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Weaning 101
"When to wean?" It's a question that's top of mind for nursing mamas. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends breastfeeding exclusively until your baby is 6 months old, then serving a combination of solids and breast milk until she's 1 year old. But know that weaning is ultimately a personal decision and should be based on what's best for your family -- perhaps you're returning to work and need the flexibility of bottle-feeding, for instance. Most mothers choose to wean their baby off the breast when she's 4-7 months old, according to the AAP.
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Babies should be able to wean themselves!! We need to go back to the days when mothers stayed home with their babies...
4/16/2012 12:38:37 PM Report AbuseI'm so agree with, laura_t2!!
4/13/2012 11:59:44 AM Report AbuseThis is presented as a "family choice," but is it really? The national average is 21% of women breastfeed their babies at 6 months. Rather than focus on premature weaning, how about emphasizing and highlighting "best feeding" or "optimal nutrition?" Very disappointing message; nursing is work and takes tremendous committment and support. Weaning should ideally be child-determined. Promoting "breast to cup" as a normal and healthy endeavor is a much better approach and worthy topic.
4/13/2012 11:41:54 AM Report AbuseThumb suckers wean easier. And in the middle of the night when an older baby who sucks his thumb wakes up, he may whimper a while, but finds his thumb and goes back to sleep. At a certain age, they realize they're not with you when they wake up. I tried to let them fuss a little, but then got up. It lasted about a month, and he transferred to thumb and blanket. It's hard to get away from the thumb though. It seems to be rewarding for both of us.
5/2/2011 02:46:58 PM Report AbuseThe right time to wean your baby is when they have six teeth and bring blood when they bite. La Leche tips didn't work. I found a close out on some brand of nipples that were longer than anything I'd tried. He finally took a bottle. Shortly after, I got some tupperware baby cups Mom had saved. The hole in the top was big enough for a cocktail straw, so I guess he learned to suck a straw instead of me, but it was less painful. A regular straw is too big.
5/2/2011 02:35:02 PM Report Abuse