Breastfeeding and Weaning
I was actually quite nervous about being able to breastfeed my son prior to his birth. I was so lucky that Timothy just latched on naturally and it was easy for me to nurse him. I honestly had no idea I would still be nursing at this point! Timothy will soon turn 1 on July 31st and I am still breastfeeding him. I also supplement with formula (which will soon turn in to whole milk), and he is eating solid foods. I think he mostly nurses for comfort and because of our bond. I will eventually have to wean him and I came upon some great advice through one of my “moms” groups. For any first time mom who is nursing and also not quite sure what is the best way to slowly transition her baby away from the boob, here are some good ideas:
- Try replacing nursing time with another comforting activity (cuddling, singing, reading). An idea that I’m starting with is giving my son a sippy cup and reading to him while he drinks it–to sub for nursing when he asks.
- Make a big deal about drinking milk and water. That it is a big-boy or big-girl activity.
- Travel (a day or two away while someone else watches your toddler).
- Have dad or grandma or someone else do the morning/evening routine while you are out.
- Band-Aid trick – You can put Band-Aids on your nipples and say you have a boo-boo, so no milk now.
- Show baby on the calendar a countdown to when you’re going to stop nursing.
- Tell baby that milk is all gone. He or she drank it all.
- Give more snacks.
- Try to be busy. Out and about adventuring. Your toddler may not think to nurse.
Tell me: Have any of these tricks worked for you? Do you have any additional tricks??
Kristin McGee is a celebrity yoga and Pilates instructor in New York City. She is currently teaching yoga with Peloton. She is the star of over 100 videos, seen in several magazines and tv shows and is a spokeswoman for many brands and causes she believes in. A proud mom to three, she sure keeps herself busy!
3 thoughts on “Breastfeeding and Weaning”
My son is 18 months old and we still nurse once at night when he’s going to bed. He hated sippy cups and and bottles so during the day he drinks straight from a cup. The middle of the night and early morning sessions were the hardest to break. Over 2 weeks he just forgot about it and has not asked. I will let him nurse to sleep until he’s 2 and then we will cut that off and I will just say its all gone. I’m not sure he will go until he’s two because he sometimes just falls alseep not with without it. He’s weaning himself.
That’s great!!
It’s amazing to visit this web site and reading the views of all friends on the topic of this piece of writing,
while I am also eager of getting knowledge.