast milk is gradually declining, and the nutritional needs of breast milk alone can no longer meet the growth and development needs of children. Moreover, if weaning is not done in time, the child will get used to breast milk, and his or her attachment to breast milk will become stronger and stronger, and he or she will be unwilling to eat complementary foods. This will cause the child to suffer from malnutrition and is not conducive to his or her growth and development. Likewise, it is not good for the mother’s health. Breastfeeding consumes a lot of nutrition and energy for mothers. 60% of the nutrients a mother takes in from her diet are converted into breast milk. Breastfeeding day and night makes it difficult for her to get a good rest, especially during the breastfeeding period. Endocrine disorders are prone to occur, leading to menstrual disorders.

Generally speaking, it is more appropriate to wean in autumn. The climate in autumn is pleasant, and it is the peak season for fruits. There is also an abundant supply of various supplementary foods, which is conducive to weaning children. Never wean your baby in the summer. The weather is extremely hot in the summer, and the child's digestive function declines. In addition, they sweat a lot and consume a lot of physical energy. Food is easy to spoil, and the child is prone to diarrhea, indigestion, and severe cases may cause dehydration.

Why is it not advisable to wean in winter and summer?

Breast milk is the best food for babies. However, as babies grow older, they need more and more nutrition, but breast milk becomes thinner day by day. Even adding some complementary foods cannot meet all the needs of babies. If you continue breastfeeding, the child often does not like to eat other foods, making the child often in a semi-starved state. Therefore, weaning is necessary to be beneficial to the baby's growth and development. Generally, children should be weaned when they are about 10 months old.

However, weaning is best done in spring and autumn, avoiding cold winters and hot summers. Because winter is the time when respiratory infectious diseases occur and spread, and summer is the season when gastrointestinal diseases are prevalent, weaning during these times changes the child's eating habits and makes him or her prone to illness. Sickness will affect the baby's appetite, greatly reducing the amount of food intake and damaging their health.

Generally, babies can be weaned between 8 and 10 months, but weaning needs to be done slowly. The healthy growth of babies requires the supplementation of various nutrients. Therefore, gradually adding complementary foods until a smooth transition to normal food is an inevitable process. However, when it comes to grasping the timing of weaning, young mothers often act too hastily and wean their babies hastily, which in turn causes a sharp drop in the baby's appetite. We know that babies have a very keen sense of taste and are very picky about food, especially babies who are accustomed to breastfeeding, who often reject the temptation of other milks. Therefore, the baby's weaning should be done as naturally and gradually as possible. Even when he reaches the age of weaning, you should create a process for him to slowly adapt and never force it. The correct approach is: appropriately extend the weaning time, reduce the number of feedings as appropriate, and gradually increase the variety and quantity of complementary foods. As long as young mothers adjust the baby's feeding properly, I believe the babies can successfully pass the difficult stage of "weaning".

The weaning time for babies is different in different months and seasons, and the physical condition of each baby is different from that of the mothers. Just like some mothers have milk after giving birth, some mothers have no breast milk and can only choose to feed with formula. These are all determined according to the mothers' own physical conditions. Mothers should not be reluctant to lend milk to their babies, because after a certain month, the nutritional content of the mother's breast milk can no longer meet the baby's development needs. At this time, it is necessary to choose to wean the baby. Mothers should pay attention to the time of weaning.