For experienced moms: How do you wean a child from breastfeeding?is there a preferable/easier technique?

Question

How long does it take? If I want my child to be weaned by 10 months, how far in advance should I start? I´m trying to get some realistic info and advice,I know theres loads of facts online...I heard that if you stop before theyre"ready"(are they ever ready?) it can be extremely stressful or traumatic for the child. Also, what is a realistic age for bottle weaning? Thanks!

Answer 1

Not to mention extremely stressful and traumatic for you! First of all, why the 10 mos. point? Are you going back to work then? The child will be already stressed out, so it's nice to have that snuggle-time in the evening that breast feeding provides. By that point, the baby will be getting a great deal of nutrition from solid food, anyway.

Yes, they do get ready to wean, and some babies even self-wean. They are getting most of their nutrition from solid food, so the breast is just a fun extra at that point. And they are so interested in the world around them that they don't want to settle down to feed. At that point, I let my daughter have the breast, and then when she was distracted by something, I put my bra back up, and I was done. If she wanted more, I said firmly and sweetly, "Nope, sorry, all done. Bye-bye breastie." (Yeah, I know it's embarrassing, but that's what we did.) And it was usually easy to distract her with something else. And if it wasn't, well, we tried again. But I don't think I gave her third chances.

My kids were weaned well before the two-year mark -- I think it was something like 16 to 18 months. But the last few months were very much an entertainment issue -- not the constant milk-cow schedule that it is when the baby is a newborn. After meals, before bed and first thing in the morning. This was very easy for me (and my milk glands!) and it was pretty easy for the kids.

If your child is very clingy after 12 mos. about breastfeeding, I think it's time to introduce other ways of togetherness.

That's the way it worked for me, anyway. I get a little misty thinking back on those times, so enjoy it while it lasts! Good luck!

P.S. Looking back, my oldest daughter was drinking from a cup very (ridiculously) early. She sat up kind of early, and if she had help, she did fine with a cup from about 6 mos. Each child is different. But by 10 mos., I think your child should be OK with a sippy cup, so you may be able to avoid the bottle entirely. I always hated the thought of cleaning bottles and accessories.

Answer 2

How long it will take depends a lot on the child BUT a lot of it has to do with consistency. For example, if you decide to start weaning the baby and then give him/her the breast because it's convenient, that'll delay weaning success.

In retrospect, I think signs of "readiness" did come gradually. As time went on, my breast milk changed in consistency and color. I don't know if this is true, but I've heard people say it is because of the baby's changing needs. Pretty soon, the baby relies more on solid food for his/her nutrition... it made a lot of sense to me.

When I asked about weaning, a wise lady friend of mine said that, many times, the child will show signs when he/she is ready to wean. My plan was: as soon as my son walked, I would wean him :)
As it turned out, my son was done with me a week before his first birthday (he didn't want to lay still in my lap anymore; like the freedom of rolling around with his bottle), then a week later, he started to walk!

Anyway, as others suggested, do introduce the bottle so that it wouldn't be such an abrupt change. Though, I do not suggest pumping your milk as usual because this encourages your body to produce more milk and if you are weaning, as you probably already know, engorged breasts can be very painful. What I would suggest is pump half your normal amount (or change your pumping pattern so that it becomes less and less) so that your body doesn't have to suffer through an abrupt change either.

I can't remember exactly what age I weaned my son from the bottle, but I do know that I wanted it before he was 3 years old because I had read that bottlefeeding is not good for kid's teeth after a certain age. My friend weaned all her 5 kids before they were two.

In any case, I found that a good way to do it was to introduce the sippy cup and drinking from a straw during the day, when your child is active; making sure you give praises for being a "big boy/girl." You know your child and yourself the best so you'll know if both of you will be able to go "cold turkey." If doing so is too sudden, keep the nighttime bottle for a month or so.

When you decide you are completely weaning your child, make it a happy occasion by taking him to the mall to buy a "growin up" cup (or some other name you think will work), and this is what he/she drinks from when they get thirsty at night (and during the day, with the other cups). Maybe even make a ritual out of putting away the old bottles in a box that will eventually go to "babyland" for the babies who need them.

Remember, a certain amount of stress is healthy (for all of us!) and learning to deal with stress is part of growing up. Keeping my son's teeth in mind had me wanting to wean him off the bottle soon and he was ready at three. But children differ from child to child. I believe in "mothers' intuition" and you would decide the right time for YOUR child.

Whether weaning off the breast or the bottle, remember, consistency is key. Your kid might test you and it would be tempting to give in BUT hold your ground and STAY CONSISTENT to your plans.

Enjoy each stage as they grow... they grow up fast!!! :)

Answer 3

When I breastfed my first child he was 13 months before he was ready to wean. He just couldn't get used to a new routine. Eventually I just cut him down one feeding at a time. My second child however only breastfed for 4 months. I went back to work and the schedule was crazy, he decided it wasn't worth it. So he just stopped taking it. As for bottle weaning my first never took a bottle and my second is now 14 months and still has his at night and for his midday nap.
Hope my experience is helpful.
Good Luck!!

Answer 4

Why not go to 12 mos? Then you never have to buy formula and you'll meet the AAP's minimum recommendation for how long to nurse. 10 mos is too young for cow's milk.

Yes, they are eventually ready on their own. I have allowed all of mine to nurse beyond a year and to self wean.

The best way to wean, if you aren't going to do child-lead weaning, is slowly and gently. This is easier on your body and also on your child. Keep in mind that it's more than just a food source, but also a source of love and comfort for them. DO NOT wean cold turkey as this is traumatic for baby and very hard on mom's body.

You can cut one feeding approximately every 5 days, as long as you aren't still experiencing engorgement. If you are getting engorged between feedings, then that is a sign you are weaning too quickly. If you are weaning prior to a year, you'll need to replace the dropped nursing sessions with a bottle of formula.

There is a great link on weaning below.

Answer 5

This most certainly isn't the preferred method, but I was weaned cold-turkey from the breast. My mom had been completely unable to get me to take a bottle, but when a quick trip to the doctor with my father turned into almost a whole day in the hospital, my grandmother got me to take a bottle while they were gone. After the hospital fiasco was over and my mom came home, she said she never gave me anything but a bottle afterwards.

Answer 6

hi, my goal was to stop breastfeeding at age 1, so i started two months beforehand at 10months however i wanted t owean him onto the bottle so he'd still be able to get comfort from it, and he absolutely hated the bottle lol, i bought him a dummy early on at about 8 months and just let him play with it then a bottle with water to let him get used to the teat, finally we were ready to start weaning at 10months, i scheduled his feeds so he was having three a day after brekky after lunch and before bed.. then at 11months i cut it down to two feeds, morning and lunch and gave him a bottle for night feed, three weeks after that i cut the lunch feed and replaced it with a bottle feed, and the day of his birthday he had his last morning feed and after that was just bottle three times a day. he was fine and happy with it and i didn't get many complaints from him at all. i'm planning to go through bottle weaning around 2years as he only has two a day and i don't see a reason to take it away from him as it is a comfort to him and not doing anything bad. however 2 and a half i think i definitely want him to be off it. good luck with however you go about it! :)

Answer 7

My son self weaned at approximately 12 a million/2 months. i've got self assurance simply by fact i became entering into my 0.33 trimester and the style of my milk replaced. i've got no longer analyze toddler led weaning so perhaps what he did wasn't that yet he purely stopped asking and that i did no longer furnish. He became nursing each 3 hours then sooner or later he purely did no longer ask after his morning feed (around 8 am) till approximately 6 that evening (i actual did no longer are conscious of it till I went to feed him and found out how finished i became), a pair days later he stopped waking at evening, a week later he became finished with all of it. No discomfort for me different than somewhat discomfort that first day.

Answer 8

I combined bottle feeding with breastfeeding from the second week. I did it that way after reading the Contented Little Baby book, which recommends you introduce bottles immediately to avoid any difficulty later on.

You don't have to use formula, you can express your milk, which gives you greater freedom, gets your baby used to the bottle and lets your partner get involved in the feeding too!

My son took to both without any problems at all and gladly accepted whichever was offered to him. We bottles designed especially to mimic breastfeeding as closely as possible.

As a Mum, I always preferred the breast feeding myself but it was nice to know that Dad could get involved with the feeds.

Another advantage is that you can take a bottle of expressed milk when you're out and about incase you can't find anywhere you feel comfortable breastfeeding in public.

Answer 9

well i would start about 8 th month giving the baby a bottle with your breast milk in it . get the nipples that look and feel like your breast . and then around 11 months introduce him to juice in his bottle and sippy cups . he should be able to hold the bottles and cups at that age . by the time the baby's a year you should have him wheened . but keep trying to pump and give that to him no matter the age

Answer 10

i do child led weaning. as they get older the frequency drops till eventually its only every 3-4 days they want to nurse, then one day they forget about it. my oldest nursling is 2 and down to 3 times a day