Weaning My Daughter..

Usually they are not ready to give up that vomfort zone until they hit about 12 months. Then once they hit that age you start giving them a bottle with milk in a couple of times a day. In my experience it is the closness that they crave, so as long as you give them this bottle still holding them close to you, then it is a little easier for them to make the adjustment.

If I were you, I would not wean. Your daughter is still a baby! She is not ready to give up her comfort and her excellent source of nourishment. Also, there is NO reason to feel guilty about using the breast as comfort. A 10 month old is too young to comfort their self. They need the parents around to comfort them and hold them, that is how young learn to trust! I know it can feel as though you can never get a break while nursing (I am nursing a 15 month old myself), but take comfort in the excellent start you are giving your baby. Also in the scheme of things, the 12-24 months one nurse their young is a very short time. Take this opportunity to comfort and teach your little one that you are there for them when they are upset, tired, scared and happy. Don't listen to what naysayers tell you, nursing your baby for the first two years is optimal. Your child will not turn out spoiled, just loved and confident.

Hi A., I too had this same problem when my baby boy was about the same age, I was so confused, first I was angry at all the comments my friends and family thought they should make(how long ya gonna do that or just quit already). Second, I know this is my last child and I am a stay at home mom and why should I have to stop nursing if 'I' don't want to. My son is now 16 months old and I still nurse him for his nap and bedtime and a couple night nursings(I am more of a human pacifier). I have come to realize that I don't care what people say or think, I don't whip out my boob anywhere I nurse him in private unless at home. I got a lot of negative comments on here when I posted my problem, some people were helpful too, my only suggestion is do what 'YOU and your baby' want to do as long as you're comfortable. I hope everything goes well for you guys, let me know how things go. =)

Is there a reason you need to wean her? I know that the World Health Orginization now recomends breastfeeding until the age of 2. (sorry didn't know if you knew that)

I just weaned my daughter and there are a few ways you can do it. Slowly or just quit cold turkey. We quit cold turkey pretty much and I didn't have any problems with engorgement. it was hard at first but my daughter eventually took the bottle with no problems. We had a rough week when I started putting her to seep without nursing. It took a while just trying to snuggle with her and keep her calm. It was hard for me emotionally but after about a week it was fine. If she is already subbing with formula then the engorgement shouldn't be bad for you.

Good luck :)

A.

My little girl is turning a year this August too (the 12th). She weaned on her own at about 5-6 months. She just found everything going on around her more interesting. I didn't have much pain or engorgement. I would recommend if you do to pump until you are comfortable again, don't fully pump yourself empty. As for weaning at bed time, I would offer my daughter the breast until she got drowsy then unlatched her and popped in the pacifier. She now only uses the pacifier for bed, I don't want her to get dependent on it. After a bit just let her lay against your chest in the feeding position but only give her the pacifier. That way she has your scent and your softness to nuzzle but no nursing. I did this and I'm now able to give my girl a couple of kisses hand her the pacifier and lay her in bed and leave her for the night. It's working for naps too. I hope this works for you too.

I'm also in the process of weaning my daughter. She's almost 5 mos old and has started to gnaw on my nipples while feeding. I'm pretty sure she's getting teeth. I decided that it was time. When she gets really upset, I pass her off to her daddy or whomever else happens to be around at the time. If she's eating, she'll finish her bottle and is fine. If she's not eating, I ask them to give her the paci and pace with her. She loves to be walked around. Normally it works. Also, try a blanket between her hands when you lay her down. It helps my daughter to have something to snuggle with. HTH

I recently weaned my daughter at 14mos because we are pregnant again.... I found that just taking it a step at a time was best. I started with one feeding and then when she didn't seem to mind that one being gone I would take another one. The hardest one was bedtime, but I just rocked her and would sing a song or something and after the first two days she was fine. She would never take a paci but started after I weaned her, but thats ok....it can go around two. Just remember, you can do whatever you find that works and makes it as stress free for you and the baby. I find now that some days she is so restless that the only thing that helps to get her to sleep is to lay down with her until she is out. Even if you aren't able to get her to be able to calm herself down yet, maybe there is just something else you can do to help with out the boob, like a walk around the house or a song. My daughter found itsy bitsy spider very soothing because you can move you hands and there is something to watch.
Good luck though, you'll figure it out and everything will be fine.
T.

It depends on what you mean by "ready". If she is already taking formula and you are supplementing with it frequently, then her digestive track is ready to be weaned off breast milk. However, if what you mean is, "is my daughter ready to give up the ACT of nursing" then you will have to wait for her cues. Drop just one feeding at a time. Usually the night/before bed sessions are the last to go. Some babies aren't ready to self-wean until well in to their 2nd year or later. It sounds more like you will have to force wean her because she's not wanting to calm herself. There are VERY few babies who are truely ready to wean at 1-year, this is just something women do so that they can give up nursing.

So, the short of it is, if YOU are ready then proceed and don't feel guilty, it will just make it harder. You have made it to the first year part of "at least the first year" that the AAP recomends which puts you in a group of only about 17% of moms! But if you are really waiting for HER to be ready, wait for her to drop feedings as she wants instead of force-weaning.

Good Luck!!

I breast fed all three of my children and they all stoped at different times for different reasons. I was pregnant with my second when my first was only 5 months old. When Ryan(my first) was 10 months it was getting to taxing on my body to continue breast feeding. I started taking one feeding a week and replacing it with a bottle. The last feeding was the hardest. People who never breast feed don't always understand the bonding that we moms love to have with our babies during feedings. I hated to give up that connection (bonding). My son did better than I thought he would and I continued to hold him close when he used the bottle, that may have helped. If your daughter won't take the bottle from you, you can have dad do it which might make the transtion easier.
My second child Eric had to have ear surgery at 11 months. I didn't wean him until after the surgery because I didn't want to take away something that comforted him. My daughter was the last child I was ever going to have so she was the hardest for me to wean. Both Eric and Megan were weaned between 12 and 13 months. They were weaned to milk in sippy cups. They had already been getting water or juice out of sippy cups so they were used to them. I think that helped. Because they got their milk with their meals instead of after their meals to soothe them to nap, they weaned easier and learned to fall asleep with out the breast feeding to soothe them.
Just take it one feeding at a time. Taking away lunchtime or dinnertime feeding that can be replaced at mealtime with sippy cups first may be easier. Don't wean any faster than you and your child can manage. The longer I took to wean the less engorgment issues I had. Your body will slowly produce less and less milk which I think made it easier.
Your daughter may do much better at a slow pace and you may like that better yourself. Enjoy your last month or months of breast feeding don't let yourself get stresed out.

My daughter is 11 1/2 months old and I still nurse her before her afternoon nap and before bed and first thing in the morning and when/if she gets up in the middle of the night. I did the same thing with my son who is now 2 1/2 yrs old. I slowly started giving up feedings at 6 months of age and would give formula instead. with my son I gave him a sippy cup sooner than my daughter but that's only because she just recently decided to accept the sippy cup. I haven't had any problems with engorgement because it's been such a slow process. I was ready to give up the daytime feedings so I would have a little more freedom but I haven't given up the others due to pure laziness. It's just so easy now. I had planned on only doing the night time feedings by now but again laziness strikes and I haven't done it. As for feeling like the human pacifier that's how it felt with my son...my daughter not so much. but with him I would just hold him close and sing to him and rock him..It took a while but it worked. When I knew there wasn't anything wrong he was just tired then I let him cry it out in his bed. It was rough but it was the only thing that worked.

Good Luck...just do what you feel good about and it will all work out

Hi A.,

I remember feeling the same way when my daughter was 10 months old. I was ready to wean within the next month or two and she just seemed to become more and more attached to breastfeeding. I felt a bit of panic about it. But, I have good news for you. Just because your daughter seems like she can't get over certain things without breastfeeding doesn't mean that you will have to nurse her until she's 15. It just feels that way.

She gets a lot out of her nursing relationship with you. She feels warm, comforted, and gets actual nourishment from it, so it's only natural that she would feel attached to your breasts.

I wouldn't worry about supplementing with formula and weaning her completely before a year old. You're so close to the year mark, why not continue to nurse until 12 months - then you can put her straight onto milk from a sippy cup - I guess I'm a lazy mother, but I hated making formula, plus it smells gross. I weaned my daughter at 13 months, we started the process just after she turned a year. Up until then, I nursed her on demand - including when she was upset.

When we started the weaning process, I looked at a calendar and marked the dates I would drop certain feedings. First, I stopped nursing her when she got herself upset, I actually did that around 11 1/2 months. I would take her for a walk, I would hold her tight and kiss her face, and eventually she stopped expecting to nurse when she was worked up. It's hard, but once she figures out that she can soothe herself and you don't give in and breastfeed, you'll be surprised how quickly she gets used to it.

Then, I dropped any feedings that weren't upon waking. So, she still got to nurse in the morning, after her morning nap, after her afternoon nap, and before she went to bed at night. I didn't replace those feedings with milk, I just started offering more quantity and variety of foods at mealtimes, making sure that the foods were fresh, nutritious and high in fats (like avocado!) I allowed her about a week to get used to that routine and then, every five days or so, I would drop a waking feeding and replace it with milk.

She wouldn't take cow's milk at first, so I put a little (about an oz) of pediasure in the bottom of the sippy cup and would fill the rest of the cup with whole milk. The sweetness of the pediasure made her LOVE milk. After about two weeks, I dropped the pediasure and she is still obsessed with her milky at 18 months. While she was on the small amount (about 4 oz a day) of pediasure her appetite went down - just an FYI - but she got it right back when I stopped putting it in there.

She responded really well to the whole process. She seemed to make some major developmental leaps after we finished weaning, as though she had been waiting to stop nursing to do it. She walked the day after I dropped the last feeding. Probably a coincidence, but funny anyway.

Whatever you decide, remember, you are the expert on your child. No one knows better than you what is right for your child or your family. When it gets difficult, think about how you feel about the decisions you're making, and then do what's right for you. 10 months was around the time that a lot of mothers I know started getting criticism from non-nursing family members and questions like "when are you going to wean her?" in a critical tone of voice. Those people aren't your daughter's mother. Their decisions were right for them, and that's great, but you don't have to do it the same way.

If you do decide to nurse your daughter well into her first year, there is nothing NOTHING wrong with that. There is no right or wrong time to wean. Just make your decision for yourself and your daughter and it will all come out okay. I guess the key is being comfortable with what you want to do, and having faith that you're doing the right thing.

Good luck.