Author Topic: weaning process  (Read 1499 times)

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Offline ele

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weaning process
« on: September 06, 2015, 18:53:45 pm »
I wanted to understand how weaning should work (actually reducing BF times).

We just settled on 3 solid meals ( an 8mo old DD).

Her eating now is as follows:
6:30/7:00 BF
7:30/8:00 breakfast
10:30/11:00 BF
12/12:30 lunch
2:30 BF
5 dinner fruit
6:30 BF
BF at night once when she wants

I would like to guide her to eating only solids after 1 year. How to do this? Which meals to start with and how to help her stop eating BM at that feeding (I can't imagine forcing her though)?

I read a thread on weaning but it was more general. thank you

Offline creations

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Re: weaning process
« Reply #1 on: September 06, 2015, 21:50:10 pm »
Hi there
Toddlers of 12 months old still need milk. Although the focus shifts to solids as the main source of food most LOs will still be having 2 milk feeds per day at 1yo and beyond (often WU and BT although this is not a set rule). Even if the milk is only one serving (just at WU for instance) it is still needed as part of a healthy toddler diet.

Is it that you would like to stop breast feeding at 1yo?  If that is your aim you can move to cows milk at that point, you may need to help LO adapt to the different flavour of the milk with a gentle wean but that's not necessary for all LOs. Mine was formula fed (which still tastes very different to cows milk) but took to cows milk without batting an eye. Other LOs need an oz at a time switched so that the change comes more slowly.
If you need/want to stop BF altogether at 1yo possibly think about pumping and storing breast milk to use during the switch over period to cows milk, if that is a possibility for you.
It's also fine to continue to BF after 1yo if you'd prefer.

There really isn't anything you can or should be doing at this point to begin that change in focus from milk to solids. In a few months you may see 1 of the feeds drop off, with LO less interested in that feed, or you might switch 1 feed to a solids snack and drink of water but this is not something for now.  It won't be about forcing her, it will be about her being ready and happy to switch to a solids snack rather than the milk feed.


Offline *Ali*

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Re: weaning process
« Reply #2 on: September 06, 2015, 22:11:45 pm »
What happened with my oldest two was we moved to 3 BFs a day when we switched to one nap and then gradually stopped giving that middle feed too and just gave a solids snack at that time instead.

With the BT Feed we moved it to before the wind down routine (bath, story, pjs) and then distracted them with an extra story or a sippy of hot chocolate for a very short time.

With the morning BF we just got daddy to get them up and go straight to a solids breakfast.

Also check out our FAQ Weaning
Cadan Dec 2009 and Colby Aug 2011


Offline ele

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Re: weaning process
« Reply #3 on: September 09, 2015, 20:44:34 pm »
Thank you