If you are breastfeeding, see our post on toddler nursing…wean whenever it feels right to you! Remember there are no right or wrong ways to wean your baby from the breast; every baby and family are different and may use different strategies. Gradual weaning is almost always preferred for both mom and baby’s physical and emotional health, but here is some good info if you have to wean in an emergency.
If you are bottle feeding, best practice guidelines suggest weaning around 12 months or when you transition your baby off formula to whole cow’s milk or cow’s milk alternative. Hopefully your baby has never developed the habit of falling asleep or laying down with a bottle to bed…this is half the battle!
There are a lot of different methods to try when weaning your bottle fed baby. One strategy we’ve found to be successful, especially if your bottle fed baby has the habit of going to sleep with the bottle or waking at night for a bottle, is to transfer the learning association between falling asleep to something other than the bottle, such as soft music. Pick a lullaby and play it (the same song) every time you give your baby a bottle at night for about a week. Then, when your baby wakes for a bottle at night, quickly start the music and hopefully the “sleep music” will lull them back to sleep without taking a bottle. An older child who is stuck on having a bottle can “take charge” of finding all the bottles and nipples in the house and throwing them away themselves. Then when it’s their usual bottle time, gently remind them that they have thrown them all away. Reading a book, taking a warm bath, and offering warm whole cow’s milk in a cup before bedtime as part of a consistent routine are also helpful strategies. Always brush your baby or toddler’s teeth before they fall asleep. If they continue to wake at night, offer water. Be firm and consistent and the process will go much more quickly (not necessarily more easily). If you are inconsistent, your toddler will learn that fussing or tantrums eventually get them what they want, which prolongs everyone’s stress.
If you’re both bottle feeding and breastfeeding (regardless of whether you use breast milk or formula in the bottle) you may use a combination of strategies. Another idea that often works is to distract your toddler with an especially favorite toy or activity when they ask for the breast or bottle. Keep the toy or activity out of sight/reach and only offer it instead of the feeding. The toy or activity becomes the “nursing” or “bottle” toy substitute. You might need to introduce a new toy or activity if the novelty factor wears off.
Please contact us if you have further questions so we can cater to your individual situation.
DISCLAIMER: We know when you surf the web for information, you can get conflicting results, and it’s not easy to know whether you are finding evidence-based, high quality recommendations. That’s part of our job here at Kodiak KINDNESS; we are here to support your informed decisions about infant feeding through your baby’s first year. We’ve done some background work, and to the best of our knowledge, this post reflects current best practices. However, the information contained in this post and any links contained herein is for your informational use only; it is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Furthermore, Kodiak KINDNESS is not responsible for the accuracy of any information contained in this post or links contained herein; it is for you to review at your own risk and discuss, as needed, with your health care professional in order to make a plan that suits your individual circumstances.