How to go about weaning from the breasts is often an issue of serious concern to many mums. Paediatricians recommend that babies should be exclusive breastfed for the first six months of life thereafter complementary feeds should be introduced while continuing breastfeeding for as long as possible.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends breastfeeding up to two years and beyond.
There will be the period when breastfeeding must be stopped and that is Weaning! On the Ask the Paediatricians Facebook Group, the topic was the focus of our weekly Group Discussion.
Recently, Dr Olayinka Umar-Farouk, a Public Health Physician and Senior Newborn Health Specialist at Save the Children International Nigeria was the presenter. She especially shared these great tips on how to go about weaning. They are simple and easy to follow.
Simple Weaning Tips
- Start when you are emotionally ready (mother-led weaning)
- Start when your infant/toddler is emotionally ready (baby-led and less problems)
- Make sure you have a good support system (dad, grandma, nanny)
- Do not to stop breastfeeding abruptly (a gradual approach is the best)
- Reduce the frequency and duration of breast feeding gradually
- Remember that milk production is dependent on the sucking reflex (baby sucking)
- Depending on your baby’s age and how much she needs to suck, you can wean on to a cup or a bottle.
- If you need to wean your baby from the breast under 12 months old, you will need to feed your baby infant formula (preferably cup & spoon not bottle feeding).
- Your toddler/baby should have been on complementary foods and tolerating them well.
- Children tend to be more attached to the first and last feedings of the day, these feedings might be the last ones your child drops.
- Try and sleep in separate rooms during the weaning period.
- Be ready for increased crying, whining, clinginess, or tantrums and refusal to eat.
- Look for other ways to comfort the child – reading, singing, playing – to divert their attention
- Do not wean when the child is ill or there is a life change event (moving home, crèche).
- If your child gets sick during the weaning process, seriously consider allowing him to nurse as he needs until he is well again.
- Remember rapid weaning can cause breast engorgement; wear a firm bra to give good support.
- If you experience engorgement during the weaning process, apply cold compresses to your breasts to help decrease swelling and discomfort. Also use breast pump.
- If your child is having a hard time with weaning, then time may be the best remedy.
- If you have a child who refuses to drink regular milk and is no longer nursing regularly, you can offer yogurt, cheese as substitutes. Make sure you mix milk into their local cereals. Some tinned Cereals sold in stores already contain milk.
- Wearing a shirt/dress that is less accessible for nursing also helps.
- Expect a change in the consistency and frequency of your baby’s bowel movements
- Resist comparing your situation with that of other families.
- Make sure you still spend plenty of time with your baby and give her lots of cuddles.
- Weaning is not a time to run away from your baby, she needs lots of support and assurance. So cuddle, cuddle, cuddle……
- Lastly, weaning should not be a detachment from the mother but rather a state in which the child feels “so full and so right that he is ready to take on other relationships” and move on to other things.
I do hope you find these tips very useful.
Kindly read and share with other nursing mums who will find them useful someday.
For questions and clarifications, please post as comments or email askthepaediatricians@gmail.com.
Keep reading and increasing your child health intelligence!
Thanks so much……just when I was thinking of weaning my daughter I came across this…..please how many days will it take the breast to dry………aside pumping the milk out what other thing can I do to aid the dryness……. Thanks
The days vary from one person to another but within a couple of weeks, the breast should dry up. Pumping out milk is not what is recommended. Kindly read the tips again. All the best
My baby girl refuse to take anything except breastmilk and she is one year and four month, please what can I give her.thanks
Read here about healthy eating tips for parents and Infant feeding in the first 1000 days. She needs more than breast milk after 6 months to avoid malnutrition.
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Hi Gerome….Of course…we have a facebook group. Check it out here Ask The Paediatricians
Ma, why do almost everyone around me act like its abnormal to breastfeed a child for more than a year. Does it have any effect on baby or mum? Sometimes I wonder if WHO standard changed.
Anyway, I am pregnant now and trying to wean(she is 16 months) and I am doing it gradually but I am worried as I don’t want my breast to be too big(it was big pre pregnancy) will it happen, I mean as I have breastmilk and new one starts coming in, will my breast Now be very big? And also these days she tends to poo after feeding (most tea, pap) should we worry about that? Thanks ma’am.
Since you are pregnant, you can wean your baby now. There is nothing wrong with breastfeeding up to 2 years and you should have weaned before getting pregnant (at 2 years – we recommend spacing births to allow you recovver well). Please do not worry about the breasts getting big. You can wean her now.
You may also want to pay more attention to what the child is eating and hygiene around preparation. Pay attention to sterilization of toys and feeding utensils and keeping the environment clean. Wash the child’s hands often as well.
OK ma’am. Thank you so much. And God keep blessing you for the good works.
I honestly no know how this baby take enter.* covers face*
It is alright Nkiru but watch out for next time!
Hello, My son of a year n 3months is yet to cut a tooth. Is this normal? He doesn’t walk yet too but he talks
Some children may cut their teeth late but you should still see a dentist. All children should be seen by the dentist at age 1 year. Read more here
Hello my baby is 20 months. He is eating habits is very poor. He eats cerelac
Hi Ramat. Kindly visit our Facebook group and do the UNIT course on Complementary feeding for more information. Kindly also read more from this article here on INFANT FEEDING IN THE FIRST 1000 DAYS
Good evening Ma’am, my baby of 9 months doesn’t really eat home made foods, he takes them but not to the extent of him getting filled up which results to feeding him in another 30 mins to 1 hour. He only takes pap and custard very very well. Please I’ll like to know if it’s nothing to worry about because I feel at nine months he should be taking home made foods well. Thank you ma’am.
Kindly go to the article on complementary feeding to know how to go about complementary feeding.
Hello Doctor I really commend your efforts. please Dr, my son is 15months and I intend to wean him anytime soon because he doesn’t like to eat anything beside breastmilk. is there any multivitamins that your recommend for me? thank you.
Thank you Kristie. I will advise not to wean until you have established adequate complememtary feeding. Kindly head to our Facebook Group Units to watch the videos and learning unit on complementary feeding first! AFter the feeding has been established, then you can wean otherwise the child will develop malnutrition. Food is the recommendation; not multivitamins. Watch those videos and you will be happy you did!
Good evening ma, pls ma, my baby is 12months and I’m planning of weaning him by because of the nature of my job, I’m a nurse by profession. But presently, my baby tends to get so glued to the breast than before. He Cry’s at night for breast milk more often, but he wasn’t doing that before and he extends his sucking duration now than before. Considering my profession ma, and his present attitude towards breast milk now, do I still wean him at 12months?. And he’s really thin but he is eating very well and he doesn’t take take supplementary milk, only food and pap but I usually add the milk and o the pap.
That decision is up to you! WHat is recommended is 2 years and above!!! You need to read and do the nutrition course on complementary feeding and making sure he is getting all the right nutrients. What is his weight? If he is underweight despite eating well, then you need to take him to see a Paediatrician for further evaluation for the underlying cause of malnutrition as it may not be only due to food for example chronic diseases.
Am a nursing mother, my baby is 4months now. As of last month I fell I’ll in which I was told to take a lime in order to stop vomiting. But since then my breast can not yield more milk like before, he will only suck small and started crying. Pls ma what will I do, is there any drugs for that?.
Hello Chinenye! Sorry about your health and I hope you are much better now. You need to rest, drink more fluids and keep breastfeeding your baby. If you stop worrying and keep breastfeeding, the milk will begin to flow again. You may want to watch our breastfeeding videos for more information. Breast milk production is a matter of demand and supply. The more your baby suck, the more it flows. All the best!
Good. Morning Doctor, I stopped breast feeding my daughter for the past 3 days, I want to ask if there’s any drug I can use in order to continue breastfeeding her. She cries alot at night.
I am not sure there is any medication. Always be sure that you are ready to stop weaning before going ahead. You can simply resume breastfeeding if your want to restart breastfeeding
Good evening doctor,I’m currently weaning my baby,pls do I need to be expressing the breast milk out?
You can if it is too heavy and painful for you. However as long as you are no longer breastfeeding the milk will stop.
Thank you Doctor for your good work, is only God that can reward you all.
Am planning to wean my baby of 1 year, six months. He eats a lot, but he always wants to continue sucking. If I express the milk, should I still give it to him or pour the milk away?
And what other cereal can I give him apart from goldenmore?
Thank you for your response.
You are not to be expressing the milk but you can put some warm compress over it if too full which will let some of the milk out. Please read the article first. Golden Morn is meant to be used from age 3 years. For more on infant feeding, kindly check out this article INFANT FEEDING IN THE FIRST 1000 DAYS. The child is not meant to be taking only cereals or a particular kind of cereals. The baby should be eating everything the family is eating at age 18 months.
Good evening doc, I stopped breastfeeding my baby last month due to the fact that I just started my MSC programme. She’s a year and three month now and in creche. She takes pap and little of family food. I’m worried because she’s reduced in weight, although I’ve not checked her current weight, but she’s no longer heavy when you carry her and chubby. I’m really worried, what could be wrong ma, pls help me?
You need to make sure your baby is taking adequate and apporpriate amount of complementary food. Please watch all the videos on complementary feeding in our Facebook group in the Guides section and also read more here INFANT FEEDING IN THE FIRST 1000 DAYS
Good morning ma, thank you for this article. I started weaning my baby of 15months and 17 days today. She has started eating well now but the cry was much over the night and I gave her tea which she took some and still cry but I was determined not to give her the breastmilk. Is it advisable to give her a sedating drug so she can sleep well at night without waking up every now and then for breastmilk?
No! Never give your baby a sedating drug!
God bless you always ma
Thank you. If you have any questions that need urgent answers, please post on our Ask The Paediatricians Facebook group here