How many days does it take to complete weaning? Things to note when weaning

Weaning your baby is a difficult process, and it is also a process that tests the patience and determination of new mothers. Weaning is so difficult, are there any methods and techniques? How long does it usually take to successfully complete weaning? What are the precautions for weaning?

What is weaning?

Weaning is what we usually call weaning off breast milk, which means that the baby is not allowed to continue to drink the mother's breast milk, not that he can't even drink formula. At the same time, weaning is also the last stage of breastfeeding, so that the mother's breasts no longer secrete milk, which is also a very important point that mothers who are about to wean need to understand.

When to wean

Generally speaking, you can breastfeed your baby until he is 12 months old. The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding until the baby is 2 years old or older. Therefore, there is no fixed answer to when to wean, which mainly depends on the situation of the mother and the child. So when is the best time to wean? The temperature is most comfortable in spring and autumn, and people are more likely to be calm. Weaning in these two seasons is a good choice. But compared with autumn, bacteria multiply quickly in spring and influenza is prevalent, while the climate in autumn is more comfortable, babies sweat less, have a stronger appetite than before, and are more receptive to changes in reality. Therefore, the success rate of weaning in autumn is higher~

Six points to keep in mind when weaning

Weaning is a very scary thing for babies, which means that they will no longer be able to drink sweet breast milk in the warm embrace of their mothers. However, weaning is a necessary stage in the growth of babies. Babies will cry to express their resistance, so weaning needs to be done step by step and slowly. Mothers should not be anxious, just remember the following six points!

1. Wait until the baby is older before weaning

Many people think that weaning should be done as early as possible, but weaning needs to consider various factors, such as spring and autumn are suitable for weaning, and the baby's psychology must also be considered. Breast milk is not only the main food for babies, but also a way for them to gain a sense of security. Eating more breast milk can also make babies healthier, so you can wait until the baby is over one year old. When the baby is about one and a half years old, he can understand what you say and will not feel so insecure. I believe it will be much easier to wean.

2. Don’t rush into weaning

Anyone who has taken care of a child knows that weaning is a difficult process, but if you haven't experienced the pain yourself, you may not understand the baby's resistance. The weaning process is like quitting smoking and drinking. Quitting smoking is already very difficult for adults, not to mention that weaning a baby is about giving him or her food, which is impossible to stop at will. The correct approach is to gradually reduce the number of feedings per day, starting with one less meal a day, and then giving the baby some complementary food, and slowly weaning, so that the baby won't be too painful.

3. The baby needs the company of the mother when weaning

Many elderly people think that if the baby is not allowed to see the mother, he will not want to breastfeed, and the baby can only be weaned after being separated from the mother. This practice will only make the baby more painful. The baby lacks a sense of security because of being separated from the mother, and has strong uneasiness and anxiety, crying loudly, which has a great psychological harm to the baby. Weaning does not necessarily require the mother and baby to be separated. On the contrary, the baby needs the mother's company and comfort at this stage. Give the baby enough sense of security.

4. Avoid weaning with a bottle

During the weaning period, mothers will feed their babies with bottles, hoping that they will get used to leaving the nipple first. However, the design of the bottle nipple is very similar to the mother's nipple. This will not only fail to achieve the desired effect, but may also increase the baby's attachment to the nipple. Mothers can squeeze breast milk into a cup and use the cup instead of the bottle to feed the baby, which may be more helpful for the baby to stop breastfeeding.

5. Parents should control their emotions

Some parents may have a quick temper. When they see their children crying and making a fuss, they can't help but lose their temper and scold them. At this time, the baby will only cry more, creating a vicious cycle, which will cause great psychological harm to the baby.

6. Stop feeding at night last

Babies are used to breastfeeding before going to sleep. Eating at this time makes them more comfortable and happy, and is also conducive to their sleep. If you suddenly stop feeding at night, it may affect your baby's sleep. Therefore, it takes a longer time to stop feeding at night to avoid affecting the healthy development of your baby's body and mind.

How did other mothers successfully wean off their babies?

@Voice-controlled intelligent constant temperature milk bottle

You have to take your time to wean your baby. My eldest was almost two years old, and I stopped him from breastfeeding at night. He got used to it after crying for a few nights. It’s not easy to wean your baby during the day, so you have to communicate with him slowly. Children will listen. He said that he can eat other foods when he grows up and doesn’t need breast milk. It took me several months to reduce the amount of milk little by little, and finally stop breastfeeding before bed. After weaning, I didn’t feel that the child was alienated from me. She still loves me and sticks to me as before. Now I have my second baby, who is still breastfed. I don’t have any worries or concerns about weaning in the future. After all, I have successful experience~

@Yawen

Suddenly I felt that my baby was so well behaved. She used to sleep with milk, but later because she woke up frequently at night, I decided to stop sleeping with milk, stop feeding at night, feeding with breast milk and bottles, stagger feeding time and bedtime, and bought her a soothing blanket and pacifier. When coaxing her to sleep, I used the pacifier and soothing blanket. After three or four days, it was easy to coax her to sleep. I moved the afternoon complementary food to the evening, and added two spoons of rice cereal to the milk powder or breast milk half an hour before going to bed, because I knew how much she ate before going to bed, and I knew she was definitely not crying because she was hungry, so I gave her a soothing blanket, and if that didn't work, I gave her a pacifier, and if that didn't work, I patted her and hugged her, and if that didn't work, I gave her water. After about a week, the baby only needed a soothing blanket, and now she can sleep all night, turn over when she wakes up, and fall asleep by herself.

@pure

My method is to divert her attention. My daughter was weaned relatively late, not until she was 20 months old. At first, I would patiently tell her that she had grown up, and her neinei had completed its mission and was going to another home. Then I began to reduce the number of times I fed her during the day. By the time she was really weaned, she didn't look for milk during the day, and when she did, I tried to distract her attention. It was more difficult to feed her at night, and she would cry for her neinei if she didn't have milk, but I just made her milk powder. The child fell asleep after crying herself tired, and cried again the next night, and said she didn't want milk powder. On the third night, she slept through the morning! Later, she would occasionally cry for her neinei, and in the end, I felt shy after crying so much.