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.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathleen_Lynch
http://EzineArticles.com/?Gentle-Weaning-Techniques-For-Breast-Feeding-Mothers&id=3031478

Technorati Tags: child led weaning, weaning

Related Posts

• Weaning From Breastfeeding – The Baby Led Way

A child’s first diet ought to be exclusively breast milk for the first 6 months of their life — that is no rusks, nothing other than breast milk. This is because their gut is simply not mature enough to digest anything other than breast milk. Introducing other foods is a  waste of time, as your baby will simply poop them out. Introducing other foods also interferes with their delicate gut flora, which has serious implications on their resilience to diseases as they grow older.

Allowing your baby to gradually lead the way weaning means that you ought to expect them to completely wean sometime between 2 and 4 years of age. Gradually dropping feeds, and losing interest in breastfeeding.

Many mothers choose the “don’t offer, don’t refuse” approach in allowing their child to direct the weaning process. That is, don’t offer them feeds, but never, refuse if they ask you.

Breastfeeding a toddler, may be a confrontational idea in today’s homogenized society, but rest assured that you’re doing a wonderful thing for your child, providing them with optimum nutrition, optimum health, and a wonderful source of comfort and love.

At about 6 months, most babies are physiologically ready for solid food. That is they can sit unsupported, show an avid interest in food, and no longer display a tongue thrust reflex (anything that enters their mouth is automatically pushed out by the tongue) At this stage, you can start introducing foods such as lightly steamed vegetables for your child to gum on.

Don’t expect a  your baby to eat a great deal to begin with, their first experiences with food are mostly to allow them to explore textures and tastes. As they become more proficient with solid foods, they’ll actually eat more and in doing so, will require less breast milk.

By about 12 months, your baby will most likely be eating family meals, with breastfeeds in between. They’ll probably be particularly efficient at feed time, but may like to linger on the night or nap time feeds for comfort.

As your child’s day becomes busier, and they are stimulated more and more by their busy toddler activities, you’ll probably notice they ‘forget’ their breastfeeds, perhaps only coming to you for a breastfeed for comfort.

Most children drop their night time feeds last, as they like the sleepy comfort that a breastfeed with mom gives them.

At around about 2-4 years of age, and for most children it’s closer to 2.5 years, your child will begin to drop their last feeds. And your breastfeeding journey will begin to come to a close. It’s normal for them to stop completely for a few days, then feed, then stop, then begin again — it’s all part of the self weaning process. Eventually, you may just wake up one morning and realize it’s been weeks since their last feed, and your baby is officially growing up.

At this stage in their life, because they don’t have a “backup” nutrition source, it’s really important to ensure they’re eating a balanced diet.

Technorati Tags: child led weaning, weaning

Related Posts

• Gentle Weaning Techniques For Breast-Feeding Mothers