How To Stop Breastfeeding

Whether you have been breastfeeding your baby for one week or two years you have given him/her an excellent start in life. Don’t feel bad or guilty about deciding to, feel proud of your decision to breast feed in the first place.

Now you have decided or you feel that it is necessary to stop. So how are you going to wean your child when your baby has become so attached to your breast milk? Is it even the right time for weaning?

No one can tell you when the best time to stop would be. Only you can make this decision based on what is best for you and your baby. You may seek advice from your pediatrician on when they think would be the best time. If you are weaning an infant early you may need to switch them to a bottle instead of heading straight to a cup.

Ways to Stop Breastfeeding

The first thing to consider is your child. If you have been feeding your baby from the breast only, without using any bottles, your baby will need time to adjust. You need to make this transaction as easy as possible in order to maintain your child’s feeling of security. You also need to be patient during this process.

Start by offering the breast only during nap or bed time. By doing this, your baby will know that during the day, they will have to drink from a bottle or sippy cup.

If your breasts start to feel full, do not pump unless it becomes uncomfortable. If you have to pump at all, just pump enough to relieve the discomfort. Your body will soon get the message and slow down the production of milk. Breast milk is based on supply and demand. Continue until your body is producing only the minimum.

Meanwhile, if your baby is not accepting the transaction too well, try offering bottles or cups with breast milk in it. Even if it is two ounces of breast milk it may be enough to satisfy. As your baby gets used to drinking out of a bottle or cup, slowly start mixing the breast milk with formula or whole milk. If your baby is under one year old use an infant formula. It’s not a good idea to give whole milk to your baby too early.

If your child is still an infant, he or she will eventually take the bottle when offered. If your child is older you may have a harder time breaking him or her from the breast. This becomes more of an emotional attachment and they may not understand the change and why is has to happen.

Have patience with your baby or child during this time and reward them when they do accept an alternative.

If you have a medical condition that requires that you stop breast feeding, you may need to speed up the process a little. You still need to be patient because your child doesn’t know of your reasons, and if they did they wouldn’t understand. Your milk will also eventually dry up on its own which will let you know that it’s time to start weaning.

If you become pregnant before weaning your child, don’t just instantly stop breastfeeding your baby. Give them a week or two to transition. You will have time to wean your child before the new baby arrives.

Making the choice to stop breastfeeding is a major decision and once you start it, you may feel guilty about your decision. Understand that your child will do just fine without it, and that you gave them a wonderful start by breastfeeding in the first place.