How to wean your child off the bottle. How to wean a child from sucking his thumb: reasons and ways to combat the bad habit. Wean a child from breastfeeding 1.5

“How did I wean? I left the child with my parents for three days. Yes, I yelled, but then I calmed down and forgot.”

“And my grandmother advised me to smear my breasts with green stuff so that it wouldn’t taste good to him, so we got over it.”

“Green? Better with mustard - he’ll refuse right away.”

When I decided that it was time to end breastfeeding, I heard a lot of similar advice. But I didn’t like any of them, to put it mildly: a mother and her breasts are not only food for a child, but also comfort, relaxation, and affection. To deprive a child of all this in one fell swoop means to suddenly destroy his familiar world. Who knows how such stress will come back to haunt his nervous system in the future. Therefore, I began to look for methods of weaning that would suit us.

My daughter was about one and a half years old by that time, and she was very attached to the breast. She latched on both day and night (probably, it’s not worth saying that we slept together since birth), she could only be put to bed with the breast, and my daughter finished almost every snack she had with it.

Of course, I was glad to be so useful and necessary for my child, but my life resources began to slowly deplete. If during the day it was not a problem to reach the breast and feed the baby, then I began to get tired from the endless night latch. Once I timed it, and it turned out that the longest period we slept at night without breastfeeding was two hours. And so all night: she turned on the other side - breast, whined - breast, changed the diaper - breast again. My daughter did not perceive either motion sickness or a pacifier at all.

At that time, I read a lot of literature about breastfeeding, and if Soviet publications claimed that breastfeeding should be done for up to a year, then more modern sources, citing WHO, persuaded mothers to feed “as much as the child needs.” That is, until he refuses - or at least until 2-3 years.

My daughter clearly had no intention of refusing, and the prospect of breastfeeding for more than one year did not inspire me at all. By that time, my daughter was eating any food well, the amount of milk in her breasts had decreased greatly, in general, she needed her breasts not so much for food, but for calming or just like that.

I began to experience obvious discomfort, since breastfeeding as a child sometimes began to resemble a bad habit, like chewing gum, and I had not had proper sleep for a very long time. It's time to wind down, I decided. Well, since other people's recommendations did not work for us, I had to develop my own weaning system.

First of all, of course, we tried to curtail daytime applications. It was not very difficult: the inquisitive daughter was well distracted by books, toys and crafts; there were no problems with regular feeding, as I already wrote.

The most difficult thing remained: sleep and nightly attachments. How to remove this “sleep-chest” connection? How to make it clear to a child that sleep is separate and breasts are separate? I once read how one witty dad decided to wean his son off the pacifier by nailing it to the wall in the corner at the level of the child’s mouth. And when the son wanted to suck, she was no longer at his fingertips, but much further away, and he had to go and suck her in the corner, and not in a very comfortable position. He went once, twice, then forgot, and... it turned out that he didn’t really need her anymore.

I decided to do about the same thing. When it was time to go to bed, my daughter and I went not to bed, but to the chair standing on the opposite wall of the room. I sat down in a chair and placed my daughter opposite me. Thus, she had to suckle while standing. Uncomfortable? What can we do, now this is the only way we apply to the breast. Have you eaten? Great. Now with our feet we go to bed and get into bed.

Did you whine? Requested breasts? We get up and go to the chair. I had to repeat this more than once or twice, until my daughter finally went to bed and fell asleep. At night, my girl woke up, as always, several times, but each time, overcoming sleep, she and I got up and went to the chair. There she sucked with eyes closed, she just fell because she wanted to sleep, but I didn’t let her: we eat straight, in an uncomfortable position.

I myself could barely restrain myself, I wanted to sleep so much, I really wanted to breastfeed in bed, but we both had to endure it. During the day and on the second night we laid down the same way, but our daughter woke up only once during the second night. The next night she slept completely. I couldn’t believe it: could we both sleep through the night now? Are just three nights, mind you, without tears or hysterics, enough for my daughter to be able to wean herself?

Of course, these days I tried to pay more attention to the child during the day, and it even seemed to me that she became calmer and more cheerful. Indeed, everything has its time.

Nine years later, I weaned my second daughter in much the same way, with the difference that she was not so tightly attached to the breast, and everything went even easier and faster.

So, my method of weaning may well be suitable for those children who:

• about our age - from a year to a year and a half, maybe a little older;
• we slept with our mother all our lives and fell asleep only with our mother’s breast;
• during the day they can quite easily get distracted and be satisfied with the explanation that “mother’s milk” has run out;
• did not suck a pacifier;
• and whose mothers do not want to continue breastfeeding.

Perhaps my method will not seem too gentle, but, in my opinion, it is much more humane than those cruel options described at the beginning of my story. Many children simply need help to learn to fall asleep on their own and stop accompanying the change of each phase of sleep with sucking.

In conclusion, let me remind you of the generally accepted standards for weaning: do not wean during the heat, not during illness, and not during the ARVI season. Good luck, health and patience to all mothers!

Discussion

Thank you, very useful!

Good afternoon My son is 1.6 years old and is tired of endless night feedings. I was looking for the most humane way to wean and came across your article. I really liked the idea. Eating breasts in an awkward position. Today is the second day that we have been practicing this idea. But the baby absolutely does not want to let the breast out of his mouth. He is ready to sleep standing up, as long as he has a tit in his mouth. What can you recommend? How to separate the concepts of “breast” and “sleep”? During the daytime nap, the child does not fall asleep in this way, eats the breast and runs off to play. At the same time, a minute later he comes running again, whimpering, asking for the breast. Because he wants to sleep. Thanks for the article and thanks in advance for your answer :)

Moms, save me, I’m just in despair!! The baby is 1.5 and I still feed her at bedtime and at night (besides this, she doesn’t breastfeed at all), since she’s a breastfeeder and won’t let me finish... every attempt I make is met with hysterics for several hours... the baby cries avidly, breaks out with hands, beats and everything like that!
Today I decided to try again after reading this article, but again I was hysterical for 3 HOURS! She almost didn’t stop crying, it’s some kind of horror! She gave breastfeeding while sitting on a chair, everything was fine and she was already passing out, but how to go to sleep - again yelling at the whole house.. In the end, I gave up and gave breastfeeding - a minute and a child spmt..well, how the hell is that?! I just can’t do it anymore, I’m tired of not getting enough sleep and tired of enduring biting while teething, I want to finally complete breastfeeding! Who has encountered something like this? What did you do?!

Thank you so much for your magical article, I weaned you according to your example without tears or hysterics!

Hello, very interesting article and coincides with my situation. My 15 month old daughter is just as strongly attached to the breast. I tried to stop daytime feedings for a week, but everything turned out worse than expected. Hysterics, crying and became even more attached to her chest with the fear that she might lose something that is very important to her (((after reading your article I decided to try your method in two weeks.

Hello Lerusha! I searched for a long time and thought about how to wean my daughter from the breast, I accidentally found your article, I was incredibly interested. The situation is exactly the same as yours. And so, without preparing, without tuning in, yesterday I decided to do like you, only we sat on the end of the bed and my daughter ate her breast while standing, fell off her feet and it turns out she fell asleep there. I then put her in bed, is this correct? Today is the second day and I’m already worried about how she will wean herself off feedings before bed...thank you so much in advance!

Thanks a lot! I also thought a lot and didn’t dare to excommunicate, but your method is exactly what I was looking for and now I’ll definitely decide. An excellent idea with inconvenience, but much more humane than abrupt excommunication. Thank you!

Good afternoon! Although the article was written a long time ago, I am grateful to it. Today I carefully and gently curtailed the breastfeeding))) Thank you)) I have a similar situation, after reading and trying the method in two days I weaned my son)) I didn’t expect it myself))

Hello, a year has already passed since the article was published. I hope someone will answer me.
I have exactly the same situation with my one and a half year old daughter. During the day we hardly apply ourselves (sometimes before naps, but not always), but at night from birth we wake up every two hours (sometimes more often). I sleep with my daughter, my husband has been suffering on the couch for a year and a half, he wants to come back :-) I don’t get enough sleep, I’m starting to get tired of these wakefulness.
I really liked the idea, once I decide, we’ll definitely try it standing up.
I just wanted to ask, is it possible to wean only from night-time latching in this way? I would like to continue breastfeeding occasionally, maybe up to two years or more, but the main thing is to stop night feeding. Do you think this is possible, or if you give up, it won’t be at all? Thank you. Lera.

I weaned myself in a year and am happy.

My eldest daughter is already 8 years old. When she was one year and two months old, I urgently needed to go to work. It was very difficult, I went to my parents for a couple of days, and left the child with my husband. It was a nightmare for him and for the child too. When I arrived, my breasts were not giving, the milk had already disappeared, both I and my daughter were crying. It's a terrible thing to give up your breasts.

I read it and laughed until I cried. I have a very similar situation and I tried your method on myself all the time. I'll probably try. Although today I couldn’t stand it anymore and went for a bottle and kefir for the night. If this option does not work, all that remains is the idea “we are eating straight, in an awkward position.” But you have to do it in time during the summer, while the older children don’t go to school, because... I’m afraid they won’t have to sleep these nights either.

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At what age should this be done? We will also learn the advice of experienced mothers on how to wean a child from breastfeeding.

The process of breastfeeding can drag on for years.

Christina, 25 years old: “I think that the optimal age for stopping breastfeeding is somewhere around 1.5 years. My daughter had already started kindergarten at this age, so I decided. We managed it quite easily."

Of course, the ideal time to stop breastfeeding is when the baby refuses his treat on his own, but few mothers wait until this time.

Statistics say that in last years Only 50% of women breastfeed, and most breastfeed for up to 1 year. Only a few retain this invaluable product in the second year.

Signs that baby and mother are ready to wean

1. The child has doubled his weight since birth.
2. Receives all types of complementary foods.
3. A baby can survive without breast milk for 12 hours or more.
4. The child does not suck pacifiers, fingers, or bottles.

In order to wean a child from breastfeeding, there is three ways:

• separation of mother and child;
• medicinal method;
• planned, gradual, soft.

“Soft” weaning method

One of the safest methods from the point of view of maintaining psychological comfort is systematic weaning.

The baby should not be weaned during the following periods: the child is sick, has a fever, the baby is teething, the vaccination period. It is better to wean a child from the breast in the cool season. It should not be taken away in the summer, in hot weather.

How to properly and gradually wean a child from the breast?

1. If you have ruled out these four points, then you can safely prepare for weaning. You should start by refusing one feeding. It’s better for mom to choose which one.

   Distract your baby with games and walks in the fresh air. Include dad and grandma in the weaning process. The child should feel your care and love.

2. Observe your child for three days. As a rule, giving up one feeding is well tolerated by babies.
3. After three days, we switch to giving up two feedings.
4. And so, gradually, we remove all daytime feedings.
5. We’ll talk about avoiding feeding in the evening and at night below.

Do not replace breasts with bottles and nipples. This way you will not get rid of the baby's desire to suck. Use cups and sippy cups.

Take your baby in your arms more often. Don't undress in front of your child.

Natalya, 30 years old:“When I started weaning my baby, I tried to surround her with care. We walked longer, distracted ourselves by playing games.”

Of course, it is more difficult to wean when the child is already over a year old, and he understands a lot. On the one hand, it’s difficult to explain that “you can’t have boobs,” but you can come to an agreement with some kids.

Some mothers smear the nipple with green paint. We can say that mom’s breasts are “sore” and should not be touched. Also, some women cover their nipples with a bandage. I would not recommend this method, since tearing it off is painful and traumatic for the delicate skin of the areola. Not everyone succeeds in weaning with these “cruel” methods.

How to wean your baby at night?

Probably the worst thing for any nursing mother is the problem of how the child will fall asleep without a breast. After all, most children fall asleep while sucking, since this is a very energy-intensive process. How to wean a child from night feedings? Let's consider some tips:

1. Create rituals that will help your child fall asleep - a bedtime story, evening kefir, lights off. You can leave a night light that the baby will specifically choose for himself.
2. Children often love to fall asleep to their mother's lullaby.
3. Give your child a bath before bed. You can use soothing herbs - chamomile, valerian root.
4. You can replace the sucking process with rocking in your arms, pressing it to your chest.
5. Try to place the baby separately in your own crib. When your baby sleeps with you, he smells the milk and will be even more fussy.

If the child begins to eat poorly and has severe problems, then wait a little while weaning. This means that the baby is not yet mature enough for this.

At night, 2 - 3 hours before bedtime, you can feed your baby porridge or give kefir. You sleep better on a full stomach. Weaning at night is a long process, be patient.

A “pill” against human milk or how to quickly wean a child off the breast?

If it is difficult for you to endure for a long time and prepare for gradual weaning, but you want to quickly discourage this habit from your baby, then on the modern market there are medications to suppress lactation in the shortest possible time.

A prominent representative of this group is the drug Dostinex.

Its action is based on reducing the production of the hormone prolactin, which is responsible for milk production. The drug has a selective effect and does not affect other hormones.

Its disadvantage is side effects, which occur in 70% of cases. These are rapid heartbeat, headaches, nausea, vomiting, deterioration in general well-being, and apathy.

This drug is taken ½ tablet at an interval of 12 hours for two days. Courses are used only for the treatment of disorders associated with excessive production of prolactin.

Elena, 25 years old:“I learned how to stop breastfeeding with the help of Dostinex from my gynecologist. 2 months after giving birth I needed to go back to work. One tablet solved my lactation issues. True, she was very strong headache and weakness throughout the body, but it went away in just a couple of days. The milk has disappeared."

Another drug in this series is Bromocriptine. It also reduces the secretion of prolactin and suppresses physiological lactation. Unlike Dostinex, it must be taken in a course. Has more pronounced side effects.

If we compare these drugs from a price position, then Bromocriptine is two times cheaper than Dostinex.

Weaning by separation method

This is one of the less pleasant ways of weaning. It consists of sending the child to live with his grandmother or other relatives for a few days. During this time, the child not only loses his breast, but also does not see his beloved mother. This can cause severe psychological discomfort in the baby and, as a result, stress and hidden resentment towards the mother.

Komarovsky E. O.: “When weaning a child, you can send him to his grandmother for a couple of nights. Nothing wrong with that. This way the baby will learn to fall asleep without the breast. But keep in mind that here you need to look at the degree of attachment of the child to his mother. If you know that your child will not be able to get along with his grandmother and will cry, then it is better not to risk it.”

Of course, weaning is stressful not only for the child, but also for the mother.

A nursing woman may experience breast pain and hardness.

If you notice severe pain in the mammary gland, redness of the parapapillary area, or increased temperature, consult a doctor immediately. Mastitis may be developing.

You can cope with such symptoms in the following way:

• if you feel swelling of the mammary gland, you can express it manually or with a breast pump until the condition eases;
• attach cabbage leaf for a couple of hours, softening it before doing so. It's better if it's cold. This will relieve symptoms;
• you can drink No-shpa or;
• a warm shower will also help in facilitating breast emptying;
• gentle massage of the mammary glands from the base to the nipple.

These symptoms usually occur when lactation is abruptly interrupted. Therefore, a gradual abolition of breastfeeding is recommended.

To prevent a lot of milk from coming in, you don’t need to express often. This should be done only in case of severe pain and swelling of the glands.

Weaning is a complex, multi-step process that requires both mom and dad to be involved. The most important thing is that the child feels your care and love. Do not scold your baby if he cries or is naughty this moment life. Remain calm and the question of how to wean will be resolved soon.

The vast majority of newborns suck their fingers, and, as can be seen in the pictures obtained using ultrasound, even babies in the womb do this.

Such an action is laid down by nature, because the sucking reflex is necessary so that a baby that is barely born can survive and get food - mother’s milk.

For unborn babies, thumb sucking means training. That is why a skilled baby with a trained reflex grabs with his lips everything that touches them.

The sucking reflex is so strong that often a newborn sucks his fingers not only because of hunger, but also in order not to lose an important skill.

The interaction of the facial muscles, trigeminal, vagus and nasopharyngeal nerve trunks during sucking helps to stabilize the central nervous system and activate brain activity.

An important result of this “action” is not only improving the functioning of the central nervous system of a young child, but also evoking such important emotions for him as a feeling of security, calmness and psychological satisfaction.

Why does an older baby suck his thumb?

And if the behavior of a newborn baby can be explained by basic instincts, then why does the child suck his thumb in adulthood? Scientists have identified several main reasons for this behavior:

1. Fist sucking after 6 months can be explained by the fact that the child’s tongue and oral cavity turns into a means of exploring the world around him and obtaining information important for development. The baby puts everything that gets into his hands into his mouth. This applies to toys, blankets, pet tails and, naturally, your own fingers.
2. The obvious reason for baby thumb sucking is hunger. It doesn’t matter whether the baby is breastfed or is fed a special milk formula, sucking is the only way to get food. That is, a baby who puts his fist in his mouth signals to his mother that he is hungry.
3. Excessively early weaning often leads to a situation where the baby sucks thumb. Moreover, a certain pattern can be seen - the shorter the period of natural feeding, the higher the likelihood that the baby will begin to put his fist in his mouth.
4. Another reason for finger sucking is, which is accompanied by pain. To relieve discomfort and “scratch” irritated gums, the child puts into his mouth not only his fingers and fist, but also any other objects located nearby.
5. For the baby, the mother’s breast is a guarantee of security, so he perceives sucking as a way to calm down and feel safe. That is why, in case of any emotional discomfort, alarming situation, or the appearance of a stranger in the house, the child reaches for a finger, as if it were a substitute for the mother’s breast.
6. A 2-year-old child (a little younger or a little older) may suck his thumb due to lack of parental attention. When a child is bored without his mother, he subconsciously puts his finger in his mouth to compensate for the warmth of the mother's body.

There is an opinion that children who receive their mother's breast on demand, without any restrictions, very rarely suck their fingers. This is explained simply: babies satisfy all the basic instincts and the desire to be close to their mother.

Pediatrician Evgeny Komarovsky is convinced that thumb sucking is not a child’s problem, but a mother’s problem. It is parents who worry about this, especially if they hear negative comments from others.

Most often, this habit disappears on its own, unless, of course, it is reinforced due to the wrong actions of mom or dad. . However, stereotypical behavior can also lead to a number of negative consequences:

1. When sucking fingers, various harmful microorganisms and larvae may enter the digestive tract. Of course, this does not happen at 2 months or a little later, when the child spends all his time in the crib. But with the onset of the active period, the baby begins to explore the world, simultaneously pushing not always clean fingers into his mouth.
2. According to many orthodontists, such childhood weakness is fraught with the formation of a malocclusion (the upper front teeth protrude forward) and even problems with the development of speech skills. This is possible if thumb sucking continues after the age of five, when baby teeth begin to fall out.
3. If the habit has passed into senior preschool and even primary school age, then the child will have a hard time because of the ridicule of his peers. And this is already fraught with serious psychological problems and difficulties with adaptation.
4. Fingers also suffer from sucking. The impact of teeth, gum pressure, and constant contact with saliva leads to the appearance of cracks, calluses, abrasions and deformation of nails. Through damaged skin Pathogenic bacteria can enter the blood, resulting in tissue infection and inflammation.

Thus, the ingrained habit of sucking fingers is potentially harmful to the child: both from a hygienic and psychological point of view.

How can we wean a child from this unprofitable addiction? The choice of method will depend on the reason why the baby reaches for his fingers, his age and personality traits.

How to wean a child from thumb sucking?

More recently, there were, one might say, “old-fashioned” methods of getting rid of this negative habit. And still Some well-wishers may advise a worried mother such very ambiguous methods as:

Some parents consider such methods quite effective, while others point out their cruelty. For example, mustard can harm the oral mucosa.

Such restrictive measures often end in a relapse into a bad habit. As soon as parents stop tying their hands or lubricating their fingers with something bitter, the baby begins to suck even more intensely in order to calm down and restore a positive psychological attitude.

Parents should choose the most painless method for eliminating negative attachments. The most reasonable and obvious step is to find and eliminate the root cause why the baby sucks his fingers.

Up to 2 years

Usually, by the beginning of the second year of life, the sucking reflex fades away on its own. However, due to the dissatisfaction of the basic instinct in infancy, thumb sucking can become a habit. The rules for getting rid of addiction will depend on the way the child is fed.

If a baby feeding on mother's milk additionally sucks a finger, the mother, first of all, should make sure how correctly she has established the feeding of the baby. Most likely, the reason is very simple - the baby is hungry and demands his mother's breast. What to do?

1. Try increasing the duration of feeding. Let the baby stay at the breast for more than half an hour. In this case, the sucking baby will be full and satisfy basic instincts.
2. If you give your baby both breasts at one meal, try offering them at regular intervals. That is, the second breast is given only after the baby has suckled the first for 25 minutes.
3. There is no need to worry that your child will overeat. No matter how long he stays near his mother’s breast, he will take the amount of milk that is necessary for complete saturation.
4. If your baby gets distracted by something while feeding, there is no need to cut the meal short. Wait a little, and the baby will return to his mother’s breast on his own.

If possible, wind down the feeding process gradually. At first you need to reduce the number of daytime feedings, and only then move on to night feedings. This will allow the baby to experience weaning more calmly.

If the child is an artificial person, then weaning off a bad habit will be done in slightly different ways. In the case of IV, children are fed according to a certain schedule, and a portion of the formula is dosed. What to do in such a situation?

If your baby is teething, you need to purchase a high-quality teether with an additional cooling element. This device will help the child give up his fingers.

In general, expert advice regarding the habit of sucking fingers at this age comes down to satisfying the sucking reflex. Mother's breasts, a bottle with formula, or an orthodontic pacifier can come to the rescue.

From 2 to 5 years

When a baby is 2 or 3 years old, the factors that cause him to suck his thumb are no longer associated with reflexive behavior. The psychological causes of obsessive behavior are at the forefront.

Among the main reasons for the formation of a bad habit or its return, experts identify the following “catalysts”:

• dysfunctional family environment;
• strict parenting methods;
• lack of mother's attention;
• problems getting used to kindergarten;
• psycho-emotional overload;
• fears.

Before moving on to solving the problem, you need to establish its true cause. You can do this yourself by analyzing your own and your child’s behavior, or you can contact a specialist who will also tell you how to wean your baby from thumb sucking. General recommendations are:

1. Pay more attention to your child. Read books, communicate, engage in outdoor games, play a small ball more often to keep children's fingers occupied. In general, give your child warmth and a feeling of security.
2. Reduce emotional or intellectual stress. This is especially true for those mothers who are passionate about the idea of ​​early education for their children. Another rule - refuse the load in evening time, instead of games, introduce a bathing ritual.
3. Closer to the age of five, children develop various fears and phobias: fear of the dark, monsters, fairy-tale characters. An impressionable child strives to suck his finger and calm down. It is better to combat this reason with the help of psychologists.
4. Avoid punishment, especially corporal punishment. Three-year-old children are already able to explain the reason for their behavior. In turn, they can also be told why thumb sucking is ugly and unhygienic.

If you have spent a lot of effort and positive result have not achieved it, you should contact a psychologist or psychotherapist. A specialist will help you cope with an intractable problem.

From 5 years and older

If a child sucks his thumb even after the age of five, parents should be wary. In most cases, such a habit indicates serious psychological problems that require professional intervention.

Thus, some cases of thumb sucking among schoolchildren and adolescence are a manifestation of obsessive-compulsive neurosis that occurs for physiological and psychological reasons (for example, due to severe stress).

To make sure that a bad habit is a symptom of this disorder, you need to pay attention to other signs. Thus, a child sucking his finger may demonstrate:

• winding hair around a finger or pulling out curls;
• biting nails or, for example, pencils;
• scratching or pinching the skin;
• obsessive cough.

Older schoolchildren often demonstrate obsessive thoughts, various ritual actions, high anxiety, various fears, and depressive mood.

Naturally, to make or exclude such a diagnosis, you need to contact a neurologist or psychiatrist. The specialist will prescribe the necessary medications and psychotherapeutic procedures - play, cognitive or art therapy.

Parents in such a situation should follow the following recommendations from specialists:

• provide a comfortable home environment;
• prevent emotional and intellectual stress, so as not to aggravate the course of the disease;
• refuse to sharpen children's attention thumb sucking and other obsessive actions;
• track every change in children's behavior.

Of course, you shouldn’t scold your child for such addictions. Punishment will only intensify the manifestation of negative symptoms and lengthen the recovery period.

As a conclusion

You need to unlearn this bad habit, but if nothing works, then you should stop and take a breath. Thumb sucking is, of course, a worrying sign that requires an adult response. However, it cannot be considered a disaster.

The choice of the preferred method will depend on several factors, including the age of the child and the cause of the negative addiction. It is better to abandon harsh methods such as smearing mustard on your fingers or tying your hands.

Thus, the process of weaning off the habit of thumb sucking can take a long time. And yet there is no need to despair. The mother needs to gain strength and patience, and the baby will definitely very soon give up the idea of ​​putting his fist in his mouth.

How long should you breastfeed? - ask many mothers who are confused in conflicting information. The entire first year? Or when the child turns 1.5 years old? Or can I stop when my teeth start cutting? From this article you will learn how much to breastfeed and how to wean your baby from breastfeeding.

How to wean a child from breastfeeding at 1.5 years old?

If your baby is 1.5 years old and you want to wean him off breastfeeding, then start this process with the feeding during which you already accumulate the least amount of milk.

How to wean a 1.5-year-old child from feeding at night?

• Let your baby drink from a bottle or eat from a spoon first, and then offer him the breast. This way he will drink a little, and the amount of milk you produce will gradually decrease.
• To completely give up one breastfeeding, you need to set aside time of 5-7 days.
• Then gradually replace another breastfeeding.
• This way you can completely wean your baby off the breast in about three weeks - unless you still want to maintain morning and evening feedings.

Stress during weaning

Several activities will help you reduce stress when weaning your child from breastfeeding at 1.5 years:

1. Drink less than usual, and certainly not tea, which stimulates milk production.
2. Wear a tight bra and pull the straps tight to lift your breasts.
3. If your breasts hurt, you can make a cold cottage cheese compress, which will also prevent inflammation: low-fat cottage cheese is spread on a gauze film in a finger-thick layer, applied to the chest and covered with a terry towel. After half an hour of the compress, its remnants are washed off with warm water.
4. Do not pump the milk during this time, as this will stimulate milk production.
5. Hormonal weaning pills create stress in the circulatory cycle; It's better to do without them.

Sometimes you have to wean your baby off breastfeeding very quickly: illness or the urgent need to travel forces you to stop breastfeeding in a few days. Here you will need to ask the female doctor to prescribe special medications for this purpose, so that the amount of milk quickly decreases and there is no stagnation, which causes pain and can even turn into mastitis.

Attention! This remedy may cause tension in the circulatory cycle.

When should you wean your baby off breastfeeding?

The word "sucker" comes from the word "to suck." Indeed, until the 5th - 6th month, infants can receive nutrition only by sucking. When you are already in the third month trying to feed your baby with a spoon, you have to spread the porridge evenly in your mouth, as a mason does with a trowel in the seams of brickwork. However, your baby cannot yet be called a “spoon-eater.”

So, they start feeding the baby porridge from a spoon in the fifth month (20th week) or only in the sixth. At the same time, the baby should extend his mouth towards him and proudly accept the food, chew it and swallow. However, now, one after another, breastfeeding of the child is replaced by porridge. And finally, the day comes when the baby weans himself - usually around the 10th - 12th month. After that he drinks only from a cup. Few mothers achieve such a self-regulated end to breastfeeding.

The benefits of breast milk for the functioning of the intestines and metabolic system, as well as for strengthening the defense against infections (immunity), persist until approximately the end of the fifth or sixth month. But even then this is often not achieved in other ways. In general, we can say: every day at the breast, which the child still gets, is good for his health.

Almost every child goes through a stage where they fight and it's wrong. This period can begin suddenly; yesterday the baby was a kind boy, but today he fights with all the children and swings at his parents, and sometimes he can hit. And the most unpleasant thing is that parents do not understand how to cope with such a problem and a number of understandable questions arise.

It is often difficult to explain to a child aged 1.5-2 years that fighting is not allowed. Is this a problem for the whole family? Should this aggressiveness be removed? You need to panic at the moment when this is not the case, since the child learns to protect himself this way. But at the same time, aggressiveness should be in moderation.

The next stage for the baby will be the ability to control his emotions, but the help of parents in this matter is necessary. But at the same time, not all parents can come to this, for some it is difficult and they give up, just once again, without explaining to the child, but punishing him, putting him in a corner. It is at this moment that it is better to just talk and explain, even to small children.

Often, many psychologists say that a child under the age of three reacts poorly to words and perceives only the reaction of an adult. This means that the parents’ behavior must be correct.

So, when a baby hits an adult or pinches him, then effective way make a serious and unhappy face, move away from the child, if he is in your arms, then lower him to the floor. In this case, any emotion in the form of a smile is completely excluded, since the baby will think that he is making his parents laugh and will do it often.

You need to look at the baby carefully and say in a stern voice, “Baby, you can’t fight!” You can say different words, but the phrase is short. Since long explanations are not yet understandable for a child aged 1.5 to 2 years. But this does not mean that the baby will understand everything, there will be tears, but do not calm down right away, let the understanding of the wrong action come; 2 minutes is enough for this.

After calming down, you will have to start explaining again that you can’t beat mom and dad, this process is complex and requires patience and attention from mom and dad. But everyone knows perfectly well that the process of education is not an easy task and must be correct. Simply hitting back and putting him in a corner is wrong and you won’t be able to come to a solution to the problem with such a question. In any process of raising children, the most important thing is communication and explanation; other methods will not lead to a good result.

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