How do I wean my toddler from breastfeeding?

For the answer to this ques. http://parenting.ivillage.com/baby/bbreastfeed/0,,lz_9lg8,00.htmlhttp://www.babycenter.com/dilemma/toddler/toddlerbreastfeed/1235997.htmlhttp://www.caringforkids.cps.ca/babies/Weaning.htm Sources: Please check below for all links .

Proceed slowly, regardless of the age of your child. Experts advise that you not abruptly withhold your breast, which can be traumatic. A weekend away from your baby or toddler with your husband, for example, is not a good way to end the breastfeeding relationship.

Try these methods instead:Skip a feeding. Skip a feeding and see what happens. Offer a cup or bottle of milk instead.

As a substitute you can use your own pumped milk, formula, or cows' milk (if your child is at least a year old). If you reduce feedings one at a time over a period of weeks your child will have time to adjust to the changes. Your milk supply will also diminish, without leaving your breasts engorged or giving you mastitis, a breast infection.

Shorten nursing time. Start by cutting the length of time your child is actually on the breast. If he usually nurses for five minutes, try three.

Depending on his age, follow the feeding with a healthy snack such as unsweetened applesauce or a cup of milk or formula.(Note, however, that babies younger than 6 months may not be ready for solids. ) Bedtime feedings may be harder to curb — they're usually the last to go. Postpone and distract.

Try postponing feedings if you're only nursing a couple of times a day. This method works well if you have an older child you can reason with. If your child asks for the breast, say you'll feed him later and distract him.

Instead of nursing in the early evening, you could tell him to wait until bedtime. --------------------Excerpt From:http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/growth/feeding/weaning.htmlWeaning Your Child…Some experts say that after the first birthday is the best age to start the transition from the breast because a child is more adaptable to change at that age.(A 2-year-old toddler, for example, is likely to be much more attached to the breast and less flexible about giving it up.) A 1-year-old baby is also eating more solid foods and so may naturally lose interest in the breast. Engorgement will also become less of a problem for the mother around this time because as the demand for breast milk decreases, so does milk production.

Weaning does not have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. Some women choose to wean during the day and breastfeed at night, depending on their work situation and their schedules. It's up to what works for the mother and the baby.

Some children wean themselves earlier than the mother had intended for it to happen or the child may not be ready to be off the breast as soon as the mother is ready. The best way to approach weaning is being flexible and paying attention to what works for you and your baby and your situation. …Approaches to WeaningIn order to allow both mom and baby to adjust physically and emotionally to the change, weaning should be a gradual process.

One approach to weaning is to drop one feeding session a week until the child is eating all solid foods or formula.In this case, you may need to express milk to avoid engorgement. If you try this approach, you might want to start with eliminating the midday feeding because it's usually the smallest and most inconvenient - especially for working mothers. Many mothers let go of the bedtime feeding last because it remains a special part of the bonding URL4 may also be the one to which your child is most emotionally attached.

Another approach is to leave the decision of when to wean completely up to your child. Once he or she is eating three meals of solid food a day (plus snacks in between), let your child breastfeed only when he or she asks.In this situation, you may find that your milk will dry up due to lack of demand. Pumping may be necessary to keep the milk flowing.

Making the Transition Easier…Expect that you're going to experience a wide range of emotions, and understand that your child may be ambivalent about weaning, too. But also remember that there will be countless other ways to nurture your relationship with your child in the days, months, and years ahead. Here are some suggestions for making the transition easier for both of you: * Engage your child in a fun play activity or an outing during the time when you would usually nurse.

* Avoid sitting in your usual nursing spots or wearing your usual nursing clothes. * Delay weaning if your child is trying to adapt to some other change in his life. Trying to wean your child when he or she is just beginning child care or when teething is probably not a good idea.

* If your baby is younger than a year, it's a good idea to introduce a bottle or cup when you would typically be nursing. If he or she is older than a year, try a healthy snack or maybe even just a cuddle. * Try changing your daily routine so that you are otherwise engaged when you would typically be breastfeeding.

* Enlist your partner's help to provide a distraction at a typical nursing time. * If your child begins to pick up a comforting habit such as thumb sucking or becomes attached to a security blanket, don't discourage it. Your child may be trying to adjust to the emotional changes of weaning.

How Long Is Too Long? Some experts feel that there is nothing wrong with feeding a child breast milk until well into the toddler or even preschool years, as long as both the child and mother are comfortable with the situation. However, it's important to note that after 1 year, breast milk alone does not provide all the nutrients a growing child needs; solid foods must become a regular part of his diet.

As you begin to wean your child, remember that he or she needs time to adjust to eating from bowls and cups.Be patient as your child begins to explore the world of food - eventually your child will like what he or she sees. Updated and reviewed by: Barbara P. Homeier, MDDate reviewed: June 2005Reviewed by: Wayne Ho, MD--------------------From:http://www.kellymom.com/bf/weaning/how_weaning_happens.htmlWeaning: How does it happen?

By Kelly Bonyata, IBCLC, Becky Flora, IBCLC and Paula Yount * Child-led Weaning * Mother-led Weaning o Sudden Weaning ("cold-turkey") o Gradual Weaning o Partial WeaningChild-led WeaningChild-led weaning occurs when a child no longer has a need to nurse - nutritionally or emotionally. A baby who self-weans is usually well over a year old, is getting most of his nutrition from solids, is drinking well from a cup, and cuts down on nursing gradually. If children are truly allowed to self-wean in their own time, most will do so somewhere between the 2nd and 4th year.

Obviously, some will wean before this time and some will wean after this time, too. Mother-led WeaningIf you feel that you need to encourage weaning before your baby is truly ready, it is possible to gently and lovingly "help" your child along the way, while at the same time remaining as flexible and as respectful to his needs as possible. Some children, even though they're not truly ready, can be gently weaned without too much of a protest.It's important to always conduct mother-led weaning in a way that is gentle, gradual, flexible, patient, and as respectful to your child's needs as possible.

Be aware of any signs that the weaning process is going too quickly for your child and be ready to slow things down some if necessary. If you want to take an active approach to weaning before baby show signs on his own, you might consider waiting until at least the age of 18 months.At this age most children can be told "no" and asked to wait on nursing more easily than a younger child can. Sudden WeaningStopping breastfeeding abruptly, or "cold turkey," can be very distressing for both mother and baby and can cause plugged ducts, breast infection, or even a breast abscess.

Hormone levels are also more likely to take a drastic plunge, causing mood swings, depression, babycenter.com/refcap/3272.htmlWeaningAp...0's very rare that sudden weaning is truly necessary. If someone suggests to you that this is required, get a second opinion. It would also be helpful to talk to a lactation consultant and/or a La Leche League Leader, who will be able to suggest alternatives and, if necessary, help you to wean with as little distress to mom and baby as possible.

Gradual WeaningGradual weaning allows you to gradually substitute other kinds of nutrition, affection and attention to compensate for the loss of nursing. Gradual weaning also allows the immunity levels in your breast milk to increase (as overall milk supply decreases) and thus give your child a last bit of extra protection against infection. Weaning should occur as slowly as your situation permits to make it easier on both you and your child.

How long weaning takes depends upon too many variables to predict. Be as patient and as flexible as you possibly can. Weaning will happen, but you may feel at times that you're taking one step forward and two steps back.

When you're actively weaning, be sure to offer lots of cuddling and extra affection during the day. As your child grows older, nursing becomes much more than a way to satisfy hunger and thirst. It provides him with much comfort, security and closeness, so be as sensitive to his needs as you possibly can be throughout the process.

Partial WeaningWeaning is not an all-or-nothing process. You can always keep one (or more) feedings per day and eliminate the rest. Page last modified: 05/17/2007Written: 05/02/2001 Sources: Links inside .

Sometimes just cutting back on the amount of times you breastfeed will make you feel better. Breastfeeding is a two-way street. If you resent it most times you sit down to breastfeed, your child will pick up on this.

If your baby is under a year (or older, sometimes), you will have to substitute a bottle feeding for a missed breastfeeding. An older baby may accept a drink from a cup, a nutritious snack, or just a distraction in the form of a game, a toy, or change of scene. Remember, the first supplemental feed, from a bottle, or of solid food, is the beginning of weaning.

If weaning is your decision, it's best for you and your baby to do it gradually, and with love. If you wean "cold turkey," your breasts will likely become painfully engorged, and you might develop a breast infection. Your baby will probably fight the switch from your warm, soft breast to a plastic substitute.

He might mourn the loss of "his" breasts. If you must wean suddenly, see our FAQ on weaning for medical reasons, and our NEW BEGINNINGS article "Sudden Weaning" for helpful ideas.To wean a baby under a year, substitute his least favorite feeding first. If the baby won't accept the bottle from you, (he knows the breast is right around here somewhere!

) see if Daddy or Grandma can succeed. Let the baby have a few days (or weeks, if possible) between each time you substitute a breastfeeding session with a bottle. Express a little milk from your breasts, to your own comfort, if you become engorged.

Don't express a whole feeding's worth of milk; just take the pressure off. Your body will get the signal to make less milk over time. Do you want to wean a baby who is about a year, or older?

You may not need to go to bottles at all. All you may need to do is stop offering the breast. "Don't offer, don't refuse" may work for you.

Or, learn to substitute a cup of water, juice or cow's milk (if tolerated), or solid food, for the baby or toddler's least important feeding. Sometimes Dad (or another relative) can help by taking the baby to the kitchen for a good breakfast--Daddy style. This can become a special time for both of them.

(And you get some extra sleep!) For mealtime feeds, try to offer food first, with a short session at the breast for later. Avoid sitting down in your special favorite "nursing chair. " If your child won't nap without breastfeeding, sometimes a car ride will get him or her to sleep.

The nighttime feeding is usually the last to go. Make a bedtime routine not centered around breastfeeding. A good book or two will eventually become more important than a long session at the breast.

Your child may agree to rest his head on your breast instead of feeding. Talk to your child about what's going on. He may understand more than you think.

A lot of extra love and attention in other forms will be needed now. Try getting out more, to the playground, a friend's house, shopping, museums, anything your child will be distracted with and stimulated by. Read stories, rub or scratch their little back, sing and dance.It's a whole new stage in your growing child's life.

You will still be needed, just in different ways. Sources: http://www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/weanhowto.html .

1 She is in a toddler bed -- so letting her cry is not an option! She will just get out of bed....

She is in a toddler bed -- so letting her cry is not an option! She will just get out of bed....

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