What are the methods of weaning children?

Everyone knows that newborn babies usually grow up by drinking breast milk from their new mothers. When babies reach a certain stage of breastfeeding, they may need to be weaned due to the new mothers' work or life reasons. There are many babies who are very dependent on breast milk and refuse to drink formula when they are weaned. Some even more naughty babies will not fall asleep without breast milk, which causes great trouble to many new mothers. Everyone knows that it is a better approach to wean babies naturally. So what are the methods of weaning children? The following is a detailed introduction.

Weaning is a very important period for babies and a major turning point in their lives. Weaning is not just a change in food variety and feeding methods, but more importantly, it has an important impact on the baby's psychological development.

What are the methods of weaning children?

While sucking milk, the baby is constantly communicating emotionally with the mother and gaining maternal love, which has an important impact on the baby's physical and mental development. If the weaning method is inappropriate, not only will the baby find it difficult to adapt psychologically, but it will also have a negative impact on the baby's physical health. The weaning method of applying pepper, ink, mercurochrome, gentian violet or coptis water on nipples is not advisable and will cause great psychological harm to the baby. As a result, the baby may cry, feel fearful, or feel uneasy, or try to get comfort by sucking handkerchiefs, quilts, and mother's clothes, and may even develop abnormal behaviors that are difficult to correct in the future.

First, psychologically, parents should view weaning as a natural process. When babies are interested in the taste of food other than breast milk, they should be induced and reinforced with appropriate language so that they will be encouraged and praised, feel happy, and psychologically regard weaning as a natural process. At the same time, other relatives at home should consciously interact more with the baby, such as: taking the baby to the park, getting in touch with nature, broadening his horizons, playing games with the baby, making the baby feel that everyone around him loves him, plays with him, makes him happy, and has a sense of security and trust.

Secondly, weaning should be completed when the baby is between 1 and 2 years old. Start by reducing the number of breastfeeding times during the day, and gradually transition to nighttime feedings. You can gradually replace breast milk with cow's milk or formula milk, and breastfeeding should be completely weaned by the age of 2 at the latest. But still need to give milk 1-2 times a day. During this period, the baby goes from toddling to walking and playing freely. The baby's range of activities gradually expands, his interests gradually increase, and the contact time with the mother gradually decreases. Helps with weaning.

Again, when weaning, do not let the baby see or touch the mother's nipple. When your baby sees other babies drinking breast milk, tell him/her "You are grown up now. The other babies are drinking your mother's milk, and you don't need it anymore." The mother should not avoid the baby during the weaning period. She should play games that the baby is interested in and divert the baby's attention. Especially when the baby is crying, parents and family members must help comfort the baby and give the baby more care. Never be impatient or scold the baby. During weaning, the mother and baby should not be separated, as this will cause psychological pain to the baby. Also, once weaned, do not allow your baby to continue breastfeeding.

The timing of weaning your child:

Breast milk is the best food for babies. However, as the baby grows and develops, after 4-6 months, breast milk can no longer fully meet the baby's growth and development needs. Adding complementary foods at the right time is very important for the growth and development of infants. The types and quantities of complementary foods should also increase as the baby's age increases. Someone has done a rough statistics. In the early stage of adding complementary foods, the calories provided by complementary foods account for about 10% of the calories provided by all foods; in the middle stage of adding complementary foods, when the baby is 8-9 months old, the calories provided by complementary foods account for about half of the calories of all foods; in the late stage of infancy, at 11-12 months, the calories provided by complementary foods account for more than 60% of the calories of all foods. At this time, the appropriate conditions are in place to wean the baby from breastfeeding. In the early stages of weaning, you can gradually reduce the frequency of breastfeeding while adding complementary foods, and gradually transition to complete weaning. If you encounter a hot summer, sudden weaning may affect the baby's digestion and absorption and cause digestive tract diseases. The weaning time can be postponed to the cool autumn. In addition, do not wean your baby when he is sick. You can start weaning 2-3 weeks after he recovers, and no later than 2 years old.

The best time to wean a child is generally around 10 months, and complete weaning usually takes around 12 months. It is recommended that new mothers choose to wean their babies naturally. Everyone has a good understanding of the methods of weaning a child. It is recommended that weaning should also be done in a cooler season such as spring or autumn. In this way, the child will be able to adapt more easily and be able to wean naturally faster. New mothers should not be too anxious to wean their children, just take it slowly.