Being a parent brings its own set of challenges and you will have to face them every day. On the other hand, if you are a new parent, you will be more apprehensive and have a lot to think about. Let’s be honest, motherhood is hard and one of the phases you have to go through is breastfeeding. We would like to congratulate you if you have passed that stage. It takes a lot of dedication, commitment, and patience to breastfeed your child. Now cut to the other party, you need to keep them from stopping nursing. Now, his question would be: How to prevent your child from breastfeeding? Don’t worry as we have covered and composed a summary for this. Feel free to check out this list, if you want to make it easier.
What is the right thing to do for your child to stop breastfeeding?
The World Health Organization (WHO) would advise moms to wean slowly from 6 months. In some cases, speaking from personal experience, doctors recommend 8 months as the appropriate age. Truth be told, it’s totally up to you, but you can have a window of up to 2 years. Your baby begins to eat solid foods within this time and you should not worry about this at all.
How to prevent your child from breastfeeding?
There is no written set of rules to follow for this and we know you are already doing a great job. This shouldn’t be that hard for you and you can do it on your own. We have some tips you can rely on to make it easier.
- emotional control – The first toll will be yours, mommy, since you know that the days of physical connection with your son are coming to an end. Most moms would be apprehensive, but remember that you are the only one who will make them strong, practical and stable. You have to do it and there is nothing to stop it.
- Replace – The next thing to do is to find a replacement, as if you do not want to breastfeed, but you can serve breast milk in a bottle or a glass. Okay, this is the right time to introduce them to a glass instead of a bottle. Did you know that children as young as 4 months can be trained to drink from a cup? You can introduce your baby to cow’s milk, formula (according to the doctor’s advice) and, of course, solid foods.
- No more feeding on demand – All mother-baby relationships are unique. By this age, toddlers will have settled into a routine and can expect feeding sessions at set intervals, such as during naptime, bedtime, or walking. You need to stop this and gently let them know no. However, offer the substitute (as mentioned above) that you have distinguished and promise to take care of him before he falls asleep and cries.
- make some changes – For example, change the feeding room as babies become comfortable with their surroundings. Making a change in their environment can help them learn faster. All babies are different and you should try this with your baby. Hold them, comfort them and love them even more during this change. Play with them to make the process easier and they won’t feel like they’re missing out.
- talk to your baby – Don’t worry, your toddler can understand a lot of things. Again, if they have reached the age of a preschooler, they can also be explained logically. So talk to your child regularly about what breastfeeding is like for young babies and how they are growing. Tell them that there will soon be a period when they will never be allowed to breastfeed again.
- Nursing times will be shortened – This is another method that can help you prevent your baby from weaning. This will also help your child adjust emotionally to this big change ahead.
Will it affect your nutrition?
One of the main things you’re probably worried about when weaning your baby is his food. It is difficult to know how much food they usually get all the time. What she needs to focus on, though, is making sure she’s providing plenty of extra calories throughout the day when she’s weaning her son. Certainly, breastfeeding gives your child lots of extra calories, supplements, and fats (source). By stopping this food source, you will need to ensure that your child accepts those things through the sustenance you offer.
In any case, don’t make up so much for lost time by following your child’s food, as it will drive him crazy. One day they may eat nothing, the next they may eat like an adult. Instead, focus on nutritious foods throughout the week. Children are amazing and will eat what they need; their activity is just to make a variety of foods available at regular intervals and their activity is to choose whether and how much they would like to eat.
Will it affect their development by any chance?
For babies, customs and schedules give them the suspicion that all is well, based on their experience. For your breastfeeding baby, breastfeeding may have progressed to become part of this routine. Therefore, it is important to understand that as she weans, she must find ways to strengthen her need for security after nursing has stopped.
You know your child best; he chooses something that they will appreciate and that will help comfort them. It’s also helpful if your child is still effortlessly busy at this age (source). This means that when your child gets upset that he’s not allowed to parent, surrogate fun can be a great way to calm him down. This is just part of their development, it has to happen and you will notice a positive change in your child.
Conclusion:
It’s not that easy to find all the answers to How to stop your child from breastfeeding. Don’t worry, take it easy and invest pragmatically. There is no point in buying things that you will not need for a long time. Nobody can teach you this and it is better that you are alone for this. We’ve given you a rundown of things, but that doesn’t mean you have to stick only to them. Get creative and train them the way you want as you know what works best for your baby.