I feel lucky that Bastian and I had an easy breastfeeding journey. I know a lot of moms that weren’t able to breastfeed at all, or for more than a few months. Although our breastfeeding journey was never perfect, it was good. It was an incredible bonding experience for us. Since we have weaned, I think that’s the thing I’ve had the hardest time transitioning from. That connection with him. I knew that weaning would be a difficult experience, and I’ve had a few moms ask me how to wean your one year old, so I thought I’d share how the process has gone so I thought I’d share!
When you should wean your one year old
I think this is a personal thing for everyone, so I can’t say what the specific or perfect time is for you and your baby. However, most pediatricians recommend breastfeeding for the first 12 months, if possible! (If you wean your baby before this time, you’ll have to supplement with baby formula)
We started weaning a few days after Bastian’s first birthday. Before we began weaning, Bastian was nursing four times a day. He’s always done best when on a loose schedule. He would nurse when he woke up, after each of his two naps, and then right before bed. I though that the easiest way to wean Bastian gently, was to remove one feeding at a time.
Removing feedings gradually
You could choose to remove any feeding first, and do them in whatever order works best for you. First we took out his afternoon feeding. This was one of the hardest ones, and it took three weeks before he was ready to cut out another one. The next two feedings were so much easier, and I only waited a week in between them. The last one was also hard, but I think it was harder for me than it was for Bastian. I was so used to that emotional bond, and even though I felt like it was time to stop, it was hard to let go of that last feeding, which was the one right after he woke up.
Distractions and replacements
I think the key to having a peaceful and easy weaning process, is to provide distractions whenever they want to nurse and it isn’t time. When it’s time to wean your one year old, you have to be ready to commit. It’s a process, and it will take a lot of time and commitment. And it’s hard. I stopped nursing on demand when we started to wean, and he reacted by wanting to nurse MORE. He was constantly pulling at my shirt and trying to eat. Instead, I’d turn on a show or suggest we go play with toys.
Replacements for nursing are important for a few different reasons. I would give Bastian a bottle of milk whenever it was his normal feeding time, so he wouldn’t feel like he was being deprived. This was also important for me, though. While he had his bottle, I would cuddle him. It helped me to feel that emotional connection to him that I was no longer getting through breastfeeding.