Weaning

By Natural Family Online

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, American women are not breastfeeding their babies long enough and are supplementing with unnecessary liquids. The AAP recommends breastfeeding your baby for no less than six months, and abstaining from supplements for the same amount of time. (more…)

Question: My 18-month-old toddler wakes up twice per night to nurse. We sleep together, and we like it this way. Many of my family and friends express sheer horror at learning of our situation, though, and my mother swears I will live to regret it. Will I? Am I doing something wrong? (more…)

Question: My daughter is almost 18 months old. For a while, I was starting to see the process of natural weaning taking place. She was eating more solids and nursing less. But now it seems like she is going in reverse. She nurses more and eats less solids. Is this normal? (more…)

By Dr. Jack Newman

Because more and more women are now breastfeeding their babies, more and more are also finding that they enjoy breastfeeding enough to want to continue longer than the usual few months they initially thought they would. (more…)

By Kerry Luskey

Try to avoid beginning the weaning process during an illness or developmental milestone or when your baby’s schedule is disrupted.

Eliminate one nursing session every two or three days to allow your milk supply to decrease slowly.
(more…)

By Kerry Luskey

Many mothers assume that at one year of age, her baby no longer needs to breastfeed and the weaning process should take place. This idea is often promoted by pediatricians who say that at a year, your baby should be switched to cow’s milk and drinking from a cup. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics encourages breastfeeding even beyond a year (more…)

Question: I am breastfeeding my son, who has just turned 3 years. I am all for extended breastfeeding, but he seems to show no sign of diminishing interest. He nurses regularly, day and at night. What would you suggest in order to gently wean him — or do you think it better to let him be until he “weans himself”? (more…)