Certainly, a child’s sleep is affected by many factors: daily routine, walks, games, interaction with other children, and, finally, the health of the baby. However, one of the main aspects is nutrition. We have gathered for you 5 important facts about feeding your baby before bedtime that every mother should know.
Good eating habits for a healthy sleep
While the baby is breastfed or bottle-fed, moms do not have to think a lot about feeding the baby before bedtime. But closer to 1 year, when the baby’s diet is more diverse, parents have to plan the dinner time for their child.
Because the lack of calories received during the day affects sleep quality, a child needs to eat well and consume all the necessary daily calories during the daytime.
If your little one does not yet eat very well because of some peculiarities, it is essential to give him/her enough breast milk or formula during the day.
#1 Feeding schedule
In drawing up an individual child’s diet, it is recommended that three main meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and two additional meals (second breakfast/afternoon snack and second dinner) be maintained, and one meal should not exceed 300-350 ml.
According to pediatricians, the energy content of the diet should be distributed as follows: breakfast – 20% of daily calories, lunch – 35%, dinner – 20%; noon meal – 15% second breakfast or dairy products before bedtime -10%.
#2 Feeding before bedtime
If the baby is hungry late at night, a glass of yogurt or formula milk can be given 1 hour before bedtime. Talking about formula milk, a vast number of parents prefer organic baby food for their babies. And that is not surprising, as such product composition consists of quality and simple ingredients that are easy to digest for a baby’s body.
Hipp formula includes probiotics and prebiotics, nucleotides, and Omega-3 fatty acids, which are necessary for the proper development of the child’s body and normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Holle formula is another organic option for babies where only eco-friendly raw materials are used. GMOs, preservatives, and pesticides are excluded from any organic baby food production stage.
#3 Snacks
Experts recommend planning the child’s diet properly and avoiding spontaneous snacks ( juices, sweets), which decrease appetite and displacement of essential foods from the child’s diet.
#4 Overfeeding
Meat and beans take a long time to digest. The little body will not be able to rest, which means that the baby’s sleep will be anxious and restless. In addition, such food can cause bloating and nausea. Overeating also threatens night moods and wakefulness. Therefore, you should not give child products in the evening, severely overloading the digestive system.
#5 Sweets
Sweets (marshmallows, marmalade, or jam) have a stimulating effect on the baby. It is not recommended to overindulge in children’s diets (kids can have sugar-rich products no more than 2-3 times a week, up to 10 g a day), especially before bedtime. Sweets contain fast carbohydrates, which cause a release of energy and prevent falling asleep.
