From the Breast
The duration of breast-feeding has varied from the extremes of birth to
fifteen years. No one can say for sure at what age weaning should take
place. For some it may be six months, for others a year. Breast-feeding
for more than a year is a matter of preference, since adequate
supplementary food is usually available. Several thousand years ago,
weaning took place at between eighteen and twenty-four months of age. A
baby being nursed as long as three years was rare.
At birth, infants are totally dependent on their caregiver to meet their
physical needs. But they must gradually become more independent, in
small increments. One step toward independence for your baby is the
ability to feed himself or herself. You can start the weaning process by
eliminating one feeding at a time, going three to four days before
dropping the next one. That time frame allows your body to make the
proper adjustments in milk reduction.
Usually the late-afternoon feeding is the easiest one to drop, since it
is a busy time of day. Replace each feeding with six to eight ounces of
formula or milk (depending on the child’s age). Pediatricians generally
recommend that parents not give their babies cow’s milk until they are at
least one year of age. If your baby is nine months or older, consider going
straight to a cup rather than to a bottle. The transition will be easiest if
you have introduced the cup prior to weaning.
From the Bottle
When your baby is one year of age, you can begin to wean him or her
from the bottle. Some mothers wean straight to a cup with great success.
Although an infant can become very attached to a bottle, you can
minimize that problem by not letting your child hold it for extended
periods of time. There is a difference between playing with the bottle and
drinking from it. The weaning process takes time, so be prepared to be
patient. Begin by eliminating the bottle at one meal, then at another, and
so on.