In this article, I am sharing on suggestions how to wean your baby from breastfeeding and night feeding.
Suggestions
1. Choose a bottle’s nipple which resembles the breast.
2. Let your baby play with the milk bottle.
Your baby might refuse to drink from the milk bottle because it seems unfamiliar to him.
Let your baby play with a bottle of an ounce of breast milk or milk formula.
Get your baby familiar with it, he is able to explore and get curious about it at his own pace.
Stay calm if your baby doesn’t like milk bottle or throw it away.
Smile and praise your baby as he plays with the bottle especially if he places the nipple in his mouth.
3. Start small.
Do not expect your baby to go from 100% nursing to taking a bottle overnight.
For example, your baby only drinks an ounce of milk formula in the bottle, nurse him after.
Praise your baby for drinking from the bottle.
Try again another time, praise your baby for drinking from the bottle again regardless of how many ounces he takes.
4. Drop the least favourite feeding first like the mid-day.
If someone else is giving your baby a milk bottle such as infant care, start with that feeding first. Your baby is already drinking from a bottle, it will be easier to introduce milk formula. He will still drink at his regular time but with milk formula instead.
Keep offering the alternative for that feeding for a few days. Then, do the same with another mid-day feeding. Once you have eliminated all mid-day feedings, continue with the morning feeding. Finally, save the bedtime one for last.
Eliminate the feedings in this order:
Mid-Day
Morning
Bedtime
5. Mix breast milk with milk formula.
6 ounce mid-day feeding
Day 1: 1 ounce milk formula and 5 ounces of breast milk.
Day 2: 2 ounce milk formula and 4 ounces of breast milk.
Keep doing this until the whole bottle is milk formula instead of breast milk.
6. Warm milk formula as breast milk is warm.
Test the temperature on your own skin before feeding your baby.
7. Feed your baby Where?
- in his dark and quiet room during nap.
- in his bouncy infant seat.
- on your thighs.
How?
- Insert the bottle along with your clean finger.
- Keep it next to the nipple as you insert both of them into your baby’s mouth.
- Slide your finger out and let your baby continue drinking from the bottle.
How to wean your baby from night feeding?
1. Record the times your baby wakes up and cries for milk.
Your baby wakes up at roughly the same time every night.
For example, your baby wakes up at 10:30 pm and 2:30 am.
2. Set your alarm to wake your baby to feed before he cries for milk.
Wake yourself up at 10 pm and 2 am on the first night to feed him.
If your baby cries any other time for milk, reassure him that he will get his milk soon.
Give your baby the same amount of ounces.
3. Reduce the amount of milk you offer on the second night.
Reduce by half an ounce.
4. Give extra milk the next day.
Add another half ounces to his feeding the next day.
Help him take in less at night and more during the day.
5. Reduce the amount further the next night.
For example,
Wake yourself up 30 minutes before your baby does.
Reduce further by half an ounce.
Repeat every night until you have weaned all feedings.
I hope all these suggestions will help you to wean your baby from breastfeeding and night feeding well. Weaning from breastfeeding doesn’t mean you can’t bond with your baby anymore. You can find new ways to spend time with your baby.
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Nurture Infant House (2 to 18 months Infants)
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