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Home › Articles › Weaning › Weaning Between the Ages of 1 and 2 Years

Weaning Between the Ages of 1 and 2 Years

Tips for Weaning Your 1-year-old

By Carma Haley Shoemaker

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A child's first birthday is cause for celebration. Changes in the child's life will continue to occur, lessons will be learned and adventures will happen almost daily. Weaning at this stage of a child's life can be just one of those adventures.

Harder for Mom or Toddler?
Weaning an older child who has developed a routine which includes breastfeeding can be a time of trial and error. Older children are more equipped to express their feelings related to their wants, needs, likes and dislikes. Children entering their second year have learned various skills to aid them in verbalizing their inner feelings.

An older child may also express his/her disapproval of being weaned through behavior changes. This can offer a signal to the mother that weaning is not progressing in the manner she had hoped. Gale Prachniak, lactation consultant and program coordinator at Woman and Infant's hospital in Rhode Island says, "Older children may act out as a result of being weaned and it is not always easy to determine the reason for the behavior. If the mother notices that the toddler is suddenly very irritable, is having trouble sleeping, is toilet trained and goes back to having accidents, begins stuttering or needs a toy or blanket for security where they didn't before, it is possible the process is going a little too quickly for them."

Just as a toddler can become accustomed to breastfeeding, mothers often find it hard to allow their babies to wean. The interaction between mother and baby has benefits for both, and weaning can often become an emotional time for mom. Elissa Sonnenberg, mother of two and writer from Cincinnati, says, "I gradually weaned both my sons from breastfeeding when they were around 1 year old. I guess you could just as well say they weaned me. By the time they were giving up the breast, I was really unsure whether I was able to let go. In the end, I think it was harder on me than it was on my boys."


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Re: Weaning Between the Ages of 1 and 2 Years by Chantele H on 02/24/2010 10:14AM

My son is almost 13 months and it is time for my husband and I to have ame time together. I am just starting to look at the steps and best approach. You would think I should be an expert after 4 children but I didn't breastfeed the others as long and the kids are all 4 yrears apart. It is amazing how quickly we forget. My trouble is that he is teething is this a good time? He is a very needy child still does not sleep through the night. How do you handle the night wakeing if you stop breastfeeding? I am really nervous but need a break.

Weaning Between the Ages of 1 and 2 Years by Marian KJC on 12/06/2009 07:11PM

I am currently weaning my 17 month old and am on day 2, I feel terrible. My breasts are engorged and my baby wont eat as well as she should and there is no breastmilk to fall back on! I feel bad emotionally, she wants to cuddle more and thats the least I can do I guess. I know she misses the milk and I miss her cuddling, but I know its for our own good so I will hang in there. Good luck all you moms!

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