How Can I Stop Breastfeeding My 8 Month Old?
November 2, 2009 by Guest Author
Filed under Breast Feeding Supplies
I have been trying to stop breastfeeding my 8 month old son but he just will no get off. Someone please help! He would rather not eat then take formula. I give him baby food and just food but he wants to nurse after. I don’t know what to do any more.
Is there a reason you are trying to wean right now? If so then I would try giving him pumped breast milk in a cup the slowly change one feeding to formula until all feedings are done that way. The biggest thing is not ending the bonding so when he would normally nurse for comfort (naptimes, bedtime) lay out a blanket and snuggle with him, read him a story or play a game with him. If there is no reason why you have to wean then I suggest continuing to breastfeed. He will let you know when he is completely ready to wean (my son did at 13 months) and that makes it less stressful on the both of you. Good luck!
How important is it to you that you have to wean right now?
If you don’t have to wean, I would just continue to breastfeed. If you can continue for a year, baby won’t need formula. (And most sources recommend nursing for a minimum of a year, if possible, anyway.)
If you do urgently need to wean right now, just be patient with your baby, and keep trying different things. Different formulas, different bottles, different cups. Try mixing pumped milk with formula to get him used to the different taste.
Just stop if that is what you want to do. he is on a mixed diet now so just keep offering the formula after meals. its a habit to nurse after a meal, so try making a different habit. give the formula at a differnt time. give the meal, then get him down to play and go and do some thing else away from him. or try letting someone else give him the formula. My midwife said to me with my first, Always remember, you are bigger than they are and you are in charge. it will take a few days but you can do it if you want to. give baby yogurt to make up for the milk til he takes to the formula or give formula in a sippy cup.
Start pumping for the next week instead of breastfeeding. If possible, let someone else offer the bottles to him, instead of you. I know my son will not take a bottle from me. Formula has quite a different taste than mother’s milk so that’s why he’s refusing. You could try a different kind of formula – I think I read someone say that Carnation makes a sweeter version of infant formula. I guess you could try mixing a bit of your breast milk with the formula. Offer it in a sippy cup, maybe. If all fails, you may be stuck for a while longer . . . Whatever you choose – congrats on breastfeeding for this long, you’ve done really great!
Does your son know how to use a bottle? If so, then the hard part is over. If not, then you’re going to have to give him a little tough love. My son didn’t want to stop nursing,… in fact, he down right hated bottles. But when they get hungry enough, they’ll eat. My son was crying for 1 1/2 hours before he finally drank his milk, and he never had a problem with it afterwards. Start out with putting pure breastmilk in a bottle and get him used to that. Then, add a little bit of formula to it. In about a month or two, you can have him fully weaned onto formula and he probably won’t even notice.
There are bottles made by The First Years called “BreastFlow.” The nipples have a breast shape and are supposed to simulate what it is like to breastfeed. Try looking for them at Babies R Us. Good luck!!
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If he doesn’t take formula then it doesn’t seem like you have much of a choice, babies need breastmilk or formula until they are 1.
Cut down his nursing time gradually. At some point you will just have to stop breast feeding – and he won’t like it. My son took about a week to give up and accept the bottle. Keep offering the bottle instead of the breast.
some doctors reccomend breastfeeding for 12 months. maybe do that and then slowly wean him.
Keep breastfeeding.
8 months is far too young to wean, and he’s trying to tell you that. Listen to him.
quit putting your nipple in his mouth
Slap that baby around and show him whose boss!