The best time to wean babies The best way to wean babies

After birth, babies mainly drink breast milk from their mothers, but it is not enough to drink breast milk all the time, so when babies reach a certain age, they need to be weaned. So here we need to understand the best time for babies to be weaned? What is the best way for babies to be weaned?

In principle, the duration of breastfeeding should be extended as much as possible. It is best to wean the baby gradually when weaning the baby, usually after the baby is two years old. After the baby is two years old, gradually reduce the frequency and amount of breastfeeding, and use formula milk or other foods to replace part of the breast milk. Although breast milk is the best food for babies, babies over six months old cannot meet their growth and development needs by relying solely on breast milk, and need to gradually add complementary foods. After the age of two, the baby's growth and development speed accelerates, and the nutrients in breast milk cannot meet the baby's nutritional needs. If the baby is not weaned in time, the baby will be more dependent on breast milk and unwilling to eat other foods, which will lead to nutritional deficiencies and be prone to rickets, iron anemia and other diseases.

Weaning should never be done suddenly. Weaning is a gradual process. Before weaning, parents should make some preparations for the baby, mainly adding complementary foods in time so that the baby can adapt to the digestion of other foods. There is a critical period in the process of adding complementary foods, which is generally 4 to 6 months after the baby is born. At this time, the baby is easy to accept food other than milk and tries to learn to eat complementary foods through oral movement. If parents ignore this during this period, or just give the child a taste of complementary foods, then such babies cannot adapt to weaning. Therefore, it is necessary to add various foods one by one during this critical period, and increase the amount of various foods little by little, and observe the baby's bowel movements at the same time, that is, observe whether there are indigestion phenomena such as thin stools or increased bowel movements, so as to obtain the baby's tolerance to various foods. If the baby can adapt to various complementary foods and eat well, weaning will be smoother.

If you wean your child by yourself, it usually takes about 10 days. It may vary depending on the adaptation of each child. It is recommended not to wean the child all at once, but to give the child time to adapt slowly. It is recommended not to let the child eat during the day and then slowly transition to the night. If the engorgement during weaning is more serious, you can find a professional to do a milk massage to reduce breast blockage and inflammation and infection. There is no obvious standard for how many days it takes for a baby to be weaned. Generally, weaning can be done smoothly in about a week. By gradually reducing the number of feedings and shortening the feeding time, the time should be chosen in spring and autumn, which is beneficial to both the baby and the expectant mother. Under normal circumstances, it takes about a week to wean the baby properly. You have to wean the night milk first. Generally, when a child is 4 to 6 months old and weighs more than 6.5 to 7 kilograms, you can add complementary foods. You still have to adopt a reasonable weaning method according to the baby's situation to avoid psychological effects on the baby.

It is common for babies to cry when they are weaned. Since babies have been used to breastfeeding for several months, you should give them milk in time after weaning. If they cry because they are hungry, you need to supplement them with complementary food. In addition to milk, you can add some chicken soup or fish soup to the baby. If it is not caused by hunger, you can distract the baby's attention at this time, use some toys or hold the baby out to play.