whats the best way to wean my daughter from the breast?

Question

She is 8 months old.

Answer 1

Good for you for making it so long! (And her too!) Not very moms make it beyond the 6 months mark. You've certainly given her a wonderful start! Here is a great link that touches on the benefits you've given her based on how long you've nursed.

http://www.lightlink.com/hilinda/Diane/weanbaby.html

Since she's under 12 months of age, you'll need to gradually replace her nursing sessions with either pumped breastmilk or formula. (The AAP recommends breastfeeding until at least 12 months.) Cow's milk isn't recommended until 12 months of age.

It's best if you can go very slowly and gently. This is a very big transition for her. Remember that nursing isn't just about food, but also relaxation, comfort and being close to mom. And going slowly gives your body time to adjust and step down the milk supply so that you don't have to deal with severe engorgement.

If you want to take the lead in weaning, you could try eliminating one feeding every 3-7 days (avoid going faster than this). As I mentioned above, this will allow your milk supply to decrease slowly, so you don't have to deal with so much discomfort.

Think about your child's day and decide if there are certain nursing sessions that she is less attached to. Those are the ones you'll want to eliminate first. (Usually, the last one before bed and first one in the morning are the ones most babies are really attached to and are the last ones you'll want to eliminate.) When you've decided which session to cut first, you could try distraction/redirection. Try "heading her off at the pass" and offering her a snack or drink before she normally asks to nurse. Or you could try gradually shortening that nursing session until it becomes not worth her while to nurse. Changing your routines can help as well. Take advantage of the nice weather and get out of the house for a walk or a trip to the park during a time baby would normally ask to nurse.

Once you have eliminated that feeding and you are feeling comfortable (no feeling of fullness/engorgement) then you can move on to the next one you want to eliminate. Getting engorged would be a sign that you are going too quickly and should slow down a bit.

If you want to be a little more relaxed about it, you can take the "don't offer - don't refuse" approach. This way, you don't offer to nurse, but you don't refuse if baby asks to nurse. It takes longer than the mother-lead weaning approach above, but it is very gentle on both of you.

There is a great section on weaning at -
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/weaning/index.html

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

Replace on meal at a time with the bottle or sippy cup but use your breast milk. I watched super nanny and there was a child on there that was real tough to break. The mother put her baby down for a nap without the breast, and she layed with her she had her bottle ready but baby did not want it, she had a pillow protecting her breast and she sooth her before she went to sleep. After a time the baby was taking the bottle and sometimes a sippy cup.

The way my pastors wife did it was to replace the breast with an actual meal, her baby was at that age. She gave her baby food which can be started at six mounth and she offered breast milk in a sippy cup, baby took to it well. She was weaned in two weeks. Not everyone is that lucky though.

Answer 3

Does she take a bottle? If she does, start by replacing one feeding a day with a bottle of formula or expressed breast milk. You can drop one feeding every 4-7 days or so. If you find she prefers the bottle, she may wean very quickly, as my daughter did, and you may get some engorgement. If you do, you can either manually express, or use a pump to express just enough to relieve the pressure. If you express too much, your milk won't dry up. If she refuses the bottle from you, try having someone else offer it to her. Some people say that you shouldn't bottle feed in the same place as you breast feed, but for my daughter we found that she preferred to drink her bottle in the same spot we nursed in.

If she doesn't take a bottle yet, you may have to work to introduce one. It took 3 months to get my daughter to accept the bottle. You can try different bottle brands and different nipple flows.

Good luck!

Answer 4

i did it at 1 year and i did it from 3 times a day then 2 times and so on she is still small do you give her a bottle still if so you can wean easy ..faster than a strick breast fed baby.. my kids went from the breast to the sippy cup but she is still small i would wait a few more months maybe start instead of 5 times a day cut one feeding every few days

Answer 5

Mamma2 pretty much hit the nail on the head. Just wanted to add this: the lactation consultant at the hospital told me the Avent bottles are most like the breast, and that most babies will take them easier than others. All babies are different though, so you may have to experiment with nipples (all this is a moot point of course, if your baby already takes the bottle.) Good luck to you!

Answer 6

Start by just taking one feeding away at a time. This way it wont be a shock to her to go to the bottle or cup. Then slowly take two away and so on. This can make the transition more comfortable for her.

Answer 7

I cantell you from experience it is not easy. potty training is easier. She is going to holler alot. I feel for you i weaned my baby boy at that age and it is difficult, but they usually go straight for the tippee cup when weaning happens. just hold her close and sing songs or talk softly to her when you start her with her favorite juices, formula or milk. Be Patient

Answer 8

What's the rush? My son nursed til he was two, and was reading at two and a half! It really is good for them for as long as it isn't inconvenient for you. If you need to wean her now, try giving her breast milk in a bottle and let someone else give it to her. If you try to give it to her yourself she'll refuse it. After that it's pretty easy to get her to take formula from a bottle.

Answer 9

My wife breast fed both of our daughters. supplement baby cereal and baby food. as the child grow the milk would no longer satisfy the hunger. We tried to have them weened between 10 and 12 months. A baby can have regular (cow) milk at 10 months

Answer 10

start to give her a bottle of diluted apple juice or a cup if you don't want to use bottles. You can gradually wean her off over a period of time. She may resist, but will use the bottle or cup if she is thirsty enough.

ps - unless you are going back to work or absolutely have to - 8 months is still young. You can nurse until age one or beyond if you want to.