Weaning and taking off nappies ... wrong decisions for mothers during sanitary isolation

Farida Ahmed

Coinciding with the implementation of sanitation and home stay policies to curb the spread of the emerging coronavirus (Covid-19), some mothers think there is an opportunity to wean infants or train them to take off diapers.

But the decisions that mainly relied on investing in the idea of ​​spending a long time at home are “completely wrong,” according to author Marwa Rakha, an education specialist in the Montessori method, which confirms that the current quarantine period is not the time to wean or diaper, but why ?

Breastfeeding and safety
The immediate meaning of weaning is to stop breastfeeding, and the broader meaning is to cut off the child's relationship to his mother's breast, and advises Rakha before deciding to wean, to look at it from the perspective of children.

From the age of six months, the child begins to taste food items, but he usually remains related to breastfeeding as a source of safety and reassurance, as it is a special relationship that brings him together with his mother.

This instinctive need lasts for the child from birth and may continue until the third year, and the peak need for the breastfeeding process, whether natural or industrial in the second year, begins to disappear gradually after two and a half years.

Rakha warns against forcing the child to give up without breastfeeding, whether natural or artificial, which makes him resort to "sucking" one of his fingers or one of his toys or the end of the pillow or blanket, which exposes him to diseases.

Fracture habits,
compulsion, illness, and boredom are essential factors in weaning failure. Where Rakha explains that the most difficult part of weaning is breaking habits and escaping from memories. Whenever the child looks at something or a place that reminds him of breastfeeding, he will desire it. inappropriate.

"The cycle of memories must be broken, and out of the house as a place of memories, to a place where the child can play, run and enjoy for three or four consecutive days in order for the weaning process to succeed and pass in peace," the writer added.

And the child alone has the right to make the decision to wean, according to Rakha, where the child must have demonstrated his psychological readiness to do so, and he showed great dispensation from breastfeeding, i.e. not significantly related to breastfeeding, as he eats well, preoccupying with playing for long periods.

Your child’s decision, not your decision.
As with weaning, the decision to dispose of the nappy is also due to the child and not the mother, as Rakha asserts that the child’s willingness and psychological acceptance to dispense with the nappy is the key in that matter, not the time or the mother’s decision or even the child’s age.

Some children can give up the nappy at the age of two years, others may not be able to do this step before four years, and there are cases that are delayed up to six years, and the more it comes to being forced, the more chance of relapse.

Signs of readiness
Marwa Rakha pointed to a number of signs that indicate the child is ready to dispense with nappies, including:

1- That the child's bladder is able to keep urine, and this appears through the diaper diaper for at least two hours.

2- There is a specific time for discharge, usually once a day in the morning, which is a good indication that the child is ready, meaning that the discharge process is regular.

3- He can sleep while keeping the nappy dry most of the time.

 4- To be enthusiastic about the idea.

5- To show signs indicating his independence and his desire to rely on himself.

6- He can express his need to urinate with words or gestures.

7- Mastery of the child dressing and wearing clothes, cleaning with water and using tissue paper and washing hands after finishing the child may need help in many of these stages, but it is an important part of teaching the child how to care for his personal hygiene when dispensing diapers.

Preparing the child for the decision The child
experiences the state of separation when he abandons the nappy, as he feels that he is part of it, which is the most difficult part of the matter, which makes him sad and cry.

And here, "Rakha" asserts to Al-Jazeera Net the need to prepare the child psychologically to take off the nappy, after confirming the signs of his readiness for this step, and the preparation will be through these steps:

1- Involving him in choosing and buying underwear instead of diapers.

2- Dealing with the last diaper package in a way that counts down after which the diaper will be completely abandoned, and informing the child daily of the remaining number of diapers and the end of them to become like adults. 

3- Using stories, tales and songs to prepare him psychologically, and he wrote about the digestive system and the directing process.

What after making the decision?
After making the decision to dispense with diapers, the mother must consider a number of points:

1- Take off the diapers completely once and not gradually.

2- That the child's feet touch the ground while sitting in the bathroom, by placing a footrest under his foot.

3- Not relying on opening a water source next to the child to help him urinate, as it leads to programming the child and accustoming him to urinate when the water is heard at any time.