Weaning (birth to 12 mo.)

What does it mean to have weaned a child?
When your baby stops nursing and gets all his nutrition from sources other than the breast, he's considered weaned. Although babies are also weaned from the bottle, the term most often refers to when a baby stops breastfeeding.

Weaning, when it's the mother's idea, usually requires a lot of patience, and can take time, depending on your baby or toddler's age and how well and how quickly your child adjusts. The experience is different for everyone.

Weaning is a long goodbye — emotional, sometimes painful, and freeing at the same time. But weaning needn't signal an end to the intimacy you and your child have established through breastfeeding. It just means you have to replace breastfeeding with other nourishment and nurturing activities. If you've often nursed your child for comfort, find other ways to make him feel better. Read a book or sing a song together, or play outside instead.

When should I start weaning?
You're the best judge of when it's time to wean, and you don't have to set a deadline unless you and your child are ready to do so. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that mothers breastfeed their babies for at least a year. Despite what friends, relatives, or even strangers may say, there's no right or wrong time to wean. If you feel it's the right time, then it is.

How do I wean?
Proceed slowly, regardless of the age of your child. Experts advise that you not abruptly withhold your breast, which can be traumatic. A weekend away from your baby or toddler with your husband, for example, is not a good way to end the breastfeeding relationship. Try these methods instead:

Skip a feeding. Skip a feeding and see what happens. Offer a cup or bottle of milk instead. As a substitute you can use your own pumped milk, formula, or cows' milk (if your child is at least a year old). If you reduce feedings one at a time over a period of weeks your child will have time to adjust to the changes. Your milk supply will also diminish, without leaving your breasts engorged or giving you mastitis, a breast infection.

Shorten nursing time. Start by cutting the length of time your child is actually on the breast. If he usually nurses for five minutes, try three. Depending on his age, follow the feeding with a healthy snack such as unsweetened applesauce or a cup of milk or formula. (Note, however, that babies younger than 6 months may not be ready for solids.) Bedtime feedings may be harder to curb — they're usually the last to go.

Postpone and distract. Try postponing feedings if you're only nursing a couple of times a day. This method works well if you have an older child you can reason with. If your child asks for the breast, say you'll feed him later and distract him. Instead of nursing in the early evening, you could tell him to wait until bedtime.

What to do when weaning becomes a struggle
If you've tried everything to wean your child and nothing is working, maybe the time isn't right. Have you recently gone back to work? Your child may still be adjusting to this new development. Has your child been sick? Often babies who are not feeling well will want to nurse more often — in fact, breastfeeding may be in a sick child's best interest.

Has your household gone through a major life change, such as a move or a divorce? Events such as these will also make weaning more difficult. Even going through a new developmental stage can make it hard to wean. Try again in another month. Sooner or later, it'll happen.

source from http://www.babycenter.com