Gentle Weaning Techniques For Breast-Feeding Mothers

Posted by admin on November 11, 2009

This past week, someone asked me about weaning her child from breastfeeding. She knew I had breastfed my children at length and wondered if I had any tips for weaning in a caring and gentle way.

I think it is wonderful when a mother cares so much about her relationship with her child, that she weans carefully, considering how she and her child will feel during and after the weaning process. This is an indication of the nurturing bond between mother and child.

It helps to get guidance from mothers, like myself, who have been there. I found, The Nursing Mother’s Guide to Weaning by Huggins and Ziedrich helpful. Also, La Leche League, a group for nursing mothers worldwide, was a wonderful resource and support group for me.

I compiled a list of all the gentle weaning techniques that I discovered along the way. I posted the list on my bulletin board as a reminder of the techniques I could use to move through this phase of parenting. Below is the list with some detail to explain the steps.

Techniques to Gently Encourage Weaning:

1. Don’t offer. Don’t refuse. Start by no longer offering breastfeeding but don’t refuse requests. After trying step one for a while, move onto the following steps.

2. Distract and substitute. When you get a request to breastfeed from your child, try offering something else instead. “Honey, look, the mail just came. Would you like to get it with me?”

3. Feed and offer drinks. Offer something to eat or drink when the child makes a request. Something yummy should help. Don’t get in the habit of offering junk foods though. A healthy choice is the way to go. If you need some ideas, see Want Healthy Snacks?

4. Read books. Involve your child in close one-on-one attention to make up for loss of breastfeeding closeness. Reading children’s books is a great way to provide this attention.

5. Involve children in daily chores. Chores can be a good one-on-one activity that not only involves your child but also helps you with never-ending chores.

6. Be prepared with fun activities. Make sure you have fun activities planned for those “What do we do now?” moments. Crafts, dolls, cars, legos, puzzles and such might do the trick.

7. Give total, focused attention. When dealing with your child through this tough transition, it helps if you make efforts to really listen and support her/him. Assure the child that all is okay and you are not abandoning her/him.

8. Get out more. Getting out of the house and changing locations is definitely a useful distraction.

9. Invite other children over to play. Playdates are great for children to expand their social ties and show them how other children grow up too.

10. Find new ways to touch. Many children love massages, being carried in slings, sitting on Mom’s lap, or riding on Mom’s shoulders. These provide alternate forms for satisfying the need for touch.

11. Try delaying nursing. Saying something like, “After lunch we can have mother’s milk” or “We will have milk right before bed.”

12. Plan with the child. Involve the child in plans for the day and plans for weaning comfortably.

13. Involve Dad. The child knows he won’t get milk from Dad so have him be with the child during one or more of the usual breastfeeding times.

14. Stay on your feet. Breastfeeding is a sit-down activity so don’t sit down when you don’t want to nurse.

15. Change routines. Switching routines around usual nursing times helps remove the breastfeeding connection.

16. Shorten nursings. Say something like, “We have five minutes for nursing.” Then with one minute left, say “Almost done.” Then say “OK – all done.” These times can be adjusted according to your needs and where you are in the weaning process.

17. Restrict nursing to certain times or places. You can reduce one feeding at a time. Always sit in that location. Then take the chair away when there is no nursing.

18. Offer a reward. You can say something like, “When you reach your birthday, you will be a big kid. We will celebrate with a special ‘I’m weaned’ toy (or party).”

19. Give up for the time being. If one or both of you are having a really hard time with the weaning process, give it up for a while and try it at a later date.

Weaning can be a challenging time for parent and child. Some kids find it easier than others. My son was much easier for me to wean than my daughter. If you are struggling, know that your caring attempts will move the process along. Later, you will be relieved that you got through it. Weaning your child with love and consideration is the best way for both mother and child.

Kathy Lynch is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of WellSkills, helping busy people improve their nutrition and lifestyle. Request your *FREE* WellSkills Weekly newsletter with articles like this and healthy recipes. For additional information, please visit http://www.WellSkills.com Copyright 2009.

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