I have a very healthy and vibrant 10 month old girl who I am still breastfeeding. My plan is to slowy introduce regular milk into her diet. I am getting ready to go back to work soon and I am done with breastfeeding once she turns 1 in late June. She does not take a bottle, although she loves drinking out of her sippy cup. I breastfeed her in the morning after she wakes up, again when she goes down for her nap in the late moring and afternoon and again before bed time at night. So my question is what have some of you other moms done to wean your little ones off of the boob. Any advice ia appreciated.
Thank you Ladies sooooo much for the great advice you all have given me. I have started a new routine of not nursing her before her naps and have removed 1 nursing during the day. We are now down to 3 per day now. I agree with usng the straw sippy cup for water only - I have been using this one for about a month now. I like the old fashion idea of drinking while sitting in your chair - it does create good habits and I will try giving her a cup of milk in a glass when I begin to give her regular milk. Again, I liked everyone's input - I am so thankful for you all taking the time to give me your ideas and experiences!!!!
with all three of my kids the best thing I found was to stoop all toghter it takes at most about three days for them to ge over it. Offer milk in a straw cup. worked for me with all three and with all the family members I have adived to do so as well. Hope this helps.
I weaned both of my kids around 14-15 months, and in both cases I took a little trip away from them. For a few months prior to weaning I pumped and fed them with a bottle (or sippy) along with nursing. Then I went on a work related trip for 2-3 days and when I got back whenever they wanted to nurse I gave them some milk. It worked pretty well for me.
Cut the nap feeding for two weeks - replace it with milk in the sippy cup and a walk in the stroller to get her to sleep
After about two weeks she wont miss that anymore and cut the morning feeding by distracting her with breakfast or silly getting dressed games or lying on your bed with her for cuddle time
Then after she is only asking and pulling at your shirt at night move on to the night time feeding - this one takes a while - just try to distract her and use several different ways to help her fall asleep - bath/book, ride in the car -
I am weaning my 20 month old now and am nursing him every other night which after 3 weeks he is just now accepting.
I'm not a recent mom, but have been observing our grandson's mother in her weaning him. I think the nighttime feeding should be the last one, as it's generally a good way to comfort before going to sleep, and is at a time when you are more likely to be relaxed and have some time. Morning routines once you are working again are too likely to be hectic.
Since you say she loves drinking from her sippy cup, I don't think you should have a big problem with this at all. I've said it before on this forum and am going to keep on saying it.. I personally would go directly to a regular cup and teach the child how to drink safely and neatly that way. Then I'd have a straw cup (rather than a sippy) just for water... no milk or juice except from a regular cup. My thinking is twofold: first a sippy cup tends to be hard on the teeth and mouth, whereas a straw cup is much safer. Second, I just don't think you can get either a sippy or a straw cup adequately cleaned if you put anything in them other than water. I know we've used sippy cups for so many years that parents think they are a necessary interim step from the bottle to a cup, but guess what? My mother didn't have that option with me! I've been serving our grandson from a regular small glass (and I do mean glass, not plastic) since he was around seven or eight months of age. He is now 19 months of age and handles it like a pro. We have very few spills at our table. Do realize that an adult needs to be present at all times when a child that young is using a glass, but again my thinking is that's a necessity anyway. I have a real problem watching a child walk around a room carrying a sippy cup, straw cup or bottle, and think children should be taught that eating and drinking is done at a table. That may make me sound too old fashioned, but it does cut down on the likelihood of a child choking on food or drink.
Hi L.,
I also had my feedings similar at that stage with my now 16mo old. The only difference was that I nursed when he got up from his naps instead of going down for them. My son did take a bottle, however. (after trying the sippy for a few times I had given up b/c I had to wean as I was pregnant and not getting much milk). I sort of wished I could've gone straight to the sippy, b/c it has been hard to wean him from bottle to sippy/straw.
But, what I did was wean one feeding each week. I did the one after the first nap, then after the second nap, morning and then evening. He did great. No problem. Now, as we are weaning off the bottle, I am also doing one feeding a week, but replacing the bottle with a sippy and some crackers/snack. (Mainly, he isn't taking anything from a sippy, but he'll at least eat some crackers.) I've had better luck with a straw with water, and am also trying that with milk. My main advice is one feeding/week. It makes it an easy transition. Good luck and enjoy your last days of brst feeding!
Hopefully she doesn't have a word for nursing but if she does or not try not offering and have other options available such as have a cup of mild and a bowl of cerel and then if she asks let her nurse but end it earlier than you normally would. Then slowly faze it out it will be easier on you that way often it is harder on us to wean than it is on the child. Good luck.
Plan a long weekend get away for yourself, try to get hubby to stay behind if you can so that the little one gets used to a new routine. Grandma or Grandpa or another care giver works too but then the little one expects the old routine back when you both get back. You could also try to fill up your daily schedule so that baby is stimulated so much that there is simply no time for nursing and have hubby do the bedtime routine while you take a shower. Good luck!
Hi L.,
I just weined sp? my 14 month son. He really loved nursing, so it could have been very difficult but was smoother than expected. He is my second son, the first weined himself at 1 year. I could have continued nursing, but it was time. I started giving him wholemilk from a sippy cup at meals until he got use to it. Then I cut out the first feeding of the day (my nursing schedule was exactly like yours. 4 times a day, same times). I went straight into the kitchen at 7:30am and servced breakfast. This satisfied his hunger immediately and that feeding was the easiest to eliminate. The I cut out the evening feeding. You would think this would be the most difficult, but it was easier, because my husband would take him into the bedroom, feed him the milk (which he only needed or wanted a little after dinner) and would rock him or lay down beside him until he fell asleep. The next two were a bit harder because it was me and him and our regular routine. So, I started with the morning nap. I actually started weining him off of that as well, so we all get a 2 to 3 hour nap at 1pm. I used milk and snack at that time. ...and then finally the 1pm nap was the last to go. I just rocked him with the sippy cup and he'd cry alittle, but I'd comfort him and before you knew it he was off. He still asks for it sometimes (does sign lanuage), but I just give him milk at that time. Hope this helps.
Good luck!
Usually the last feeding to go is the morning or bedtime session, but I like how Victoria went about dropping those feedings first. My son still nurses every few days at bedtime (he's 2.5yo), and I know some moms don't have (or want) the option of letting her child wean themselves, but please make sure you go slowly. It's recommended that you drop one feeding every 4-5 days to avoid engorgement and possible mastitis. These can happen with sudden weaning, but it sounds like you have a couple of months to start the process.
Also remember that babies can't have regular milk until AFTER 12 months of age because their digestive systems don't have the enzymes to break down the proteins in the milk.
It sounds like you're a very loving mom, and I'm sure you'll find something that works for you and your baby! Congratulations on nursing this long, and enjoy your daughters!
