Breast milk is essential for every baby. In the first years of life, this is the most wholesome food that helps to grow quickly, gives good immunity. However, breastfeeding has to be stopped once. For a child, this is always a lot of stress, but it can be minimized. If you want to learn how to wean a baby from the chest with maximum comfort, read this article.
About the benefits of breast milk
Breast milk – A valuable source of vitamins and minerals, proteins, fats and carbohydrates. It also contains antibodies that form children's immunity (benefits and composition of breast milk).
Some are of the opinion that over time, breast milk loses its beneficial properties. It's a delusion. Scientists conducted a lot of research and found that even after 2 years of feeding, breast milk retains its valuable qualities.
When should I stop breastfeeding?
Many pediatricians now argue that a child needs to be breastfed until he himself begins to abandon her. Usually this happens in the third year of life of the crumbs.
WHO is advised to complete breastfeeding before the baby is two years old. This is the best option in the realities of Russian families, because by the age of 3 the child usually begins to go to kindergarten. The new situation and the absence of a mother nearby create a stressful situation for the crumbs. Not the best time to refuse the baby in the usual mother’s milk for him, because this will only add discomfort and worry to him. So it’s worth preparing for kindergarten and completing breastfeeding in advance.
How to understand that the child is ready?
When weaning, it is important to think not only about the baby's age, but also about his psychological comfort. Children are all different. Some sleep peacefully all night, while others wake up several times to demand a breast. If the baby cannot yet calm down without breast milk, if the baby falls asleep and wakes up with a breast, stop lactation early.
The baby will be psychologically ready for weaning only when he will eat milk only before bedtime (before daytime and nighttime sleep). Only this rarely happens. Most children get used to frequent feedings and literally hang on their breasts. If your baby is like that, it’s better to wait when he has baby teeth will eruptand he will start to sleep at night without awakening.
The process of weaning a baby from the chest
Stop breastfeeding gradually. It is better to break this process into several stages:
First step
Begin less often to put the baby to the chest throughout the day. Instead, offer him the fruit puree that he loves, a delicious compote.You can just tell the baby that you will breastfeed when you finish some business. Try replacing one feeding with an “adult” meal every day, or come up with an interesting activity for your child.
In order for the baby to quickly wean from the breast, mom can start to leave home for a short time. The end of the first stage occurs when the baby gets two feedings a day – in the morning when he wakes up, and before bedtime. Be affectionate with the crumbs and do not show excessive perseverance. A small child can sometimes give way.
Second phase
If the baby has already started doing two feedings a day, it's time to teach him to wake up without mother's milk. To do this, try to get up before the crumbs. If the baby wakes up, and the mother is not nearby, he will think about where she is doing now. The desire to eat will recede into the background.
Third stage
The most difficult thing remains - to teach the baby to fall asleep without asking for breasts, during the day and especially at night. A ritual that will be repeated every night will help (the importance of rituals) Breastfeeding should be an insignificant part of it. For example, bathe a child, read a fairy tale to him or sing a lullaby. Let the baby switch his attention to other activities before going to bed. This will help him get rid of the habit of sucking when falling asleep.
What can not be done?
To wean babies, some mothers apply something bitter and tasteless on their nipples that will push the baby away. You can’t do this, because this is a mockery of the baby. For him, Mom’s chest was so dear and tasty for so long, but suddenly it tastes unpleasant.
Nursing mothers have a risk of developing mastitis, lactostasis, other breast problems - to avoid them, it is important to gradually stop lactation.
Sometimes there is a need to excommunicate the baby from the breast quickly and even sharply. Even in this case, do not pull the chest. This method from the arsenal of our grandmothers is fraught with stagnation of milk and can provoke mastitis, as well as injure the mammary glands.
You should not take hormonal drugs to stop lactation: they have too many side effects. It is recommended to express milk to the softness of the chest, as well as apply herbal infusions that reduce lactation.
When should you not stop breastfeeding?
If the baby is sick, you do not need to add torment to him, refusing the usual breast milk. This is especially true for children who have intestinal upsets and infections, and have also been vaccinated.
It’s a bad idea to complete lactation in the summer. The best time for this is cool autumn days. Breastfeeding should be continued even when the baby begins a new stage in life (for example, the appearance of a nanny or potty training).
The end of breastfeeding takes a lot of time and causes dissatisfaction on the part of the baby. However, if you follow the advice of specialists, a young mother will be able to minimize discomfort for the child and for herself. The main thing is to act smoothly, without pressure and coercion. The kid will gradually switch to ordinary food, you just need to be patient.
We also read:
- Weaning the baby from the breast correctly: methods, rules, myths and what you should not do
- Weaning a baby: how not to do it (bad advice)
- Folk ways to stop lactation and a list of drugs to quickly stop lactation
- 8 rules for weaning twins
When to wean a baby?
How to excommunicate?
What can not be done with excommunication?
My breastfeeding process ended without much effort. When the son was about six months the amount of milk decreased, the son did not eat up, constantly cried, had to feed, and soon completely stopped asking for breasts. My sister, on the contrary, barely weaned in 4 years, when it was already just uncomfortable, when in public places the daughter jumped to her knees and demanded a breast.
Gradually wean a baby to breastfeed in different ways. For example, we sent a child to live with my grandmother. Mom often visited them. At first, the son reached for his chest. As a result, he switched to baby food.
I quit breastfeeding at a year and a half, because I had to go to work. I weaned my daughter gradually, reducing the number of feedings, because of this, I began to produce less milk and did not injure the psyche of the child.