Want to Start Weaning My 11 1/2 Month Old from Breast

to answer your question about cow milk, goat milk is biologically more similar to breast milk than cow's milk. it sounds like he's simply not ready to wean yet. honestly it will likely be a difficult process at this age. just try to be as gentle and patient as you can and offer lots of snuggles! if you are set on weaning, maybe a good place to start would be with the 2pm or pre-nap nursing.

I would probably take away the naptime feeding first. Leave bedtime alone til last. That is really soothing for the end of the day, so try to hold onto that for a couple weeks until he has gotten used to not having the breast at other feedings. Make sure he has had a decent meal from other sources (solids and sippy) before putting him down for the nap. It may also help to start this on a weekend when Daddy is home. He knows he can't nurse from daddy, so that may be an option as well. After having dad put him down for two days, he may lose interest. If that is not an option, then there may be a little crying involved. Try bringing the sippy to him when you are soothing him for his nap (rocking, reading book, whatever is your style) in place of the breast. My friend gives her son a sippy of warm milk while she lulls him to sleep. I have also seen on Supernanny one tactic. She had the mom place a pillow between the baby and herself. She still held the baby, but the child was unable to make that connection. After about 5 minutes, which probably seemed like an eternity, she fell right asleep.

Hi, B..

Is there a medical reason to wean your son? That comfort of nursing around nap/bedtimes is so important to infants and toddlers. And the nutritional benefit is unmatchable. I encourage you to research the benefits of extended nursing and reconsider your decision to wean. (I'm still enjoying a b-feeding relationship with my 2.5yo, and she's extremely healthy.)

Please read about the benefits of it on these sites:

http://www.llli.org/NB/NBextended.html

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/t026400.asp

From a newspaper in Scotland: The advice [to breastfeed up to two years] is based on guidance from the World Health Organization which states there is increasing evidence that babies who are breastfed until the age of two enjoy better general health in later life and also have higher IQs.

Good luck.

Hi,
My babies all nursed that way till they were 15 and 21 months old. When we got busy, some of those times we skiped, until we were all done nursing. Your baby can skip the whole cows milk thing. He is getting the calcium from other foods. Remember you have a baby human, not a baby cow! Enjoy the closeness and special time you have with your baby now! Soon enough he will be going to college.

Is there any particular reason why you want to wean him now? The recommendations are to nurse for at least a year...

Here is what the AAP says:

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

It is recommended that breastfeeding continue for at least 12 months, and thereafter for as long as mutually desired.

Hope that helps,

-V.

Look forward to hearing your responses. What is your baby's night schedule?
My son who is 8 months old, nurses TOO much throughout the night.

Thanks,
A.

B.,
My daughter just weaned herself at 17 1/2 months. Here is what I did to drop feedings. When she was 13 months old, she was nursing 4 times a day -- morning, before both naps and at night. At a little over 13 months old, she went from two naps to one, which eliminated one nursing. A few weeks later, I decided to try dropping the morning feeding. I would bring her downstairs and give her a sippy cup of milk. She would be a little fussy as we were walking down the stairs, but as soon as she got her cup of milk, she was fine. The fussing only lasted a few days until she got used to our new routine. I thought I would never be able to drop the last two nursings, but suddenly last week she dropped them herself. She didn't want to nurse one day before nap, so I read her books instead. The next day, I did the same thing. She probably would have nursed that day, but I just didn't offer it. She never fussed though. A few days later, she lost interest in nursing at night and wanted to read books instead. I too was worried how I would wean her and felt like I would be nursing her forever, but my advice to you is take cues from your son. He'll tell you when he's done nursing. It may seem like he'll never stop nursing, but he will. I never believed other mothers who would tell me that, but it worked for me too. Suddenly toddlers become interested in other things (like running around and checking things out), and they lose interest in nursing.

If you decide to drop nursings yourself rather than waiting for your son, then I would try to introduce another comfort object -- a stuffed toy, small blanket or something like that. You'll need to replace the comfort of nursing with comfort of another type. Give him the comfort object while you nurse for a few days, and then just give him the comfort object and try not nursing and see if that works. If he loves to read, try snuggling and reading books before nap. My daughter loves puppies so she has a stuffed puppy she likes to have before nap and we read books about puppies.

Best of luck to you! And, remember, there is nothing wrong with nursing a toddler should you decide to nurse past age 1. People who will tell you otherwise should mind their own business.

I would say you are on the right track to go slowly. I would not mess with a bottle just go straight to a cup. There are doctors that say cows milk is over rated in our society. If he is not into cow's milk I would just go for balanced nutrition. It sounds like he eats a nice variety of foods. I would listen to him on weaning. La Leche League suggets "Don't offer, don't refuse." as a guideline for weaning. I have found that to be an effective way to go. If you know he is going to want to nurse then you need to anticipate him and offer an alternative. It could be a different snack or another source of comfort. We read before bed. One of my daughters really liked bread so I would let her have bread instead of nursing while we were weaning and then we gradually addressed that habit. I know that 11 1/2 months is a long time to nurse for some and I applaud you for nursing this long. Don't be afraid to nurse longer if you feel that your son needs it. They still benefit from breastmilk after 1 year. In more ways than just comfort. Worldwide it is no unusual to nurse past one year. You also mention you are raising your children in a Christian home. In the Bible women nursed their children well past a year. Moses nursed long enough to know his family and learn the basics of their God before going to live with Pharaoh and Samuel did not wean until he was an age that would be useful in serving with the priests. He could speak and pray and understood faith in God.