my son is 1 yr and 3 months and is still breastfeeding.it is very difficult sometimes.?

Question

any ideas how i can start the weaning thing?i have bough him alot of different bottles hoping that he'll like one of them with each having different nipples.but nothing i've tried didn't work,he'll keep crying none stop.he eats food but still he wants the breast.any ideas will be appreicated.Thank you!

Answer 1

My daughter is 16 months and we still nurse on demand. I definitely understand who it gets trying at times...sometimes you just want to not have your body parts in someone else's mouth..

Even so, I know that breastfeeding isn't just about nourishment. It satisfies so many needs that a child has. I notice that when DD is coming down with a cold, she nurses more. I believe that is because breastfeeding can help shorten the time a child is ill if they do get sick. Also, breastmilk contains endorphins, which can relieve pain. So, if your child bumps his head or something, he may want to nurse because it is quick and easy. Not to mention, he gets to snuggle with you while he nurses, and nothing feels better than a mother's snuggles.

Personally, I believe that children know when they no longer need to nurse. If he's nursing, it is because there's a need that he has that nursing fulfills. That doesn't mean that you have to give your son total control in this area of your relationship. If you only want to nurse 3 or 4 times a day, start figuring out what need he is trying to fulfill and start replacing nursing with something that will fill that need.

Certainly don't stop cold turkey. That could lead to mastitis or plugged ducts, which can be extremely painful. Also, don't bind your breasts to stop production, as that can also damage your breast tissue.

Finally, no offense, but the person who said your milk will rot is wrong. Breastmilk does not rot.

Answer 2

It will be tough especially weaning him from the feeding at night. The thing is with the change of bottles is that you are doing it, his primary source of milk so he is not taking to that kindly. It might go a bit more smoothly, if there was someone else, whether Dad or grandma, to give him to bottle and Mom stays out of the room. Once he gets used to the idea, then Mom can take over. Substitute one bottle feeding for a daytime breast feeding per day. By the 3rd day try a bottle for 2 feedings.
Night time is the toughest. It will take a few weeks for the night time feeding to go away but eventually it will. He will squall and carry on but he will stop with time

Answer 3

Personally I plan to continue breastfeeding until 2 years as is recommended by the World Health Organization. I am not saying that you should, or that if you don't you are a bad mom. But lately breastfeeding has been a bit much, until I read this:

"Are you feeling overwhelmed by your child's intense needs?"
http://www.kellymom.com/parenting/velcrochild.html

And I realized that it wasn't about the breastfeeding, it was about my husband not doing anything around the house and me feeling overwhelmed with all my responsibilities.

So really I think it is important to look at WHY you want to wean. Because if you wean for the wrong reasons you may regret it, and you wouldn't want that.

At 1 year you shouldn't really start a bottle habit. You should offer a cup. You can offer pumped breast milk, formula, or cow's milk. Formula and cow's milk both have pros and cons.

For information on weaning, and there are tonnes of ways to do it check out:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/weaning/index.html

Answer 4

First of all, I don't think there is anything wrong with nursing beyond 12mo. My DD is almost 14 months and she still nurses 4-5x's/day. That being said, if you want to wean, you have go to slow. You didn't say how often he was wanting to nurse, but I started with my oldest by taking it away before naps, and putting him to bed without. We did that for a couple weeks and then took away the AM feeding. Then finally, the night feeding. The key is to go slow. He may be very upset about it at first but by eliminating one feeding at a time it gives him time to adjust. The whole process could take a month or so.

Answer 5

This is difficult. I had to give my daughter breastmilk in a bottle first and that took a while. The only bottles she would take are Playtex. Once I got her to drink out of the bottle we had to switch to formula. That was really difficult but milk was drying up and I didn't have a choice. I would have to leave the room and my husband would feed her the bottle. Sometimes it took hours to get her to drink. If I was near she would not drink at all. Good luck-it is so hard to make your little one do what they do not want to do!

Answer 6

hi, my son was a very sooky baby when it came to breastfeeding! we gave him a dummy that he played with but just to get him usd to the rubber feel, then a bottle with a bit of water or milk in to play with, then we cut his breastfeeds out at the rate of one every 1-2 weeks so he went from 3 to 2 to 1 and then finally none at all it's hard but you have to be really firm and very consistent about not letting them have the breast, they can also drink their milk out of a cup, a sippy cup or a sipper bottle as well if they wont take the bottle and if you want them to take the bottle eventually you can just keep offering it to them it can take up to 20 times or even more before they get used to it or it could take as little as 5 but just be consistent. good luck!
p.s and no if he's hungry he doesnt have to take what he's given because that makes feeding time a battle between you and baby which in turn makes it an unpleasant time for baby which makes it even harder to get him to feed. which is unbeneficial for the both of you.

Answer 7

after 1 year you should be trying to get him on cups not bottles. Try to get him to take cups by offering watered down juice (about 1/2 and 1/2) in the cup. By the way, if you don't have a problem with him breastfeeding still it is perfectly acceptable to continue.

Answer 8

maybe it isnt so much the breast feeding as it is the closeness. there is alot of precious time spent between mother and child when you breast feed. Try the new bottles again but hold him like you would if you were going to breast feed him. try that for a couple days and use the bottle. maybe getting him used to a different but somewhat similiar routine will ease the transition.

Answer 9

You have to learn how to say, "No." Yes, he will cry but eventually he will stop. Tell him that he is a big boy and start giving him a sippy cup. Remember, you are the parent and you make the rules. That works from infancy through the teen years. If you let a child control you, you are in for nothing but grief.

Answer 10

no offence bu the should be given a cup and not a bottle. try just giving him a sippy cup and nothing else. he is too old for a bottle and you would just have to ween from the bottle if you started him on that. good luck!!