How to stop breastfeeding: When & How to wean a baby?

It's an important issue for both the baby and the mother : how to stop breastfeeding?. Doctors suggest that exclusive breast feeding shouldn't be continued for more than 6 months. At the age of 4-6 months, weaning becomes an inevitable event. At this time the baby is able to digest better and his requirements increase more than before and breast milk can't meet these requirements and so he becomes ready for gradual weaning.

Start to inroduce soft semisolid foods for your kid by spoon and start spacing breast feeds. Try not to make weaning a sudden event and make it gradual. To avoid breast engorgment you should express milk to relief any congestion. Full evacuation will stimulate more milk production so lately in the weaning process, express an amount just enough to relieve the engorgment.

Tips on weaning :

• Offer your baby a new food one at a time with a 3-4 weeks interval between each type to detect any food allergy and to make sure he is tolerating this food well.
• Egg white and cow milk should be delayed to after the age of a 1 year as they are common allergens (causing allergies).
• Avoid weaning a child when he is sick or in summer as his need for water becomes more important during how weather.
• Avoid spicy, cow milk, salty and junk food.
• Be careful not to let the child eat alone or eat risky foods that may cause him to choke such as peanuts and hard candy.
• Gradually reduce breast feeding and in the same time introduce new food and complementary feeding.
• At the beginning rice cereals and semisolid foods can be mixed with human milk or even water. Then vegetable soup can be offered to the kid at the age of 5 months. One month later, yoghurt and fruits can be introduced. Finally, the baby may be able to eat ordinary food and at 10-12 months he can feed himself and can eat most table food (provided that they are semisolid and in small pieces).