Extended Breastfeeding..tell me ways how i can wean my baby?

Question

My 15 mths old baby gets up at least 7-8 times at night to have a feed.If i don't offer him then he cries like anything and at last i hv to give him.During daytime also he wants it before sleeping and otherwise also he wants it at least 3 times.He doesnt want to take solid food.He turns his face to most of the food.In general he likes fruits and doesnt take any external milk and has never taken bottle.He has 8 teeth so i don't know if it is a teething problem.Whole day he is clinging to me and his father is travelling most of the time so i'm the one with him for entire day.Till 6 mths he was ok in health but it went down and down and he is very skinny now.He is very moody in eating.I just want to wean him becoz i don't think it is helping him in anyways and rather it makes me run out energy.Whole night i can't sleep becoz of his feeding habbits.Is there any way i can wean him so that he starts taking solid food and external milk.I have tried variety of food with him but nothing works

Please don't suggest me to give him bottle becoz if he has not taken it before there is no chance he'll take it now and he is big enough for it and don't just copy paste from parenting articles becoz i have read enough.I make regular visits to pediatricians and they suggest wean him off otherwise activity wise he is ok.blood reprt shows normal values

Answer 1

I believe there is a problem somewhere. I would take him to the doctor and have him checked. With that much nursing he should be fat not skinny. Please take him to the doctor.

Answer 2

Sounds like he wants it more for comfort than for feeding. Also, at 15 months old, they need more than just breast milk, they should be eating baby food or even solid food by that time, which may be the reason he is so skinny. Don't do it any more. If you kid cries, he cries... if you are very hard on him for one day, he will be weaned. My son took a day to wean because he got thirsty and I wasn't giving in. Once you stop offering him the tit, he will get hungry and eat other foods and drink from a sippy cup. Skip the bottle, he's too old for a bottle now. He knows that he can get whatever he wants from you and is manipulating you. Ignore the crying, and if you can't, send him to grandmas or an aunts house for the night where the only possibility for feeding comes from a cup or a spoon. You've already spoiled your child, and now it is going to be harder than ever. OH, and he should have been sleeping through the entire night months ago, so when he cries at night, ignore him. If its more than three hours, check on him, but if he isn't hurt, turn the light off and leave the room. You shouldn't be dealing with a baby waking up in the middle of the night after 6 months old unless they actually have an illness.

Answer 3

When you and your baby are ready to wean, there are few things to remember that will make the experience a more positive one for both of you:

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If you can, it’s easiest for you and your baby if weaning is gradual – over several weeks, months or even longer. A sudden, abrupt wean should only be considered in extreme circumstances and is hard on both of you (see “Can’t I just stop breastfeeding?”).

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The transition to weaning may be easier if you first introduce your baby to a cup instead of a bottle. Breastfed babies easily learn to drink from a cup as early as six months of age (try expressed breast milk).

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Start off by substituting one feed, the least ‘favourite’ one of the day. Someone else may need to offer this feed for your baby to accept it.

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When you’re ready to wean even more, substitute the next least favoured feed at the opposite time of the day. Continue this way, substituting one feed at a time. The pace of weaning is up to you and your baby, but in general, the slower the better. Wait at least a few days in between each new feed before substituting another one.

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You may want to try a ‘partial’ wean instead. This means you substitute one or more feedings with a cup or bottle and breastfeed at other times. This can work well if you are going back to work but still want to breastfeed. When you do this, make sure you check your baby’s weight gain regularly.

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If your breasts are uncomfortable while you are weaning, try expressing enough milk so that you are comfortable. Over-the-counter drugs like acetaminophen or ibuprofen can also help. Cold compresses or gel packs applied to your breasts can also be of some comfort.

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You shouldn’t bind your breasts or drink less fluids while you’re weaning. Check your breasts regularly to make sure you aren’t developing a blocked duct, which will feel like a firm tender area of the breast. If you do, see your doctor or lactation consultant. These problems are more likely to occur during an abrupt wean.

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Watch the cues you give to your baby. If you sit in the same chair you usually use when you’re nursing, he’ll likely want to breastfeed. He probably won’t be satisfied with a cup or a cuddle.

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Some mothers choose what is called ‘infant-led weaning’. This means watching your baby’s cues and weaning at his pace (that is, never refusing the breast but also not offering the breast when he is not interested). With infant-led weaning, breastfeeding may continue for two to four years. This type of weaning is practiced by many non-western cultures.

Answer 4

I know exactly what you are going through, my daughter was weaned at 15 months. I just started to take one feeding at a time away and replaced it with carassessing and giving milk. Baby cereals are a good option with milk added to the mix and start giving him whole milk or soy milk. As far as other foods, you just have to keep trying..but whatever you do dont quick breastfeeding cold turkey it will be bad for the both of you....My daughter was a every 2 hour breastfeeder, talk about lack of sleep!!!!!!

Good Luck :-)

Answer 5

You need to get your child to eat solid foods soon. What is going to happen when you want to go out and have a life you can't come home to feed your baby all the time. His heath is going down because he needs more then breast milk, food has what he needs in it. He might be lacking something that he really needs. Another thing is they have feeder bottles you might want to try that.

Answer 6

actually the baby must breastfeed only until maximum 8 months after that u must learn him eat light food.coz is not good for him and for u.he has already teeth so he must eat normal food so like my son.from begin i make not breastfeed i gave only bottle milk.now he is already 7 months he drink bottle milk 2 times in day the rest i gave cerelac or fruits.sometimes when we eat doesnt matter what i gave coz i learn his stomach to the normal food.is must begin from you learn him as soon as possible.its not yet too late ok.i hope i did gave u a little bit idea about ur problem of ur son.

Answer 7

15 months old and he's not taking solid foods or sleeping through the night? OMG! You poor thing, and it's definitely not healthy for your child. Take your baby to his pediatrician for a check up and discuss this with the doctor.

Answer 8

try to make things he can feed to himself , i feel bad for you , just keep introducing the sippy cup, I already have been introducing it to my 8 month old, all i can say is try different food til you find one he likes, try : cheese(slices and cubes), olvaltine milk, quesodillas (tortilla with melted cheese in it), rolled sandwich meats, mac and cheese, cold cereal w/ milk, eggs w/ cheese or catsup on it, (gross but my daughter likes it ), spaghetti, cut up hot day (cut a slice into pieces small enough he wont choke on ), and just try to keep him from nursing i , would lay with my daughter and rub her back til she was asleep rather than nursing, Or you can try tough love and leave you husband with your baby for a day and left him get him to drink from a sippy cup and eat , if your not there he'll have to do it, and after 1 day maybe 2 you should be fine not nursing him anymore. Good Luck

Answer 9

I would suggest holding him on your lap when you are eating. make sure what is on your plate is edible for him (grapes, a pear or plum he can gum, something he can chew on). Then as you eat he will naturally reach onto your plate and eat. Try sleeping in bed with him so you can nurse while you're asleep. Just stick it in and go back to sleep. So you really don't have to wake up much to feed him.

Answer 10

I think it would be a good idea to start weening her off the breast he is using you as a comforter as she does not need to feed that often. If he is upset like this so often you should speak to your doctor as there may be some other problem.

Answer 11

My sister -in law put bandaids on her breasts and showed her son (about same age). She told him that she had "owies" so there wasn't gonna be any more "chi chi". That worked. That's when he started eating real food. He had almost same eating habits and weight loss as your son, but he's 2 now and doing good.