Tips for Gradual Weaning – Tip #4:
Replace One Comfort with Another
Your child wants to nurse. You want him to wean. What do you do?
If you want to move past the “don’t offer, don’t refuse” stage, try substituting a fun activity for nursing. Some babies want to nurse out of boredom. Give them something else [...]

Tips for Gradual Weaning – Tip #3:
“Don’t Offer, Don’t Refuse”
Weaning can be hard on a child. Think about it.
Are you a coffee lover? If you are, then imagine waking up and someone has taken your coffee pot away from you. And there’s no coffee shops in your neighborhood, either. Your body will crave caffeine [...]

Tips for Gradual Weaning – Tip #2:
Cut Out One Nursing Session at a Time
The weaning process can be slow—really slow. But this is okay. It’s best not  to set deadlines to have your baby weaned. Instead, when you (and your child) are losing interest in breastfeeding, focus on eliminating one nursing session at [...]

Tips for Gradual Weaning – Tip #1:
Be Flexible
Weaning is best when done gradually. You may have heard of “child-led” weaning.
Child-led weaning is great because, obviously, you nurse until your child is developmentally and emotionally ready to stop.
photo credit: katedubya
But child-led is not strictly initiated by the child—moms (and dads) still play [...]

Our first post in this series talked about why gradual weaning is better for mom. In this post we’ll discuss:
Why Sudden Weaning is a Bad Idea—for Baby
It’s often said that nursing is a two-way street. In order for breastfeeding to succeed, both mom and baby have to be happy with the current arrangements. Usually, [...]

Weaning Your Older Baby or Toddler – Part Two:
Be Careful What You Wish For
If you’re like me, you know all the benefits of breastfeeding a toddler—the emotional attachment, the positive health aspects, the reduced risk of allergies, etc. You and your talking nursling may be an anomaly in society, but you don’t care. [...]

Weaning Your Older Baby or Toddler – Part One:
How to Tell When Your Baby is Ready to Wean
All children wean eventually and at their own pace. How can you tell if your child is ready?
First off, realize the weaning process starts when you’ve offered your baby that first spoonful of solid food. Weaning [...]

Weaning Your Younger Baby – Part Two:
Tips for Mother-Led Weaning
Weaning, like walking, is a developmental milestone that all babies eventually accomplish. How soon your baby weans depends on your and your baby’s attitudes toward nursing.
photo credit: James Jordan
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), babies should be breastfed for at [...]

Thinking of weaning your baby? How do you know if your baby is ready?
Good question. Babies go through stages and sometimes you may think your little one is ready to stop nursing. One of these issues is called a nursing strike.
For instance:
You have a 9 month old baby who hasn’t shown any interest in nursing [...]

Every baby eventually weans.
Some mothers choose to wean their babies at a predetermined time (perhaps at one year of age), or when life circumstances seem to warrant it (such as a new pregnancy).
But most of the time, weaning can be a gradual, natural process where a baby or young child grows away from the [...]