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When Weaning Isn't Easy
Helping Your Toddler Find Another Breast Friend
By Jenn Director Knudsen
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends mothers exclusively nurse their babies their first four months to six months before adding solids. Then, continue breastfeeding until 1 year of age.
Some toddlers, however, would like the AAP to recommend mother's milk well into the preschool years – and beyond! Well, it sure seems like that! Some toddlers are so attached to nursing they'd do anything to stay on the breast.
"My daughter nursed until she was 3," says Silvana Clark, a mom from Bellingham, Wash. "We'd be in a grocery store, and she'd say, 'I'll give you three reasons why I want to nurse right now.'"
This self-described "desperate" mom was ready and needed to wean her child. Pediatricians and parents alike agree if you're feeling now as Clark did then, it's time to encourage your toddler to give up the breast.
This process isn't always easy. Here, experts offer some gentle ways to wean.
"Like any habit that needs changing, it's important that the parent [or parents] is on board and ready to be consistent about the plan of action," Dr. Shu says.
Diane Bengson, author of How Weaning Happens (La Leche League International, 2001) and mother of three, agrees. "It's particularly helpful if the mother is clear in her mind and has no ambivalence about weaning; children will know if Mom isn't certain about this," she says.
One remedy in this situation: Initiate partial weaning by eliminating one or two nursing sessions at a time from the day.
Dr. Shu counsels first cutting out the midday feedings until only morning and bedtime nursings remain. This strategy serves "as a middle step before getting rid of the final couple of feedings," she says.
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