Mother's milk is healthy and invaluable for children. But as the baby grows up, women have a question: “How to wean a child from breastfeeding and when is the best time to do it?” Remember, each case is individual, you need to pay attention to the signs by which it is easy to determine whether the baby is ready to give up breastfeeding without stress. In the article we will look at this issue in detail and also find out the optimal methods for terminating lactation that will be acceptable for a woman.
How to understand that it is time to stop lactation and how to wean your child from breastfeeding
Before weaning your baby, it is important to understand whether he is ready for this. It can be determined by the following characteristics:
- The baby is over one year old. This factor suggests that his nervous system has completely strengthened. Also, by this age, children can already perceive information. With the right approach, it will be easy to explain to your child the correctness of your action;
- The baby has more than 6 teeth. Thus, he can consume and chew foods necessary for his age;
- The child is already familiar with the main complementary foods;
- The baby falls asleep without a breast.
If all the points coincide, you can end lactation without hesitation, your baby is completely ready for this process. Remember, if this is not done in time, you may encounter many problems in the future. For example, at the age of 3, children already understand everything, know how to manipulate their parents well, and show their character. At this age, ending lactation is very problematic.
Situations in which lactation should not be stopped
There is a time when it is better to wait until cessation of lactation:
- Early spring. According to statistics, outbreaks of respiratory diseases are observed at this time. Breast milk contains antibodies that protect the baby from colds, viruses and infections;
- It's hot summer outside. There is a high risk of contracting an intestinal infection;
- The child is actively teething. Mom’s breasts are a real anti-stress for the baby;
- Your child recently suffered from a serious illness, less than a month has passed since then.
In these cases, it is better to postpone weaning. In this way, you will not only preserve the health, but also the baby’s psyche.
At what age is it better to wean a baby from the breast?
Breastfeeding experts identify several periods when you can think about ending lactation.
At 1 year. Perhaps the best age for weaning. Let's look at why:
- The gastrointestinal tract has completely “ripened”, painful colic and problems with going to the toilet have ended;
- The diet includes foods rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals and other beneficial microelements;
- The child masters self-care skills: learns to hold a spoon correctly, use napkins, drink from a mug, and much more;
- The baby is able to fall asleep without his mother's breast. A regular lullaby or reading a bedtime story is suitable for this;
- The baby is able to understand and perceive information.
It is important! Scientists have proven that after a year of breastfeeding, milk loses its properties. It can no longer act as a complete nutrition for the baby; he simply remains hungry.
At 1.5 years. If you fail to complete lactation at one year of age, it’s time to try again. What has changed in 6 months? The child has become more mature. At this age, you can already use popular tricks, for example, smearing your nipples with brilliant green. Believe me, in most cases this picture scares the baby away; feeding can be completed very quickly.
At 2 years old. If you still have not been able to complete lactation, then doctors advise waiting until the child’s last 20 baby tooth comes out. What techniques are best to use during this period:
- Leave the child for a couple of days with close relatives: grandmother, godmother, father. The method is quite cruel. The baby is left not only without a breast, but also without his beloved mother;
- Start attending a developmental school, using the example of other children to explain what breast milk Only babies eat, and for a two-year-old baby this is already wrong and shameful;
- Diversify the diet as much as possible, show the child that regular food is much tastier than breast milk.
Believe me, if you don’t solve the problem now, it will be much more difficult to do in 2.5 years.
It is important! After the child is one year old, you can think about stopping lactation. Experts assure that the baby is already fully prepared. It is important to insist on your own, do not react to tears, hysterics, and within a few days the baby will completely forget about breastfeeding.
Several ways to wean your baby
What methods can be used to make the process of cessation of lactation painless? Experts identify several options.
1. Use of hormonal drugs. What happens in this case? The drug affects the production of the hormone prolactin, which is responsible for milk production. Within 24 hours, lactation stops. It is very important not to breastfeed your baby at this time, as the milk will already contain components harmful to his health.
What is the disadvantage of this method:
- The tablets have a number of side effects. Prepare for the fact that your chest will fill up in the first hours, your temperature may rise slightly, dizziness, weakness, nausea, and vomiting may appear;
- The baby will continue to ask for the breast.
Doctors advise using this case in extreme cases, when lactation needs to be completed quickly for the mother.
2. Using the traditional method of breast ligation. This method is called "grandmother's". In the 80-90s, most women used it. The woman is asked to bandage her chest with a wide scarf or elastic bandage. After this, the milk itself will stop remaining on the second day. The child must be given to relatives for this period.
Disadvantages of this method:
- Painful consequences for a woman. The chest becomes engorged, it hurts a lot, and the body temperature rises. For girls, this situation can result in mastitis and surgery;
- This is a huge stress for the baby. In this case, easy weaning will not work.
In the modern world, doctors have long abandoned this method.
3. Gradually wean. This method is considered the safest and most gentle for both mother and baby. There are basic rules to follow:
- Set specific deadlines for yourself (2-3 months). During this time you must complete the process;
- Avoid night feedings completely. It is at this time that prolactin is most produced. At night, you can offer your baby a bottle of formula or tea;
- Insist on your own, even if the baby cries and demands the breast, do not follow his lead. Having done this once, he will understand how you can be manipulated;
- Be prepared for the fact that it won't be easy. Try to reduce the number of feedings to 2 times a day;
- Offer the breast only after the main meal;
- Do not put the baby in your bed, he should not smell the milk.
Many modern women refuse natural feeding and do it completely in vain. If you are not from this category, then sooner or later the question will definitely arise, how to wean a child from breastfeeding?
In the article, we described the methods in detail and found out which of them are the most effective. We also looked at when it is better to end lactation. Use our tips, and weaning your baby from the breast will go quickly and smoothly.
Breastfeeding a newborn baby is the most natural state for every young mother. By doing this, she gives him her love and protection, strengthens the immune system, maintains close tactile and psychological contact, which is very important and necessary for the proper development of the baby. But even with the most successful breastfeeding, there comes a time when a mother begins to wonder how to wean her child, who is already quite grown and strong enough, from breastfeeding.
Video: When should you wean your baby?
Options, methods and methods of weaning
You can wait for the natural involution of the breast - a state when the breast ceases to produce milk on its own, the glandular tissue of the breast is gradually replaced by fatty tissue and the breast returns to its pre-pregnancy state.
Or, focusing on the state of the child’s sucking need, wait until he is completely self-weaned from his mother’s breast.
But not every mother is able to go through this entire lengthy process. Many factors come into play here - physical and emotional fatigue from long-term feeding, unpleasant or painful sensations in the chest during feeding of an older child, his frequent “hanging” on the breast, very similar to the “hanging” of a newborn baby, improper latching or simply pampering the baby at the breast.
Other reasons to stop breastfeeding may be the need to go to work, business trips, hospitalization, or the mother’s poor health, or simply public opinion. Long-term mothers today, unfortunately, often cause confusion or even censure among others rather than universal approval.
Depending on the urgency of weaning, you can choose one of the ways to wean your child from breastfeeding. They differ from each other both in the speed of weaning and in how stressful and traumatic they are for mother and child.
You can stop breastfeeding by using:
- Grandmother's way;
- Medication method;
- Gentle or natural way.
Video: how we completed breastfeeding:
Weaning "grandmother's way"
How did our mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers wean their children? A very simple method, but extremely harsh and traumatic for both mother and baby - they tightly pulled the sheets over the chest, while at the same time sending the child to relatives for a while.
For the baby, this method was a double shock - there was neither his beloved breast nor his beloved mother. And for the mother, in addition to the psychological discomfort from the long absence of the child and worries about him, there was also a whole bunch of physical ailments - terrible pain in the breasts overflowing with milk and high fever, which always accompanies severe engorgement and the appearance of lumps in the breasts. When using this method, you can bring the breast to inflammation of the glandular tissue - mastitis, which often leads to surgical intervention.
Of course, it is possible to wean a child this way. But at what cost... the risk of health complications for the mother and enormous stress for the baby. The feeling of regret from this method of stopping feeding a child can remain with the mother for a long time, if not forever.
Weaning by “medication”
A medical method of weaning is usually suggested by doctors (gynecologists or family doctors from a clinic). To do this, they prescribe medications that suppress the production of the hormone prolactin, which is responsible for lactation in the female body. In particular, one of these drugs is "Dostinex". We must not forget about the possible side effects of taking a drug that disrupts the hormonal levels of your body - nausea, headache, dizziness, insomnia.
Also, the drug Dostinex will not act effectively enough without a maximum reduction in the number of breastfeedings followed by their final abolition. This is especially true for night and early morning feedings of the baby. The mother decides for herself how to stop feeding, but this is not done in one day. The most common tricks to distract a child from sucking the breast:
- Smearing the breast with brilliant green, mustard, tincture of wormwood or motherwort and other “horror stories and bittersweets” for a child - psychologically this is very difficult for a child to perceive in terms of trust in such a beloved and dear object from birth as the mother’s breast;
- To distract the child as much as possible from the requirement to suckle the breast - here the help of grandmothers, nannies, dads and generally all family members who come up with all sorts of entertainment for the child will be useful;
- Hugging, kissing, carrying the child in your arms more often, providing him with other tactile sensations from contact with his mother instead;
- Do not expose your breasts in the presence of a child, do not wear open blouses or necklines, and do not provoke the child to demand the breast.
In this case, there is no need to bandage your breasts - just wear a comfortable and not tight bra without wires.
Note to moms!
Hello girls! After giving birth, I gained 11 kilograms and could not get rid of them. I tried to limit myself in food, but diets did not bring much results. I had to look for another solution. And I found it: (-15kg) I hope the information is useful to you!
When you feel fullness and swelling in your chest, you need to express it, but a little at a time, only until you feel relief. This prevents the mother from having painful breasts and does not provoke an increase in lactation. Gradually, the breasts stop producing milk, and the baby stops demanding the breast.
Weaning a baby from breastfeeding in this way is less problematic for mother and baby. The child continues to communicate with his mother, a trusting relationship remains, weaning occurs more gently and not too quickly, as in the case of using the “grandmother’s method.” But medicinal hormonal intervention in the female body should still be used only in exceptional cases.
Weaning off the breast “gently or naturally”
Soft weaning is a fairly lengthy process, taking up to six months or more. This is not involution or self-weaning, but a conscious gradual cessation of feeding depending on the child’s readiness for this process. What is required for this or what stages need to be completed:
- Gradually cancel all erratic and not so necessary daytime feedings for the child - when the child is simply tired, bored, requires consolation or communication, trying instead to spend more time on other activities - games, walks, entertainment;
- Gradually cancel daytime feedings of the child “during sleep” and “around sleep”, replacing them with reading fairy tales, songs or rocking;
- Gradually cancel morning “waking up” feeding by waking up earlier than the child and preparing porridge for breakfast;
- gradually cancel evening feeding “before bed”, feeding the child a hearty dinner and continuing to distract him with fairy tales, tactile contact and rocking;
- Gradually cancel the remaining night feedings, switching to stroking the baby and hugging in sleep.
The emphasis in the listed stages is placed on the word “gradually”... that is, until the first stage is fully mastered, it makes no sense to move on to the next one. Therefore, natural weaning is the most optimal way, allowing the child to calmly adapt to the new, changing conditions of communication with his mother, mother’s breasts and the world around him.
The mother also gradually moves to a new level of communication with the child, without experiencing physical discomfort from painful sensations in the chest and without undergoing a sharp change in hormonal levels.
Lactation decreases slowly and steadily, the amount of milk decreases, responding to a decrease in the number of breastfeedings per day. This method is the least traumatic for all participants, but requires a lot of calm and patience from the mother, since it is quite stretched out over a period of time.
By choosing from all the existing and currently practiced methods of weaning, it is much easier to complete breastfeeding, focusing on the child’s readiness for this.
The mother's emotional attitude towards stopping feeding also matters.
If a mother has doubts about whether to stop feeding, it means that the mother herself is not yet ready enough for this process.
Everyone should be ready for the end of breastfeeding - the baby, the mother, and even the mother’s breast. The future psychological comfort and physical health of mother and child depends on how we wean our child from breastfeeding.
Articles
There is no doubt that the healthiest “dish” for children in their first year of life is mother’s milk. It can both saturate the baby and protect him from diseases. But in the life of every baby, there inevitably comes a moment when he ceases to be a baby. How to make the procedure organic and painless for the baby?
Until what age should you breastfeed?
Experts do not have a consensus on the duration. Some pediatricians believe that breastfeeding after a year is not advisable, others stop at the age of a year and a half, and supporters of radical views believe that a child can regularly breastfeed for as long as he wants.
The general opinion is that until four to six months the child should not receive anything other than mother's milk. At the age of 9 months - 1.5 years, when weaning most often occurs, mother's milk is still beneficial for the child. It still has protective and anti-infective properties. It contains substances that stimulate brain maturation, as well as enzymes that promote food digestion, etc. Children who have been breastfed for a long time are less likely to get sick in the future, adapt better to children's groups, and, according to some studies, have higher intellectual capabilities. Finally, and very importantly, the process of breastfeeding itself supports and complements the physical and psychological contact between mother and her baby.
In addition, long-term lactation is also beneficial for women: it reduces the risk of breast cancer.
Breast milk, mother's tender hugs - what could be better for the baby. But there comes a time when a mother thinks about how to wean her child from breastfeeding.
Children's experts say that for the full development of a child, mother's milk is the best food, because its composition is perfectly suitable for the baby.
Weaning: baby's age
There is no definite answer to this question, just as there is no definite date. Each woman has her own understanding of such a sensitive moment.
Some want to finish feeding as quickly as possible and get their body into athletic shape, others follow advice from those mothers who have gone through this.
Pediatricians, including Dr. Komarovsky, suggest breastfeeding children until milk is released.
But the main thing you should pay attention to is the well-being of mother and baby. It also happens that children themselves abandon the breast, but this happens very rarely.
WHO states that the optimal age at which to feed is the age of 1.5 - 2 years. If possible, then the baby should be fed only mother's milk.
There are, of course, reasons why you should urgently wean your baby from the breast. These are sudden illnesses that lead to hospitalization:
- Mastitis
- Tuberculosis
- Syphilis
- Diphtheria, scarlet fever
- Oncology
- Diabetes.
Some women continue to feed even during a serious illness, but you should not do this, because then parts of the medicine enter the small body with mother’s milk, which will adversely affect the development of the baby.
The right attitude is a guarantee of success
By the end of breastfeeding, the mother should be firmly convinced that she and the baby need it.
A psychologically correct attitude will help you survive the process easier.
Even if she doubts it a little, the baby will immediately judge the mood and become irritable himself.
At all the main stages of children’s development, even the first trip to kindergarten, parents need to be sure that they are doing the right thing.
For this, there are signs that the baby and mother are ready for weaning: lactation has decreased, mother’s breasts are only for soothing, the baby rarely wakes up at night, eats “adult” food well, psychological and physical readiness.
So, after the mother has made the right decision, you should pay close attention to changes in the child’s mood.
It is important to understand that this period will be accompanied by tears and capricious behavior, but you should not back down.
Parents need to show that they understand the condition of the baby, but no one will give breastfeeding again because the child demands it.
Wean instantly or gradually
Only a mother can correctly resolve this issue, because she knows her child like no one else.
Many children calmly endure the period when they switch from mother's milk to substitutes.
There are two options: weaning immediately or gradually replacing one feeding with a bottle.
Instant weaning is better because the adaptive period ends faster.
Of course, the baby will be indignant and cry, but if there is no time, for example, the mother has an urgent long trip, then this option is ideal.
Otherwise, gradual weaning has more positive aspects.
Thanks to this approach, in which one feeding is replaced by a sippy cup, breastfeeding is gradually eliminated.
6 steps for painless weaning
To wean, it is necessary to understand the full extent of the importance of this period for the baby and calculate all possible ways of developing the situation.
Adults who understand that it’s hard for him can easily help and overcome this stage in the little man’s life.
First you need to give yourself and your baby 2 to 3 weeks. At the same time, which remains after feeding. This is 20-30 ml.
There is no need to express until empty, because then even more milk may arrive. If a nursing woman does not feel any discomfort, then there is no need to express.
Gradually reduce the number of applications. Of course, the baby will demand the breast, but you can distract him with an interesting activity, offer him other food or liquid, while explaining all your actions.
If you replace it with other food and at the same time increase the intervals between breastfeeding, then weaning will not drag on for a long time.
Dad and other close relatives should be involved in weaning. They can keep the child occupied and fed, without the mother being around.
It is appropriate to cancel feeding on the street or other places, but tell the child that he will be breastfed at home.
Separating sleep from food is not that difficult, but it is necessary. Many children like to fall asleep next to their mother's warm breast, but during weaning this should be changed.
Before going to bed, replace your mother's milk with a bottle. After placing the baby in the crib, you need to calm it down with gentle stroking on the back or sing a lullaby.
Here you should come up with a ritual that mom or dad would repeat daily instead of evening breastfeeding.
The baby can do without night feedings if he wakes up no more than once a night.
When he wakes up, let his father or grandmother come up during this period, then the child will not hear his mother’s smell.
This can continue for about 3 nights, and after that the habit will disappear altogether.
A mother who has decided that it is time to stop breastfeeding should not ruin the whole thing with her indecisiveness.
After all, then it will be difficult not only for her, but also for the baby.
Reasons for unwanted weaning
There are different situations in life and they should also be taken into account when finishing feeding.
If changes are foreseen, for example, moving or the mother going back to work, then it is better to excommunicate in advance.
Mom's illness, other than those listed, is not a direct contraindication, if not medicines, which a nursing woman needs to take.
Stopping breastfeeding is easy. The main thing is that the mother gradually introduces new rules during and instead of breastfeeding.
Instead of feeding before bed, try a new habit, such as reading a story or stroking your back.
Hello, Lyudmila. Thank you for your articles and courses - I breastfeed with pleasure!
But here's the thing - my son is almost a year old and, no matter how you look at it, he will have to finish lactation. I want to be fully armed. Tell us in more detail how to prepare for this, when and how to wean your baby correctly? Thank you in advance.
Judging by the number of letters on the topic of weaning, it worries many mothers. Today we will discuss this. We can talk a lot about excommunication, but let’s touch on the most important thing.
Breastfeeding is a defined process. This means it has a beginning, duration and logical conclusion.
It resembles pregnancy: conception, gestation, childbirth.
No sane mother strives to give birth 2-3 months faster, no matter how tired and sleep-deprived she may be.
Because he understands that this is fraught with health problems for the child: some systems and organs of the baby are not yet fully formed.
How much time and effort will it take to care for a premature baby?
It's the same here. Breastfeeding is the next important stage in the life of the baby and mother after childbirth, during which the child, in addition to physical development, develops immunity and basic trust in the world.
Note! The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding children until age 2, or longer if mother and child agree.
Is it time or not: consider the baby’s age
Up to 6 months, breast milk is the only thing a baby should eat. Plus, constant contact with mom is simply necessary.
If you decide to wean your child at this age for some reason, then think a hundred times.
From 1 to 2 years
Important! In milk, which is produced after a year, the volume of substances that help form and strengthen the baby’s immunity increases sharply.
Just at this time phrases begin to rain down on mom from all sides: “Are you still feeding? Yes, he is already big - stop feeding him with tits. There’s nothing useful there anymore - stop doing nonsense!” Sound familiar?
And my mother is tormented by vague doubts - maybe she really needs to be weaned off.
Often the mother argues for the desire to quickly wean a child from breastfeeding at the age of 1 bad behavior baby:
- walks like a tail;
- constantly hanging on the chest (read about the reasons in the article A child hangs on the chest after a year: what to do >>>);
- eats regular food poorly (read the article Child eats poorly in one year >>>);
- sleeps only with the breast.
But this behavior of the child has nothing to do with breastfeeding. These are moments of education and weaning does not solve these problems. On the contrary, it makes it worse.
After 2 years of age
Yes, around the age of 2, the child already understands more and becomes more independent. You can negotiate with him: “I’ll give it to you when we get home or when you eat porridge.” And be sure to do this so that the baby develops trust in you and confidence that everything is fine with the breast.
You can also distract your baby, for example, with an interesting game or reading a book. So the question is: how to wean at 2 years old? , is already appropriate.
How exactly should you not excommunicate?
If you have already decided to wean your baby and have taken into account the characteristics of his age, then first learn how not to wean:
- Sharp.
An abrupt excommunication is very cruel to both.
The baby is in danger of:
- compromised immunity;
- whims and hysterics;
- stuttering;
- urinary incontinence;
- protracted illnesses, etc.
His trust in his mother and in the world is violated.
- Leave.
The baby is used to his mother always being there. He feels safe with her. And then suddenly my mother is gone, and for a long time too.
The child does not perceive the grandmother’s words that you will arrive soon - he is not oriented in time. It seems to him that his mother has disappeared forever.
Not only is there no titi, but also the closest person. Tragedy! When weaning, the child needs support. And only a mother can give support.
- Pullbreast.
When tugging, blood circulation in the breast is disrupted, milk is produced worse, which, of course, will lead to a decrease and then to the cessation of lactation.
But! Along with this you will receive:
- milk stagnation;
- complication in the form of mastitis (read more about mastitis in a nursing mother >>>);
- spoiled breast shape.
I tried this method - the sensations were not pleasant. Moreover, the milk, as if by magic, did not disappear anywhere.
- Apply to the chest.
It seems: what’s wrong, spread it with greenery or mustard and it’s done. The baby will wean itself off the breast. But it's not that simple.
Imagine, the baby sucked at the breast for a long time, worried about illnesses and fears. The chest is safety for him.
And so they show him the green tita and say: “Ugh, the tita has gone bad, she’s bad, come on…”. And the breast is associated with the mother - which means the mother has become bad, spoiled.
The child subconsciously draws the conclusion - since I love my tit and my mother, and they are now bad, then I am bad. I think it's sad.
- Use medications.
They are used, for example, when an accident happens to a child after childbirth. And mom simply has no one to feed.
The body experiences a powerful release of prolactin, which is responsible for lactation. To completely suppress this process, doctors may recommend this method. Please note that you need to take the pills for more than one day, so you won’t get rid of milk quickly.
Attention! Medications to stop lactation have many side effects, including difficulties with further conception and pregnancy. This is a powerful hormonal imbalance in a woman’s body.
We wean correctly: make a plan
The most important thing in this process is confidence, the mother’s willingness to teach about breastfeeding, and her positive attitude.
So, how to wean correctly?
- From now on, wear closed clothes. Do not change clothes in front of your child. In general, exclude all moments that provoke the baby.
- Notice how many times you feed a day and how many times the baby just latches on for a minute if the mother suddenly sits down.
- Start weaning with the simplest feedings, when the baby is awake.
He can easily be distracted by a game or a book. Go for a walk or even visit. The main thing is not to sit still - the child perceives this as a hint to suck the tit. Stick with it for a while.
- Next comes feeding. to wake up from sleep.
Get up before your child. After sleep, let him get used to being alone for a while.
When you wake up, distract yourself with something interesting. Not necessarily a toy. You can suggest looking out the window or throwing away the used diaper. Or go straight to the kitchen to eat food at the table.
- So we got to feedings to fall asleep.
This is usually the longest stage. Its purpose is to space out sucking and falling asleep. Come up with a post-feeding ritual that your baby will associate with sleep: reading, hugs, massage. And keep it.
- Then try in a similar way reduce number night feedings. He spun around and was stroked. And so we gradually wean the baby off the breast at night. .
If something is not completely clear to you, you need more ways, you want to create a personal weaning plan taking into account the characteristics of your baby, come to the course
