Weaning My 11 Month Old??? HOW

You may want to consider getting a cheap manual brest pump so that you can put some breast milk in the sippy. Then once he's use to the sippy you can start filling it with a mixture of breast and cows milk.

As for that first responce the average age of weaning world wide is actually 3 years and that doesn't mean it's right for everyone. Sorry but some of the people on this site drive me nuts.

Good luck with the transition and let us know how it goes (I'm going to be introducing a sippy in a few months.)

Hi,

I found out the day before my son's first birthday that I was having another child... and I was still nursing, and wanted to for at least another year. So, I had to completely change my mindset before I started weaning him, because I didn't want to stop nursing yet. That would be the first thing I would suggest: Make sure you really want to stop nursing him, or it'll be a lot harder, if it happens at all.

My son would also nurse himself to sleep. I think what we did was cut out all of the "extra" feedings- the times he wanted just a snack, and only let him nurse at certain times- first thing in the morning, before the naps, and before bed. When it was down to that point, I think we cut out the morning feeding first. After that he stopped taking his first nap at about the same time I needed to cut out another feeding, so that was very convenient and lucky for me. To drop the naptime nursing, one day he fell asleep in the car, the next day I "just happened" to be doing errands at naptime, and his daddy had to put him to bed. After those two days, he decided that he didn't need to nurse then anymore, and that was the end of that feeding.

When he was 15 months old, I dropped the last, before-bed feeding. I changed his bedtime routine a little, made it more "toddler" than "baby". We started saying goodnight to the stars, and reading a few stories, and then I put him to bed without giving him the chance to nurse. I think I cried more than he did.

Take your time, and don't try to rush things, and be consistent. If you accidentally skip a feeding one day because you're out or whatever, don't let him nurse at that time the next day. It usually took my son two days to adapt to dropping a nursing time. It'll be harder for you than your child.

Just a little FYI I love doing everything naturally... So I set out to find out what the average weaning age was (not in America alone but worldwide) and I was shocked to discover that the average worldwide weaning age is 5 years old and it is not uncommon to find 6-7 year olds nursing in many parts of the world. I know! your thinking no-way! So then I had another question... When do children stop benefiting from breastfeeding? Once again I was suprised to find that they stop benefiting at age 5. So I nursed my first son until he was 4 1/2. It's not like your feeding all day. When they are that age they usually only nurse upon waking in the morning or going to sleep at night. I didn't nurse in public as he got older and he was fine with that. But the whole experience was extremely bonding.
Now if you Must wean your baby, It is advisable you do not offer cows milk. There are many health reasons for this. One of which is that humans once they are weaned stop producing renet which digests milk and cows milk is the harshest to digest. The casin in the milk stores in the body and can cause many troubles especially for babies and children. I would only use soy or rice milk and stay away from dairy products with a young child. It can cause constipation as well as diabetes and more. Your baby will get all the nutrients needed from the foods you feed, water and fresh juices. Milk actually causes calcium deficientcies despite what the Food Charts (paid for by the dairy board) claim. If you want more info just let me know. That's just my 2 cents. Hope all goes well for you.
K.

Hi, I also have a boy who would not take a bottle and I breastfed him exclusively as a baby and a few times a day until he was 32 months old, (and believe me did I get a lot of flack). Breast milk is the perfect food and changes to meet your baby's needs as they grow, so it is always of benefit. Great job! WEENING: I would try to feed him regular food when waking, maybe start with cream of wheat made with 1/2 milk 1/2 water; or similar creamy yet substantial food. Trader Joe's MITZI'S Blintzes are delicious dairy free alternative. In desperation, we even gave him ice cream (not for breakfast!). I make him a warm milk sipi of cinnamon and honey, maybe dangerous for an 11 month old, Basically, you need to make the substitute as appealing as the breast. Get your husband involved and you must be able to withstand some crying/tantrums. DO NOT DESERT your baby! Your goal should be substituting one feeding a week. And lastly, Dr. William Sears has some wonderful things to say about Breast feeding and weening in THE BABY BOOK. Good Luck!

The person belows comment was a little disturbing to me personally. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, nursing for 6 months gives the baby the full immunities from the mother and they recommend nursing for at least a year. I only made it to 4 months so good job lasting 11 months. The countries that nurse until 4 and 5 years old are generally 3rd world countries that have a much lower life expectancy. We are the richest and most educated country in the world, so why we follow what other less developed countries are doing???? Anyways, Since your baby won't take a bottle, I would start just using the sippy cup to give whole milk. My daughter just turned 1 so I just went through this whole process of switching to milk. She didn't like it a 1st, but after a couple weeks of mixing formula & whole milk she now loves it by itself. I didn't notice any problems with constipation or other side effects, but it will be a huge change to their system so constipation may happen until they get used to it.

Hi there,
I am currently weaning my 10month old. I have a 2 1/2 year old that I weaned at the same age as well. I slowly cut down on the times I nurse him throughout the day. Nursing maybe 4 times in 24hrs one week, 3 times in 24hrs the next, etc. I am now nursing once in the am and once before bed. Rather than nurse him before his 2 naps, I give him a snack (yogurt, cheese, crackers etc) to make sure he is getting enough calcium. Introduce the whole milk slowly as it may be hard on his tummy. I try to mix formula or milk with a little vanilla soy milk which makes it sweeter too. Doesnt always work, but is better than nothing. After nursing, you need to put him down to sleep while he is still awake. He needs to learn to fall asleep without you being right there. Maybe read a book and cuddle with him after your nurse him or give him a sippy. From one weaning mom to another, good luck!

It is usually easiest to drop the afternoon feeding since your milk supply is the lowest then. Just give milk in the sippy. Your son might refuse at first, but stick with it and he will come around. Continue that for a week of two. Then do the same with the 9 am feeding, then the morning and drop the before bed one last. The key is in being consistent. Don't be afraid of the tears. You have done an amazing job feeding him for 11 months. At this point, breastfeeding is a matter of convenience, that is all. I hope this works for you. Good luck.