It's a good idea to introduce your child to the cup about one month before you start the weaning process, so they have time to get comfortable holding and drinking from it.
Pick a plastic spill-proof cup with a spout, which most closely mimics a nipple. At first, you should just offer water in the sippy cup during meals of solid foods.
Then as your child gets more comfortable, start filling the cup with breast milk or formula so they get used to the idea that all their beverages can come from a cup. Amp up attention. The intimacy that goes with breastfeeding is what moms and babies miss most when nursing ends, so be sure to lavish your little one with lots of extra attention during the weaning process.
And don't forget how helpful your partner can be. Having Daddy put the baby to sleep and wake them up in the morning can soften the blow of not nursing during these times. Use distractions. For older babies and toddlers, Bengson says that the key is distraction. When your kid starts hankering for the breast, lure them into a block-building bonanza, an engrossing game of make-believe, or a finger-painting frenzy. Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team.
If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission. It's often easiest to begin weaning when your baby starts the process. Changes in breast-feeding patterns leading to eventual weaning often begin naturally at age 6 months, when solid foods are typically introduced.
Some children begin to seek other forms of nutrition and comfort at around age 1. By this age, children typically eat a variety of solid foods and are able to drink from a cup. Other children might not initiate weaning until they become toddlers, when they're less willing to sit still during breast-feeding.
You might also decide when to start the weaning process yourself. This might be more difficult than following your child's lead — but can be done with extra care and sensitivity.
Whenever you start weaning your baby from the breast, focus on your child's needs as well as your own. Resist comparing your situation with that of other families, and consider rethinking any deadlines you might have set for weaning when you were pregnant or when your baby was a newborn. Slowly tapering off how long and how often you breast-feed each day — over the course of weeks or months — will cause your milk supply to gradually diminish and prevent engorgement.
It might be easiest to drop a midday breast-feeding session first. After a lunch of solid food, your child might become interested in an activity and naturally give up this session. Once you've dropped one feeding, you can work on dropping another.
Refusing to breast-feed when your child wants to nurse can increase your child's focus on the activity. If your child wants to nurse, go ahead. Then, continue working to distract him or her with new foods, activities and sources of reassurance — such as a favorite stuffed animal — around the times of your typical breast-feeding sessions.
If you wean your child from breast-feeding before age 1, use expressed breast milk or iron-fortified formula. Don't give your child cow's milk until after his or her first birthday. You can wean your child to a bottle and then a cup or directly to a cup. So weaning might be more difficult. Some babies will self-wean between 9 and 12 months, which could make the process much simpler. Nursing for less time, fussing or being easily distracted while nursing, or frequently pulling at biting at the breast instead of eating are all signs that your sweetie could be losing interest.
Luckily, the introduction of solid foods between 4 and 6 months can help in a big way. Is your baby going gah gah over breastfeeding? Try distracting him with finely mashed or pureed bananas or sweet potatoes. And then gradually reduce nursing sessions to only when he asks. Changing up your routines during times when he usually nurses or offering a snack at times before he usually nurses can help, too.
Make the switch gradually — first so that your breasts don't become painfully engorged ouch! Start with the feeding that interests her the least usually mid-morning or mid-afternoon, when she's busy playing.
Substitute a bottle for breastfeeding once a day for the first week, and work your way up from there. If you plan for your baby to take bottles of pumped milk or formula later on, like when you go back to work, start introducing bottles with pumped milk when your baby is 2 or 3 weeks old a few times a week.
Again, start with the feeding that interests your little one the least, and simply give him a cup instead. Some strategies that can ease the transition for both of you:.
Weaning is just as significant for you as it is for your baby. Some ways to cope:. Just like learning how to breastfeed in the early days, for most moms and little ones, weaning is a process.
What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations.
Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy. Some tactics to try include:. On the other hand, if the dream feed really revs her up and makes it harder for her to go back to sleep, or gets her into the habit of waking up to be fed more often, skip it. She might just be fussing, so give her a chance to settle back in before automatically running in to feed her. Night weaning is often a process, and some babies go at a different pace than others.
And consult with your pediatrician whenever you have questions or concerns, or just want to go over your baby's progress. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations.
Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy. The educational health content on What To Expect is reviewed by our medical review board and team of experts to be up-to-date and in line with the latest evidence-based medical information and accepted health guidelines, including the medically reviewed What to Expect books by Heidi Murkoff.
This educational content is not medical or diagnostic advice. Use of this site is subject to our terms of use and privacy policy. Registry Builder New. Medically Reviewed by Lauren Crosby, M. Medical Review Policy All What to Expect content that addresses health or safety is medically reviewed by a team of vetted health professionals.
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