Weaning During The Day: How It Works
One of the best ways to help your child stop breastfeeding is to wean them during the day.
As the name suggests, is the weaning during the day is that you no longer breastfeeding your child during the day. You can continue to breastfeed your baby, but only at night.
Does this method work? How is it implemented? This article will tell you everything you need to know.
In general, mothers should wait until their babies are at least 8 or 9 months old before attempting to wean them during the day.
At this age your children will start a free diet. This means they will still get the nutrients they need even if they consume less breast milk.
This type of weaning also requires a certain level of development and the ability to draw attention to other stimuli. This means that the baby’s senses must be sufficiently developed for daytime weaning to be successful.
Unfortunately, the task is not always that simple. Some babies are very attached to their mother’s breasts, even if they are not particularly hungry.
Reasons to start weaning
Weaning during the day is the first step from breastfeeding to a different diet. This can contain follow-on milk, but does not have to be.
The most common arguments leading a mother to wean her child are as follows:
- The mother’s personal choice.
- Lack of interest in the child.
- The breasts produce little or no milk.
Tips for weaning during the day
1. Stop breastfeeding during the day
As obvious as this tip may seem, it needs to be mentioned. Many mothers fall back into the temptation to breastfeed during the day even after several days or weeks of successful weaning.
Your main task now is to gradually change your little one’s eating habits.
Replace breastfeeding with fruit purees, baby yogurt, or other recipes your baby likes.
If your baby is not hungry, you can try something else to distract them. For example, you can try toys, songs, or an excursion.
Remember, this is a great time to introduce new textures, flavors, and ingredients. Use this fact in your favor to achieve weaning during the day.
2. Get your child used to eating with other people
In the first months of your baby’s life, breastfeeding is a synonym for strengthening the mother-child bond.
However, when it is time to wean, it is important that your child can eat with other family members.
For example, let someone else take care of the afternoon meals or whatever meal works best for your family.
This is especially important for mothers who are going to work or who plan to return to work in the near future.
It also helps the child to develop a certain independence in relation to their caregiver.
3. Gradual weaning
We want to reiterate that this is more of a process, and not something that you should do abruptly.
If you suddenly wean your baby, you and your child could run into problems.
First, your child needs time to get used to the new diet. Second, suddenly reducing milk delivery can cause pain because your breasts are full of milk.
It is also not good for your little one’s delicate digestive system to make drastic changes to their diet. Your baby will need time, patience, and consistency to gradually get used to the changes.
4. Avoid weaning during the day during stressful times
If your baby is having a difficult time, such as when you go back to work, then weaning during the day is not a good idea.
This ties in with the previous point. Too many abrupt changes can be counterproductive when it comes to changing your baby’s habits.
So if you plan to change your baby’s feeding routine or your baby’s life in general, it is best to wean them before or after.
5. Start by eliminating the meals that are furthest away from bedtime
Mothers should keep an eye on their baby’s daily feeding routine. Based on this routine, the first thing you should do is get rid of meals that are not related to sleeping habits.
This likely means that you will skip meals in the morning and perhaps shortly after you bathe.
It will be more difficult to cut back on the feedings that happen just before bedtime that help your baby relax.
Using follow-on milk as a substitute for breastfeeding – whether given by the mother or someone else – can be a good alternative.
Always remember that every baby is unique, as is every bond between a mother and her baby.
Therefore , no one knows better than the mother of a baby how and when the time has come to start weaning during the day.
You might be surprised by your little one’s adaptability. It’s just a matter of trying and then seeing how things go.
If necessary, you can always decide that the timing is not right and try again at a later time.
