Everything Moms Need To Know About Weaning From Breastfeeding

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Just as starting a breastfeeding journey is hard, ending a breastfeeding journey is sometimes — dare we say — harder. Also known as weaning, stopping breastfeeding is a monumental time for your little family (your baby is, yes, growing up) which can be challenging for a mom who loved that time spent nourishing and bonding with her baby. On the other hand, maybe you’re the mom who is so ready to stop breastfeeding and who wants to throw out the breast pumps and nipple shields and celebrate getting some freedom and flexibility back in her life.

Whether you’re weaning from breastfeeding because you’re ready to stop or your child is getting older or any other reason, here are some suggestions to make the process easier.

When To Stop Breastfeeding

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Weaning begins when your child has her first supplemental feed from a bottle or from solid food. Remember that the process of stopping breastfeeding does not have to be all or nothing — it can be any combination of decreasing breastfeeding and increasing bottle feeding and/or solid food that works for you and your child.

There’s no official set number of years you should nurse your baby, but the World Health Organization and other health authorities recommend that babies are fed breast milk entirely for their first six months of life and continue having their mother’s milk alongside other foods — known as complementary foods — until at least the age of 2. This is because breast milk isn’t just food; it also contains immunity-boosting antibodies.

Ideally, you stop breastfeeding over a period of weeks or even months. This allows your milk supply to gradually decrease as milk is removed less often. Depending on the age of your child, this extra time also gives you the opportunity to introduce other solids and liquids besides breast milk.

Weaning a Baby Under 1 Year Old

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If you feel unable to continue breastfeeding until the six-month mark and want to try mother-led weaning, start by cutting out one breastfeed per day and replacing it with a bottle of formula.

Tips for weaning a baby under 1 year old:

• Try first to substitute his least favorite feeding first. If the baby won’t accept the bottle from you, (he knows the breast is right around here somewhere) La Leche League suggests you see if a support person can succeed. It may also be helpful if you're not in the room or at home so the baby cannot smell you.
• Let the baby have a few days (or weeks, if possible) between each time you substitute a breastfeeding session with a bottle. Express a little milk from your breasts to make yourself comfortable if you become engorged. Don’t express a whole feeding’s worth of milk — just enough to take the pressure off. Your body will slowly get the signal to make less milk over time.

Weaning an Older Child

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Just as breastfeeding an older toddler or child is different than breastfeeding an infant, weaning an older child is different than weaning an infant. Many moms wean naturally, by placing some restrictions on nursing as the child grows and then just allowing the child to outgrow the need to breastfeed in her own time. Older children will be aware of a missed breastfeeding session as well, but you can distract them with a drink from a cup, a healthy snack, a toy, or even a change of scenery.

Slow & Steady (or Cold Turkey?) Wins the Race

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If you can give yourself time to slowly wean off breastfeeding, it will be less stressful for you and your child. It will also be more comfortable physically and emotionally for you both. We also know that sometimes stopping breastfeeding cold turkey or quickly is necessary.

See if any of these suggestions work for you:

• If you’ll be doing a quicker transition through weaning, it’s suggested that you begin by dropping the breastfeeding session that your little one seems the least interested in. Hold on to the early morning or bedtime breastfeeding sessions for last. Unless you’re going cold turkey, there’s no reason to immediately end those nighttime snuggles.
• Wear a supportive bra as your breasts will become engorged because you won’t be feeding as often (or at all).
• If your breasts become engorged and painful, try to hand express or use a hand pump just until you feel more comfortable. Try not to empty your breasts so you don’t trigger an increase in the supply.
• Talk to your doctor for suggestions about reducing milk production.
• Offer your child only one breast per feed and try to stick to a fixed feeding routine.

Managing Mom Guilt & Helping Baby Through the Process

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Breastfeeding has probably been a natural comforter for your child when he was feeling tired or anxious or worried. If you find that your child is out of sorts around breastfeeding (or the lack thereof), try the following:

• Offer a pacifier for your child to suck on in place of your breast.
• After making sure your child’s nutritional needs are being met, offer your child plenty of liquids and solid foods.
• Continue to spend plenty of time bonding with your child.
• If your baby associates bedtime (or other activities) with breastfeeding, consider having your partner take over these duties during weaning.

Weaning can be a difficult time for mother too. Moms often have many feelings, including sadness, anxiety, and despair. A La Leche League leader or breastfeeding mom group can help you feel less alone as you go through this big step. Whether you went cold turkey with your weaning, are doing a relatively quick transition, or you are going slow and steady, your hormones are changing. Even moms who weren’t thrilled with breastfeeding may experience post-weaning depression as they are processing the end of breastfeeding.

Self-care for weaning moms looks like:

• Getting sufficient rest and nutrition to help regulate hormones.
• Finding a support group or friend who understands what you’re going through.
• Carving out some "me time" for a hobby — even 30 minutes will do.
• Finding a yoga video on YouTube or doing a physical activity that you love.

Thinking About Nutrition

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The first step toward weaning your baby is introducing solid foods alongside your breast milk around the age of 6 months. You’ll notice that breastfeeding will naturally become less frequent over time. It could take a few months or sometimes a year of breastfeeding — now down to a couple times per day — as the weaning process continues until breast milk is completely replaced by other foods and drinks.

If that timeline is too slow for you, try dropping one breastfeed at a time and offering your baby formula milk instead if she is younger than 12 months old.
According to Medela, the breastfeeding product and research company, a typical 7-month-old still gets 93% of daily calories from milk. Even at 11 to 16 months, milk may still provide around half the daily calorie intake.

Remember: Children less than 1 year old should never be given cow’s milk, soy milk, or other similar products.

Weaning Day & Night

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It’s said that weaning at night is best, but La Leche League offers that it does not need to be all or nothing. “It is possible to wean during the day but only nurse at night as the nighttime feeding is usually the last to go. Or wean at night but still allow nursing during the day.”

Bedtime nursings are often the last to be dropped and can be more difficult. La Leche League suggests staying away from sleep-training at this time and endorses that “staying close to your little one to allow for quick attention before they are fully awake can also help with the overnight times.”

Here are some other tips:

• If you were co-sleeping with your child, consider moving him into his own bed or into bed with an older sibling to decrease his urge to breastfeed and to feel close with you.
• Have your partner do the bedtime routine, providing a chance for bonding and less stress on a weaning-exhausted mom.
• Offer a drink of water or snack if the child seems hungry or thirsty.
• Give him snuggles, affection, and music to replace nursing at night or for nap time. A good book or two will eventually become more important than a long session at the breast. Your child may agree to rest his head on your breast instead of feeding.
• Talk to your child about what’s going on ahead of time if you can. He may understand more than you expect.

Try these strategies for daytime weaning:

• Breastfeed the child when she asks and don’t offer when she doesn’t. This simple technique known as “Don’t offer, don’t refuse” may help accelerate the weaning process when used with other methods.
• Try to avoid your usual nursing station spot in your home as much as possible at the times when she usually would ask to nurse. Some even suggest standing up as much as possible.
• If possible, get help from other family and household members. Have your partner or someone else do all of the morning routine.
• Offer a snack or drink at usual nursing times. Other distractions: reading, a new toy, singing to the child.
• Shorten the length of nursing or see if she accepts a postponed nursing, advises La Leche League. If your child is old enough to understand the concept of time or waiting, tell her she will be done when you are finishing singing a certain song, or counting to 10 may help with the transition.

How To Stop Producing Milk

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When you’re ready to stop breastfeeding and want to dry up your milk supply, you’re obviously going to be feeding less — probably dropping a feeding session every three to five days — and that means your breasts are holding milk. A common issue that comes with weaning is mastitis, inflammation usually caused by infection from milk buildup in the breast tissue.

No matter how long your milk supply lasts, one method not to use to reduce milk production is breast binding. This may cause clogged ducts and mastitis, which can come with a great deal of pain. By slowly tapering off feeding sessions, you give your body more time to gradually decrease the milk supply. If you’re pumping, make sure the pump fits you properly. Also, take care of your breasts as bacteria can enter through any sores or cuts, leading to an infection.

If you notice signs of mastitis that develop during weaning, including fever and hard red bumps, immediately notify your doctor.

Baby No. 2?

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Although breastfeeding is a natural contraceptive, it’s not foolproof. And it’s unlikely to be effective after six months or if you’re not exclusively breastfeeding. Think about birth control and be aware that you could conceive while still nursing your baby.

A Final Word on Weaning From Breastfeeding

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As you begin this new stage with your child, be gentle with yourself and your baby. It’s a big shift physically, hormonally, and emotionally for you both, so do it with thought, kindness, and loving care.