Weaning

My son turns a year old on October 10th and that is when I will stop breastfeeding. I want to take a gradual approach to weaning and think we're at a slight advantage since he takes bottles of milk during the day.

My original plan was to cut out one nursing session each week. Right now I only nurse him three times a day during the week (once when he wakes up, once when we get home and once before bed). I noticed last weekend that he skipped his 9:30am feeding and his 1:30pm feeding all three days we were home. That means he's nursing at breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and bedtime on the weekends.

So, I had planned on eliminating the "dinnertime" nursing session first. Should I bottle feed him then or just eliminate the nursing altogether? He seems satisfied just eating solids for dinner and I assume he doesn't need the milk (he drinks water).

After a week of that, I had planned on ditching the lunchtime feeding. Then the breakfast and the afternoon snack next. The last one to go will be the bedtime feeding.

I have a feeling he's going to have a hard time giving it up because he spends a majority of feedings comfort nursing.

Also, should I transition him away from the bottle now or save that for another time? He seems to do okay with change. I don't even know what age it's recommended to stop the bottles now. When my daughter was an infant/toddler, we were told to get her off the bottle by 15 months.

Does this seems like a decent plan? Are there any suggestions out there? I really don't remember how we weaned my daughter but I only breastfed her for 6 months so the switch from formula to milk was much easier since she hadn't had the boob for a while.

Thanks in advance!

It's so great you have made it this far!

I would just mention that breast milk or formula should be the main source of nutrition for you LO for the first year of life according to the AAP.  So I would definatly not do away with the bottle and nursing at the same time that way you can continue to provide the most complete nutrition for the first year.

"Infants weaned before 12 months of age should not receive cow's milk but should receive iron-fortified infant formula."

http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/cont ent/full/pediatrics;115/2/496#SEC6

Congrats on the one year mark (I'm @ 6 months). Your plan sounds perfect. The dinnertime elimination makes sense, maybe you could offer the water in a sippy cup and see if he likes it. It may distract him from his usual 'milk-time' too! Take it day to day. Do what works for YOU... if he attaches to the bottle for a bit longer so be it. One milestone at a time I say! Bravo to you!

The night feeding will be a challenge, just take it slow and ease him thru it!

Thanks for the info!

hotharmony, what I meant when I said transitioning away from the bottle, I meant using a sippy cup instead of the bottle for breastmilk feedings. I've heard it recommended but have never considered that until now.

I breastfed both of my daughters till their first birthdays.  They are 3.5 and 1.5 now.  I slowly cut out feedings as well to where she would nurse in the morning, then eat baby food for breakfast, lunch and dinner (with a sippy of water) then nurse at night.  With my first child we cut out morning feeding first, with my second we cut out the night one first.  It was just what seemed easier and what I thought each preferred (my second never needed to comfort feed to be put to sleep...she didn't even want to be held...just put her in the crib and she rolls right over to go to sleep).  Lose one feeding every few days to help you from becoming engorged.  At the end we even did one nursing session every other day so I wouldn't be hurting or leaking.  A few weeks before the first bday we introduced milk in a sippy cup.  My girls got bottles of breastmilk when I was working, nursed when I was home and once we stopped breastmilk at one year, it was nothing but sippies with whole milk or water (and eventually diluted juice).  If you don't put the whole milk in bottles, they'll never associate the two.  We also started restricting the paci at one year and had them both off it by 15 months.  If you need more info, just ask.

Original Post by ang6181:

If you don't put the whole milk in bottles, they'll never associate the two.  

This is what I heard. No cow's milk in bottles=no need to wean off them. I was actually talking about this with my SIL last night.

This is the week we'll start reducing feedings/switching feedings to bottles. My son doesn't nurse himself to sleep and seems to eat the most solids in the evening so maybe that should be the first to go.

Thanks again for the advice, ladies!

Weaning is different for each person.  I weaned my oldest at around 7 months; schedule was hard then.  Middle was 15 months old and youngest was 21 months.  With my kids I allowed bottles until 2 1/2 yrs.  Though it was only milk and juice by glass.  The younger 2 used a soother as well until around that age but they didnt get a  bottle at bed time after around 18 months and it was replaced with the soother.

Now I always do toileting first in my house with my kids being out of diapers at age 2.  I find toileting is more important then worrying about the bottle at bedtime

My short nursing & weaning history:

With my first, he weaned himself around 6 mos..  I guess he's not a boob guy!

With my daughter, it just fell through the cracks with work & being seperated from my husband,

My second boy....he is 6 1/2 now and would still be nursing if he had his way about it!!  I had to wean him at a year too.  There was no way I was going to be slapping a 2yr old on me...I am not that Mom!  My plan was simple...start nursing him just once a day and then POOF no more after birthday.  He didn't really seem to care or notice since he was only getting some once a day.

I am currently nursing my 4th who is 3mos so we shall see how long that lasts!  GOOD LUCK with your goal :O)

I thought for sure I would wean at 12 mo.  I was counting down the days.  But my son was lactose intolerant, so we kept nursing.  By 15 mo we had him over to Lactaid milk and he was doing fine.  I had quit pumping.  If I wasn't home, he got milk.  Each kid is different.  Weaning did not go well.  The gradual process was very hard for him.  It was like teasing him.  Does that make sense?

We ended up going cold turkey.  I was sooooo sore.  He wasn't very happy.

Then we traveled at 17mo and he got it back on the plane.    It was the only way to stop the screaming.  So a week of b00ber and he was hooked.  We had to go cold turkey again, using lemon rubbed on my nips.  Actually he did better that way.  After the second taste he had no interest, plus there wasn't really anything there.

Now at 22 mo he has days where he HAS to have it (mayby once every 3-4 weeks).  And so I give it to him.  It's his comfort item.  He never had  a lovey, and has no interest in one.  Big brother had 3 loveys and sucked his thumb. 

That's interesting, jojo. My husband is lactose intolerant as is HIS father and half-sister. We haven't seen any signs of my son being lactose intolerant as I drink a LOT of milk (both soy and cow's) and eat a lot of other dairy products. My son has also been eating a lot of cheeses and yogurt and hasn't had issues yet. We'll see how he does with milk when the time comes, I suppose!

As an update, we've cut out bottles/nursing at the three major meal times. He now has breast milk at 6am, 9:30am, 1:30 pm and 7:30pm. He has a bottle of formula at 4pm. Breast milk really isn't filling him up like it used to so he's definitely ready to start getting more calories from regular food. This morning, he wasn't even interested in nursing when he woke up. So far, he's doing great!

Once again, I appreciate the help!

We had no clue that either of the boys were lactose intolerant until we switched to whole milk.  Then it was major diarrhea for both.  At least with DS2 I knew to expect it.  I LOVE milk and never once cut it out of my diet. 

My first is 4, and he outgrew it by about 2.5y.  We haven't really tried switching DS2 yet, b/c they say the transition usually goes better when they switch down to a lower fat milk (2%/1%).  Milk and pudding are our only no's, so his isn't as severe as other kids.  He's a picky eater, so we don't really know what cheese does to him, but yogurt is totally fine.  That is one of his staples!

DS1 was on regular formula from aroun 6-8 weeks until one year.  We switched back to the toddler formula until we figured out the source of the diarrhea. 

I would take the transition very slowly.  We did a 3:1, then 1:1, then 1:3 ration to work down, prob 2 days at each stage.  If the diarrhea came back we would just stop and wait a few more months.