How to Wean Baby from Breast or Bottle
Weaning your baby from the breast or the bottle is something we all must tackle at one time or another. Some babies just wean themselves, but most need a little nudge. If you’re at that point, or just about at that point, then here are some tips for you.
How to Wean from Breast
Weaning is a natural function. While there can be a lot of emotion involved in weaning, it doesn’t have to be dreaded or cause tears. Done slowly and with love, it will be stress free for all involved.
* Do it gradually. Start by taking out one midday feeding a day for a few weeks. Do this until you’re left with only the morning and before bed feeding. This decreases your supply, but doesn’t make your child feel deprived of anything.
* Check with your doctor to see what he or she recommends you replace breastmilk with. A child before a year old will need to be on formula.
* When you offer the replacement to the breast, whether in a cup or bottle, make sure to give your child lots of closeness. He or she is used to lots of physical touching while eating, so provide that to her even though you’re not offering the breast.
* If you’re weaning a toddler (2 and older), set firm limits on your time of nursing. Only offer it when it’s convenient for mom.
* If you have another person around as a caretaker, see if they’ll take the late night wake-up calls. At a certain age these are less about hunger and more about comfort.
How to Wean from the Bottle
Weaning from the bottle isn’t all that different from weaning from the breast. Some children become very attached to their bottle. The younger you try to switch over to a cup, the easier it will likely be, though. Here are a few more tips.
* Find the right cup for the job. Some sippy cups can be very difficult for a child to drink from. You might need to do a lot of trial and error to find the right cup. Be open to trying cups with straws or ones which aren’t spill-proof as well.
* Offer the cup gradually just like taking out the breast gradually. Offer a cup with breakfast to start with instead of the bottle. Once she’s taking that, then expand to lunch, and dinner.
* The last bottle to go should be the bedtime bottle and when that goes you will want to offer other things of comfort in its place. Extra cuddles, a favorite toy, or a nice cozy blanket. Offer a cup of water if you need to, but not milk.
* Use positive reinforcement. When your child drinks from a cup, make a huge deal about it with lots of praise.
* If your child asks for the bottle, figure out what she really wants. Hungry? Give her food. Thirsty? Give her a drink in a cup. Sad or hurt? Give her extra love, hugs, and comfort.
* When you do offer the bottle, make it less appealing. Gradually start watering the milk down. Eventually your child will see that the milk tastes so much better in her big girl cup; she’ll stop asking for the bottle.
* Out of sight, out of mind – get rid of the bottles. If you don’t have them, your child can’t ask for one.
Always remember when weaning to remain positive and be prepared to offer lots of extra snuggles. Be patient. No child has gone off to college still breastfeeding or drinking from a bottle. You know your child best, so pay attention to her cues. Weaning is not something you should stress over.