HOW TO WEAN YOUR BABY FROM BREASTFEEDING

Are you ready to wean your baby from breastfeeding? Find simple and effective tips for daytime and nighttime weaning.

There is no right time to wean your baby. Every breastfeeding journey is unique and comes with its own set of challenges and excitement. As a mom, if you have decided that it is the right time to wean your little one then be it.

Although whether your little one has made up his mind whether he is ready to wean determines how long the entire weaning process will take. Hence, it is best to follow your baby cues in deciding when is the right time to wean.

My weaning story with my daughter

I had breastfed my daughter for up to seven months, out of which the first four months she was exclusively breastfed and the rest by the bottle as I had to return back to work after four-months of amazing time with my baby. I have spoken about my breastfeeding story many times on the blog, as I had stopped breastfeeding not because I wanted to wean but just out of stress as I was away from my baby for most of the day. It was a very difficult time for me and I felt that she was better off with formula, as she might reject it later on due to the taste difference between the breastmilk and formula. I wish I had known better!

But nevertheless, to wean her off completely, I followed a strict schedule where I breastfed her in the morning and in the night exclusively and for the daytime, I slowly started to replace her breastmilk bottle with formula bottles until she got the hang of it. Then I targeted the morning feed, where my husband used to offer her the formula milk bottle instead of me nursing her and finally moved onto the nighttime feeding where she eventually started to lose interest to breastfeed.

No matter, at what time you decide to wean your baby it should proceed gradually so that it does not come as a huge surprise to your little one.

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In this blog post, you will find a few simple yet effective tips that you can try with your little one to wean him. You don’t have to try all at once but pick and chose what will work well with you and your baby. Also, it is best to target daytime weaning first and then move onto the nighttime weaning as they are the hardest to let go.

Daytime weaning

It is easier to wean a baby of his daytime feedings as compared to the nighttime feedings. Here are a few simple tips to keep in mind!

1. Nurse only when asked

After the baby turns 6 months old, he starts to take solids as a part of the nutrition although milk still remains the most vital part of his diet.

This simple process of feeding only when the baby asks is known as don’t offer, don’t refuse. Where you led your baby to lead the weaning process. For some babies, this tactic might eventually help them lose interest in the breastfeeding session that can help accelerate the weaning process.

2. Avoid areas in the home where you usually nurse while feeding

If you used to nurse your baby on a nursing chair then try not to keep that in view during your baby’s feeding session. Instead, feed your baby in a different spot. Changing the environment can help your baby lose the urge to nurse regularly.

3. Avoid being in the same room as your baby during feeding sessions (get help from your partner!)

This is what helped me wean my daughter, but in my case, it was my daughter’s daycare teachers that helped in the process. A baby can easily smell the breastmilk when you are around, hence if you are not in his vicinity it can help in the weaning process. Also, a similar tactic is applied when you want your baby to start using bottles for feeding.

4. Replace the nursing session with a snack

This is just like a distraction technique where you try to offer your baby a snack or something else to take his mid-off breastfeeding.

Nighttime weaning

Nighttime weaning is the hardest to let go for both mom and the baby so always try to target them last. Many babies find comfort in nighttime nursing and hence taking that away from them might not be that easy. Hopefully, these tips can help!

1. Replace nursing sessions with formula or regular milk bottle (if your little one is one year old)

This is the method that I had used with my daughter. Once my daughter was used to the taste of formula, I slowly started introducing formula feed to her instead of breastmilk and she eventually started to take it. If your baby is older than a year, then you can slowly start to introduce cow's milk in his diet. You can check my blog post here.

2. Consider shifting your baby to his crib

If you are co-sleeping with your baby, then it might be the best time to consider moving him to his own crib so that you can avoid giving in to the temptation to nurse him.

But remember not to introduce many changes at the same time to your baby as he might not take it well. If you are moving your baby to his own crib, then it is best to first get the baby accustomed to his new surrounding and then start the weaning process.

3. Seek help from your partner during a nighttime feeding

This can be a great way to wean your little one. If your baby is too adamant and not ready to let go of breastfeeding, then instead of you showing up for all his nighttime nursing sessions, your partner can do that for you. Not seeing you around for all the nursing sessions, might help accelerate the weaning process.

4. Change the bedtime routine

If your bedtime routine includes nursing and then bedtime then try changing it by having a storytime while your baby drinks the milk from the bottle. Then for bedtime, you can just cuddle or rock your baby to sleep.

This was the change that I had made to our bedtime routine when I had started the weaning process with my daughter.

Common tips

No matter whether you're targeting daytime or nighttime feedings, these are common tips to keep in mind all the time.

1. Always give cuddles to your baby

Many babies feel very secure with nursing and hence they can be quite adamant to give that up. Hence always cuddle with your baby so that they feel absolutely loved and that can help with the weaning process.

2. Moms, it’s ok if you feel a mix of emotions

During the weaning process, it’s common for moms to feel a mix of emotions. Some might feel sad, stressed, or even feel like crying all the time. It's normal to feel that way. Try and speak to your partner or a family member! Don’t let that stand in the way of your weaning process.

3. During breast engorgement only relieve as much pressure needed

Breast engorgement is a common issue with moms when they start to reduce the nursing sessions which can be very painful. To relieve yourself of the pain, just express a little bit of milk to take off the pressure. This will help signal your body and it will start producing lesser and lesser breastmilk.

4. Talk to your baby about the weaning

If your baby is older, then sometimes talking to them can help them understand the weaning process better and they can support you in that.

Weaning can be a difficult time for both the mom as well as the baby and teething and illness can sometimes make this process even harder. Hence at this time, it is best to approach it gradually and with love. Breastfeeding is a great bond that the mom and baby get to enjoy, hence it is important to celebrate this journey and look forward to the new exciting adventures in the future.