How to wean a child from a bottle: note to parents

In the life of young parents there comes a period when it is necessary to wean the baby from the bottle. After all, a grown-up child already lacks those useful substances that are contained in the mixture. This means that a more saturated, enriched with vitamins food is required that will satisfy the needs of the baby.

It is necessary to teach a child to eat from a spoon and drink from a cup. But it’s hard to do it right away. The baby will begin to act up, cry, demand her own bottle. It is important for mother to know when to start weaning a child from her favorite accessory and how to do it so as not to harm the psyche and health of the child.

When it is recommended to wean a baby from a bottle

There is no specific age at which to begin to wean a child from a bottle and teach him to independently hold a spoon or cup in his hand. Doctors recommend this, depending on the individual psychological and physiological abilities of the baby.

For each child, the period of weaning from a favorite accessory begins at a certain time. Mom only needs to identify the moment of readiness of her baby for a new vital step.

1. If the baby sits freely, is able to hold a spoon or a mug in his hand, then this is a signal to mom about her readiness for change. According to physiology, a child can behave this way by 10-12 months. It is from this age that it is worth trying to select the favorite accessory of infancy.
2. There is a psychological moment when the baby does not suckle, but constantly requires a bottle or a dummy. So he calms down, which makes him vulnerable. In this case, you need to select your favorite accessory gradually, offering the child an alternative solution to calm down. This most often happens by 1.5-2 years. However, this does not mean that until one and a half or two years, the baby should eat only a mixture from a bottle. By two years, only sucking at night remains.
3. There are force majeure circumstances when you need to urgently wean the bottle, without waiting for the baby to be ready. This can be a trip where there is no way to take care of the cleanliness, sterility of a baby’s favorite accessory, and there are also no conditions for diluting the mixture.
4. Some mothers do not consider it necessary to take their favorite accessory from the baby: the time will come, the child will refuse. This is the simplest solution, but the wrong one. The role of social pressure is great here. A two-year-old child with a bottle in his mouth will not receive approval or encouragement from others.

Important!
Parents take the bottle away from the baby, not paying attention to screams, cries, demands. After 2-3 days, the child begins to calm down and gradually forgets about his favorite subject of infancy.

If the parent cannot stand the baby’s crying and whims and returns the bottle right away, then the child takes advantage of this. It will be much more difficult to wean such a baby and the process can drag on for a long time.

How can wean a baby from a bottle

1. You can not abruptly take away from a baby his favorite infant accessory. The child must calmly, without screaming and crying, endure this important moment in his life. It is forbidden to threaten, shout at the baby, defiantly throw the bottle away or hide and do not give it away.
2. You can’t take a bottle during periods of big family changes. The process of parting with an infant accessory should proceed in a calm environment. It is not recommended to do this if the parents get divorced, the family moves, or a second child is born.
3. At lunchtime, you should not give the baby a bottle. Let him eat from a bowl and drink from a mug.The last thing to go is sucking at night.
4. You should use a special mug - a nipple-spill. In its form, it looks like a bottle. By the principle of extracting the contents, it resembles a cup. On sale there are many different options for such cups: with and without handles, with a “nose” made of plastic or rubber. The effect of the drinker also lies in its bright color, attracting the attention of the baby.
5. They create all the conditions so that the baby understands what to eat from a spoon, and drink from a mug. For this purpose, mom arranges the necessary items in the most visible place. You need to choose dishes for crumbs carefully. It should attract attention. The main thing is not to overdo it, otherwise the feeding process will turn into a game.
6. With every desire to drink, the child should be given his mug. After a few days, he himself will recognize his cup and reach for it.
7. Often mothers go to the trick. A liquid more pleasant to taste is poured into the mug, and tasteless into the bottle so that the baby understands the difference and abandons his favorite accessory. Experts are sure that this is not the best option. It is good if the baby consciously abandons the old way of drinking without cheating.
8. When a child himself wants to eat from a plate and drink from a cup, mother needs to carry out a ritual. It should be based on the positive and fixing the desire of the baby. The essence of the action should be a calm dialogue with the child.

Mom needs to explain to the peanut that he has already grown up, you need to forget about the bottle. You can even give or give it to a smaller child. At the same time, the baby must be praised for consent. After such friendly conversations, the baby will feel confident and will soon forget about the bottle.

Important!
In the process of weaning the baby from their favorite subject of infancy, parents should be flexible and orient towards the baby. If the child does not want to part with his favorite accessory, it is better to leave him alone. You can try to pick up the bottle in a couple of weeks.

In fact, young children grow and change very quickly. Perhaps, after a short period of time, the baby will voluntarily refuse.

How to wean a baby from a bottle at night

Solving the bottle problem in the daytime is much easier than at night. At the age of two, the child’s menu is more diverse. He sees adults eating from plates and drinking from cups. He himself wants to be like adults, try to hold a mug in his hand, try to eat from a bowl on his own. Therefore, it is easier for mom to guide the baby, explain what to eat with a spoon correctly.

More problems arise with feeding at night, when the baby wakes up and requires his bottle. After all, the child is accustomed to the fact that before going to bed he falls asleep with her. In this situation, experts recommend that parents change the way they sleep.

1. Let the meal be hearty, then at night you do not have to feed. Only water will be needed. Addiction to a new baby takes place in a few days.
2. If for a week to give the baby only water at night, then he himself will break the habit of eating and drinking through a bottle. Subsequently, she will sleep in a calm, restless sleep.
3. For the night with the baby it is better to leave some toy that she likes best. With every night awakening, the child will see a favorite item nearby. This will help him calm down and fall asleep faster.
4. If the baby does not give the bottle before bedtime, then you need to act differently. You can read fairy tales to the baby, sing lullabies in an undertone, rocking on your hands.

The parent himself must feel when and how to wean his child from his favorite accessory. After all, each baby is individual, with its own character, sensations.

Video: when and how to wean a child from a bottle