A newborn baby and sleepless nights are almost inseparable concepts. But if during the day the excellent crumb appetite, which requires feeding every 2-3 hours, causes emotion for the mother, then at the late time of the day, frequent feeding of the baby does not bring her such joy. Every woman, regardless of age, gets tired physically, and to restore strength she needs a good night's rest. Therefore, it’s completely natural for mom to ask when the baby stops eating at night. We will talk about this in our article, and also dwell on how to wean a baby from waking up and how to bring his daily routine back to normal.
How many newborns sleep at night?
Each child is an individual with its own biorhythms and needs. From the first days of life, children sleep differently. One child wakes up only between feedings, the second has to be woken up independently every 4 hours, and the third prefers to stay awake most of the night or doze in his mother’s arms. We are talking about those kids who messed up day and night.
As they grow older, the child’s sleep becomes stronger, and, in theory, he should wake up less and less. But parents' expectations do not always coincide with reality. In this regard, we can conditionally distinguish the following groups of children:
- The child sleeps stably all night. This small group includes babies who have a healthy sleep since birth. Even for feeding in the first days of life they have to be woken up.
- The baby wakes up 1-2 times to feed. Most children wake up at night to satisfy their hunger and sucking reflexes, and then fall asleep safely until morning.
- A child wakes up at night more than two times. This group includes babies who are keenly responsive to extraneous sounds and movements of their own body. To make the dream deeper, it is recommended to swaddle such children.
- The child practically does not sleep all night. Such children for various reasons sleep in fits of 1-2 hours. First, they are tormented by colic, then cutting teeth, etc. Parents of such babies are most concerned about the question of when the baby stops waking up to feed at night.
The need for food in babies
Regardless of what kind of feeding the baby is (natural or artificial), in the first months of his life he needs food at least every 4 hours, or even 1.5-2. His growing body feels the need for food, the satisfaction of which is required not only during the day, but also at night. However, the accumulated fatigue signals his mother only that it will never end. A woman wants to know only one thing: at what age do children stop eating at night? It should be assured that this will come very soon, as the baby grows older. In the meantime, mom should be reassured that the frequent attachment of the baby to the breast is a great way to stimulate lactation.
For children on artificial feeding, nighttime snacks are no less important. This is the key to a sound and restful sleep, which is necessary for the health of the nervous system. That is why it is too early to wean a child from late feedings.
What time do children stop eating at night?
Late feedings exhaust mom. With natural nutrition, she needs to put the baby to her chest several times, and then put him back in the crib. With artificial feeding, and even worse - get up, go to the kitchen, prepare the mixture and feed the baby. Therefore, the opinion of pediatricians regarding how many months a child stops eating at night is very important for them.
Most doctors believe that a six-month-old baby can do without late feedings. So, if at three months he wakes up to eat 2-3 times, then closer to 6 months the number of meals is reduced to one. Half a year is precisely that milestone when you can completely refuse feeding at night.
All of the above applies more to babies who are breast-fed. As for the artificers, as a rule, they wake up even less often, since the milk mixture is digested longer. If such a child wakes up more than three times a night, you need to check what causes him sleep disturbances.
Can I feed my baby in the crib?
Many parents try to solve the problem of lack of sleep by the fact that when the baby has already learned to hold the bottle, they leave it next to him in the crib. If the child wakes up in the middle of the night, he will be able to eat on his own, without disturbing his parents.
At first glance, this is an ideal way out of this situation. But it is absolutely impossible to do so. The fact is that a child can inadvertently remove a nipple from a bottle, fail to roll over and choke. In addition, subsequently the baby will have to wean already from feeding at night from a bottle. If, according to the parents, the child wakes up in order to satisfy the sucking reflex, it is better to offer him a dummy.
When a child stops eating at night: arguments of psychologists and pediatricians
According to children's doctors, the baby from night feedings should be gradually weaned. Most pediatricians recommend doing this after the child is 1 year old. Some particularly strict doctors advise parents to be persistent in this matter. In their opinion, it is not necessary to approach the crib for at least half an hour, even if at this time the baby will cry and ask for food.
Psychologists disagree with pediatricians on the issue of when a child stops eating at night. They recommend weaning the baby from feeding after two years of age. In their opinion, the one-year-old baby is still not old enough for this and needs bodily contact with his mother.
From the point of view of physiology, babies who are already 7 months old may well do without food for up to 6 hours. Moreover, if the child is not hungry, and they are trying to feed him, this will not lead to anything good. It is at this age that it is recommended that you gradually wean the baby at night. But do not rush, so as not to harm the mental health of the child.
How to determine that the baby is ready to give up meals at night?
Each child develops according to his individual schedule. And the children's food needs are different. And it is possible to determine when the child will stop eating at night, when he is ready to refuse feeding, by the following signs:
- complementary foods introduced, food has become full and varied;
- the number of attachments to the chest and the requirements of the bottle during the day decreased significantly;
- the baby does not have health problems;
- the child is gaining weight well;
- at night the baby wakes up at the same time;
- the night portion of the baby eats up to the end.
The last two signs directly indicate that the awakenings for the baby have become a habit, and it will be easy to part with it.
How to wean a child from night feedings?
You can offer several effective ways to painlessly solve this problem:
- Offer crumbs instead of breasts or bottles of milk with plain water. Perhaps the child woke up because he wanted to drink. But do not give him juice or compote.
- Increase the number of daily feedings so that the baby falls asleep full and wakes up less at night. It is recommended that you give your child milk porridge or vegetables for dinner, but not meat that is digested quite hard.
- When a child stops eating at night, he needs additional care from his mother. That is why, despite the household chores, you should pay more attention to the baby during the day so that he does not feel lonely.
- To provide the child with a good night's sleep with high physical activity in the daytime. During a walk in the fresh air, you can offer the baby to play outdoor games. Riding in the afternoon, the baby will sleep better at night.
Organization of crumbs daily routine
The need for food at night after one year of age turns into a bad habit. You can get rid of it by strictly observing the daily daily routine:
- Meals during the daytime should be organized at the same time.
- No need to force the child to sleep during the day longer than the prescribed time. A one-year-old baby should rest twice or once a day for a total of 2-3 hours. Otherwise, his sleep at night will not be so strong.
- Outdoor walks are a must for children. Thanks to them, the healthy development of the child, excellent appetite and good sleep are ensured.
Opinion of Dr. Komarovsky
From the statements of the pediatrician about the problem it follows: that the child rarely wakes up at night, you need to properly organize the feeding system. Perhaps at 6 months it will be difficult to completely wean a child from eating at night, but it will be quite realistic to reduce the number of meals from 3 to 1. According to the doctor, the answer to the question of when the child stops eating at night depends entirely on the parents.
The doctor advises to organize the regimen of the day so as to bathe the child in cool water at about 23 pm. After this, the baby should be fed tightly and put to bed. The pediatrician guarantees that in this case the child’s sleep will be sound. A lot depends on the air in the children's room. If the room is cool and humid, the sleep will be deeper, and if the air is warm and dry, then children often wake up with a feeling of thirst. To optimize the temperature in the room you need first of all.