Being able to sleep well is something that all parents long for. I understand how you feel if your child continues to wake up at night for bottles.
Learning How To Wean Baby Off Bottle At Night is usually the hardest part of figuring out how to wean a toddler who loves to nurse.
The night-time feeds are connected to bedtime and these feeds are usually the hardest to give up.
Night weaning bottle-fed baby can still be quite difficult to do.
This bond has formed over many months and years so it’s usually a struggle for you and your toddler to really see this one through.
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Rest assure that it is possible and there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Here are the 9 most effective strategies to learn How To Wean Baby Off Bottle At Night
How To Wean Baby Off Bottle At Night
1. Always read a bedtime story
Find a place that you can both snuggle up together to read and have 1 – 1 time before bed.
Introduce a bedtime drink at the same time so that the process of night nursing is being replicated, albeit, in a slightly different way.
2. Provide Moral Support
Try to stay with your baby until they are feeling very sleepy.
Rub their back, cradle them and try to sing a bedtime song.
This will help mimic the closeness of breastfeeding without the need for a nipple.
3. Give them Options
Give them the option of having a midnight drink or small snack to fight hunger.
You can also offer an early morning snack or warm drink to help transition between the 2 different stages.
4. Delay feeds
Try to delay or shorten feeds just before night time or offer the nipple up to a certain time.
This will restrict their willingness to feed on demand and will help you transition from breast to other forms of food and drink.
5. Stay close
Try to be there for your toddler in the night time by sleeping near or by their side.
It’s very difficult to wean a toddler by removing both your nipple and your physical presence.
Instead, choose to restrict breastfeeding and for now, try to sleep closely so they can transition between the 2 stages more problem-free.
Ensure that your toddler isn’t going through any other developmental milestones.
If they are waiting until they have shows signs of it being over before you wean at night.
6. Give more breast during the day
A smart thing to do for learning How To Wean Baby Off Bottle At Night is to give them more milk during the day.
This will better for younger toddlers as it gives them the chance to intake more milk upfront and then feel less fussy at night.
This has the added bonus of working for a toddler as well.
7. Reduce Proximity
Try to reduce your proximity with baby during the night if they are very susceptible for on-demand feedings.
For example, if you are used to having your nipple out while you co-sleep then remove that option and provide a bit more distance between you both.
This will have the intended consequence of reducing on-demand feeding and will better help the night time weaning process.
8. Get dad involved
Get dad to assist your toddler at night when they wake up to for comfort.
Not every time a toddler wakes up is it solely for milk.
Sometimes they just need a hug, kiss and a gentle rock back to sleep.
Get dad involved by taking over this routine and use it as a gauge of how hungry your child really is.
If dad is unable to rock your toddler back to sleep after a little time then you know maybe it’s more then a bad dream.
9. Say No!
Saying no sounds harsh, but it really works.
By 18 months your toddler will know the meaning of the word no, so use it to your advantage.
It’s not always easy to do but it does show your toddler that there are some new boundaries that are being created and new rules to start following.
Always remember that night weaning a baby is always a phase and is completely temporary.
If you follow the guidelines above you’ll be 10 steps ahead and will be on the right pathway to figuring out effective ways to learn How To Wean Baby Off Bottle At Night!
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Nurse Practitioner at Venus Med Spa