How to wean a baby from the breast: recommendations for mom

Breast milk is a nutritious and healthy product that fully satisfies the baby’s need for minerals and vitamins, supports his immunity and promotes rapid growth and weight gain. Each mother independently decides when to transfer the baby to artificial mixtures or “adult” food. And so that the weaning process takes place painlessly and with minimal stress, several points should be taken into account.

Optimal time

Some lactating women try to wait until two years, when the child grows up and gets stronger, and his digestive system is ready to switch to cereals and vegetable purees. Other mothers begin to wean the baby from the chest in a year and a half. From about 8–9 months, the introduction of complementary foods begins, so milk becomes a useful, but not necessary supplement.

Specialists sitting at WHO advise switching to an adult menu no earlier than 1.6 or 2 years. Experienced mothers and doctors who worry about the physical and emotional health of a woman recommend that you do not force yourself if breastfeeding squeezes all the strength and does not bring pleasure. It is more useful for the child to eat mixtures and vegetables and to see the parent happy. Love and a healthy atmosphere in the family protect against diseases no worse than breast milk and vitamin supplements.

Psychological attitude

Moms experience excommunication no less painfully than children. They have a feeling that their native blood is losing something important. To facilitate the transition from breast milk to other foods, a woman should be mentally tuned and convince herself that this step is necessary first of all for the baby. He should gradually become independent and less dependent on her mother and her breasts. Parents who are confident in the correctness of their own decisions, are able to refuse feeding more simply and easily. They pass on their attitude to the child, so it’s easier for him to come to terms and adapt to new conditions.

Emergency measures

Relatives will have to make every effort to feed the little guest, put him to bed and calm down another tantrum. They will be ready to give up and offer to postpone weaning, but mom should be implacable. After 3-4 days, the child will calm down and become weaned from milk, and in a week the parent will be able to return to her beloved child with a calm soul. The main thing is not to succumb to the desire to console or lull the baby into the breast, because in the first month it is very easy to break.

Important: Previously, to stop lactation, the mammary glands were pulled by a sheet or bandages. Such experiments often ended in inflammation or mastitis. Modern women do not need to take such risks, because there are special drugs that make the body stop producing milk.

Gradual change

Not all mothers are able to get rid of guilt and give their beloved child to the care of dad or grandmother. And relatives are not always ready to support a woman and leave the baby with them for such a long time.Have to be patient and move towards the goal gradually. Some manage to stop breastfeeding in 1.5–2 weeks, others stretch the pleasure for a month or a little more.

Balanced diet
The child needs energy and many vitamins to maintain immunity in working condition. It is necessary to experimentally find foods that the baby likes and does not cause him allergies, and gradually increase portions of adult food, reducing the amount of mother's milk. You can give more juices or compotes, make sure that the child has enough fluid. Mother's milk is replaced with cow or goat milk, or special mixtures are bought. There is nothing wrong with artificial powders; on the contrary, they strengthen the immune system and contribute to normal development.

While the child smoothly switches to mashed potatoes and soups, mother is also recommended to adhere to a diet. Exclude for a while dishes and products that enhance lactation. Try to drink a minimum of water and other fluids, use diuretics or herbs. Some women reduce the amount of milk with laxative tablets or drops, but the benefits of this method are doubtful, and the harm is obvious.

Distraction maneuver
The child must learn to fall asleep first during the day, and then at night without her mother’s chest. A woman is advised to go to bed with her baby so that he feels her presence and support. But if he begins to act up and demand "food", you need to calm him gently and offer to hug. Only a child’s back should be pressed against her mother’s stomach so as not to seduce the child with the opportunity to have lunch before bedtime. You can offer a bottle of water or cow's milk instead of the usual breast, but some children then develop a dependence on the nipples.

During the day, a woman should wear T-shirts or sweaters without a cutout, depriving them of access to the mammary glands. You can wear sports tops that retain the shape of the chest and protect against persistent children's hands. You can not change clothes with a child and bathe with him in the same bath. In the afternoon, when the baby begins to act up and beg for breasts, it is recommended to distract him with games, cartoons, go for walks or meet dad at the door. You can offer to look through the peephole, open the lock yourself and even go out onto the landing to check if there is a second parent.

Recommendations for mom

Over time, the child will learn to eat mashed potatoes and cereals, and after a few months will forget about the existence of mother's milk. One week is enough for one child to refuse to feed. First, they learn to fall asleep on their own and not get up in the middle of the night to “eat” their mother. Then they get used to having mashed potatoes and steam cutlets for lunch without washing down everything with milk. During this period, it is advised to give full servings of food so that the child does not feel hungry.

Tip: If the baby refuses porridge, requiring breasts, do not cram lunch into it or immediately get the mammary gland. Let him stay hungry for some time, nothing terrible will happen in a few hours. But then he will gladly swallow everything that his parents will offer him.

To lull a baby, mom is advised to quietly sing or read fairy tales. Stroking on the back or head also has soothing properties. Women who refuse to feed, note that the child sleeps much longer day and night, becoming not so restless.

Some doctors recommend first to teach the baby to rest in his bed, not in the parent, and then switch to an adult diet.

Women should exercise, because physical activity and increased sweating help stop lactation. The swollen breasts are decanted, but slightly to get rid of the discomfort. If you constantly empty the mammary glands, the body will produce “food” for the baby in the usual way.The breast in which the milk remains is a signal to the brain that it is time to refuse to feed.

Unconventional methods

Naughty babies who do not want to part with their usual “food” are given nipples lubricated with mustard or tincture of wormwood. A few feedings are enough for mother's mammary glands to become tasteless and unattractive. The main thing is not to poison the baby with grass and not to burn his esophagus.

Sometimes the garlic option helps. Mom should eat a decent portion of seasoning so that the milk has a specific aftertaste. The kid, having tasted such food one or several times, will independently refuse it and switch to mouth-watering vegetables.

Do not take excommunication as a tragedy or betrayal. The love and tenderness that the baby received during feeding can be compensated for through joint games, communication and reading books. The main thing is that both mother and child should be ready for such a serious step, and then they will succeed.

Video: how to wean a baby from the chest