When to wean?
The process of breastfeeding can drag on for years.
According to WHO, the recommended age for breastfeeding is 2 years. After all, after a year of life, the child develops immunity, and milk contributes to its better development.
Christina, 25 years old: “I think that the optimal age for stopping breastfeeding is somewhere around 1.5 years. My daughter had already started kindergarten at this age, so I decided. We managed it quite easily."
Of course, the ideal time to stop breastfeeding is when the baby refuses his treat on his own, but few mothers wait until this time.
Statistics say that in recent years only 50% of women are breastfeeding, and the majority feed for up to 1 year. Only a few retain this invaluable product in the second year.
Read the article about the benefits of breast milk for the proper development of a small child.
Useful advice from a pediatrician on how to use a breast pump to express breast milk.
Recommendations from an educational psychologist will help you figure out how to teach your child to use a bottle.
Advice from pediatricians
There are medical indicators for how long to continue breastfeeding.
The World Health Organization recommends continuing the process until the age of three. However, the instructions developed on this issue stipulate a point that is fundamental for many. This is possible if both mother and child feel comfortable in this state. Moreover, both physical and psychological condition are taken into account.
Often by the age of two, a child can quite clearly talk about his own desires. Therefore, some mothers who have continued feeding up to this point begin to feel awkward when an already quite independent child asks to breastfeed in a public place. If this is the case, then you definitely shouldn’t delay finishing breastfeeding.
How to properly and gradually wean a child from the breast?
- If you have ruled out these four points, then you can safely prepare for weaning.
You should start by refusing one feeding. It’s better for mom to choose which one. Distract your baby with games and walks in the fresh air. Include dad and grandma in the weaning process. The child should feel your care and love. - Observe your child for three days. As a rule, giving up one feeding is well tolerated by babies.
- After three days, we switch to giving up two feedings.
- And so, gradually, we remove all daytime feedings.
- We’ll talk about avoiding feeding in the evening and at night below.
Do not replace breasts with bottles and nipples.
This way you will not get rid of the baby's desire to suck. Use cups and sippy cups. Take your baby in your arms more often. Don't undress in front of your child.
Natalya, 30 years old: “When I started weaning my baby, I tried to surround her with care. We walked longer, distracted ourselves by playing games.”
Of course, it is more difficult to wean when the child is already over a year old and he understands a lot. On the one hand, it’s difficult to explain that “you can’t have boobs,” but you can come to an agreement with some kids.
Some mothers smear the nipple with green paint. We can say that mom’s breasts are “sore” and should not be touched. Also, some women cover their nipples with a bandage. I would not recommend this method, since tearing it off is painful and traumatic for the delicate skin of the areola. Not everyone succeeds in weaning with these “cruel” methods.
The Natural Way to Wean Gradually, Gently and Without Stress
It is important to remain calm at the end of the lactation period for mother and child. All actions should be slow, gradually accustoming the child to growing up. It is necessary to increase the time between feedings, remove one of the evening or daytime feedings. The result will be the cessation of breastfeeding, no matter what method the mother resorts to.
Reducing daily applications
You can do an experiment. To do this, tell the child one day that he will eat milk only before and after bedtime, gradually reducing the number of feedings. The baby should see that his mother is busy. Gradually, breastfeeding is replaced by adult food and snacks.
It is recommended to wean in cool weather, starting with giving up one application. The child needs to be distracted, for example, to go outside, go on a visit, play, or go to the park. It is advisable to involve relatives in this matter. During the first three days, you need to observe changes in behavior. The first stage of weaning from one feeding is easily tolerated; on the fourth day, two feedings are skipped. Thus, the number of daily feedings is reduced to zero.
Nipples and bottles are removed and replaced with a cup and sippy cup. There should be no sucking reflex; over time, the child will get used to it and forget about this process.
Physical contact is also important - hugging and squeezing the baby more often. You cannot show your breasts or change clothes - the child must forget about its existence.
We recommend reading: Until what age should you feed your baby breast milk?
Daytime sleep without breasts
The child needs to be taught to fall asleep during the day or evening without his habit. You can offer your child a portion of porridge, cookies or yogurt in advance. Feeling full will make things a little easier. Mom should devote more time to the baby, hug him, read fairy tales or sing songs.
You can also go to the kitchen for a while, saying that there are urgent matters. The baby will fall asleep on its own, but such a move to another room should only last for a few minutes.
After sleep, children cry or are capricious. In order to defuse the situation and distract the baby, you can go to the window with him, look at the weather, traffic or birds. Mom should have an afternoon snack ready, and when the baby calms down, it’s enough to sit him down at the table for a meal. The process will be easier when the infant falls asleep on the street. Mom’s actions should be soft and calm.
How to eliminate evening feedings
To prevent the baby from demanding his mother’s breast, you can offer him a bottle of formula or compote. It is best for dad to do this, because mom is associated with the breast. You can hug your baby, rock him, kiss him. Relaxing baths or a walk in the fresh air also work well.
Reducing lactation with gradual weaning, drugs and other methods
If a woman who is tired of breastfeeding finds it difficult to tolerate the weaning of her baby and wants to finish everything as quickly as possible, you can purchase special drugs to suppress lactation. For example, Dostinex tablets reduce the body's production of the hormone prolactin, which is responsible for lactation. The general hormonal background does not change. Among the disadvantages are side effects: tachycardia, arrhythmia, nausea, vomiting, stool and digestive disorders. The medication dosage interval is 12 hours. The dosage is indicated in the instructions for use, but it is better to consult a pediatrician to avoid negative consequences.
Another drug reduces the amount of prolactin - Bromocriptine. It is necessary to take a course; there are side effects and contraindications.
We recommend reading: How to quickly and without tears wean your child off night feeding?
How to wean your baby at night?
Probably the worst thing for any nursing mother is the problem of how the child will fall asleep without a breast. After all, most children fall asleep while sucking, since this is a very energy-intensive process. How to wean a child from night feedings? Let's look at some tips:
- Create rituals that will help your child fall asleep - a bedtime story, evening kefir, lights off. You can leave a night light that the baby will specifically choose for himself.
- Children often love to fall asleep to their mother's lullaby.
- Give your child a bath before bed. You can use soothing herbs - chamomile, valerian root.
- You can replace the sucking process with rocking in your arms, pressing it to your chest.
- Try to place the baby separately in your own crib. When your baby sleeps with you, he smells the milk and will be even more fussy.
If the child begins to eat poorly and throws strong tantrums, then wait a little before weaning. This means that the baby is not yet mature enough for this.
At night, 2 - 3 hours before bedtime, you can feed your baby porridge or give kefir. You sleep better on a full stomach. Weaning at night is a long process, be patient.
Possible difficulties
Weaning is often accompanied by difficulties. Moms need to be patient. We must treat breastfeeding as a stage in the baby's development. Soon the need for breastfeeding will disappear. Many women then remember with a smile the difficulties that did not allow them to quickly curtail lactation.
If during the weaning process the mother notices changes in the child’s behavior, it is worth reducing her pressure and taking a few steps back. Possible difficulties:
- hysterics begin when mother does not breastfeed;
- the frequency of night breastfeeding increases;
- the sucking reflex intensifies (the child begins to suck a finger, corner of a blanket or other object);
- the baby's night sleep worsens;
- increased anxiety appears.
After the baby has abandoned the breast, the mother needs to monitor the process of stopping milk production. We must ensure that the chest does not overfill. It is quite normal for milk to remain in it for some time. You should not express unless there is discomfort. Drugs that suppress prolactin will help to abruptly stop milk production.
A “pill” against human milk or how to quickly wean a child off the breast?
If it is difficult for you to endure for a long time and prepare for gradual weaning, but you want to quickly discourage this habit from your baby, then on the modern market there are medications to suppress lactation in the shortest possible time.
A prominent representative of this group is the drug Dostinex.
Its action is based on reducing the production of the hormone prolactin, which is responsible for milk production. The drug has a selective effect and does not affect other hormones.
Its disadvantage is side effects, which occur in 70% of cases. These are rapid heartbeat, headaches, nausea, vomiting, deterioration in general well-being, and apathy.
This drug is taken ½ tablet at an interval of 12 hours for two days. Courses are used only for the treatment of disorders associated with excessive production of prolactin.
Elena, 25 years old: “I learned how to stop breastfeeding with the help of Dostinex from my gynecologist. 2 months after giving birth I needed to go back to work. One tablet solved my lactation issues. True, there was a very strong headache and weakness throughout the body, but it went away in just a couple of days. The milk has disappeared."
Another drug in this series is Bromocriptine. It also reduces the secretion of prolactin and suppresses physiological lactation. Unlike Dostinex, it must be taken in a course. Has more pronounced side effects.
If we compare these drugs from a price position, then Bromocriptine is two times cheaper than Dostinex.
Weaning by separation method
This is one of the less pleasant ways of weaning. It consists of sending the child to live with his grandmother or other relatives for a few days. During this time, the child not only loses his breast, but also does not see his beloved mother. This can cause severe psychological discomfort in the baby and, as a result, stress and hidden resentment towards the mother.
Komarovsky E. O.: “When weaning a child, you can send him to his grandmother for a couple of nights. Nothing wrong with that. This way the baby will learn to fall asleep without the breast. But keep in mind that here you need to look at the degree of attachment of the child to his mother. If you know that your child will not be able to get along with his grandmother and will cry, then it is better not to risk it.”
Methods
It is not difficult to complete GW in 2 years. Often children themselves forget about latching if the mother stops offering the breast. The self-weaning method is considered the most painless and comfortable, especially if a woman has signs of involution. Babies who are ready to wean eat regular food well and have little or no memory of breast milk. They can nurse before bed or when they need reassurance. If mom distracts her during the day, creates a new evening ritual, and refuses to sleep together, the baby will no longer ask for the breast.
Gradual withdrawal of breastfeeding is also considered a comfortable way of weaning. This technique is suitable for children who are not yet ready to give up titi. The hardest thing for a mother is to teach her baby to fall asleep without breastfeeding. After two years, you can come to an agreement with your child.
For example, say that milk will be available in the morning, but you must definitely fulfill your promise. You can delay the time of attachment by taking a walk, active play, or going on a visit. It is important that the child is well-fed and does not perceive the mother as a source of nutrition.
Close relatives, whom the two-year-old knows well, will help complete breastfeeding. If the baby suckles only before bedtime, then the process of putting him to sleep can be transferred to the dad. When sucking occurs more often in the morning, the mother should get up earlier than her child. To complete lactation, it is necessary to avoid situations where the baby has the opportunity to latch on.
If you want to stop breastfeeding quickly, you can use the separation method. Mom needs to leave for a few days and leave the baby with dad or grandma. While the woman is away, her baby will forget about the breast. Modern psychologists and breastfeeding consultants do not welcome this method, since it negatively affects the psycho-emotional state of the baby at any age.
