VS Rhythm mode
The regime in the “Soviet” sense, when a child’s day was scheduled literally minute by minute, is a thing of the past. Not a single doctor today will suggest that you constantly look at the clock, counting the minutes until your child’s sleep. But eating and sleeping on time is really good for the health of the nervous system of both the baby and his parents. Understanding this paradox means understanding what it means to “do everything on time”?
Everything here is simple and purely individual.
On time - this is so that both the child and you feel good. And this, of course, is no longer a regime, but rather a rhythm that is convenient for everyone.
It depends on the child’s temperament and biorhythm, his state of health.
In modern pediatrics, certain norms for sleep, wakefulness and nutrition of babies in the first year of life have been determined. It's important to remember that these numbers are truly averages. If a child sleeps more, eats less and vice versa, then this can be considered abnormal only in case of strong deviations, and the decision that “something is wrong” must be made by the doctor.
The life of a child in the first half of the year consists of three fundamental things: sleep, food and wakefulness. He “should” sleep from 20 hours a day in the first month of life to 14 hours closer to 6 months (2-4 hours at a time). He “should” eat from 8 times a day at the very beginning of his life and up to 4-5 times closer to six months, while in one feeding at the very beginning he “should” eat 70-100 ml of liquid, and by 6 months - up to 240 ml.
Let us once again emphasize that these standards are average, and let’s talk about how much control each of these positions needs to have and what can come out of this in reality.
Causes of increased appetite in children
There are several reasons why a child constantly demands to eat. Let's look at the main ones.
An immoderate attitude towards food due to the fear of being hungry . If a child is constantly rushed at the table, clear boundaries are set for the allotted time for meals, and demanded to eat faster, then in the few minutes allotted for him to absorb food, he will try to eat as much as possible. Ultimately, the child becomes literally obsessed with food.
Associative desire to eat . When children are forced to do things they don't like, they in turn feign hunger. For example, a child does not want to put away toys or do homework. Instead, he declares that he is hungry, thus manipulating his parents. If adults follow his lead, then the child gets used to eating through force. Over time, this becomes a habit that can have serious consequences.
Increased appetite as a result of poor nutrition . Parents concerned about proper nutrition may overdo it by not giving their children foods that fill them up. As a result, the child may feel constantly hungry.
Unloved foods lead to hunger . If a child always has to eat foods that he does not like, then most likely, after eating a little of everything, he will say that he is full. And after a while he will scour the kitchen in search of food acceptable to him.
Violation of intra-family relations . Gluttony in children can be observed against the background of a conflict between the child and parents. Often children, feeling deprived of affection, abandoned, deprived in comparison with other brothers and sisters, begin to absorb an exorbitant amount of food.
Feeling hungry during periods of active growth. During adolescence, the child begins to grow rapidly. Due to the hormonal and physiological changes occurring in his body, the child experiences an increased appetite. In this case there is no reason to worry. This is quite normal.
Dream
Sleep is one of the most important components of a baby’s life in the first six months. A child who sleeps well and on time will not become too capricious and will be ready to explore the world and eat well. We can say that a child’s sleep is a concept that determines the quality of life of the entire family and the quality of development of the baby himself.
If you can’t manage your child’s sleep, let’s find out what can be done.
Don't blame yourself
Firstly, do not consider yourself a bad mother if the child “does not sleep”, “screams all the time”, “confuses day with night”, etc. You are a good mother, and these are just temporary difficulties.
Analyze: is everything really that bad?
If the baby sleeps a little, and then wakes up happy and ready to learn, then this is his rhythm. All you have to do is adjust and know that the period of infancy is very short, and the baby’s rhythms will change. If your child frequently wakes up crying, check to see if he is hot, cold, stuffy, damp, or simply hungry. Sometimes it is enough to let fresh cool air into the room, and the child begins to sleep for hours.
But if you know that all the external “comfort parameters” are met, the baby is sleeping or obviously wants to sleep, but something is bothering him - he pulls his knees to his chest, arches and as a result wakes up crying, without having had time to really sleep - tell us about it pediatrician Perhaps the baby has colic, then the doctor will give recommendations on what to do in case of gas formation.
Try to catch the baby's rhythm
For example, watch your baby for signs that he is tired and ready to sleep. If you start putting your baby to bed at this moment, he will fall asleep pretty quickly. Pay attention to how much sleep your baby needs so that he wakes up relatively happy, and then you can calculate your free time during the day.
Signs that your baby is ready to sleep include:
- rubs eyes, ears, yawns;
- becomes moody, restless;
- It is impossible to interest him in anything, he doesn’t like everything;
- becomes too active, excited.
To ensure that your child sleeps well and, when he wakes up, can fall asleep on his own, introduce simple rituals that the baby will associate with going to bed, and make sure that he avoids lack of sleep or, conversely, overstimulation.
Note the intervals of wakefulness after which the child easily goes to sleep.
Knowing this, 15-30 minutes before bedtime you can turn on some calm music, dim the lights, and talk to your baby in a calm, quiet voice. Water procedures can also be used as a ritual before bed. Perhaps there is no point in doing this from the first month of life, but from three months it is quite possible to start.
It is important to remember that a child who is constantly lacking sleep will become more restless every day because he will produce and accumulate the stress hormone cortisol. The same thing happens to a baby when he is overexcited.
Watch your child, set yourself the goal of “catching a rhythm”, and you will actually be able to at least plan your day a little and rest at night.
What to do if your child eats a lot?
First you need to find out the reason for her such an appetite!
What do they write about this on the Internet? This is a small selection from various articles:
“What food was available when you were young, not to mention when your parents were young? There were no Snickers, no McDonald's, no Chupa Chups, no Sprite even for foreign currency. No temptations except the boring Yubileiny cookies. Now take a stroll through today's stores and check out a few kiosks on your way home from school. What are they selling there? That's it...
Children are designed in such a way that the most unhealthy food seems the most delicious to them. Give them free rein, they would eat nothing but sweets. Thank God, your child is not left to his own devices: he has parents who can protect him from excessive obesity and the inevitable inferiority complex in the future. The main thing is for you to remember: the foundation for a slim and healthy figure is laid in early childhood. As well as the habit of proper nutrition .
If you practice a passive lifestyle and don’t give a damn about nutrition, it is this lifestyle that the child will unconsciously adopt, considering it the norm. In fact, how does he know that he can live differently? You are the only light in the window for him. Therefore, try to make full use of the time until the age of 11-12, while you are still an indisputable authority for your child. Well, then he will begin to listen to the opinions of his peers and compare (for some reason, always not in your favor). In addition, he will become a conscious consumer of advertising, and advertising will teach him... For example, eat sugary “Shock” instead of school lunch.
First of all, make sure that your child eats regularly, right on time. Be sure to ensure that he has a full breakfast - cereals, dairy products, corn flakes without additives, fresh fruit. And for this purpose, do not allow late snacks. During the night, digestion almost stops and your baby will wake up with a full stomach. What a breakfast this is! Don't forget that children require an increased amount of protein. And this means not only a cutlet, but also fish, legumes, caviar, eggs and dairy products.
Always give your child a second breakfast to school and make sure he has lunch when he comes home after school. Keep trips to McDonald's to a minimum and never “reward” your child for getting an A in Russian with a hamburger. Otherwise, a strong connection will arise in his head between McDonald's and your encouragement. It would seem that the easiest way is to buy semi-finished meat products in the supermarket, for example, the same cutlets. However, processed foods are usually loaded with fat and salt. It is better to feed your child only homemade food.
To make home cooking seem appetizing to him, make your gray cells work. For example, use a cookie cutter to create an interesting sandwich shape. Or thread pieces of meat, fruit, vegetables and cheese onto a skewer or toothpick. And don’t sit at home on weekends - get out into nature to cook meat over an open fire. In the fresh air, the child will work up an appetite and will happily eat an extra-plan portion of shashlik with fresh vegetables, snack on fruit and drink your own freshly prepared juice. And no Coke with you!
It is common knowledge that appetite comes with physical activity. So the second part of the nutritional improvement program is to enroll the child in a sports section or dance school. If a child moves little, he begins to be capricious about food, shows unnecessary pickiness, and, as a rule, insists on sweets. And vice versa, when a child is hungry, he will easily agree with a plate of oatmeal prepared according to all the rules of healthy eating.
When a child, with your help, learns to eat properly, he will later easily cope with the various temptations that await him in the “big” world. In fact, don’t feed him cakes, and he will remain indifferent to the rich selection of cafes and restaurants. Moreover, “junk” food is much more accessible than healthy food. Teach your child to minimize harm even in a hopeless situation. For example, everything, and there’s no escape. Here you can eat only the cutlet from a hamburger, giving up the bread and sauce.”
Olga, you see, it’s quite clear and concise.
But still, you can’t cope with something.
Maybe you are inclined to read morals to your 6-year-old child, instead of setting an example and trying to switch to fractional meals and remove from the house everything that leads your child astray from the right path?
Come for a face-to-face appointment with a psychologist and solve problems to change your parenting style!
Good luck.
What should I do if I talk a lot?
(4 answers) Good answer1 Bad answer2
Food
Breastfeeding is considered the best type of nutrition for a baby during the first 6 months of life. At the same time, it is recommended to feed the child “on demand”. The main thing here is to figure out what exactly the child requires.
Do you need a “regime” when breastfeeding? What problems might arise and how to solve them? Breastfeeding consultant Yulia Anatolyevna Chistova says
“The process of breastfeeding seems simple and natural until you experience it in practice. In reality, questions about breastfeeding begin already in the delivery room and continue to worry mothers for weeks, or even months.
The first stage of feeding a baby after birth is feeding with colostrum, a special concentrated liquid that is released in a very small volume. At this time, the baby loses weight for a number of physiological reasons, and many mothers panic: there is almost nothing in the chest, and the child is losing weight. However, losing weight immediately after childbirth is a completely normal process.
Many children are very sleepy after childbirth, and, no matter how absurd it may seem, they often need to be woken up for feeding, because due to weakness they can sleep through it. The general recommendation is to feed newborns at least once every three hours.
At the next stage, the breasts begin to produce milk, and for some women, especially first-time mothers, the “arrival of milk” is an unexpected and not very pleasant process. The breasts may become swollen, hard, and tender. Here, of course, the child’s help will be invaluable: the rhythm of feedings should correspond to the rhythm of filling the breast, and after feeding it should become soft and painless.
Of particular importance here is not only how often and how long the baby suckles, but also how exactly he does it. If questions arise, a specialist will help determine the quality of attachment, and the mother, first of all, should focus on her feelings - feeding should be completely painless, and the breasts should empty well. Typically, feeding at this stage takes 30-40 minutes, during which phases of active sucking with visible and audible sips alternate with phases of sleep and weak sucking.
How can you tell if your child is getting enough to eat? It is best to focus on objective indicators: weight gain from the moment of weight gain should be at least 20 g per day (preferably from 150-200 g per week), restoration of birth weight should occur no later than by two weeks of life, and the child should fill 6-8 diapers daily and have at least 1 bowel movement per day.
Over the first 28 days, feeding rhythms gradually change from chaotic to more orderly. There are no common answers to the questions “how much and often does a baby need to be at the breast?” cannot be found: you need to carefully evaluate what is happening and trust objective assessments of the baby’s growth and development.
Sometimes the baby will demand the breast more often, on other days he will hint at his willingness to maintain some intervals between feedings. At the same time, you need to understand that not every child is able to eat in equal portions and withstand without breastfeeding for as long as it would be convenient for mothers. We, adults, also do not eat according to strict rules and regulations, but listen to our appetite and well-being.”
Marina Yulianovna Stepanyan, a pediatric gastroenterologist at SM-Doctor, also talks about the possibility of a “chest regimen”
“Over the past 15 years, the rules for feeding a newborn baby have changed significantly. For the first 6 months of life, it is imperative to feed the baby without a schedule, on demand; the child regulates his hunger independently and eats different portions of milk at each meal, which immediately eliminates two main misconceptions: feeding by the hour and weighing after each feeding. It is impossible to overfeed a child with mother's milk.
The main rule of feeding is that the greater the child’s demand, the more milk there will be.
Until 6 months, there is no point in distracting the child or looking for calming mechanisms outside of breastfeeding.
If you are concerned that your child rarely asks to eat, then pay attention to weight gain. The main criterion for proper feeding is the monthly increase in accordance with established standards. If your child is not gaining weight well or has problems sucking, if he is restless or has foul-smelling, loose or dense stools with impurities, this is a reason to contact a specialist - a pediatric gastroenterologist.”
In the case of artificial feeding, everything is a little stricter. Here it is important to follow a certain feeding regimen, since the formula takes longer to digest than breast milk, and the phrase “feeding on demand” is no longer 100% appropriate. But how to eat properly for your “artificial” child will be answered by a pediatrician who observes the baby and knows his state of health. It is he who will help calculate the required amount of formula per dose and indicate the approximate number of feedings.
In order for a formula-fed baby to feel good, it is important to choose the right adapted milk formula. After all, discomfort in a child’s stomach makes not only him, but also the whole family worry: there is no time for rhythms.
This material was created with the support of. Bellakt is the only manufacturer of dry baby food in Belarus and one of the largest in the CIS. This is a modern, high-tech enterprise that produces baby food, dairy products, and food for pregnant and lactating women. Time-tested quality. Production experience since 1970
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For optimal growth and development, the composition of the mixtures is enriched with components: polyunsaturated fatty acids Omega-3 and Omega-6, lutein, nucleotides and prebiotics.
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