Helpful Tips For Weaning Your Baby

Ask For Help

Just because the mother is breastfeeding doesn’t mean the other parent doesn’t need to help with the weaning process! One of the hardest times to wean is at night. Babies and toddlers love the comfort of breastfeeding, so when they sense mom, a baby will instinctively want to nurse back to sleep.

If night weaning is important for your sanity, ask for help from your partner. They can get up to bounce the baby, walk, rock, or lay down in bed with them until they fall back to sleep. Your partner can be a valuable asset with all parts of weaning. If your toddler wants to nurse, your partner can encourage them to paint, read a book, or do something else, including feeding them their favorite foods.

Introduce A Bottle Or Sippy Cup

Some babies love the comfort of sucking, so weaning can be hard if they don’t take a pacifier. To help with this, make sure they try bottle feeding. Put your breast milk in the bottle, or try whole milk if your child is over a year old. Transitioning to bottle feeding is a great way for your partner to step in and give you the chance to rest sometimes. It may even be the perfect opportunity for you to head out to dinner with friends for a little while and let your partner watch your child for a few hours without worry. Introducing a bottle or sippy cup with milk is a common recommendation for weaning. Do not, however, put juice or water into a bottle. Save this for a sippy cup! Toddlers may even believe the sippy cup of juice is much better than nursing.