Weaning Baby
When to start weaning baby?
The guidelines from the World Health Organization recommend that babies be exclusively breastfed for at least the first 6 months of a baby's life "to achieve optimal growth, development and health". Thereafter, the guidelines state that babies should be given "nutritious complementary foods and continue breastfeeding up to the age of two years or beyond".
Some studies have attempted to look into what is commonly referred to as the "natural age of weaning for humans" taking into account a myriad of factors such as birth weight, growth rate, age at sexual maturity etc and have put the natural weaning age of human infants anywhere from 2 years to 7 years of age. Basically, there is no hard and fast rule as to the age at which women should wean their babies and much still depends on the societies in which these babies are brought up.
While studies have shown that babies who have been breastfed for 2 years do better than their counterparts who have been breastfed for a shorter period of time, no actual study has yet to be conducted on children who have been breastfed beyond 2 years of age. However, it is probably safe to assume that these children continue to benefit from the advantages of breastfeeding since these advantages are unlikely to magically disappear just because the child has crossed 2 years old.
Quite aside from these considerations, the decision to start weaning your baby remains largely a personal one between the mother and child. Ideally, the mother ought to start weaning the child once the child shows signs of having outgrown the need to nurse at the breast. However, nursing the child involves the mother as much as it does the child and hence while many pro-breastfeeding advocates recommend child-led weaning, one should also not neglect the needs of the mother. If for some reason, a mother feels ready to wean the child (for example, after the child turns a year old and the child is feeding well on solids and formula milk), there is no reason why the child should be in any way worse off if the mother starts to wean the child provided that it is done gradually and lovingly.
How to start weaning baby?
In some societies, mothers prefer to go "cold turkey" once they have decided to wean the child and some go to the extent of applying bitter gourd juice or chilli to the areola to deter the baby from wanting to nurse. While this may prove to be a much faster way to stop the baby from nursing once and for all, it is not recommended as it is important to remember that breastfeeding to the child is much more than the provision of breastmilk. During the nursing experience, the child feels an emotional bond with the mother through being held close to the mother's breast and through the direct skin to skin contact. If breastfeeding is withdrawn abruptly, the child may feel a sudden loss of that security. Stopping breastfeeding also brings about hormonal changes which can potentially affects the mother's emotional well-being, not to mention the fact that abrupt weaning will lead to the breasts feeling uncomfortably full and in more serious cases, even breast engorgement and mastitis. Gradual weaning allows both mother and child to adjust both physically and mentally to the change and is beneficial to the welfare of both.
If you are considering weaning your baby, you may want to start by dropping one nursing session a day or every alternate day and replacing it with a bottle or cup of formula milk, cooled boiled water or even fruit juice as an occasional treat (preferably unsweetened). Most children by the age of one (or slightly above) will be able to drink quite competently from a sipper cup or a thin straw (like the one which comes with the Yakult bottle) and this presents an excellent opportunity for them to go directly from breast to cup. Most babies who have been exclusively nursed at the breast also take better to a cup or straw than to a bottle.
It is prudent to choose the right feeds to drop, constantly adjusting according to how you feel your child is coping. Generally, it is easier to drop the day feeds first as the daytime and the great outdoors present many opportunities for you to distract your child from nursing. It helps to keep your child occupied as a child who is sufficiently engaged may well forget about having to nurse. It may therefore be a good idea to introduce a new activity (like going out for a walk or readying a story) during which you can bond with your child in place of the nursing session. The feeds just prior to napping or sleeping would probably prove the most challenging to wean off as these would coincide with the times when your child is sleepy (and therefore in all likelihood, cranky) and especially if your child is used to falling asleep at the breast. These feeds should be the last to go. If your child is resistant to dropping the night feeds, you may choose to retain the night feeds (for as long as you and your child are comfortable with the arrangement) as it gives you a chance to reconnect with your child at the end of the day. Assuring the child of your continued love and affection would also go a long way towards ensuring that your child does not feel that he is being left high and dry. If the child is old enough to understand, you may even want to subtly hint to him that he is now a "big boy" and would soon not need to continue to nurse any more.
The process of weaning requires lots of patience and understanding on your part and should not, ideally, be tied to any fixed schedule. However, not every mother is fortunate enough to enjoy that kind of luxury and many do need to plan for the times during which they may not be able to continue to breastfeed. If that is so, it is best to start way ahead of schedule to avoid unnecessary stress at the last minute.
Further Reading
The article above is meant to provide general information and does not replace a doctor's consultation.
Please see your doctor for professional advice.