Tips for weaning your baby from breastfeeding

When the baby grows up and can eat more complementary foods, mothers need to wean the baby. Because during this period, mothers' breast milk can no longer meet the baby's growth and development. However, many mothers find that it is very difficult to wean their babies off breast milk. If you find it difficult, it’s because you haven’t mastered the skills yet. Here are some tips on how to wean your baby off breastfeeding.

However, there is no strict rule on the age of weaning from breastfeeding. It depends on the situation of the baby and the mother. If the mother has a lot of breast milk and can feed the baby for a longer period of time, she can wait until later to wean the baby. If there is little breast milk, but the baby likes it and is willing to eat other foods, then you can feed him for a longer period of time. If there is little breast milk and the baby is unwilling to eat dairy products and other foods, then the mother should consider weaning early.

Apply irritants such as mercurochrome, chili water, etc. to the nipples. The mother thinks that the baby will become disgusted with breast milk and give up breast milk. In fact, this will only scare the baby and may also make the baby feel fear and refuse to eat, thus affecting his physical health.

Sudden weaning from breastfeeding. Send your baby to your grandma's or grandmother's house for a few days, or even not see your baby for a long time. This long-term separation of mother and child will make the baby feel insecure, especially for babies who are highly dependent on breast milk. They will become anxious because they cannot see their mother, and will be unwilling to eat, become irritable, cry violently, and even become sick and lose weight.

Summer is not the best time for weaning. The climate is hot in summer and bacteria multiply quickly. If you are not careful, it may cause gastrointestinal diseases in your baby.

Get ill. When babies are sick, they often have a decreased appetite and reduced digestive function. At this time, changing to a different diet will make it difficult for the baby to adapt and will not be conducive to recovery.

Weaning from breastfeeding should be done gradually. The specific approach is: at the beginning, reduce one meal of milk per day. After about a week, if the mother feels that her breasts are not too swollen and the baby's digestion and absorption are also good, you can reduce another meal of milk and increase the amount of other milk products, gradually weaning from breastfeeding until transitioning to complete weaning. Generally speaking, the baby will be able to adapt to complete weaning after 2 to 3 days, and it can be completed in about a week at the latest.

After the baby is weaned from breast milk, he or she will lose a source of high-quality protein, and the baby needs protein for growth, so it is necessary to supplement protein in time. In addition to feeding your baby fish, meat, and eggs, a certain amount of milk (preferably formula milk) is also required every day. Milk is a necessary food for babies every day after they are weaned from breastfeeding, because it is not only easy to digest, but also extremely nutritious. It can provide the baby with various nutrients needed for physical development, and is one of the ideal protein sources for babies after they are weaned from breastfeeding.

In addition, babies should eat nutritious, soft and easily digestible food. Since babies have weak chewing and digestive abilities, rough foods are difficult for them to digest. Therefore, you should give them soft, rotten foods. Generally speaking, the staple food can be soft noodles, rice porridge, small wontons, etc., and the side dishes can be minced meat, chopped vegetables and egg custard, etc.

Babies who have just been weaned from breastfeeding cannot adapt to the taste of irritating foods, and their digestive tracts are also difficult to adapt to highly irritating foods. Therefore, they should not eat spicy foods.

Weaning from breastfeeding is an inevitable process. When facing the baby’s crying, the mother should give the baby extra care and attention to help the baby smoothly through the weaning period.

1. Prepare for weaning in advance. After the baby is 6 months old, add a certain amount of formula milk every day, reduce the number of times the baby eats breast milk, ensure nutritional supply, and add complementary foods on time.

2. Do not develop the bad habit of falling asleep in an adult’s arms or sucking on the mother’s nipple. When the baby falls asleep, the mother can stay by his bed to reduce the worry of separation from the mother, allowing the baby to fall asleep peacefully and gradually reduce his attachment to breast milk.

3. During the weaning process, mothers should take a decisive attitude and not delay weaning because of the baby's crying. You should not stop feeding your baby suddenly or after a few days of not being able to stop feeding your baby suddenly, as this will give your baby negative emotional stimulation one after another. This is harmful to the baby's mental health and can easily cause emotional instability, night terrors, food refusal and psychological disorders.

4. During the weaning period, the mother should pay special attention to and take care of the baby, spend some time with him, play more games with him, and soothe the baby's anxiety, which can greatly improve the baby's crying behavior.

5. Any simple and rough method of weaning from breastfeeding will make the baby unhappy, causing physical and psychological discomfort, leading to sequelae such as feeding difficulties, malnutrition, bad mood, and decreased disease resistance in the future. If the mother suddenly separates from the baby, or stops breastfeeding all of a sudden, or applies bitter or spicy things on the nipple, the baby will cry and make a fuss due to lack of security.

Mom needs to adjust her mentality in time

Before and after weaning, mothers tend to indulge their babies because of psychological guilt. But you should know that the more you indulge your baby, the worse his temper will be. Before and after weaning, it is necessary for the mother to hold the baby more and give him more caress, but do not easily give in to the baby's unreasonable demands, and do not cultivate bad habits in the baby because of weaning.

At this time, the father needs to balance the mother's emotions rationally. When the baby cries and makes a fuss, the father can come forward to coordinate and the baby will be more likely to obey.

In addition, weaning from breastfeeding may cause hormonal changes in the mother's body, leading to some negative emotions such as depression and irritability, as well as breast pain and milk dripping. At this time, scientific measures should be taken and a happy mood should be maintained.