How to Wean Your Baby From Breastfeeding

If you are exclusively breastfeeding your baby, then you might have many apprehensions about weaning. According to the American Academy of Paediatrics, it is important for a mother to breastfeed exclusively for the first six months and then to combine it with solid foods until the new born baby is one years old. Weaning is a personal decision; therefore breastfeeding can extend beyond one.

Natural weaning, however, starts at around six months when semi-solids and solids are introduced to the baby’s diet. By the end of one year, the baby will start finding nutrition in other foods and would eat a variety of food. Some babies are not inclined to wean, while others are unwilling to sit patiently through breast feeding. However, if the mother so wishes, then she can initiate the weaning process rather than wait for her child to initiate. This needs to be done with a lot of patience and sensitivity.

If you have set your mind to wean your baby from the breast, then remain focused and refrain from comparing your situation with others. Weaning is a personal decision and there might be mothers who wish to initiate it when the baby is less than 6 months as she might be returning to work and thus requires flexible feeding routines.

Set a weaning schedule with a strategic plan in place. Give yourself at least one month to wean the baby completely. Remember that stressful situations are not the time to initiate weaning. If your baby is teething or you are starting work again- then those are the right situations to wean as your baby will not cooperate.


Wean with tender, love and care and try to omit one breastfeeding session a day and introduce cups or bottles. Engage everyone in the house to assist you with weaning. For instance, if your baby does not accept a bottle from you, then see if he does so with his father or grandmother.

Older babies who have crossed 9 months, should be weaned with a cup and not a bottle as you would have to wean him from the bottle in the next few months. Remember that fast weaning can result in engorgement of breasts and would lead to pain. Take it slowly and steadily for the best results as you would also be going through many emotions while weaning.


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