how to wean a 1yr old?

[piplypip]

My DS still feeds on demand night and day which we have both become quite attached to. However we would like to ttc again and I have to take low dose aspirin during pregnancy which can pass through breast milk and pose a risk to our first child.

I am getting on a bit so don't really want to hang around too long but am very anxious not to upset or traumatise my son who has come to rely on breastfeeding as his main source of comfort and the only way he knows to get to sleep at night.

If I present him with cows milk at night he pushes it away and gets very agitated and will only take it during the day as a top up in between breast feeds and cries until he gets what he wants. He can work himself up into a real state too.

We have avoided all forms of controlled crying as we are terrible softies and want to do the weaning very gently too. Would love some tips from anyone who has been in a similar situation.

Hi Piplypip

it is possibly to gently wean, and even if your son has relied on breastfeeding up to now, it's very easy for him to give up, and not feel at all traumatised.

When I stopped feeding my daughter in the night, it helped me to understand that crying in the arms of a loved one is very different to crying it out/controlled crying.
When children cry with someone that loves us, it has a healing function, helping them to release stress and tension, (there is literally the stress hormone cortisol in tears).

It's totally natural that your son looks to the breast for comfort, and it is a big change for him, but with a caring mum like you to help him go through the change he will be fine. If you can hold him close, explain gently, and just listen to him cry, this will help him a lot.

What also helped me is understanding that stopping breastfeeding didn't mean i was witholding love or attention from my child.
Far from it, because sometimes breastfeeding becomes a way that children dampen down their feelings. We sometimes choose to 'comfort' a child that has upset feelings with breastfeeding, rather than listen to their feelings. Crying is a healthy means of expression, and if we choose to listen to our children cry, they can release their feelings, and actually feel happier and more confident as a result. So weaning, with a loving supportive parent, is actually a way to strengthen the bond between parent and child, and release a child's pent up feelings.

this article explains more about how to gently and lovingly wean.

When to Wean the Baby