Weaning - White Bluff, TN

There are several things to consider when weaning. #1 Weaning is a slow process, too fast is painful for you! #2 Babies need breast milk or formula until 12mos of age when their tummies are ready to digest the high protiens in cow's milk. #3 Babies need a "lovey" at night to sooth them back to sleep, right now your baby's lovey is you.
I recommend several things. If you want to break her of the breast try pumping and if you don't want to do a bottle just put it in a slow drip sippy cup, soft spout will probably go over better at night. You can try replacing you with a passy since sucking is a naturally soothing activity for babies. Also make sure you have several night time things to make night time great, same routine, same blanky, and same 1 stuffed animal, same time, same song. All of those make the baby confident about what is getting ready to happen = sleep! When is comes times to really cut the night time breast feeding get ready for a few sleepless nights, I am not saying it will happen that way, but just be ready. I also agree that dad should try to be a big part of that roll if possible! Hope all goes well!

First yes congrats on breast feeding. My daughter weaned herself when I got pregnant. Though the book by doctor Ferber may help called How to solve your child's sleep problems. There is a section on how to slowly wean off food/drink at night. I am using it now with my 9 month old son to nurse less. I hope that quick tip helps.
Good luck.
PS don't use a bottle. Both my kids just breast fed...from the former teacher in me I know going to a bottle from breast is develeopmentally backwards and can not always but can bring other problems. You are doing great!!!

I weaned my son off of day feedings first and still nursed right before bedtime and first thing in the morning for about a month until he was weaned completely. Night feedings are much harder for babies to give up since they associate them with comfort and sleep.

When she wakes up during the night, it's better for your husband to get up and soothe her back to sleep rather than you. If it's you she'll smell you and want to nurse, but by this age she knows that Daddy doesn't have milk. So he can offer her a sippy cup of warm formula and a lullaby. My doctor asked us to wait until 12 months to give my son milk, but yours may think differently, it's always easy to ask!

Hey F., I would start her on milk and juice all during the day and before bed feed her a good snack and a bottle of milk and see if she will take to it ok. I had no problem but I used 2% milk and I put a small amount of karo syrup in her milk. just give it a try because it can't hurt her at all. good luck

You're the mom you make the rules...but it's ok to give in when you just need some SLEEP! I set a date that I would start weaning and I give myself a month. My son was formula fed so when I got down to the last of the formula I mixed smaller and smaller ammounts to regular milk instead of using water (so he would get used to the taste of cows milk)until it was gone(and I didn't buy more!). It's hard to change any habit, especially one that makes your child happy, but it's up to you to do the right thing. They can't breast feed forever! She will get mad and irratable and probably keep you up a few nights, but it's not going to hurt her. My son likes the taste of Carnation instant breakfast drink mix. You might try mixing a little of that with the milk to make it a little sweeter like breast milk and it's full of vitamins (and you can slowly take that away). Congratulations on her using a sippy so soon! My son and I are three months into weaning him off the bottle...almost there. I think you should try giving her a sippy cup with milk at every meal. She probably won't drink much, but atleast she knows it's there if she gets thirsty. And maybe a sippy with water floating around the house during the day so she gets used to finding it instead of you for a drink. Also when it's bed time or nap time hold her and offer her a sippy with milk (breast or cow's) before you offer your breast and maybe she will fill up on the sippy and gradually not want to breast feed. Hope I helped a little.

Hey F.! Congratulations on breastfeeding! Why the rush to wean? The World Health Organization and Unicef recommends that women breastfeed for at least two years. That may sound like a long time, but your baby absolutely needs your milk until she is 12 months old. So if you weaned now, you would need to give your baby formula until her first birthday! Why do that when she is doing so well at breastfeeding? I suggest you pick up cues from your baby and let her decide when to wean. You will have a lot less problems in the long run if you do that. I breastfed all 3 of my boys until they were at least 2. I'm not saying that you should or shouldn't, its a personal choice. However, don't feel like you have to wean from the breast just because your baby is turning 1 soon. She will start slowing down, and as you already know, you can sleep while she nurses! :) Mothering your Nursing Toddler is a great book that has info on child lead weaning.
God Bless~
B.

I have a girlfriend that swears by water at night. Definately stay away from the bottle! If your baby is already doing well with a sippy I would definately stick with that. It is way to hard to get them used to a bottle, and then on to a cup when comming off the breast. Congrats on breast feeding so long!

i would try to just give the baby a sippy cup of water at night. i woulf not go to a bottle now because the drs. want then off the bottle by 12 mths.