Megadodo
10-19-2007, 04:12 PM
Posted by yvette (Member # 37) on October 23, 2003 07:51 PM October 23, 2003 07:51 PM :
This advice is being given based on my personal experience with weaning a toddler. I started weaning at 13 mos and finished by 18 mos.. I hope you find it helpful.
Getting Started
1) You must ensure that your child’s nutritional needs will be met without nursing. If you wean before 12 mos of age, you will have to supplement with formula.
2) When your child requests to nurse, offer food drink. Help your child to understand that food/drink will quench his hunger/thirst. Do not begin eliminating nursing sessions until your child is eating and drinking easily from other sources. Note: weaning cold-turkey is not a good way to encourage solids.
Don’t Offer, Don’t Refuse
1) Offer solids and liquids regularly.
2) Distract your child with games, books, and other fun stuff.
3) Avoid favorite nursing spots and exposing your breasts during the weaning process. If your child is not reminded to nurse, he might eliminate some feedings on his own. Many weaning moms find they stand a lot. lol
4) Limit the amount of time your baby is allowed to spend at the breast for each nursing session. This way, your baby is still allowed the closeness she is used to, but she gets used to spending less time at the breast.
Refuse and Remind
1) I never had a set schedule with my baby, so the rules about eliminating one feeding a week could not apply to us. Instead, I simply limited the times of day that my baby could nurse, reminding her often “No milk now, but you can have some at lunch time.”
2) Be consistent. As with any boundary you set for your child, he will learn more quickly if you are consistent. Some fussing and protest is normal. Try rocking your child or dancing. Find another means of comfort that works for both of you. (However, if your child gets terribly upset, it may be a sign that he is not ready to wean. Try weaning more slowly or consider abandoning the process all together.)
Please share your day-weaning advice in this thread, especially if you have weaned a child older or younger than 18 mos, as the challenges are different at different stages.
Originally Posted by CyndiLooWho:
Adding to Yvette's comments at the beginning...
Real Food:
~ It's always a good idea to encourage your child to snack more as you start to wean. Not only is it a way to replace the calories, it's a good way to distract them.
~ The more you allow your child to eat off your plate instead of offering baby mush, the more interested s/he will be in trying the new stuff and possibly helping the weaning process along.
~ Your child "tastes" the food you eat through your breastmilk. It changes color and consistency with your diet! So if you eat a lot of chili, don't be afraid to offer your 1 yo a bite (not the hot stuff, but some blander chili removed just for the child). S/he's already used to the taste, and probably likes it.
~ Offer real food as soon your baby seems interested. Baby food is sanitized and has no real taste, or at least no taste that your child will have once s/he graduates from baby food. LOL Your picky toddler may be a lot more interested in really eating than s/he is in eating that mushy stuff. Just be careful about allergies and choking hazards. Overcooked is better at first.
Other Drinks
~ A sippy cup is a great toy! Fill it with water and help your child discover that good liquid comes out. Show your child how to use a straw (mine had mastered this by 9 mo). It's a good way to introduce other means of getting liquid nutrition.
~ With an older child, don't be afraid to limit nursing time. "We can nurse, but just for a minute, then we're going to read about Barnyard Dance!" Sometimes just the act of being able to latch on for a minute or so will satisfy a child that you still want to meet his or her needs.
~ Don't be surprised if your child doesn't want ebm in the bottle or sippy cup. That's not the way that great stuff comes out! Offer the bottle cold, in a different position, in a different room. Offer water or watered down juice in a sippy cup instead. Or try rice milk. Of course, with a younger child, if you are totally weaning, you want to go to formula.
~ At first, if you are weaning a younger baby to a bottle, you probably want your dh/so/mil/mom offering the bottle. Let baby get used to it first, then start substituting for yourself.
Weaning From Pump
Originally Posted by CyndiLooWho:
Weaning from the pump is a gradual process, a lot like weaning your baby. I have done it twice now, and this is what worked for me:
I pumped 3x a day for the first 10 - 12 mo of my boys' lives. My schedule was 9:30, 1:00, 4:30. When I noticed that I needed to send less milk in, I dropped the lunchtime pumping completely, and moved my other 2 pumpings to 10:00 and 3:00. My body adjusted fairly rapidly, and I pumped a bit more at the last session than I used to, but less overall throughout the day.
When I knew I was ready to completely stop, I started decreasing my sessions from 15 min to 12 min to 10 min to 5 min, and I gradually moved my pump times closer together. When I was down to 8 min, I consolidated to a single, 1:30 pump. You may need to pump for engorgement at 10:30 or so, but that was only for a few days.
When I was only getting 4 oz or so in the 5 min of that last pump, I just dropped it.
For me, this method worked like a charm. There was no engorgement or pain, I didn't get any plugged ducts. It just naturally tapered my supply off, and I was able to stop pumping.
<small>[ May 20, 2005, 12:19 PM: Message edited by: Crystal ]</small>
This advice is being given based on my personal experience with weaning a toddler. I started weaning at 13 mos and finished by 18 mos.. I hope you find it helpful.
Getting Started
1) You must ensure that your child’s nutritional needs will be met without nursing. If you wean before 12 mos of age, you will have to supplement with formula.
2) When your child requests to nurse, offer food drink. Help your child to understand that food/drink will quench his hunger/thirst. Do not begin eliminating nursing sessions until your child is eating and drinking easily from other sources. Note: weaning cold-turkey is not a good way to encourage solids.
Don’t Offer, Don’t Refuse
1) Offer solids and liquids regularly.
2) Distract your child with games, books, and other fun stuff.
3) Avoid favorite nursing spots and exposing your breasts during the weaning process. If your child is not reminded to nurse, he might eliminate some feedings on his own. Many weaning moms find they stand a lot. lol
4) Limit the amount of time your baby is allowed to spend at the breast for each nursing session. This way, your baby is still allowed the closeness she is used to, but she gets used to spending less time at the breast.
Refuse and Remind
1) I never had a set schedule with my baby, so the rules about eliminating one feeding a week could not apply to us. Instead, I simply limited the times of day that my baby could nurse, reminding her often “No milk now, but you can have some at lunch time.”
2) Be consistent. As with any boundary you set for your child, he will learn more quickly if you are consistent. Some fussing and protest is normal. Try rocking your child or dancing. Find another means of comfort that works for both of you. (However, if your child gets terribly upset, it may be a sign that he is not ready to wean. Try weaning more slowly or consider abandoning the process all together.)
Please share your day-weaning advice in this thread, especially if you have weaned a child older or younger than 18 mos, as the challenges are different at different stages.
Originally Posted by CyndiLooWho:
Adding to Yvette's comments at the beginning...
Real Food:
~ It's always a good idea to encourage your child to snack more as you start to wean. Not only is it a way to replace the calories, it's a good way to distract them.
~ The more you allow your child to eat off your plate instead of offering baby mush, the more interested s/he will be in trying the new stuff and possibly helping the weaning process along.
~ Your child "tastes" the food you eat through your breastmilk. It changes color and consistency with your diet! So if you eat a lot of chili, don't be afraid to offer your 1 yo a bite (not the hot stuff, but some blander chili removed just for the child). S/he's already used to the taste, and probably likes it.
~ Offer real food as soon your baby seems interested. Baby food is sanitized and has no real taste, or at least no taste that your child will have once s/he graduates from baby food. LOL Your picky toddler may be a lot more interested in really eating than s/he is in eating that mushy stuff. Just be careful about allergies and choking hazards. Overcooked is better at first.
Other Drinks
~ A sippy cup is a great toy! Fill it with water and help your child discover that good liquid comes out. Show your child how to use a straw (mine had mastered this by 9 mo). It's a good way to introduce other means of getting liquid nutrition.
~ With an older child, don't be afraid to limit nursing time. "We can nurse, but just for a minute, then we're going to read about Barnyard Dance!" Sometimes just the act of being able to latch on for a minute or so will satisfy a child that you still want to meet his or her needs.
~ Don't be surprised if your child doesn't want ebm in the bottle or sippy cup. That's not the way that great stuff comes out! Offer the bottle cold, in a different position, in a different room. Offer water or watered down juice in a sippy cup instead. Or try rice milk. Of course, with a younger child, if you are totally weaning, you want to go to formula.
~ At first, if you are weaning a younger baby to a bottle, you probably want your dh/so/mil/mom offering the bottle. Let baby get used to it first, then start substituting for yourself.
Weaning From Pump
Originally Posted by CyndiLooWho:
Weaning from the pump is a gradual process, a lot like weaning your baby. I have done it twice now, and this is what worked for me:
I pumped 3x a day for the first 10 - 12 mo of my boys' lives. My schedule was 9:30, 1:00, 4:30. When I noticed that I needed to send less milk in, I dropped the lunchtime pumping completely, and moved my other 2 pumpings to 10:00 and 3:00. My body adjusted fairly rapidly, and I pumped a bit more at the last session than I used to, but less overall throughout the day.
When I knew I was ready to completely stop, I started decreasing my sessions from 15 min to 12 min to 10 min to 5 min, and I gradually moved my pump times closer together. When I was down to 8 min, I consolidated to a single, 1:30 pump. You may need to pump for engorgement at 10:30 or so, but that was only for a few days.
When I was only getting 4 oz or so in the 5 min of that last pump, I just dropped it.
For me, this method worked like a charm. There was no engorgement or pain, I didn't get any plugged ducts. It just naturally tapered my supply off, and I was able to stop pumping.
<small>[ May 20, 2005, 12:19 PM: Message edited by: Crystal ]</small>