When is actually the right time to finally stop breastfeeding? Many mothers feel a bit of melancholy at this thought. Because during the breastfeeding period, you have probably built up a particularly close bond with your baby. But, hey: that is not lost through weaning! Quite the opposite. It is a stable basis for everything else that comes. When your child is ready and wants to be weaned, they usually show you this through clear signals. And then you should respect that too. Your baby is gradually getting bigger, an independent person with wishes and needs, and discovers that there are more interesting things than breast milk. That's a good thing too.
Gentle weaning: How to succeed
Many mothers also see it with mixed feelings, because after all, weaning also means enjoying more freedom again, which was far too short in the first period after pregnancy. The path to weaning can, however, be long and quite arduous, especially since weaning should also be gentle. Abrupt weaning from one day to the next is theoretically possible, but anything but gentle. And that is not particularly pleasant for either the mother or the child.
How do you notice that it's time to stop breastfeeding?
With a little sensitivity, you will probably notice it: it's time for something new, for a new chapter, for both your baby and you. When you are both ready for it, then that is the right time. The breast becomes increasingly uninteresting for your baby, even incidental. Their joy of discovery is great and they usually no longer need the breast to calm down or to fall asleep.
If your baby lets themselves be distracted from breastfeeding and keeps turning their head away, this does not necessarily mean that they are ready for weaning. That is actually normal. Signs of this could rather be that your baby is interested in the food at the family table. But even then, many mothers continue to breastfeed for a long time. Long-term breastfeeding, as we now know, is a prevention against diseases – both for the baby and for the mother.
There is no optimal point for weaning. Most mothers start feeding their child complementary food around the 6th month, but it can also take a few weeks longer. It often takes one or two years until the baby no longer receives any breastfeeding meals at all.
Your child decides!
When it comes to gentle weaning, you should let your child decide the timing. Then it will be the easiest and most harmonious, regardless of whether it's at a few months or not until 2 years. It is amazing that many children at some point decide all by themselves that they no longer want to receive breast milk from now on.
However, if your child is significantly younger than half a year, the breastfeeding strike can also have other reasons and you should first ask a midwife or breastfeeding consultant before you prematurely throw in the towel. Under one year, self-weaning happens only very rarely. In our blog article "Breastfeeding - Fascination Breast Milk" you can find out which breastfeeding problems can occur and how you can fix them.
How you should best behave
If you want to gently wean your child, you should give them as much time as they need – quite individually. Gentle weaning always starts with the mother too. It extends over a longer period of time in which milk production decreases and your baby gradually gets more solid meals, until finally only one breastfeeding meal, usually in the evening, remains.
And if weaning has to be abrupt?
Sometimes the thing with gentle weaning unfortunately remains a dream. For example, if an unforeseen event occurs and you are separated from your baby or if one of you falls ill. But be careful: abrupt weaning is not so easily possible. You need the support of a midwife or a doctor for this, because it can lead to unpleasant milk congestion or breast inflammation.
A few tips for gentle and loving weaning
If you are sure that it is slowly time to wean your child, then a few tips can make the undertaking a little easier.
- Never trick your child
Some breastfeeding mothers think they have to try to withdraw the breast from the baby with tricks. We won't go into more detail here on how that's supposed to work, because it's anything but recommended.
- Do not actively offer your baby the breast, but do not refuse it either if they want to be breastfed.
- In the transition phase, for example, only breastfeed your child in the evening and only at home, not on the go.
- Wear rather breastfeeding-unfriendly clothing that makes it difficult for you to expose the breast anytime and anywhere.
- Try to distract your child if it is obvious that they only want the breast because they are bored or because they are tired.
At this point, you can wonderfully and very effectively use our swing2sleep automatic baby hammock. It works wonders when your baby is supposed to sleep. But it is also a valuable helper during weaning. If your child vehemently demands your breast, its rhythmic rocking and its cozy closeness ensure quick calming and relaxation for your baby.
- If, for example, you no longer want to breastfeed in the morning, leave the field to the dad. If you are then not at home at all, it is easier for your baby to do without the breast.
- Gradually shorten the breastfeeding times and do not wait for your child to stop sucking on their own.
- If your child is already older and understanding, you can agree on a date with them, for example the next birthday or similar.
Important: Do not let yourself be put under pressure by others who are of the opinion that it is now clearly time to wean because your child is already so big. It is solely your decision and that of your child when you wean!
