How to Wean From Breastfeeding at Any Age

Learn how to wean from breastfeeding and ensure the transition from breast to bottle is a surefire success.

Parent breastfeeding their baby

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Weaning your baby from breastfeeding or chestfeeding is a big milestone. Breastfeeding parents often wonder when the right time is to transition their baby to formula and/or cow's milk. But it's also key to know how exactly to wean—and it's typically not as simple as just stopping cold turkey.

In fact, weaning too quickly, if not managed effectively, can cause problems like engorgement or infections or be more difficult for your baby. However, there are many simple strategies you can use to make the weaning process go smoothly. Learn more about weaning from breastfeeding at every age.

When Is the Right Time to Wean?

At some point, every lactating parent asks themselves the same question: "When should I wean?" The answer is different for each person, with some people breastfeeding for weeks or months while others keep nursing their baby well beyond the first year. There is no right or wrong, just what works best for you and your family. However, there are expert recommendations to consider.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends breastfeeding exclusively until your baby is 6 months old, then continuing to breastfeed while serving a variety of solid foods until they turn 1. Updates to these guidelines recommend offering support for parents who want to provide human milk until the child is 2.

But weaning is ultimately a personal decision influenced by many factors. Indeed, going back to work, physical challenges, or simply wanting their bodies back prompts many lactating parents to wean sooner than the AAP recommends—and that's totally OK.

Your weaning timeline also depends on your baby's temperament and reaction. Claire Lerner, LCSW, director of parenting resources at Zero to Three, in Washington, D.C., advises against weaning during a time when your child is undergoing another significant change, such as moving homes, starting daycare, or even learning to walk.

"If you have a go-with-the-flow kind of child who handles transitions well, then something like a vacation might be a good time to wean," says Lerner. "But otherwise it's best to wean when things are pretty stable in their lives."

So when you decide to cut down on breastfeeding, how should you handle the transition? We spoke with lactation consultants and developmental experts to learn how to wean from breastfeeding at every age.

How to Wean: 0–6 Months

When you're weaning a baby under 6 months old, you'll need to replace breastfeeding sessions with bottles of formula. Essentially, for every nursing session you drop, you'll substitute a bottle feeding. Sounds simple, but convincing your baby to accept a bottle may not be so easy, especially if they're more than 3 months old. "Infants become more aware of what's going on around them between 3 and 4 months," says Lerner. "So you may encounter more resistance at this point."

She recommends integrating a few bottles of breast milk into your feeding schedule early on, at about 6 weeks, so that your baby will be comfortable with both ways of feeding. But if your thirsty baby refuses to take the bottle anyway, the key to success is patience and experimentation.

Try having someone else offer the bottle, feeding in a different location, or holding your baby in a new position. And, above all, keep calm. "Babies pick up on our tension and become more tense themselves," Lerner says.

Prevent or manage engorgement

"In the first few months, your breasts will be very full," says Freda Rosenfeld, former president of the New York Lactation Consultant Association. "If you're not careful, you can end up with engorgement." Your breasts will be uncomfortably hard and heavy, maybe even red, painful, and hot to the touch.

Engorgement can lead to plugged ducts, which can lead to an infection called mastitis, so it's important to treat symptoms early. If you do end up feeling uncomfortably full, try expressing your milk, but just enough to feel some relief.

Wean slowly

When it comes to helping your little one transition from breast milk to formula, the rule of thumb is to go slowly. This will protect your breasts from engorgement and ease your baby's anxiety.

Rosenfeld says you can never go too slowly, but be sure to switch only one feeding every three or four days so that it takes about two weeks for the entire process. Or feel free to extend it as much as you'd like. Transition the least preferred feedings to bottles first, which likely means the morning and bedtime feedings will be the last to go.

How to Wean: 6–12 Months

According to Diane Bengson, author of How Weaning Happens and longtime Ohio La Leche League leader, it's common for babies to seem to lose interest in nursing between 8 and 10 months. "It's a time when they're taking in a lot of sensory information," she explains, "and this often leads to babies constantly pulling off the breast to look around." So if you're thinking of weaning, it might happen more easily during this window.

Of course, while some older babies are determined to break nursing ties, many tots want that physical connection more than ever. "Separation anxiety tends to show up at about 9 months," says Lerner. "If you notice that your baby's really clingy, wait to wean until [they've] weathered this anxiety a little bit."

Consider skipping the bottle

If your baby is older than 9 months, one option is to wean straight to a sippy cup or straw cup and solid food. This route lets you avoid putting your child through another transition from bottle to cup just a few months later (all children should be off the bottle by their first birthday). It's a good idea to introduce your child to the cup about one month before you start the weaning process, so they have time to get comfortable holding and drinking from it.

At first, you should just offer water in the sippy cup during meals of solid foods. Then as your child gets more comfortable, start filling the cup with expressed milk or formula so they get used to the idea that all their beverages can come from a cup.

Amp up attention

Often, the intimacy that goes with nursing is what lactating parents and babies miss most when breastfeeding ends, so be sure to lavish your little one with lots of extra attention during the weaning process. "You'll want to substitute nursing with something that feels emotionally equivalent, like snuggling together to read or even horseplay on the floor," counsels Bengson.

And don't forget how helpful your partner can be. Having your partner put the baby to sleep and wake them up in the morning can soften the blow of not nursing during these times. It may take some time for your baby to get acclimated to new routines, but with time they will let go of wanting to breastfeed and you can develop new ways to bond.

Use distractions

For older babies and toddlers, Bengson says that the key is distraction. When your kid starts hankering for the breast, offer a drink or snack instead. If it's not time for a meal or snack, you can also distract them with a block-building bonanza, an engrossing game of make-believe, or a finger-painting frenzy.

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