My friend is trying to stop breast feeding her baby, and is having a hard time?

Question

Her baby is used to being fed by her breast, and sleeps in her bed everynight. She is trying to wean her baby and have her sleep in her own crib although she's having an unbelievable time! Any tips that I could give her?

Answer 1

I'd say forget this project. Perhaps she can bottle feed during the day and nurse at night.

Some babies need the extra nurturing. Nothing wrong with that. After I went back to work, I nursed only after work, at night, and in the morning. The rest of the day the baby was on the bottle.

My milk supply adjusted to this schedule, and the baby thrived just fine.

Babies don't really 'fit' into your lifestyle, regardless of way media hype would have you believe. Well-adjusted, confident, happy people result from 'pound of flesh' sacrifices from somebody--usually their mother.

The best approach is to 'do it with a smile' with the comfort that you will have great stories to embarrass them with later. ;-)

Answer 2

Your friend definitely needs to put off weaning baby until she has him adjusted to sleeping in his own crib, which, dependent on how old the baby is could be a pretty big feat in and of itself. As for the weaning, I would recommend that your friend gradually replace breast feedings for formula feedings, maybe switch the same feeding every day for a week and then two and then three and so on until all of the feedings are done by bottle. This is a less traumatic albeit more time consuming way to wean than just making the poor baby go cold turkey. Hope all goes well.

Answer 3

Well, it's unfortunate that she's trying to do TWO traumatic things at once to the baby - moving her from sleeping in the same bed as Mom to a crib AND weaning her off of breastmilk.

I would suggest doing one and then sticking with it for a month and then doing the other. It's going to make it easier on the baby. What I would do is I would try to get her to sleep in the crib first, and that way the baby will have the ultimate comfort (the mother's breast) to help the baby through the change.

After a while, have your friend introduce pumped breast milk by bottle; it might help to have someone else feed the baby for a while; my baby still won't take a bottle from me because she's smart enough to know that I have my breasts, and she knows she has an option if I'm the one feeding her.

If she wants to switch to formula, then she can do that, though I would SERIOUSLY reccomend expressing and pumping milk until she finds a formula her baby likes. A breastfed baby is sometimes finicky; I had a friend to stopped breastfeeding and her milk went away, but her baby HATED every kind of formula she tried; the baby would throw up Infamil, have allergic reactions to soy stuff, fuss and cry and refuse the bottle for Similac - she finally accepted a random store-brand formula, but the baby lost weight because her mother didn't have her own milk supply to fall back on for "just in case".

Your friend should definetaly take it one thing at a time. To anyone reading this - I think it's always a bad idea to introduce the family bed concept (sleeping in the same bed) if you are unwilling to stick with it; my own niece and nephew are HORRIBLE at night and will not fall asleep without their mom or dad in their bed with them... and they're already 2 and 5 years old!

Answer 4

I wouldn't try to do them both at one time. That could cause a mini panic attack in the baby and make him really insecure and make the weaning process harder. First move baby into own bed and then wean. If the baby has stress from the transition then nursing is a comfort and will make that part easier. Then after baby has adjusted...wean off the breast. That'd be like for an adult quitting smoking on the same day you move to a new town. Yipes! Good luck.

Answer 5

Why does she want to wean? How old is her baby? My only suggestion is that if she really wants to wean her best bet is to do it gradually. Take away one feeding at a time, a week or two at a time. Depending on how old her baby is I would suggest if she's old enough to use a cup, give her that to drink from, not a bottle. Does the baby eat cereal or other foods yet? If so, feed the baby something like that, like I said one feeding at a time. Good luck and i hope the baby's not too young or he could have abandonment issues from early weaning.

Answer 6

You didn't indicate the age?
But, sounds like she really
loves her baby. That closeness
and bond they have are great.
She justs needs to do it slowly
not to stress her child or
herself. Try cutting down one
feeding a day for a while and
then work into 2 feedings and
slowly the baby will find the new
routine is more of natural one.
More bottle feedings need to
be introduced once a
child gets comfortable with
the change it won't be so
hard. Take it slow.

Answer 7

If the mother truly needs to end, she will start up offering comforting bedtime rituals to change nursing, which comprise a heat tub and a backrub, a lullaby in the rocking chair, or cuddling the toddler in mattress till he's drowsy or asleep. even with the undeniable fact that, if the baby is right down to easily nighttime-time nursing, he's already being gradually weaned from the breast. Age 3.5 is the common age for weaning international, even yet it truly is each and every from time to time considered progressed in this area of the international, the place weaning is often very early. After age 3, a baby will gradually decrease nursing till he stops altogether on his very own. She could desire to hurry up the approach somewhat by way of no longer actively offering the breast and only soothing the baby to sleep in different techniques, yet allowing him to nurse if he's disillusioned, unwell, or only truly needs to nurse on a given nighttime.

Answer 8

She should try giving her baby a bottle during her feedings instead of her breast. She should use a nipple that is "similar" to a breast nipple. The Playtex nurser are good bottles for that. Breast fed babies generally rely on the scent of their moms so if your friend wants her baby to sleep in her crib, she should try placing a blouse or shirt of hers in the crib with the baby so the scent from it can comfort the baby. It can be very difficult to wean a breastfed baby from the mother's breast, however, the very best method is consistency. Good luck to your friend.

Answer 9

I had the same problem with my son. Just put the baby to sleep completely. Lay them in the crib. During the night if the baby wakes up, feed or change them, what ever is necessary, put them back to sleep and put the right back into the crib. Its hard at first, but the key is persistance. Everytime the baby wakes up, put they back to sleep in your bed, then quietly lay the back in their crib. Eventually the will get used to sleeping alone. Make sure you do not let them sleep in your bed during nap time either, try the crib or a playpen, it will give them independence.

Answer 10

You should never attempt to do more than one traumatic event at a time. Your friend needs to do some research or read a book for her child's sake.

She should wean after she transitions baby to her own crib in my opinion...but you're asking for a very hard time by doing them both at once.


http://www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/weanhowto.html

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art32189.asp

http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/growth/feeding/weaning.html

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/t130300.asp