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Whether or not to give a bottle at dawn – that is the question. Experts agree that if the baby is less than 6 months old, it is necessary to feed him whenever he wakes up at night.
But, once the 6 month mark has passed, the ideal is not to associate the baby’s feeding with him going to sleep . The goal is to separate food from sleep, so that if the baby wakes up, he will not need the breast or a bottle at night to go back to sleep.
At this age, both the baby who is breastfed and the formula-fed baby has already started with the introduction of food , so his nutrition during the day is sufficient so that he does not need to feed at night.
Does the bottle at dawn disturb sleep?
Several problems in the sleep routine will be more likely if the mother continues to breastfeed or give a bottle when the child wakes up during the night.
If the child has difficulty falling asleep or wakes up a lot at night, it is easy to adopt the habit of using food or a bottle at night to reassure him, but at this age, children do not need overfeeding at night, so the practice does not it is advisable.
How to Stop the Baby Bottle at Dawn? (h2)
Any parent who has witnessed the love affair between their baby and the bottle knows that safety is the main call for him to ask for one. Pediatricians recommend leaving the bottle completely over the first year, or
at most up to 18 months. As soon as the child learns to drink in a glass, he will no longer need to use one.
However, we are not talking about the definitive weaning, the baby is able to differentiate the routine from the day and night, so it is not necessary to wean him completely so that he stops asking for the bottle at dawn, since because there is a huge difference in the quality of sleep of the child and consequently of his parents.
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The first step to succeed in this task is:
Caprice in the daytime feeding – When the baby suckles at night, naturally he consumes less calories during the day. This is a vicious cycle, because it makes you feel hungry during the night. To take the bottle out at dawn it is important to make sure that the baby is well fed, so parents will be more relaxed when he asks for milk and is not given it.
But then how to break this cycle? A good option is to dilute the bottle he takes when he wakes up, for a few weeks. More and more water and less milk are added, so the baby continues to suck the same volume of liquid, but ingesting a lower amount of calories at night, which will make him eat better during the day.
Try to make the baby relax as much as possible before going to sleep – give a nice bath, have a massage, keep up the routine. This can naturally prevent the child from waking up during the night, which ends up with the bottle at dawn.
Change the comfort object – for the minors, it can be just a washcloth; for the bigger ones, a cloth bug. Having an object that gives security to the baby helps to remove the bottle at dawn, because he can calm down more easily without the breast or the bottle.
Gradually remove the bottle – Eliminating less important bottles can make the process easier. Generally, you remove the middle of the day first, just after the bottle at dawn and finally the bottle in the morning, as it ends up being part of the breakfast.
Even if the child asks for a bottle and seems to take it with thirst, the bottle at night is a way to feel safe and not because he is really hungry.
Accept the child’s rhythm – For a child strongly attached to his bottle as an object of comfort, a gradual approach can be very agonizing, as he may have already associated the bottle at dawn with the return of sleep. A sudden withdrawal can be painful for everyone, but it can be the most effective method.
Some experts in early childhood education and behavior say that if the child cries only for a short period of time, let him cry until he falls asleep. After a few nights, it is likely that you will completely forget the bottle at dawn, but if after that experience the child does not calm down it is important to talk to the pediatrician and check the child’s sleeping habits .
There is no problem with giving your child a drink or something to eat before bed. In fact, it can help you fall asleep. If you still have a bottle, parents can replace it with a transition cup at this stage.
The bottle at dawn can have its advantages such as calming the child in the most delicate hour of the night, but there are disadvantages too, not allowing the child to learn to fall asleep on his own.
Beware of teeth – Another disadvantage of the bottle at dawn is cavities. However, they will not be a problem for children under one year of age, when the baby has only a few teeth (approximately eight teeth appear between six and twelve months, four upper front teeth and four lower front teeth, which are the easier to brush).
Most dental caries called “bottle caries” occur in children between one and two years of age who refuse to give up their bottle at dawn.
It is also at this age that parents need to be more vigilant about dental hygiene . At two years of age, the baby will have approximately 18 teeth and at two and a half years will have the complete set of 24 teeth.
Taking your child out of the bottle at dawn usually involves mistakes and successes, and often in tears. But here’s the good news: once you decide on a plan and stick to it, you’ll get results.
Important: The content here, should be considered as an opinion only. It is necessary to seek the direct advice of your own doctor regarding any questions or problems that may involve your own health or the health of others.
See also: Give a Pacifier or Not – Here’s the Question
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.
