Question About and Suggestions for Weaning.....

I agree with dropping one feeding at a time. When you say exclusively breast feeding, do you mean that you aren't giving your child any solid foods? I would start introducing those now, if you haven't already. Children this age really should be eating solids at least twice a day. I bet once you start solids, again if you haven't already, the nursing will decrease on it's own. Happy Holidays to you too! :)

the older a baby, the harder big changes are -- travelling, moving, etc. if the timeframe is very close, i would wait until after you move to wean him -- what's another few weeks when you have gone a year. by the way, i also weaned my daughter at one year. i recommend weaning versus just stopping nursing cold turkey -- for your baby's adjustment and for your breasts. i actually think it depends on the baby's personality of you do it slowly or all at once. i did it slowly with my daughter -- i was down to 3 nursings per day and dropped one for about 5 days until she was weaned. we was completely fine with it and it was as if nothing in her life had changed. i was incredibly engorged. if you are, i recommend wearing two sports bras and icing as much as possible. the dr recommended and it really helped. then, finally they went back down to (my new) normal. good luck!

I also planned to nurse my daughter exclusively for the 1st 12 months, and everything went really well. Although we moved the day after her birthday 1200 miles away, and without dad, I really thought too, I should just keep going because I didn't want to disrupt her any more. After the 1st few weeks in our new home, I realized she was totally cutting back to really only nursing in the evening, until she eventually just refused. This happended approxmately 5 weeks after we moved. So, I guess she just weaned her self, no matter what my intentions were. I would say, if tere's no immediate reason to stop abruptly at her birthday, jut keep going, if you find after a couple of weeks that her interest is still high, maybe try to reduce the nursing and supplement with real food- I think that's what really got my daughter- her tastes changed and she was much more enthralled with all of the new options. Good Luck!

Hi J...I've done both ways now. With my first, I quit "cold turkey" at 11.5 months. Literally, I left for basic training after college. I was worried with her b/c she still wasn't very interested in food. I took about a whole day for her to get hungry enough to try eating. But, she lived. I still feel really guilty about it, though.

With my second, who was weaned at 15 months and an excellent eater of table food, I gradually reduced feedings. It seemed that she needed to nurse more at night. So, the last week, I'd just have one nightly feeding. Since I was 4+ months pregnant, my production was down. So, I was not engorged that time.

It's one of those things that is hard to plan ahead. I'd wait and see where you are and where she is when February comes. Maybe just nightly feedings until she's adjusted...Or, maybe the new house means a new way & it's sippy cups. Either way, you'll know what to do when the time comes.

Good luck!

I would WHOLEHEARTEDLY recommend NOT cutting out breastfeeding cold-turkey! Especially with so much change. Your little one gets soooo much from nursing, more than just food. It is comfort and security. If you take it away all at once, you risk hurting them developmentally and emotionally. I would NEVER do it. And children are VERY sensitive to change. The smallest change in routine can throw them off and cause them to lose sleep etc. Try to minimize trauma during changes, not add to it!! CONGRATS on being dedicated to providing the best for your LO. I would recommend cutting one nursing session per week or two until they are all gone, but paying close attention to her response and moving at her pace. Start with the ones that she is least likely to miss (can be distracted from the easiest). The most important thing is to do it with love, with her emotions as priority and at a pace she seems comfortable with.

Hello J.. I do not think this is a cut and dry answer. I think you should just follow what feels right at the time. If your daughter is having trouble adjusting to the new house, you may want to consider delaying the weaning process. If everything seems fine, and she does not seem affected by the move, she may be ready to wean. I do not think you will be able to make this decision ahead of time. Dealing with babies is very different. Just sit tight and follow your babies lead!

J.,
When I weaned my son at 9 months, it was hard for both of us. With the move, there will be other changes to your daughter's life, so I would suggest weaning a month or so after the move. The move may not be hard on her, but just in case . . .
Good luck!
A.

Cold turkey is not a good idea. I had a friend that did that on advice of her doctor (why he thought this was good I have no idea) and she was in lots of pain and he was extremely fussy and it just was very hard for her. Drop one feeding and wait for her to adjust, once you have that routine set, drop the next. Her age doesn't really matter. I would just go with the flow and see how she does. Nothing magical happens at 12 months. Personally, I would probably wait until after you move to start the transition. Too many changes at once are hard for a baby to deal with and it will probably end up making things harder for you too.

I agree with the advice about not going cold turkey. If you wait to start weaning until she is able to have whole milk, that will save you from having to do the formula/bottle route. I started dropping my son's daily feedings one every 5-7 days adding whole milk and other healthy snacks instead. He is 13 months now and we still have the early morning and bed-time feedings which I plan to continue until we both feel the time is right (I think I like it as much as he does). Your daughter gets a lot of comfort from nursing so continuing through the move and taking the weaning slowly will be best for both of you.

J., if your daughter gets comfort from the nursing, it certainly would help her deal with the stress of moving if she didn't have to quit nursing at the same time. There's no magic that happens at 12 months of nursing, and slowly as she gets older the milk you produce will adjust to fit her changing needs. So I'd recommend you let it continue until you are fairly settled in.

Cold turkey doesn't sound like a winning strategy for ending breast-feeding: not emotionally and not nutritionally. I'd start replacing the nusings one at a time with formula and solid foods and juice, and over time let it get down to one nursing time a day that is convenient and peaceful for both of you, with the rest of her diet on whatever is appropriate for that age. My son and i stayed at just a bedtime nursing for almost a year, with all other meals at the table. It doesn't have to stretch out that long, of course. But i think slowly cutting the nursings out, leaving the bedtime one for last, is a good general plan for weaning.

I would wait until you are settled and take out one feeding at a time. Only nurse when she asks and offer water or whole milk to see if she'll take them instead of nursing before you actually nurse her.
There are some good books on weaning, LLLI has one "How Weaning Happens" that has some good suggestions. Check in to what you can get from the library or Half.com.

Good Luck! :)

Hello,
I just wanted to share what happened with my son. I tried gradually weaning him at 9 months and had A LOT of trouble. He refused to drink from a bottle and cried a lot. My doctor then suggested stopping all together and it was much easier. I think this worked for my son because of his personality. He just did better when breastfeeding was just not an option at all. I hope you find what works best for your daughter- good luck!!

I would suggest dropping one feeding at a time, starting with your least favorite ones (for me, these were during the day when my daughter's attention was on other things). If you haven't already, you'll need to start her on solids and/or formula to replace breastmilk. Once you have dropped one feeding, wait a few days to drop the next in order to give your body time to adjust--you'll be way more comfortable this way...your body will do whatever you tell it to do!