Weaning from Breast

Weaning from breast is a challenge for both mother and child. Most mothers prefer completely weaning from breast when the child is a toddler. Weaning from breast becomes easy for the toddler with encouragement and commitment from the mother. One way of encouraging the toddler to self-wean himself is to offer him the breast only if he asks for it. This is usually a slow process but will eventually help in weaning from breast successfully.

Tips for Weaning from Breast

• Choose to start weaning from breast when your toddler is not disturbed by other happenings around him such as the arrival of another sibling, putting him in a daycare, hiring a babysitter or when he is sick.
• Make the breast less easily accessible for breastfeeding. To do this, you can wear more clothes which make access to the breast difficult or clothes which make nursing difficult. Put aside those nursing clothes specifically designed for breast feeding.
• Reduce the length of each breastfeeding session instead of stopping it abruptly. After he has been at the breast for a couple of minutes, ask him to stop and provide him something else to focus his thoughts on.
• If you think that your toddler is using your breast to satisfy his hunger, offer him other food that he likes such as a biscuit or a piece of carrot. If he looks to the breast as a source of comfort, give him a doll or soft toy and play with him for sometime.
• Put off the breast feeding sessions by telling him that you will offer your breast later. Keep doing this until the time for a feeding session has lapsed. This may make your toddler less interested in your breast.
• Keep your toddler occupied the whole day. If he is distracted, he may not remember to ask you for your breast. You can read out a book to him or give him a toy to play with.
• Ask your partner to actively participate in the feeding sessions and request him to put the toddler to sleep at night.
• If you find your toddler beginning to suck his thumb, do not discourage it immediately. He may be doing this for comfort. However, gradually you must begin to discourage him from doing this.
• Make sure that your toddler can comfortably drink from a cup or sippy cup before you wean him off completely.
• Change your daily routine and find chores for you to do during the times you normally breastfeed your toddler. Keeping yourself occupied helps to wean your toddler.
• Avoid sitting in your favourite nursing spot in front of your toddler.
• Drop one feeding session every week. It is a good idea to start by dropping night time feeds.
• Increase the time between the bedtime feed and when the toddler is actually put to bed.
• Do not undress in front of your toddler as seeing your breasts may create an interest in him once again.
• Tell him that he has grown up and that grown up children do not drink mother's milk anymore.
• Remember to complement breast milk with other sources of nutrition to meet her nutritive requirement. Maintaining a regular schedule of solid food also decreases your toddler's interest in breast milk.
• Offer fluids such as milk and water in a brightly coloured cup that will catch his attention. He may find the cup more interesting than your breast.

Although breast milk alone is enough for the first six month's of your child's life, he needs other sources of nutrition after this stage. So, beginning to wean him from this stage will make weaning from breast when he is a toddler an easy process.