At 2 years and 3 months, I officially weaned Little T, and I think I may be the mother who weaned her child the latest. I've heard before that weaning is hard, adults and children will collapse, or separate weaning, in short, it is a difficult experience. However, when I went to wean the child myself, I found that it was not so difficult, and it was easy to break in a few days. I summarized my weaning experience for Little T and shared it with you.
About the best time for weaning
Regarding the best time for weaning, the World Health Organization recommends that infants be exclusively breastfed for 6 months, after which supplementary foods can be reasonably added, and breastfeeding can continue to be extended until 2 years of age and older.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life, followed by breastfeeding with solid foods until at least 1 year of age.
My advice: make a decision based on your own circumstances
I personally feel that the time of weaning does not have to follow the death rules, but needs to be determined according to the personal status of the mother and baby. If you're all ready, weaning is easy.
Before thinking about waiting for the 2nd birthday to wean the little T, so after the age of 1 and a half years, I have been instilling him, waiting for the 2nd birthday, singing the birthday song, eating the birthday cake, the baby does not drink neinei, although every time it is so emphasized, but feel that these words have no meaning to him, and when I really reach the age of 2, I began to try to wean him, I found that it did not work at all, he cried very seriously, in fact, even I was not ready. I still can't help it.
It was winter, chatting with the child's grandmother about this problem, the child's grandmother said, wait a few months, in the spring weaning will be broken, so it was fed to 2 years and 3 months.
The best season about weaning
People of the older generation have said that weaning in the spring and autumn is good, and I feel that this sentence also has a certain truth.
The weather is warm, and the children spend more time outdoors.
Recently, the weather is getting better and better, you can take children to play outdoors (affected by the epidemic, it is recommended not to go to crowded places, everyone wears a mask. I usually carry a few small bags of alcohol wipes with me, so I can wipe my children's hands at any time. The children have been playing outside for a long time, and the idea of wanting to drink neinei is forgotten.
About natural de-milking
The child's father advocates natural detachment, so that adults and children are not painful, indeed, this is the best way.
After the age of 2, I found that his attachment to breast milk was not as big as before, and he was playing with himself longer and more and more focused, as if he had forgotten neinei, unless he was bored. And I felt that there was less and less milk, and there was no milk rise.
I felt that we were all ready, so I decided to wean, but I didn't cut it hard, step by step, reduced the number of times, and naturally broke.
About separated weaning
There are also many mothers who use this way, in order to wean the pain and separate from the baby for a few days, I personally feel that this way is very cruel, the baby collapses, the mother is also very tormented.
My friend, when she weaned her son at the age of 1 and a half, let the child's grandmother take her son back to his hometown for a few days. It was the first time the son had been separated from his mother and had cried to death. She cried at home herself, and even then she didn't dare to call, video, for fear that the child would cry even harder. It took almost a week for the child to stop drinking milk, but when he came back to see her eyes, he felt like a stranger and didn't want her to hold it.
When weaning, the baby needs the mother's company very much, so that there will be more sense of security, it is recommended that the mothers give the baby enough companionship and security when weaning, even if the process is a little difficult, slower.
About the method of weaning
1. There is no specific time limit for weaning, and it is ready to be ready
If your baby resists very strongly, or is sick with fever, food allergies and other situations are not suitable for weaning, the baby at this stage is very much hoping to get a full sense of security through the mother's breast, and then the point is that as a mother you are not ready, the mentality is not adjusted, you are also reluctant, if the hard break is easy to worry.
2. Step by step, gradually reduce the number of feedings when preparing to wean
If the mother is ready to wean the baby, it is recommended to cut it step by step, and it may be difficult to accept directly cutting the baby. The mother can wean the milk first, then wean the day, or reduce the number of feedings during the day to give the baby a buffering process.
Little T's afternoon nap has always been milky, and when he was 2 years old, I decided to wean him, no longer milk sleep at noon, but play with him, play until he is very tired, sleep without milk.
Of course, Bao Mama can also use methods that other children can accept, in short, to achieve the goal.
3. Instill in the heart, communicate more
After little T passed the age of 2, I found it easier and easier to communicate with him, he could understand a lot and express himself clearly. So the theory about not drinking neinei has always been instilled in him, and once when he woke up in the morning, little T wanted to drink neinei, and I hugged him and said, "Baby, you've grown a lot of teeth, you can eat a lot and drink a lot of things that are better than neinei, for example, strawberries, mangoes, yogurt, etc. that you like to eat." He seemed to understand, touched his teeth and said, "I have a lot of teeth, and I can eat a lot of delicious food." "Just got up happily.
For young babies, it may be difficult to communicate, so use other methods, but for children over 2 years old, communication is still more effective.
4. Divert your attention and spend more time with us
Many times, children are bored because they want to drink neinei, bao mom can try to divert the baby's attention, give him a favorite toy or play a game with him, read a picture book or let the child's father or other family members play with it for a while, some children play, will soon forget to drink neinei.
This method works well for little T, and we've done it many times.
5. Prepare some warm water in the evening
To tell the truth, little T2 years old has not been weaned before the age of night, will wake up at night to drink a few sips of milk, and then continue to sleep, many parents are also confused about whether to wean night milk. Personally, I think I still need to look at my own situation. If the baby does not wake up so frequently at night, or can fall asleep quickly after waking up, it will not affect the mother's sleep, and it does not matter if the milk is weaned at night.
If the baby wakes up frequently at night, if the mother does not sleep well, it is still recommended to break, and it will indeed affect the baby's development for a long time, and the mother's body and mind will also be affected.
If you wean the night milk, it is recommended to prepare some warm water at night, if the baby wakes up, let him drink some warm water, coax a coax will go to sleep, if the baby is still crying, it is recommended to hold a coax. Weaning is really not easy to break, and I hope that the child's father can also participate in it.
6. Prepare in advance the milk powder/milk that can replace breast milk
When it was decided to wean little T, the child's father bought a can of milk powder and prepared to replace breast milk, after all, the child still needs to supplement nutrition. Of course, we also prepared milk at the same time, children as big as Little T can drink pure milk, whether it is milk powder or milk is recommended to supplement the child after weaning.
For example, the weaning of a small-month-old baby needs to prepare milk powder, so it is recommended that the mother add milk powder in the first few months or six months before deciding to wean the baby, using a mixed feeding method, so that the baby is used to the taste of milk powder, and also used to using the bottle, so that the later weaning is easier to wean.
Little T has been breastfeeding and is very resistant to drinking milk powder, but happily, he still likes milk.
Changes in small T after weaning
The biggest change in Xiao T after weaning is to say goodbye to the night wakeup, more than 10 o'clock at night can sleep until more than 8 o'clock in the morning, his sleep is better, my sleep is naturally better.
Before, I would think that weaning would make the child no longer need me, but this was not the case, and I would still run into my arms and spoil, and my dependence on me did not decrease.
I didn't find much change in eating, I was still not picky about eating, and I ate well.
The above is some of my experiences in weaning children, the more effective methods I have used, share with you, there are different views on weaning can be discussed together.