At some point in time or the other a mother will have to stop breast feeding toddler. However this can end up being an arduous and even traumatic experience for both mother and child. Very often some babies simply refuse to stop breast feeding and will not stop crying till they are breast fed. There are a number of tips that a mother can follow to help in easing the transition from breast to bottle or from breast to simply no nursing. For some mothers and babies ceasing the breast feeding can occur quite naturally. This may be around the time the baby develops an interest in the food that others are eating around her or him. The baby may develop a liking to eat solid foods. Once the baby starts to eat solid foods the child will stop wanting her mother’s breast milk. But there are other cases where a child may simply not want to stop nursing. This can cause the mother and baby to get upset.
The recommended step for the mother to follow is to avoid suddenly stopping feeding the baby. The feeding should first be reduced gradually. If the mother is feeding the baby in the morning, afternoon, evening and night, then it is advised that she slowly reduce the number of these feeds One can even try to gradually introduce a glass of expressed milk at this time or bottle milk. The slow reduction in number of feeds will prevent the baby from feeling neglected or from upsetting the mother and baby. Eventually one can replace the mother’s milk with formula milk. The added benefits to this are that the father can now have a hand in feeding the baby. Some of the other benefits to reducing the night time feeding is that the mother can now look forward to a full night of undisturbed sleep. Stopping the night time feeding may require a lot of perseverance and patience. Getting the help of another adult be it the father, the care taker or a grand parent is advisable. The other person can then take over feeding the baby instead of the mother. It is advisable at this point in time that the mother stay away from the room when it is nursing time as the baby may find this confusing and may not take to the alternative feeding. The mother can replace the feeding with plenty of cuddles and hugs to give the baby the emotional support and care.
Submitted by J on November 24, 2010 at 11:01