Wondering How Best to Wean..

It worked really well for me to wean my son very gradually. Well, we went from 5 feedings to 3 right after his first birthday, so that was less gradual, but then I dropped to 2 about a month later, one a month after that, and just barely dropped the last one a month after that (this week) (he is 15 months). He didn't even notice.

My SIL swears by cold turkey but I really liked a gradual weaning process. I started with both my kids at 12 months and just took one feeding away at a time. My son was so ready to be a big boy and he LOVED milk so it only took a month. My daughter hated milk, loved nursing, and really didn't want to be weaned. For her it took 2 1/2 months. I really like the gradual part because there are no engorged breasts and no traumatic changes for the baby. My SIL thinks it is too confusing for the baby to be switching back and forth between breastmilk and formula/cows milk and that the engorged pain only lasts a few days/week so it's worth it. I guess it mostly depends on your own parenting style.
As for having a cold right now, I'd keep nursing on your regular schedule until you know she is getting better. As for starting day care -- a gradual wean will help with all the germs and colds he's sure to be getting with exposure to other kids and "new" germs.
Good luck!

gradually. The easiest way for you and your baby is little by little. I started by just taking out the "dinner" nurse. And replaced it with a sippy of milk and some of our dinner food. Then after a week when she seemed fine with that I took out another nursing and so on. To just do it all at once will cause a lot of crying for both of you. So just do it gradually and it should go very smoothly. good luck.

i gradually weaned my 2 oldest in about 5-6 weeks. i started by spacing the feedings out by another hour or two every day. even if you aren't able to wean your baby fully by the time daycare starts, you could definitely get down to just the nighttime and/or early morning feedings by then. with each of my kids there was 1 or 2 times of day that were most important to them to breastfeed, and these feedings took a little more time and convincing to wean them from.

I just weaned my son and i did it gradually.. I took away one feeding every 4 days. That way it was easier on me and him. Then I kept the first thing in morning and bedtime feeding for an extra week and went cold turkey at that point. I took a few weeks but wasn't bad at all. Good luck!

I say wait till his cold is over, he'll need you and the extra vitamins you provide.
I think you'll be amazed how independent they become when they are allowed time away from you. Your little one might wean by himself, or at least forget about feedings during the day because of all the play time he'll be getting.

I went away for three days on a trip. It was a great choice. She got extra time with dad and forgot all about my booby powers. So I say- if the going gets tough, get going. Your little one will be weaned within a month or two.

My daughter had a hard time with Cow's milk. So I mixed it with some Pedisure. It gave her an extra boost of sweetener and lots of vitamins. She liked it more than nursing, and we slowly added less and less Pediasure. Now we give her the vitamin drink just as "a treat" when she uses the potty or something.

I weaned cold turkey and immediately got super bad postpartem depression! It wigged out my hormones for several months. Gradual is the way to go!

Marci

A.,

I gave up one feeding a week after my little guy turned a year old. The last feeding (before bed) was the last to go. If you are able to pump during the day I would just to stay on the regular feeding schedule as you slow down. I didn't have any pain, engorgement, or headaches doing it this way. You'll be fine and so will your little guy no matter what weaning schedule you choose.

PS - at home I introduced a sippy cup for one feeding. I had my little guy off bottles within a month all together!

Hi, A.. Good job nursing the first year! That's wonderful. Breastmilk continues to provide nutrition and antibodies to keep babies healthy into toddlerhood, which is why most health organizations suggest to delay weaning until the second birthday. As you're returning to work, if you prefer not pumping etc during the day, he is probably old enough to have solids and cow's milk during separation, but there would be a great advantage to continue nursing when you are together in the evening.
As for day weaning, it is suggested to drop one feeding every three days (or one a week) so you body can adjust without getting mastitis. If you become overly full, express just enough so you are comfortable. Remember to replace the time you spent nursing with more cuddle time with your little one. :)
A.

I weaned my son gradually. I started cutting out the feedings i was pumping for first. Then cut the morning feedings and last to go was the bedtime feeding. I spread it out over 6 months. I started to wean after he turned 1 with a goal to be done by the time he turned 18 months. We cut the last feeding just 4 days ago and I have had no engorgement at all.

I guess it depends what you mean by weaning. Do you only breastfeed now, and are trying to get your baby to accept a bottle? My son had no problem with a bottle at daycare, just not an option at home....he would do hunger strikes. I always nursed at home though, so when we weaned, I dropped a feeding a week, starting with those that were usually at daycare. Saturday was OK, Sunday was a struggle. I continued the next weekend, and struggled some more. I stayed there (having dropped 2) for another week, and he did okay, he finally starting getting it, and when we were completely done, I was fine for about 5 days, and THEN got painful. I don't know why there was the delay, but it lasted for about 3 weeks with just discomfort, that wasn't worth pumping, just some hot showers and massage. Good luck.

Hi A.,
I just weaned my daughter a few weeks ago. I started by taking away one feeding every 5 days or until my milk production slowed. If I got engorged I either pumped or nursed a small ammount until I was comfortable again. It took about three weeks. Hope this help and good luck.

Drop one feeding every few days (what I did was wait until my body was no longer engorged from the dropped feeding before dropping the next one). At the very end, I was down to one feeding a day, and then finally, one every other day, and then it was like 3 or 4 days without a feeding, one final pumping, and I was done. If you are getting too engorged, you can also pump just enough to relieve the pressure (but don't drain the milk since that signals your body to make more). Also, when you are down to 1-2 feedings per day, you can also shorten how long your baby nurses.

Agree you should wait till the cold is over.

Finally, for me at least, weaning made me an emotional wreck (despite going gradually). There are a lot of hormones involved, so you might not experience that at all, but if you do, just know you're not alone.