10 Weaning-Breastfeeding Tips for the Agitated Mommy
Breastfeeding and weaning have a common factor – they are both processes where both mother and baby form a solid bond that cements their relationship like no other. But the similarity ends there. The mother usually panics when the weaning time approaches, especially if she has fully assimilated breastfeeding time into her way of life.
Weaning shouldn’t be seen as a monster of an event just waiting to happen. Well, eventually it will happen, but it shouldn’t be seen as a thing to be dreaded. In fact, it should be seen as another milestone for your baby, just like his rolling over for the first time or his laughing heartily over a funny face you just made.
That said, we have compiled a couple of weaning off of breastfeeding tips from mothers who make up this site (and from other friends who found things that are quite helpful):
-
Do not force your child if he doesn’t want to be fed solid foods yet. Even though your baby has teeth now, is slowly developing his fine motor skills and can sit up on his own, often times without help from anyone else, if he just eyes his food warily and won’t even make an attempt to touch it, then he may not be ready yet. In baby-led weaning, your baby always follows your lead. Don’t be disheartened. Try again after a couple of days or about a week. By that time, your baby will hopefully be curious enough about the food in front of him – enough for him to at least hold it in his hand.
-
Never put solids in a bottle. As much as you are tempted to do so, never do so. The concept of weaning baby off of breastfeeding is to slowly introduce him to the world of solid foods. Putting runny iron-fortified cereal in a bottle is pointless – it will still seem like milk to your baby, no different to breast milk except that maybe it’s in a bottle.
-
Follow the 4-day rule. In introducing new foods to baby, give your baby one taste at a time. This is so that he can identify his food and what he likes. Also, this will give you the chance to observe if he develops adverse reactions to the new food he is eating – allergies, rashes, respiratory problems, tummy concerns, or he simply doesn’t like the taste. So give him the same food for 4 days before letting him try another.
-
Give your baby a spoon during feeding time. Asmentioned earlier, your baby is just developing his fine motor skills – hence holding a spoon during feeding time is good practice. Plus, this will give your baby the thought that he can use a spoon to feed himself. He may not get the idea instantly, but he will eventually think of it, especially since babies are usually endowed with innate smartness.
-
Prepare yourself for “the war zone”. As it is, baby feedings are quite messy (believe me, I’ve been there – twice, with one more coming up in a couple of months). Put a lot of old newspapers and scrap cloths on the floor for easy cleanup later. Also, I believe that mental preparation must be made. For your baby’s sake, think about eating as an exploration and discovery of sorts. Help your baby develop curiousness of new foods being paraded along his view. It will help him be less picky in the future – but still messy now. Don’t be stressed about the mess as a baby eating and playing with his food is a natural thing.
Remember that your baby is not the only one learning about eating real, grown-up food. You’re also learning – for in the process of weaning your child off of breastfeeding, you are also starting to let him go bit by bit towards a path with more freedom and independence to choose what they think is right with your help. |
