A healthy child from birth is able to sleep all night long without waking up for feedings. A similar statement can be found in every second book with recommendations for child care. But children do not read books, so a light snack at three in the morning does not seem to them a tragedy. However, exhausted parents are far from delighted with such nightly breakfasts.
Instructions
Step 1
It is foolish to demand from a newborn child to wait until morning with the next feeding, but a two-year-old who sometimes wakes up more than once to refresh herself with kefir, cookies, an apple or something even more serious, breaks not only her daily routine, but also becomes a serious test for parents. A child who is full at night eats poorly during the day, refuses lunches and dinners, goes to bed hungry. Desperate parents unsuccessfully seek a way out of the vicious circle.
Step 2
Such irregular eating also harms children's teeth. It is unlikely that anyone bothers with brushing their teeth at night, and a bottle of kefir can even become a direct road to caries.
Obviously, there is no benefit to eating at night. But the attempts of parents to wean the child from eating at night are usually crowned with a violent protest of the baby. In such a difficult situation, it is worth showing a certain firmness of character and streamlining the children's diet.
Step 3
Set aside timed meals throughout the day. Try to give all the goodies in the daytime. If the child drinks sweet kefir at night, stop sweetening it. But the morning or evening portion can be sweetened. Feed your child a nutritious dinner, such as milk porridge, in the evening. For an overnight snack, prepare foods that can satisfy your hunger, but are not a treat. Bread or croutons instead of cookies, regular kefir instead of sweet yogurt, water is required. When a child wakes up demands food from you, offer him pre-prepared foods. If the child is really hungry, he will eat everything, and if he simply indulges in the habit, he will demand the usual delicacy.
Step 4
Remain adamant. Offer water to your child. Try to hold out for at least an hour. Remember, it's better to sacrifice a couple of nights now than stay awake for the coming months and years. If the child stubbornly persists, give him the usual food, but not in full. Reduce the regular serving by about a third. Continue to offer him balanced meals at the same time during the day, but repeat the same scenario at night, pushing the time of night food closer and closer to the morning, reducing portions over and over again.
Step 5
Gradually, the child's stomach will wean from the fact that he has to work at full strength at night and will stop waking the child. His sleep will become long and calm, and you can sleep without waking up to unnecessary, in general, feedings.
