The topic of today's article worries almost every nursing mother. And this is no coincidence, because weaning a baby from the breast is a very responsible process. It is important to organize it so that it is as gentle and painless as possible for the baby. Erroneous actions by the mother can lead to disruption of the baby’s psychological comfort and even cause bad habits, such as sucking fingers or surrounding objects. Therefore, before starting this important event, it is better to immediately understand the main issues.

When should you start weaning your baby?

Let's begin with It is highly undesirable to stop breastfeeding your baby before one year of age. . For a child who has not yet turned one year old, mother’s milk is the main source of nutrition (complementary feeding at this time plays more of an introductory role), provides the child with so-called passive immunity and contributes to the maturation of his own immune system, central nervous system and other organs. Breast milk contains substances that a baby needs for active development and that are missing even in the best artificial formulas. Of course, there are situations when you need to stop breastfeeding urgently (for example, a mother’s illness that requires treatment with serious medications), but in other cases you need to try to maintain breastfeeding for up to a year.

Many psychologists consider the age from 1 to 2 years to be the most optimal period for weaning a child. . At this age, feeding for a child becomes not so much a physiological need as a psychological one. The baby is increasingly putting himself to the breast just to communicate with his mother, to be closer to her. However, if the mother can, in exchange for communication during feeding, provide the baby with more other types of joint pastime (games, conversations, hugs) and maintain her role as a protector and comforter in the child’s mind, then weaning at this age will be painless for the baby.

Previously, it was believed that feeding before a year was beneficial, but after a year it was harmful. It was as if the composition of breast milk changed overnight, and with it all the benefits of breastfeeding disappeared. It doesn't sound convincing. Don’t listen to grandmothers and other advisers who urge you to stop feeding your baby as soon as possible. If you think your baby still needs to be breastfed, continue to breastfeed for as long as you need. Each mother has the right to make her own decision, based on her beliefs and priorities and paying attention to her own condition. The only thing you need to focus on is the physical and psychological state of the baby Questions: how often does he get sick, how strongly is he attached to the breast, can he go without his mother for quite a long time, does he calmly skip daytime feedings.

What NOT to do while weaning off breastfeeding?

One of the quite popular methods of weaning a child from breastfeeding is separation of mother and baby . In practice, this happens like this: the child is sent to live with his grandmother for a week or two, after which it is assumed that the child will not even remember about the breast. This is a rather harsh and painful method for the child, since he is simultaneously deprived of contact with both his mother’s breast and the mother herself. Weaning itself is a serious stress for the baby; during this period, the mother, on the contrary, must make up for such a significant loss for the child in every possible way: take the baby in her arms more, massage him, hug him. In other words, the child must learn to receive psychological support and comfort from his mother not through the breast, but in another, more “adult” way. If mom is not around, then this becomes impossible.

It is highly undesirable to wean a child from breastfeeding, when he is sick or when major changes occur in his life : entering kindergarten, moving, mother going to work. Too many changes can be very difficult for a child's psyche. If you know that changes are coming in your baby's life, start weaning your baby a few months before or after the planned event.

Doctors, as a rule, offer a “medical” method of stopping breastfeeding. For this they appoint hormonal drugs , reducing the production of the hormone prolactin, which is responsible for lactation. Here, firstly, you need to remember that such drugs have serious side effects: nausea, vomiting, headache, depression. Moreover, it happens that these medications have a prolonged effect and complicate lactation with the next child. And, secondly, if at the same time as taking the drug you do not reduce the number of times the baby is put to the breast, the medicine will not be effective enough, so the introduction of hormonal drugs does not replace other methods of weaning.

You should also avoid the once popular method chest tugs . It has now been established that this method is not only ineffective, but also very dangerous! Tugging in itself does not help reduce the amount of milk; it only causes a violation of blood circulation in the tissues of the mammary gland. As a result, the ducts become clogged with milk clots and stagnation occurs. It is as a result of breast tightening that the largest percentage of lactostasis and mastitis occurs.

It is also believed that it is not necessary to wean a child from breastfeeding in the summer . This is due to the fact that in the summer the baby is more susceptible to various infections during his explorations in the sandbox and other games outside, in addition, a lot of fresh vegetables and fruits appear in the baby’s diet, all this increases the likelihood of gastrointestinal disorders. Therefore, in the summer, more than ever, a child needs strong immunity, which he receives thanks to breast milk. However, it is worth noting that if weaning occurs after two years, the time of year does not play a big role.

How to painlessly wean a child from breastfeeding?

So, in order for weaning to take place with minimal negative impact on the psyche and health of the child, so that there is no lactostasis in the mother, a “soft” method is best suited, based on a gradual reduction in the number of times the baby is put to the breast. This process is not fast, but it is the most natural. It can be divided into several stages:

1. Gradually reduce and then cancel all breastfeeding by the baby during the daytime (we leave only feeding before daytime sleep and at night)

To do this, it is necessary to minimize all situations that remind the child of feeding: walk and play more, do not change clothes in front of the baby, do not walk in underwear, avoid clothes with fasteners, maintain a lot of physical contact without feeding - hugging, massage, carrying in your arms. If a child wants to breastfeed, it is better to pretend that the mother did not notice or did not understand. You need to try to distract the child with something: offer some kind of game, an interesting book or the baby’s favorite food (cookies, fruit, etc.)

2. We get used to going to bed without breastfeeding.

This is perhaps the most difficult moment. Although children, of course, are different, some, even if they have a breast, calmly rock themselves to sleep, while others refuse to recognize anything other than a breast.

What can you offer your child instead of the breast before bed? Firstly, before going to bed there should be a clear and constant ritual, for example, washing, reading books, singing a song. Well, then, until the baby falls asleep, you can stroke his back, recite rhymes, rock the baby, sing songs, and give a massage. A bottle of diluted juice or tea will also come to the rescue. Well, and most importantly, you need to be patient, because in the first days the baby will most likely be worried and, perhaps, the laying down process will take longer than before.

The most important thing during this difficult period is to be with the baby all the time and support him, in every possible way to compensate for the lack of breasts with other bodily contact.

3. Gradually reduce night applications

To begin with, try to take the breast from the baby if he, having eaten, quietly sucks on it in his sleep and does not wake up from trying to take it. Try sometimes replacing the breast with another drink or simply rocking or stroking your baby when he wakes up. Since you do not breastfeed your baby before bed, he will subsequently wake up less and less at night.

It is possible that the second and third stages of weaning will have to be combined. Especially if you use a trick and explain to your baby that something is wrong with the breast. The most common examples of tricks are smear the chest with brilliant green or cover it with a band-aid , present it to the baby and say that the milk has spoiled. As a rule, children after 1.5 years old become imbued with it and refuse to take “breasts with spoiled milk”; younger children may find such tricks unconvincing.

Mom also needs to pay attention to her well-being. If you feel your breasts are full, express milk (by hand or with a breast pump). But always remember that you need to express only until you feel relief; if you try to empty your breasts to the last drop, this, on the contrary, will stimulate the production of new milk. By expressing less and less milk, you let the body understand that so much milk is no longer needed, and the body slowly begins to adapt, reducing lactation.

Also, if there are no contraindications, you can drink herbal infusions. Sage and mint are very helpful in reducing lactation.

Our weaning experience

I weaned Taisiya at 1 year 2 months. By this time, she was already quite comfortable without daytime feedings (with the exception of feeding before nap time). We spent our days actively, played a lot and walked together, ate complementary foods 3 times a day (+ cookies, apples), so during the day she didn’t even remember about the breast. But we couldn’t go to bed without sucking on the breast, and at night she was “hanging” on her chest almost all the time. As soon as the breast was taken from her, she immediately woke up and demanded that the “banquet” be continued. This whole situation was very exhausting for me, and my neck began to hurt a lot from the uncomfortable, motionless posture in my sleep. Then I decided to try to give up the remaining feedings.

So, one fine day before bedtime, I told my daughter that the tita had run out of milk. Even though I offered her juice, massage, songs, swings in return, she still demanded her own. I tried to outwit my daughter by covering her chest with a plaster, but she didn’t find this very convincing (apparently, she was still too young for such tricks). In general, the first day was quite difficult, both during the day and in the evening, she could not fall asleep for a long time and even cried a little. All this time I did not leave her side for a minute and convinced myself that I needed to be patient for a couple more days. And on the second day the process went much easier. Well, on the fourth day she didn’t even remember about her breasts!

Unfortunately, I was unable to separate the second stage from the third; I had to immediately remove both the “pre-sleep” and night feedings. Well, I couldn’t first convince Taisiya that the milk in her tit had run out, and at night put her to the breast again.

How did I put my baby to sleep without breastfeeding? Of course, she sang songs, recited rhymes in a soporific voice, and did “Rails, rails, sleepers, sleepers” (by the way, they became so firmly established in our ritual that they are still used today). My daughter calmed down best when I lay on my back, put her on my chest and stomach, stroked her back and said something in a quiet voice. When she woke up in the middle of the night, I rocked her.

That's all I wanted to tell you today, I wish you success in this difficult task! And, dear mothers, share your experience of weaning your baby, it will be very useful to all of us!

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Weaning is always a serious stage in the relationship between mother and baby. This is usually a difficult decision for a mother: there is concern about the child’s health and her own maternal qualities, and a natural feeling of sadness... What can be done to make weaning as smooth as possible?

For urgent need

Unfortunately, sometimes - although this is very rare - a mother's illness or a very serious illness of the child is forced to stop breastfeeding even immediately after birth.

If a mother, in principle, would like to continue breastfeeding, she should definitely talk about this with several doctors and, if possible, with consultants on natural feeding (you can find their contact details, in particular, on the website akev.ru). It is not so uncommon that where one doctor saw no alternative to stopping feeding, another doctor may suggest some way out.

If your mother is unexpectedly admitted to the hospital, you must inform the medical staff that you are breastfeeding. Sometimes this serves as a signal to select milder medications, which will then allow you to continue feeding; but even if this does not work out, your warning will help avoid stagnation of milk and the threat of mastitis.

If the mother does not have the opportunity to quickly find out how realistic it is to continue feeding, it is better to try to maintain milk production by pumping for some time. The same applies to the situation when the mother decided not to breastfeed due to some circumstances of her own: if it suddenly turns out that the child does not tolerate formula well, it will be possible to return to at least partial supplementary feeding with breast milk, and with the help of an experienced consultant it is quite possible to return to breastfeeding .

What should a mother not do? Interrupting lactation with medicinal methods is the most extreme option when you need a really abrupt cessation of milk production. Only a doctor can prescribe the medications that are used for this and their dosage! Such medications have serious side effects: nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, fatigue, depression... And despite feeling unwell, the mother will need to care for the child the entire time she takes the pills (this is not just one day!) Therefore, you need to think very carefully before resorting to medications...

Breast tightening was once a very popular method of stopping lactation. Nowadays it has long been highly discouraged to use it, since it is dragging that causes the largest percentage of mastitis. Breast tightening does not help reduce the amount of milk, but causes poor circulation in the breast tissue, blockage of the ducts with milk clots and the development of edema.

Restricting food or drink does not affect the amount of milk in any way, since the amount of milk depends solely on the amount of the hormone prolactin in the mother’s body. Only severe exhaustion leads to a noticeable decrease in milk, and if the mother tries not to drink, she risks serious dehydration of her own body, and the likelihood of lactostasis greatly increases.

The safest way for the mother’s body is to gradually reduce lactation. It takes about two to three weeks for milk production to subside - during this time the breasts will stop getting engorged. And although a small amount of milk may remain in the breast for a long time, there is nothing wrong with that. A reason to consult a doctor may be the situation if milk continues to flow out of the breast on its own (not with pumping movements!) three months after stopping feeding.

At the very beginning, when the mother stops feeding the baby, the breasts may become filled with milk and become hot and painful. Then the mother’s main goal is to reduce milk production and relieve discomfort. Regular expression (by hand or with a breast pump) will be required once your breasts are full. You only need to express your breasts until you feel relieved - if you try to empty them to the last drop, this will only contribute to increased milk production, because milk is produced in response to breast stimulation.

To reduce breast swelling and discomfort from milk supply, you can use cold compresses or breast wraps (juicy cabbage leaves or gauze soaked in cool whey). Infusions of sage and mint help reduce milk production.

If you are very worried about the inability to feed, it is better not to carry it inside yourself, but try to talk about it with a loved one or a psychologist. Try, as far as possible, not to fall into depression or panic - the baby senses his mother’s mood very well, and neither he nor you need any extra stress right now. Remember that loving your baby isn't just about breastfeeding, and your baby still needs all the care you can give him!

Child under one year old

What should you consider? For a baby who has not yet turned one year old, mother's milk is the main source of nutrition. Complementary feeding, which the mother begins to offer at about six months, at first plays more of an introductory role, and normally does not replace, but rather complements, breastfeeding. If a baby stops breastfeeding before he is one year old, this will certainly have an impact on the development of his immunity. Therefore, it is advisable for the mother to do everything possible to ensure that feeding continues.

If the baby refuses to breastfeed on his own, then most often this is a temporary phenomenon, the so-called “strike”, which can be dealt with with the help of lactation consultants. The most common reasons for breast refusal in practice are the use of pacifiers, infrequent feedings, the mother’s desire to replace or eliminate night feedings altogether.

Let us immediately note that such a popular reason for weaning as going to work is actually not a reason to stop breastfeeding! This topic was discussed in detail in one of the previous issues, and in any case, lactation consultants will tell you how you can combine feeding and work with the greatest benefit for your baby’s health.

If the mother, due to her circumstances, has firmly decided to wean, it is best if there is still some time left in order to control the progress of weaning, depending on the child’s reaction. So, it is better to delay weaning if the baby is currently sick, very nervous, or learning some new skill.

What can be done to wean? If a mother has an objective need to stop breastfeeding, she must follow the principles of weaning already outlined. To make the weaning process as smooth as possible, it is better to gradually replace breastfeeding with formula or expressed milk. This will be calmer for everyone, and the likelihood of lactostasis and mastitis will decrease. Mom’s calm and confident mood will help everyone get through this difficult time easier.

Perhaps the child will refuse to take a bottle from his mother’s hands, still relying on the breast. In this case, it is better to ask one of your relatives (usually dad or grandmother) about this. Avoiding the most important feedings for the baby (as a rule, these are feedings associated with dreams) is best left for last.

Child's age from one to two years–

the most psychologically difficult and at the same time the most common time for weaning. Note that the main difficulty here is psychological: the baby already understands what exactly is being deprived of him, and is able to resist it - of course, to the best of his ability... Sometimes mothers, knowing that weaning after a year is more difficult, strive to wean their baby a little earlier. In fact, this does not provide any advantages: weaning causes more harm to the health of the baby the earlier it is carried out.

A one-year-old child really needs his mother’s breast, and can already insist on his own, so even an attempt to wean him can have a very negative impact on the life of the family. Therefore, if a mother is going to wean her baby, she must first decide on the reason why she is going to do this.

Very often, as soon as the baby turns one year old, the mother begins to feel pressure from others: “What, are you still feeding? But your baby is already big!” Of course, the baby does not become “big” at all just because he is already over a year old, and does not at all consider that he no longer needs mother’s milk... The World Health Organization recommends feeding “at least until 2 years”, since after a year in mother’s milk the number of immune factors that improve health increases significantly. At the same time, the child often receives a fairly large part of his nutrition from breast milk, and if the baby still eats little other food, then after weaning he often continues to eat the same amount of “adult” food. Then mom may find herself in a very difficult situation...

Sometimes a mother fears that long-term feeding is not good for her health. But usually the mother’s body is ready to complete lactation no earlier than one and a half to two years. Weaning earlier is not physiological and can have serious health consequences. Painful sensations and the development of lactostasis are possible, which is quite difficult for the mother to cope with without the help of the baby; she has to express herself regularly. Sharp hormonal changes can trigger the development of depression.

When a child is about one and a half years old, this is the time when many mothers think about weaning because they experience constant fatigue. But the fact is that non-breastfeeding mothers usually experience the same fatigue at this time! Not much time has passed since the birth, the mother’s body has not yet recovered, and at the same time the fatigue from daily care for the now very nimble child is taking its toll... Try to look at the situation from a different angle: feeding, which seems to be an additional burden for the mother, often turns out to be an excellent opportunity get a little rest! During feeding, the baby does not run, does not climb anywhere, and there is no need to monitor his pranks. All babies of this age (including those who no longer feed!) wake up several times at night, and you do not need to soothe him or rock him to sleep, you just need to give him the breast. A tired mother can just lie down and relax, without thinking about anything, while the baby suckles!

There are mothers who are exhausted by too frequent attachments from a child older than one year. Most often it turns out that the problem is not so much in feeding, but in the fact that the relationship between mother and baby is broken. For a child, a mother is not a person who has the authority of an elder, but a “girlfriend” with whom the child considers it possible to deal with at his own discretion. Most often, this situation develops when the mother put the child’s needs above her own, did not deny him anything and constantly tried to entertain him. Weaning will not solve this problem, it will simply enter a new stage of development - the baby will still strive to control the mother at his own discretion. To change the situation, the mother will have to radically reconsider her attitude towards herself and the child; understand that she is not a toy, but an adult woman responsible for the life, health and development of a little person; that it is the child who should be with the mother, and not the mother with him.

Finally, very often in cases of any problems during breastfeeding, the mother is advised to wean. And almost always after weaning it turns out that the problem itself remains, and stopping feeding deprived the mother and child of certain advantages. And often new difficulties appear that were not there before stopping feeding... Therefore, before making a decision on weaning, the mother should always think: how will she act in those cases in which breastfeeding is currently given? And is it possible to solve your problem by measures other than excommunication? For example, write down a problem that worries you on a piece of paper. For example, lack of sleep. Calculate how many hours a day do you sleep in total? Immediately write down possible solutions - for example, sleep with the child when he sleeps (rather than trying to do cleaning or cooking). Transfer the care of the child to your husband or relatives who are ready to help for a certain period of time, while you rest during this time. And so on.

Remember that if the mother is not sure of her readiness for weaning, if she feels guilty, the child may demand the breast even more often than before. And in any case, the child's need for attention will increase - at least temporarily.

What should a mother not do? You cannot wean your baby from the breast if he is sick or recovering from an illness; when major changes occur in a child’s life - moving, entering kindergarten, mother going to work. If such a situation is planned, then weaning should occur several months earlier or later, so that the total volume of changes does not become too difficult for the child’s psyche.

One popular tip for weaning faster is to move away. But if the child is not used to being separated from his mother, then the disappearance of both mother and breastfeeding at once can have a very bad effect on the baby’s condition. And when mom returns, the baby may become even more attached to her!

Putting something bitter (mustard) or scary (brilliant) on your nipples can burn your breasts or irritate the delicate skin of your breasts. And for a child, this can cause such severe stress that sometimes there are people who, already in adulthood, experience an insurmountable aversion to the substance that their mother once smeared on their breasts for weaning.

If a mother tries to replace night feedings with a bottle of milk or sweetened water, this can lead to childhood caries.

Finally, you should not lose sight of the child’s condition and your own. If the baby shows signs of stress (stutters, sleeps restlessly and often wakes up at night, does not stick to his mother during the day, bites - if this was not the case before), this means that the cessation of feeding is progressing too quickly for the child. And if the mother herself feels very tired, nervous, and her chest is very full, it means that the weaning is happening too quickly for her.

What can be done to wean? First of all, the whole family needs to tune in to the need for weaning (if the mother decides that it is really necessary). Dad or grandmother should be ready to help mom, or at least maintain a confident and calm attitude, understanding that both mom and baby are going through a difficult time. It is important to unite in your intention with the whole family. It’s not very helpful if anyone – including the mother herself! - will begin to feel sorry for the baby for being deprived of his favorite pleasure...

It is important for the mother herself to be friendly and try to walk at a pace that does not injure or frighten the child - otherwise you can get the opposite effect when the child understands what they are going to deprive him of and clutches the chest “deadly.” The mother needs to try not to be angry with herself and not to be angry with the baby for his persistence, because he is not to blame for anything. You need to act without anger and tears, gently but confidently.

Mom needs to start by reducing the number of attachments during the day. The main thing to take care of is to minimize all situations that may remind the baby about feeding. This means that when you have a baby you can’t change clothes, wear underwear, or give up clothes with fasteners (robes, blouses) in favor of T-shirts.

The mother should not sit idle in the presence of the baby, since this is usually a signal for the baby to climb into her arms and suck. If there are any situations in which the child previously tried to be sure to latch on to the breast, it is better to avoid these situations (for example, if the baby used to feed while the mother was talking on the phone, now try not to sit down during telephone conversations and end them quickly).

You need to try to do more interesting things, games, maintain a lot of physical contact without feeding - fight, hug, massage. Children usually ask for the breast less often if they are on a walk or visiting, you can take advantage of this, and when the breast asks, first of all offer the baby’s favorite food (cookies, fruit, a sippy cup with juice, etc.).

If the baby wants to breastfeed, it is better to pretend that the mother did not notice or did not understand. Is your child becoming more and more persistent? Try to redirect his attention to something interesting. Look out the window at the birds, play a game, read your favorite book... If the baby really needs to suck, he will never switch, and no tricks will help. In this case, there is no point in refusing.

When the number of daily latches decreases, it is time to get used to daytime naps without latching to the breast. You can lengthen and add new details to the ritual of falling asleep (a fairy tale, a song, stroking the back or chest). If you have the opportunity to use the help of relatives to help you get ready, this will be useful, but in principle it is not necessary. Another working option is to lengthen the mother’s absence: the mother puts her baby in the crib, remembers out loud about some important matter and promises to return now. The initial care time can be 20-30 seconds, then the mother returns and puts the baby down as always. Gradually, mom is absent longer and longer. The main thing is that the mother needs to be told why she is leaving, and if the child goes to look for her, he must find the mother doing this very activity (for example, making tea or cleaning up toys). In this case, the mother does not get angry with the baby, but simply finishes her job and returns the baby to the crib, asking her to wait for her there next time. At some point, upon returning, the mother will find her baby sleeping peacefully.

To avoid feedings when waking up, the mother should not be around when the baby wakes up. And when the baby finds you, distract him with something interesting or tasty (food or drink - it doesn’t matter). To begin with, you can simply breastfeed not immediately, but after a couple of minutes.

When the baby learns to regularly fall asleep and wake up during the day on his own, evening falling asleep under the breast is gradually eliminated using the same scheme. If the mother acted confidently and without haste, then after this the baby himself will begin to latch on to the breast less often at night. And, conversely, if the mother unnecessarily forced things, then the number of nightly attachments may increase or the baby may begin to suck on something else, for example, her hands. In this case, it is better to go back a few steps for a while and wait a little. Perhaps the time for change will come in a week or two.

As a final step, the duration of nightly applications is gradually reduced. First, you need to take the breast from the baby if he, having eaten, quietly sucks on it in his sleep and does not wake up from trying to take it. Gradually, the duration of night sucking should be reduced to several minutes and become symbolic. And when the mother does not put the baby to bed for some time, he begins to wake up less and less at night, and at some point he can sleep the whole night without breastfeeding. You can use this moment and not use the baby again at all. Or you can wait some more time, gradually increasing the number of nights without feeding, until the baby completely stops sucking at night.

The child is over two years old.

Two years is exactly the age up to which the World Health Organization recommends trying to maintain breastfeeding. Milk continues to retain its benefits even after two years, but weaning a baby at this age will no longer cause such harm to health as before that age. After the age of two, to decide whether to continue feeding, the mutual feelings of mother and baby are first taken into account. If it seems pleasant to both, then feeding can be continued (as we wrote about in the issue dedicated to long-term feeding). Breastfeeding is still a good support for the health of the baby and the key to deep emotional contact between the mother-child pair. But if the mother decides to finish feeding, then it is now much easier to force it.

What should you consider? Of course, it is best for both the child and the mother’s body to feed the child until the age when his need for breastfeeding subsides on its own. After all, normally breastfeeding is just a certain stage in a baby’s life, and the need for it disappears just as the desire to crawl gives way to the desire to run. For every child this time will definitely come!

A child who is ready to wean is attached to the breast very rarely during the day, usually he has from 1 to 3 attachments associated with sleep. As for the readiness of the mother’s body, the main indicator here is how the breasts fill with milk if the baby has not breastfed for 12 hours or longer. If the mother left the child for less than this period, then she should not have any discomfort or desire to pump the breast.

What should a mother not do? It is believed that in the summer it is better not to wean a child - increasing the amount of fresh vegetables and fruits in the baby’s diet contributes to gastrointestinal disorders and infections. But if weaning takes place after two years, the time of year no longer plays a big role.

A factor that is always worth paying attention to is the emotional state of the baby. If he is currently going through a difficult period, the child is stubborn or capricious a lot, it is better to wait a little with weaning.

If, after the mother begins to limit the baby's sucking during the day, nighttime attachments become longer and more frequent, you need to stop for now. If the situation does not change after a couple of weeks, this most likely means that the child still perceives weaning as premature.

What can be done to wean? If the child still latches several times during the day, then you can use the same methods that are listed for younger children. Another method, which usually begins to work only at the age of about two years and later, is “bargaining,” when the mother can persuade the baby to do something else instead of the breast. Usually, children over two years old can understand when mom promises to breastfeed at some time or after some action (for example, “when dad comes” or “after dinner”).

Finally, if there are very few feedings left, then the most effective tactic is “don’t offer, don’t refuse.” That is, if the child asks, the mother gives him the breast. If he doesn’t ask, he doesn’t remind him about feeding.

Irina Ryukhova,

Member of the Association of Breastfeeding Consultants akev.ru

Breastfeeding is a necessary stage in a baby’s development. Mother's milk forms and strengthens the immune system, normalizes the functioning of the newborn's body. Breastfed children get sick less and grow better.

However, there comes a time when breastfeeding must be stopped. There is no consensus on when this should be done. Doctors consider the optimal age for weaning to be two years, since by two years the baby’s body is quite strong.

Psychologists talk about the age of 1-1.5 years. After a year, the need for breast milk becomes more psychological than physiological. More often, the baby attaches to the breast to be with the mother. Therefore, feeding at this age can be replaced with affection, rocking in your arms, reading a fairy tale and playing games. Close contact with mother is important for the baby!

Each mother must decide for herself when to start weaning. It is important that both the nursing woman and the baby are prepared for this event mentally and physiologically.

When is the baby ready to wean?

The famous pediatrician and television presenter Komarovsky identifies several signs that the child is ready for:

• The baby has most of the baby teeth;
• The daily diet is three meals of regular food and three to four short breastfeedings between them;
• Breastfeeding is a maximum of three to four times a day;
• It is easy to distract a baby with a game or other activity when he asks for the breast;
• The baby falls asleep without a breast.

Many of these moments are typical for a baby when he is already one year old. So it’s possible to wean a one-year-old baby from breastfeeding. However, Dr. Komarovsky also points out when a baby should not be weaned under any circumstances, as this can seriously traumatize the child:

• If teeth are being cut;
• During an epidemic of viruses and infections, the baby’s immunity is supported by breast milk. Depriving a baby of milk will increase the risk of disease;
• During a stressful situation. If your baby starts going to kindergarten or you are moving, your child will experience stress. Weaning from breastfeeding will only increase the psychological burden;
• If the child is sick. In addition, doctors recommend not to start weaning for at least a month after the illness.

Now let's find out how to wean your baby off breastfeeding

How to stop breastfeeding

Experts recommend weaning when lactation involution begins. During this period, milk production decreases and a small amount of colostrum is released instead. As a rule, involution begins when the baby is one year old. However, it can occur at 1.5-2 years.

Alternatively, you can wait for self-weaning. But often a child begins to refuse milk only at two or even three years. In both cases, breastfeeding can last for a very long time.

Long-term feeding causes discomfort in a woman. In addition, there is a need to go to work or travel. Then methods will come in handy to help end lactation and wean a one-year-old child from breast milk:

Grandmother's method

Involves abrupt weaning and wrapping of the chest with bandages or sheets. This option is very painful for both the baby and the mother. The child, as a rule, is left with his grandmother or father at this time, and the mother leaves home for several days.

This method not only causes severe psychological harm, but can also be harmful to health. To stop lactation, women tighten their breasts. This is strictly prohibited! Due to the accumulated milk, lumps form in the breasts, which causes.

Medicines and medicines

Remember that you should not take medications without consulting a doctor! Medicines are largely aimed at reducing and stopping lactation; they will not be able to wean the baby directly from the breast.

For example, a popular drug that has received positive reviews from nursing mothers will not have an effective effect if breastfeeding continues with the same intensity.

A popular way to distract a baby from the breast among nursing mothers is to smear the nipples with mustard, brilliant green, tincture of motherwort or wormwood. However, this negatively affects the psychological state of the baby. He loses trust in his mother.

Natural or gentle weaning

The most painless method. However, be prepared that this process is lengthy. This is not involution, and not self-exclusion. The method involves a gradual cessation of feeding. One year is the right age to start stopping breastfeeding.

Twelve ways to stop breastfeeding without harm to the child

1. Reduce feeding time;
2. Cancel daytime feedings outside of the schedule when the baby demands the breast because he is bored and wants attention;
3. Replace less-needed feedings with games and interesting activities with your baby.
4. Avoid daytime feedings around bedtime;
5. Introduce complementary foods;
6. Stop feeding before bedtime. At one year old, the baby should fall asleep without breastfeeding! To make the baby fall asleep, rock the child in your arms or tell a story;
7. Reduce the number of night feedings. How to stop feeding at night, read here;
8. Wear closed clothes and cover your breasts so that the baby does not see the source of feeding;
9. Hug and kiss the baby, because he asks for the breast due to a lack of affection and attention. This way you will give the child confidence that his mother is nearby;
10. Leave your baby with grandma or dad for a short time. At one year old he should already be getting used to short separations from his mother;
11. If necessary, you can sometimes replace breast milk with formula milk. For a one-year-old baby, the daily norm of artificial formula is 1/9 of body weight;
12. Pamper your baby with his favorite foods and give him more to drink.

What to do with breasts

The natural method will allow you to wean without harming the baby. But if the baby is already refusing to breastfeed, and there is still a lot of milk? Komarovsky offers several tips for stopping lactation.

Normally, weaning from breastfeeding (BF) is recommended by WHO at the age of 2 years, but 47% of mothers stop the process earlier. In half of the cases, the cause is not related to the natural cessation of lactation. More often, the mother is stimulated by the need to go to work or the desire to get back “on track” (for example, lift dietary restrictions or take diet pills).

Weaning is a stressful situation for a child, so before making a decision, it is important to take into account risk factors, eliminate complications and make this process soft and painless for both.

What is not a reason for excommunication?

Every fourth mother gives the argument in favor of giving up breastfeeding: “I feel like it’s time.” But, despite the close connection with the baby, you need to start only from scientific concepts and medical evidence.

You should not make a decision about weaning if the child refuses milk - more often this is due to physiological fluctuations in the child’s body, for example, low hemoglobin, gastrointestinal disorders. It is breast milk that will become the primary medicine in these cases, and weaning will cause complications.

Misjudgments

1. Lack of appetite.
2. Frequent waking up at night.
3. Going to work.
4. Nursery (up to one and a half years old).

Sometimes a mother thinks about stopping natural feeding because of the desire to get enough sleep. Restless sleep is more common in children fed on demand. The opinion that a bottle-fed baby will wake up less often is incorrect. The child will continue to require reassurance, mother’s warmth, and rocking, since the cause of anxiety lies in the peculiarities of the infant’s sleep cycle.

A baby over a year old reacts more calmly to the introduction of regular food, since the digestive system is already adjusted to the new regime. But even a working mother will help her baby adapt better if she continues breastfeeding in the evening and at night. Milk will enrich the diet, support the immune system, and contact during evening feedings will soothe the child who misses his mother. During business trips, it is recommended to express and not suppress lactation.

The need to attend kindergarten for a child under one and a half years old often serves as a reason for weaning from natural feeding. But even in this situation, stopping GW is not justified.

After a year, the baby is recommended to learn to fall asleep without his mother; the skill will stabilize after 2-3 weeks. Dense feeding remains in the morning and before bedtime. Attachment will provide the child with a reliable support in the stressful situation of adaptation to kindergarten.

Mom should think carefully about the need to wean from breastfeeding. After all, 3 breastfeedings (700-750 ml) cover ½ of the baby’s daily need for energy and protein, 50% for vitamin A, and 100% for ascorbic acid and tocopherol. Breastfeeding in combination with complementary foods is the key to full development and health.

Bad time to wean: pediatrician's opinion

If the question arises about stopping breastfeeding, it is necessary to determine periods when this should not be done. When weaning from breastfeeding, the child experiences stress, so to avoid the risks of worsening the situation, it is worth excluding additional disturbing factors.

Risk situations: summer, stress and illness

• Stress: moving, mom going to work, hiring a nanny, going to nursery.
• Illness and recovery period.
• Before and after vaccinations.
• Summer months.

Pediatrician E. O. Komarovsky claims that weaning during stressful periods will worsen the child’s nervousness and fear. There is a feeling of uselessness, which provokes moodiness and anxious sleep. The age of risk is also noted - 1 and 3 years, the period of illness. Weaning a child from breastfeeding is recommended 2-3 months after a stressful situation.

Vaccination is also considered a stressful moment for the baby’s psyche and physiology. After vaccination, immunity is reduced, leaving a feeling of resentment and fear. Only breast milk can replenish protective resources; stress goes away after sucking the breast and hugging the mother.

Why can’t we wean off breastfeeding in the summer? Pediatricians say that summer is a bad time to wean your baby from breastfeeding, as the risk of contracting intestinal infections increases by 40% in the warm months. After breastfeeding stops, due to reduced immunity, the child’s body is extremely vulnerable to pathogens. Mother's milk acts as a protective barrier against infection.

The second factor against weaning from breastfeeding in the summer is the risk of dehydration. In the heat, fluid loss is replenished only by drinking. But the baby does not immediately learn to drink the daily amount of water, which disappeared from the diet with milk. The skill takes time, but if the temperature on the thermometer goes off scale, it is unacceptable to hesitate.

The best period for refusal is autumn and winter, but age plays a major role. If the baby is less than a year old, then stress for both is an integral part of the weaning period.

When is it time to wean your baby off breastfeeding: the best time

The main factor indicating readiness to stop hepatitis B is the absence or a critical minimum of gland filling. The observed time period is 12 hours. Logically, to check milk production, you need to stop feeding. For mothers whose children attend nurseries, there will be no problems. During pumping or by the feeling of breast fullness, a decrease in volume is easy to determine.

A characteristic sign is if, in the absence of night feedings, there is no milk in the morning. It is important not to confuse the phenomenon with blockage of the ducts. – pain, compaction in the glands.

In order to determine the volume, it is advisable to wean the child from the breast for a while, having first expressed the milk (if the age allows for “holding” on complementary feeding). It is better to send the baby to visit his grandmother for a day. If this is not possible, then feed on one breast for 24 hours and monitor the other.

The period for determining the need to wean from the mother is 2 months. If milk decreases with the same diet and regimen, it’s time to stop lactation.

Ways to wean a child from breast milk: at 1 and 2 years

Depending on the cause, there are 3 ways to stop breastfeeding - mild, emergency, and medication. And if the mother is unequivocal, WHO recommends strictly following the instructions for proper (gentle) weaning from breastfeeding.

Now the baby only receives breastfeeding on a scheduled basis. The diet includes porridge and purees with different flavors (to choose from, to determine preferences).

The gentle method in 5 steps

1. Eliminate intermediate feedings– to calm the baby when the mother thinks that he is hungry (the situation is typical for feeding on demand). It is better to try to calm the child down with hugs, rocking, or singing a song. If you are sure that anxiety is due to hunger, introduce complementary foods.
2. Stop feeding after nap– immediately distract the child with a favorite toy or a new game. It is recommended to remove 1 feeding per week. If the baby has a hard time refusing, the second feeding is excluded after 2 weeks. For 3 weeks, a morning-evening regime is established.
3. Eliminate daytime feeding– after breakfast, replace sleep with a walk (2-3 hours). After returning, feed the baby soup, drink tea with cookies and put him to bed with a fairy tale. Afternoon snack without feeding (point 2).
4. Stop breastfeeding in the morning- after a week, 1 breakfast every 7 days is replaced with complementary foods, exclude 1 feeding per week. The actions are similar to step 2.
5. Eliminate feeding before bedtime– 2 weeks before failure, add a new bedtime ritual. For example: a bath with chamomile - a glass of milk - a fairy tale. At first, breastfeeding is allowed at night (along with the ritual); after 5-7 days, sucking is removed. In the first 4-6 weeks, it is better for the father to put the baby to bed.

It is important to replenish the water deficit that occurs with each feeding. A baby needs 50 ml/kg body weight per day. The norm is calculated taking into account that 90% of the daily fluid requirement is met with milk.

For example, a 1-year-old child weighing 10 kg requires 500 ml of water - this is 3 full feedings. When there is a shortage of normal nutrition with natural nutrition (for example, there are 2 feedings per day), the baby drinks from a spoon or bottle.

Rapid weaning methods

Methods when you need to quickly wean a child from the breast are used only in extreme cases. Including diagnoses: HIV infection, tumor, open form of tuberculosis, purulent mastitis and chemotherapy. The methods are traumatic for mother and child.

• Mom's departure– 3-5 days, switch to mixture. A double stressful situation for the baby: interruption of tactile communication and unsatisfied sucking reflex.
• Chest tug– 44%. Psychologically difficult for the child, dangerous for the mother.
• Hormonal drugs– a modern method of suppressing prolactin production. Valid for 12 hours. Severe adverse reactions are observed due to sudden changes in hormonal levels.

When using medications that are incompatible with feeding, breastfeeding is recommended to be suspended, but not stopped. At this time, the milk is expressed. After completing the course, it is better to continue natural feeding, especially if the child is less than one and a half years old.

The best way to abruptly wean a baby with minimal risks is hormonal drugs. The effect of one tablet. It acts irreversibly if you do not provoke the production of prolactin (application).

Prolactin inhibitor tablets

• Cabergoline.
• Bergolak.
• Agalates.
• Bromocriptine.

The drugs have side effects in 65-70% of cases taken. Manifestations: nausea, vomiting, dizziness, tachycardia, decreased blood pressure. Symptoms are observed for 2-5 days, then disappear.

To wean from breastfeeding without harm to the baby, you need to follow the instructions of the gentle method step by step. The main advantage is that the child’s immunity, nervous and hormonal systems painlessly adapt to a new diet. The mother is calm, the child is happy.

Weaning a baby up to one year

The World Health Organization states that breast milk is the only way to increase a baby's resistance to infections and viruses. That is why weaning children under one year old is allowed in extreme cases. The stress that the baby will experience is tantamount to parting with his mother.

If the situation requires weaning your child off breastfeeding early, it is recommended to do this before 10 months or 8-12 weeks after the first birthday. Pediatricians consider the age of one to be a critical moment in a child’s mental and physical maturity. Weaning at 11-13 months threatens the baby with allergies, gastrointestinal disorders, and decreased immunity. The result is colds and infections.

Breasts during weaning

If a gentle method is used, milk continues to be produced for 4-8 weeks. With an abrupt cessation of breastfeeding (without pills), congestive glandular diseases are diagnosed in 20% of cases. Lumps form in the chest and an abscess develops. More often, complications appear on the 3rd day after complete cessation of breastfeeding and are accompanied by severe pain and inflammation. To eliminate breast problems, special care is recommended.

Proper care

• If the weaning was abrupt, it is better to express according to the principle of the soft method - gradual withdrawal of breastfeeding.
• Carry out the procedure 4-5 times a day until the breasts are soft, reduce the number of pumpings every 5 days.
• When expressing, leave a little milk - this way it will burn out faster.
• Wear underwear without wires made of cotton fabric.
• Drink herbal infusions and teas - mint, lingonberry, sage, parsley.
• To relieve inflammation, use cool compresses (hot compresses are unacceptable).
• For pain relief, chilled cabbage leaves (brushed first) are recommended.
• In case of severe pain, or at a temperature of 38.0 °C.
• Allowed at night (Valocordin, Motherwort).
• If inflammation and pain increase, you need to contact a mammologist.

Unpleasant sensations normally go away after 2 weeks. The mild method of weaning is less often accompanied by inflammation of the glands. In both cases, the tactics are the same - relieving symptoms, inhibiting prolactin.

Seals are the first sign of lactostasis. The initial stage of blockage is treated with massage, cool compresses, and regular pumping. If the process is started, the temperature rises - there is a high risk of mastitis, purulent abscess.

How long does it take for milk to burn out after weaning?

As pumping decreases, the milk gradually burns out. It is believed that a breast pump prolongs the production of prolactin, since the device acts similarly to the sucking reflex.

In theory, breast discharge stops 7-14 days after stopping breastfeeding. But practical observations note individual duration. It is normal if milk comes out when pressed after another few months, even 1-2 years.

If the mother is not bothered by pain in the chest, there is no reason to worry. The hormonal background is individual in each case, and it takes different times to rebuild the body.

According to the recommendations of pediatricians, it is better to continue breastfeeding until 1.5-2 years. At the same time, work, nursery or departure is not a reason to deprive the baby of unique nutrition. Abrupt weaning provokes disturbances in the physiological and mental processes of the child, and therefore is allowed only in extreme cases. The safety of the baby is the main rule when choosing a method for stopping breastfeeding.

Dessert for today - a video about what not to do when weaning. Is it possible to tighten your breasts? Do tablets to suppress lactation help? Should you eat or drink less to reduce milk supply? During what periods is it better not to wean a child?

Bibliography:

1. Exclusive breastfeeding (WHO publication dated 02/14/2012; in printed edition - 01/17/2006).
2. Until what age does breastfeeding remain a complete nutrition for a child? (WHO publication dated November 6, 2014; in printed edition – July 28, 2013).

Sooner or later, every young mother is faced with the fact that night feedings of her child cease to be a pleasure for her. Therefore, it is useful for women to know a few simple techniques for weaning their baby from night feedings, which are suitable for both breastfed and bottle-fed babies. Children on breastfeeding may ask to eat at night for a very long time.

Artificial people, as a rule, wean themselves from breastfeeding at night very quickly and often from the age of 3 months they do not bother their mothers. To wean your baby off night feedings, try to increase the amount during the day. During the day, the baby should consume the same amount of milk that he previously consumed per day.

Feed your baby as much as possible before bedtime. Often requires food at night because he lacks maternal attention during the day. It happens that a mother, while doing household chores, forgets about her baby for a while. If this happens systematically, the child begins to wake up at night and demand a breast or bottle with formula. This gives him the attention of his mother, which he lacked during the day. The same can happen when a mother is often separated from her child, for example, if she went to work early, leaving the baby with a nanny or grandmother. In this case, the child also eats often and a lot at night.

When your child goes to bed too early, try waking him up and feeding him before you go to bed yourself. After this, the baby will sleep stronger, longer and more peacefully, and you will provide yourself with longer rest. This method does not always help, but in extreme cases, you will need to get up at night 1-2 times less.

To wean a child over one year old from night feedings, try putting him to sleep in a separate room. In this case, the baby’s attention will be directed to exploring the new environment, and he will quickly forget about food. It is very good if an older brother or sister sleeps in the room where you put the child. You need to gradually wean your baby off night feedings. You can give him water instead of formula or breast milk.

Adviсe

It is not normal when a child lifts up his mother’s T-shirt anywhere and at any time, wherever and whenever he wants. This situation suggests that the mother herself made some mistakes in upbringing. Therefore, after six months, it is not the child, but the mother who determines whether she will breastfeed him or not. Due to the characteristics of this age, by six months the child already has some motor skills, and the fact that the child is able to find where the mother’s breast is and get to it, despite the mother’s clothes, indicates that he is already able to master the space and restrictions are vital for him. At some point he must learn the rules.

But when introducing rules, you probably can’t be too strict?

Certainly! By denying him access to the breast, the mother is not depriving him of her attention! “You came up to me and asked for breasts, but I see that you don’t need breastfeeding right now, you just ate, you don’t want milk. I decided so - now there will be no titi” - and switch the child’s attention to another subject.
A mother should not completely dissolve in her child, under no circumstances, otherwise she will go crazy! Because not only she herself, but also the child loses her boundaries. If she herself does not know her own boundaries, then how will she give the child an idea of ​​the boundaries of her own and others’ “I”? It depends entirely on mom! After all, if she does not have her own “I”, her personal interests, then it is quite possible that in the future such a mother will reproach the child - “I have put my whole life on you”... As a person who has received a certificate as a breastfeeding specialist, I can say that it is necessary to stimulate mother to ensure that she breastfeeds as long as possible. But it’s one thing when we feed a child under six months of age - he is still small, he is practically dependent on movement, he is completely dependent on his mother, both physically and psychologically. And here, of course, it is still too early to introduce restrictions: in the first half of the year, that very basic trust in the world is laid, and this happens due to the fact that the child is sure that his mother is always there.
And a completely different picture after 6 months: the child sits, the child learns to crawl, and finally the time comes when the mother sets boundaries. This is necessary not only for the mother, but also for raising the child.

How to refuse a child correctly so that there is no stress?

When denying a child anything, we should not leave him without our psychological support. It doesn’t matter what kind of rules and restrictions we introduce, each has its own traditions. Probably, there are common points everywhere (for example, you can’t put a plug into a socket), but in some families they let their child play with a cell phone, and this is considered normal, but in some places this option is unacceptable...
But in any case, when we begin to explain these rules to a child, naturally, he may begin to get angry and even cry. Then we tell him: “I see that you are angry.” We make it clear that we respect what is happening to him: “go, I will feel sorry for you.” It is important in such acute moments not to lose contact - visual and physical. We don’t get angry, don’t scream, don’t scare the child - on the contrary, we feel sorry for him, stroke him, and gently say: “You can’t come here, unfortunately.” If we say “no”, it should be a firm “no”, and not that today we prohibit it, and tomorrow we “gave some slack” and allowed it. This is a very important element of education that comes from the family: a child under 3 years of age develops self-esteem, and the family is the primary structure where this happens. And since the contact with titi is the closest, it is through the example of titi that we teach him relationships with other people. He learns to realize that “you don’t always get what you want in life, but it’s not scary, it’s not a disaster.”

What do you not recommend doing at the stage of weaning from breastfeeding?
- As a psychologist, I do not recommend leaving the child: you need to understand that during this period he is experiencing stress, and must go through it with the closest person, who is the mother. Of course, it is optimal when the child himself refuses to breastfeed (at the age of three he is ready to do this, he is no longer so dependent on his mother, he has other interests). But not all mothers are ready to wait until this age. But in any case, weaning is always the mother’s initiative. Both as a psychologist and as a breastfeeding consultant, I say: if you are irritated, if you are “sick” of breastfeeding, then you need to either limit hanging on your tits, looking at what mistakes were made in upbringing, or, if you decide to wean, then wean off.

How to wean your baby off breast milk

How to wean your baby off breastfeeding? First of all, the whole family needs to tune in to the need for weaning (if the mother decides that it is really necessary). Dad or grandmother should be ready to help mom, or at least maintain a confident and calm attitude, understanding that both mom and baby are going through a difficult time. It is important to unite in your intention with the whole family. It’s not very helpful if anyone – including the mother herself! - will begin to feel sorry for the baby for being deprived of his favorite pleasure...

It is important for the mother herself to be friendly and try to walk at a pace that does not injure or frighten the child - otherwise you can get the opposite effect when the child understands what they are going to deprive him of and clutches the chest “deadly.” The mother needs to try not to be angry with herself and not to be angry with the baby for his persistence, because he is not to blame for anything. You need to act without anger and tears, gently but confidently.

Weaning from breastfeeding should begin by reducing the number of breastfeedings during the day. The main thing to take care of is to minimize all situations that may remind the baby about feeding. This means that when you have a baby you can’t change clothes, wear underwear, or give up clothes with fasteners (robes, blouses) in favor of T-shirts.

The mother should not sit idle in the presence of the baby, since this is usually a signal for the baby to climb into her arms and suck. If there are any situations in which the child previously tried to be sure to latch on to the breast, it is better to avoid these situations (for example, if the baby used to feed while the mother was talking on the phone, now try not to sit down during telephone conversations and end them quickly).

You need to try to do more interesting things, games, maintain a lot of physical contact without feeding - fight, hug, massage. Children usually ask for the breast less often if they are on a walk or visiting, you can take advantage of this, and when the breast asks, first of all offer the baby’s favorite food (cookies, fruit, a sippy cup with juice, etc.).

If the baby wants to breastfeed, it is better to pretend that the mother did not notice or did not understand. Is your child becoming more and more persistent? Try to redirect his attention to something interesting. Look out the window at the birds, play a game, read your favorite book... If the baby really needs to suck, he will never switch, and no tricks will help. In this case, there is no point in refusing.

When the number of daily attachments decreases, it is time to get used to daytime sleep without attachment to the breast - the next stage on the path to weaning from breastfeeding. You can lengthen and add new details to the ritual of falling asleep (a fairy tale, a song, stroking the back or chest). If you have the opportunity to use the help of relatives to help you get ready, this will be useful, but in principle it is not necessary. Another working option in the question “how to wean off breastfeeding?” It turns out that the mother’s absence is prolonging: the mother puts her baby in the crib, remembers out loud about some important matter and promises to return now. The initial care time can be 20-30 seconds, then the mother returns and puts the baby down as always. Gradually, mom is absent longer and longer. The main thing is that the mother needs to be told why she is leaving, and if the child goes to look for her, he must find the mother doing this very activity (for example, making tea or cleaning up toys). In this case, the mother does not get angry with the baby, but simply finishes her job and returns the baby to the crib, asking her to wait for her there next time. At some point, upon returning, the mother will find her baby sleeping peacefully.

To avoid feedings when waking up, the mother should not be around when the baby wakes up. And when the baby finds you, distract him with something interesting or tasty (food or drink - it doesn’t matter). To begin with, you can simply breastfeed not immediately, but after a couple of minutes.

When the baby learns to regularly fall asleep and wake up during the day on his own, evening falling asleep under the breast is gradually eliminated using the same scheme. If the mother acted confidently and without haste, then after this the baby himself will begin to latch on to the breast less often at night. And, conversely, if the mother unnecessarily forced things, then the number of nightly attachments may increase or the baby may begin to suck on something else, for example, her hands. In this case, with weaning from breastfeeding, it is better to take a few steps back for a while and wait a little. Perhaps the time for change will come in a week or two.

The last step on the path to weaning from breastfeeding is to slowly reduce the duration of nightly feeding. First, you need to take the breast from the baby if he, having eaten, quietly sucks on it in his sleep and does not wake up from trying to take it. Gradually, the duration of night sucking should be reduced to several minutes and become symbolic. And when the mother does not put the baby to bed for some time, he begins to wake up less and less at night, and at some point he can sleep the whole night without breastfeeding. You can use this moment and not use the baby again at all. Or you can wait some more time, gradually increasing the number of nights without feeding, until the baby completely stops sucking at night.

Quit abruptly or wean gradually? – here opinions differ.

There are statistics stating that only a small part of children can be weaned from breastfeeding “at once,” but other children require gradual weaning for smooth adaptation.

Try replacing one breastfeeding with formula, then after a couple of days another, and so on until complete elimination. And if the child resists and constantly demands the breast, then how to wean him from breastfeeding in this case? The best option in this case is abrupt weaning. These are, of course, tears and frustration, but this way the baby will quickly get used to living without your breast.

Here are some tips and tricks to make weaning easier.

1. There must be a clear motivation in your head. You need to understand why you are weaning your baby. Calmly go towards your goal, instilling confidence in your baby.

2. If the baby does not want to take a bottle from your hands, ask your husband or any other relative to feed him. Your baby may associate you with breastfeeding, and you also smell like milk. Therefore, the child does not want to eat food other than breast milk with you. And with dad or grandma, the baby will suck the mixture well or drink kefir.

3. The mixture, like any other product, should be introduced gradually.

4. If your baby is used to breastfeeding in the room on the sofa, offer him a bottle in the kitchen. Very often, changing the feeding environment makes it easier to wean children off breastfeeding. But familiar conditions, on the contrary, make the baby remember the breast and turn away from the bottle.

5. Breastfeeding is not just about food. Sucking the mother's breast calms the baby and gives him a feeling of security. That is why during weaning from breastfeeding, pay as much attention to your baby as possible. Carry him in your arms more often, hug and kiss him.

How to suppress lactation?

If you wean off breastfeeding gradually, then the milk will gradually decrease until it disappears completely. We do not recommend that you pump, this will stimulate lactation. But it is better not to allow stagnation of milk either. If you feel tension and pain in your breasts, you are allowed to express a little milk.

Reduce the amount of liquid consumed per day to 500–600 ml. And this includes soups and juicy fruits. Not much, but milk also helps reduce it. So it's worth being patient.

With your own hands

Avoid abruptly stopping breastfeeding.

Children will usually become upset if you do this, which in turn can cause the child to become upset. Instead, try to reduce by breastfeeding during the day, you can try replacing breastfeeding with a bottle or a cup of expressed breast milk. Such a gradual reduction in the time spent on breastfeeding will eliminate the baby's discomfort, especially if you feed the baby with mother's breast milk. Over time, it can be replaced with a special milk formula for children.

Most children cry when they wake up in the middle of the night. Usually the mother tries to calm the child down and put him back to sleep. Unfortunately, this calming process may include breastfeeding. It may be best if the baby's father or someone else who cares for the baby takes care of the baby's comfort. Most mothers will subconsciously go to soothe their baby if he is crying, so your best bet is to be within earshot of your baby's cries. may calm down for a while with a new routine like this, but always be vigilant and persistent. Ultimately, when the baby has been weaned off at night, the mother can sleep peacefully at night.

For older children who can already talk and already perceive your speech, you can set restrictions on the place and time of breastfeeding. Tell your child: “I will only breastfeed you before bed” or “I will only breastfeed you when it gets dark outside.” When you are ready to stop breastfeeding completely, you can simply say, “You are a big boy/girl now, and big boys/girls don’t feed on their mother’s breast milk.”

It must be remembered that in children of this age, the emotional stress caused by stopping breastfeeding can be severe. Therefore, you should replace the lack of breastfeeding with tight hugs, replace the baby's emotional dependence on breastfeeding with some other positive emotions.

Also at such times, you need to take care of your breasts. Any ailment or physical pain felt by the mother will be transmitted to the child, who will also become despondent, thereby aggravating the current delicate situation. By gradually weaning off breast milk, you can help your breasts become less engorged.

We wean without harm to the baby

Each child has his own period in which it is as easy as possible to wean him off the breast. In almost all children it occurs before the age of three. Looks like I'm in this period. In fact, you need to stop breastfeeding based on your intuition, and not on the recommendations of pediatricians and relatives. Believe me, grandmothers' advice is not always useful. The main thing in this matter is not to lead to psychological trauma to the child. As a result, the child may begin to suck his thumb or scratch his skin until it bleeds. For children over the age of one year, the breast is a consolation or a kind of sleeping pill. But this does not mean at all that it does not bring any benefit.

Doctors disagree on this issue. The former believe that breastfeeding a child in the second year of life is very beneficial for the child’s mental development. The latter argue that breastfeeding a child after a year is not only not useful, but also harmful. Although the latter do not give explanations for their words. I don’t understand their logic, because milk cannot be first beneficial and then harmful. Personally, I am of the first opinion. In my opinion, the question of how to competently, without causing harm to him, is more important than at what age to do this.

For those who are now having the problem of weaning their baby from the breast, I can give some useful tips on how to wean your baby from the breast.

1. When weaning your baby from the breast, try to wear clothes that are tight at the neck so that it is not easy to reach the breast.

2. Wean off the breast gradually: try to reduce the number of feedings, and not stop them immediately.

3. After reducing the number of feedings, the baby can be left for a couple of days, for example, with his grandmother, but only if he often stayed with her before, at least for half a day.
4. If the breast is a means of comfort for the baby, then try not to give it immediately upon the baby's request. Try to calm him down with hugs and sweet words. If the baby does not calm down for a long time, it is better to give in to him.

5. You should not stop breastfeeding in the summer, during the child’s illness or during any changes. For example, you are planning to move. Wait until the move is complete, the baby should feel at home, and only then begin weaning.

6. Try to understand whether your baby is ready to wean. It is very rare that children do not insist on their own in case of refusal. They can be capricious, demanding, and take a long time to fall asleep. But if a child’s crying turns into hysterics, the baby does not fall asleep for several hours and sheds tears continuously, it means that the baby is not mentally ready for such a step.

7. Try to walk more, especially at a time when the baby is used to breastfeeding. Most often this is a daytime nap. Take the stroller outside and try to distract the child with something. The ideal option would be if the baby falls asleep in the stroller during a walk, without the help of his mother’s breast.

And, perhaps, the most important thing I want to say is that for a child of the second year of life, the breast is a means of communication with. He needs care, affection, a sense of security. During feeding, a special bond is created between a mother and her baby. Therefore, do not forget to constantly hug your child, stroke him, and whisper some pleasant things in his ear. He must understand that he is losing his breast, but his mother’s affection and care will not disappear. If during the feeding period you hugged your baby a little, now it’s worth increasing the amount of affection.