Weaning is a crucial moment in the life of the child as well as the mother. It means giving up breastfeeds in favour of a bottle, generally at the point when solid foods are introduced. That said, “weaning” does not necessarily mean stopping breastfeeding altogether…
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is recommended that you breastfeed your child exclusively for the first six months of life. But this rule is not always applicable, given the socio-economic constraints a mother faces. A woman who works is indeed obliged to wean her child earlier than planned (at the end of her maternity leave), which makes weaning harder still.
Types of weaning
Weaning can be natural (baby-led) or planned (mother-led). Gradual, or “baby-led”, weaning happens when your baby starts taking an interest in solid foods. With this type of weaning, you watch for your baby’s cues and wean at their own pace. In general, babies who are weaned gradually give up breastfeeding entirely somewhere around the age of 2.
Planned, or “mother-led”, weaning happens when the mother decides to speed up the weaning process for various reasons (psychological, physiological, socio-economic…). This kind of weaning means replacing one or more breastfeeds with a bottle and carrying on breastfeeding as normal. It is a solution that can work well if you are going back to work but wish to keep breastfeeding. You can keep the morning, evening and night feeds, even if you are separated from your baby during the day. The major drawback of this type of weaning is that the more the number of feeds falls, the more the quantity of breast milk produced will drop, until you reach a stage where there is no more breastfeeding. In general, babies weaned this way stop nursing at around 5 to 9 months.
Weaning: step by step
Weaning is a process that calls for a great deal of patience and delicacy. It is best to begin it in good conditions, well away from periods of stress, grief or upheaval… The hardest part is introducing the first bottle. Once you are over that hurdle, everything should follow in order.
Step 1
Choose the feed at which your milk production is lowest and replace it with a bottle. At first, baby will almost certainly refuse this change, so go gently. Repeat this single substitution for 4 to 5 days, until your child gets used to it.
Step 2
Replace a second breastfeed with a second bottle. Choose the one that allows you to alternate breast-bottle-breast-bottle. Keep to this change for about a week.
Step 3
Replace a third breastfeed with a third bottle. Choose the one that fits the breast-bottle-breast-bottle rhythm. Keep the morning and evening feeds. Stay with this change for one week to 10 days.
Step 4
From this point on, it is up to you to decide whether you want to wean your baby partially or completely.
Partial weaning
Keep the morning and evening feeds. Once baby is only having feeds in the morning and the evening, you can start introducing solid foods from 6 months and let your child discover the different tastes and flavours of food. They will give up breastfeeding completely when they are ready. Stay attentive to their cues.
Complete weaning
Finally, replace the morning and evening feeds with bottles. If your baby has a dummy or soother, think about offering a bottle teat made of a similar material (silicone or rubber): being familiar with that texture, they will be less unsettled.
Here are the four steps of planned weaning and roughly how long each takes:
| Step | What you do | Approximate duration |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1 | Replace the feed at which milk production is lowest with a bottle | 4 to 5 days |
| Step 2 | Replace a second feed with a bottle, alternating breast-bottle-breast-bottle | About a week |
| Step 3 | Replace a third feed with a bottle, keeping the morning and evening feeds | One week to 10 days |
| Step 4 | Choose partial weaning (morning and evening feeds kept) or complete weaning (all feeds replaced) | Depending on baby’s pace and cues |
Mind your breasts!
As you gradually drop feeds, your milk production will decrease bit by bit. So do mind your breasts!
Your body’s adjustment to this change is not immediate and will take a few days (2 to 4 days as a rule). You will feel your breasts becoming tight, hard, even painful.
It is essential to treat this engorgement in order to avoid lymphangitis (inflammation of the milk ducts with redness of the breast and fever) or mastitis (an infection that causes pain, swelling, heat and redness in the breasts. It can also cause fever and chills).
Remedies
- Try expressing milk with a breast pump in order to relieve the pressure on your breasts.
- Apply cold compresses or chilled packs to your breasts for relief.
- In case of extreme pain, take over-the-counter painkillers from the pharmacy such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen (check with your doctor beforehand).
Check your breasts regularly to make sure you are not blocking a milk duct. Such a blockage shows up as a firm, tender area (about the size of a pea) on the breast. It can sometimes be cleared by gently massaging the painful area or applying a little pressure to it. If it is painful, see your doctor urgently. This is a situation that is more likely to occur during abrupt weaning.
Introducing solid foods
Introducing solid foods is the logical next stage after weaning. Only the doctor can judge when it is best to introduce foods (generally from 4 to 6 months). It depends on several factors (weight, height, sex, growth curve). Here are the cues that show your baby is ready to eat solid foods:
- Baby is hungry more often;
- They open their mouth when they see food coming towards them;
- Baby keeps the food in their mouth without immediately pushing it back out with their tongue;
- Baby has good control of their neck muscles;
It is important to introduce solid foods one at a time, in small amounts to begin with. Some babies become very constipated if they are given too much of a new solid food. You can also offer your baby small amounts of water once or twice a day, generally after the age of 6 months or during periods of great heat (summer). It is better not to offer juice at that age. Too much juice encourages tooth decay, obesity or even insufficient weight gain, as well as diarrhoea.
