how can i ween my 10 mo. old from breast feeding?

Question

my baby is 10 months old and i still breast feed, i want to stop breast feeding him when he turns a year old. during the night i have to feed him still so that he doesnt wake up. how can i get him off the breast milk and make him sleep all night?

Answer 1

why do you want to wean him? i breastfed all my children until all were over 3 yrs old. they self-weaned when they were ready and they're the healthiest kids in their classes now.

Answer 2

I asked the same question not too long ago, so you could check out some of the answers that I got.

I finally had to just cut him cold turkey. He would wake three to four times a night while breastfeeding and I was getting no sleep. I never wanted to let him cry it out, but surprisingly enough, it was only hard the first night. After that, he would wake for a few minutes and then go back to bed on his own. He never took a bottle before, but now he does. It was such a surprising change in him. He is so much more independent now, sleeps through the night, naps better, just everything has changed in a positive way. I did become very engorged though, and that was painful, but you can take pain killers for that and many other things. The engorgement only lasted a week and a half. It has been just over three weeks since I cut my son off, and everything is still going good. Good luck!

Oh my mistake, not the same question, but ones about sleeping through the night and engorgement. Still take a look, there were some great answers about them all.

Answer 3

I dont understand why you would want to stop so earily. Your baby will self ween on its own soon enough. The longer you nurse your child the healthier he will be later in life. I have met women who stopped before the child was ready and it had afected the child mentally (as far as security, and self etseem) Also the mothers eventually wished that they had waited to ween. I also did not take my own advise and weened before my daughter was ready. I had my own selfish reasons for stopping. I wanted my body back, to go out with my friends, to not have to watch what I put in my body anymore. My daughter has horrible security issues and no matter what I do for reasurance it doesnt seem to help. They are only that young and need you that much for a short time. I know it can be hard, I got tired of people asking me when I was going to stop, feeling like my daughter owned my body, and so many things. I wish I wouldve waited till she was ready. To answer your question on how ween: Cut down until once a day then stop. You cannot go back a few days later and then stop again this will cofuse your son. Just stop and stick to it. It will be hard and he willl cry. For me it was the hardest and sadest thing I ever went through. My daughter cried and looked at me like why didnt I love her. She pulled at my shirt, and sometimes wouldnt even look at me because she was so hurt and mad. I only tell you this so you fully know what you are getting into. It is a very hard thing to look at your child and tell them no to the place they feel most loved and secure.

Answer 4

Go get the book "healthy sleep habits, happy child" By Marc Weissbluth, MD its the best sleep book for kids IMO and I've read them all.What worked for me (my daughter is 13mths, I stopped at 12 mths also) you need to first elminante the night feedings which is hard b/c you need sleep but your baby truely dosn't need to eat during the night anymore.its hard i know, but try replacing the night feedings w/ a paci. or just soothing rocking. once you go 2-3 nights w/o any night feedings then you can elimate a daytime feeding ( middle of the day works best at first) go a few days then elimate another so on so forth. my last feeding to go was the bedtime one. try sippy cups w/straws to replace the nonnursing sessions then you won't have to wean from the bottle in a few months and the cups may be fun for your baby and distract from wanting to nurse. you may still need to heat the milk/formula though. If you have a family member to help you..it may be easier on you & the baby to have that person do the feedings for a while.Be prepared that b/c your hormones are still out of wack, you will probly have some emotional difficulties(ie.crying) also, for us, it was actually harder on me than it was for my daughter.i underestimated her abilities. Good luck

Answer 5

Put that baby on some solid food. You can now give him eggs that he is 10 months old. try scrambling them and letting him feed himself. the protien will take him longer to digest, thus keeping him full all night.

Also, if you haven't already, introduce a sippy cup and perhaps a small security object to replace nursing. A little bear, or a silk hankie are best choices in my opinion.

And to that woman who nursed her kids all over the age of 3....That is WIERD and probably child abuse. That kid has teeth, it's nature's way of saying, your eating solids now!

Answer 6

Congratulations for breastfeeding for 10 months, that is quite a feat in today's world! I celebrate with you, your success! Your little son is very lucky to have such a dedicated mama. :)

Find a La Leche League support group in your area, they are the world experts (not an exaggeration) on breastfeeding. They can support you with ideas for weaning. There are also a few great books that might have some ideas, but nothing replaces the face-to-face support you can get. The meetings are free and are world-wide. They might also have some resources on their site that might be of use to you, as well. :)

Answer 7

I would start by giving him a bottle during the day.

nothing is instant with a child you have to change habits... your's and theirs and it takes time

Answer 8

Easy. Put horseradish on your nipples. One taste of that and he'll never want them again. My parents did that to get me off the pacifier and they said it worked the first time.

Answer 9

Why do you want to force him to wean now W.H.O. recomends that children be breastfeed for two years or more because this is best for the mother and babies health in most circumstances
.

Answer 10

take away one feeding at a time