Ideas for weaning an EBF baby

kawess · August 2015

My DD is 6 months old and her pediatrician wants us to start weaning. She wants her to only be nursing 3 times a day by 9 months and having 3 meals a day plus a snack. I asked her how to do this and she said with EBF she's not quite sure but to try eliminating a session a month and replacing it with a meal. My DD has been eating 3 purée a day but since eliminating the mid morning nursing session she's begun to not want the purée. Are there other ways to do this? Is my doctor crazy?

harmonicbabe26 · August 2015

Weaning in the British meaning of the word or American?

If weaning meaning cutting back on milk then yes that's totally crazy. Why would your doc want to limit nursing to only 3x a day??? That doesn't make any sense... I am in no way lactivist or militant BFer, my first kid was combo and FFed, second baby is EBFed. But this just doesn't make ANY sense in the world. If your doc means that you should encourage more solids/table foods then for like 3x a day start off with a little solids followed by nursing. Other times just nurse. Even my FFed baby got her bottle more than 3x a day and I can't imagine not offering her that. Nobody ever suggested weaning off that to mostly solids between 6-9m. That just seems totally stupid, for reasons unrelated to BM.
BFed babies should be fed on demand, they will slowly drop nursing as they are older and they themselves choose to fill up in solids. But that does not happen between 6-9m. Closer to 12m.
I would NOT follow this advice if that's truly what the doc is saying.

But if he/she means 'weaning' in the British way, that is that you should expand baby's diet and work towards establishing 3 solid meals, then by all means, offer solids 3x a day but make sure you still nurse baby whenever baby asks for it.

kawess · August 2015

She said the goal is that at 9 months to nurse 3x a day. I'm getting the feeling that she hasn't had many patience that breastfeed for very long bc she was surprised I was still EBF at the 4 month visit.

harmonicbabe26 · August 2015

I have bo clue where your doc is getting this info, but that's absolutely crazy and I would NOT follow this advice. 'They' say that a baby needs on average 25of breast milk, 18-30oz range (up to 32oz formula). No baby will be able to take 1/3 of that amount in one feeding. That's just not sound advice. BFing aside. Seriously.
I had my first baby overseas and this baby back home here in the US and I have NEVER, not from the foreign docs not the US docs ever heard that you should limit nursing like that.

jesselayne8 · August 2015

I would continue to nurse on demand until at least 9-10 months before I worried about trying to cut back.

ladyshark311 · August 2015

I EBF both of my children (now 15 and 7) until they were 18 and 19 months old and I just let them wean on their own and BF on demand for the first year of their lives at the very least. I can't imagine why any Pediatrician would tell you to BF only three times a day that really just sounds crazy to me!

OSULisa · August 2015

This is terrible advice, please don't follow it. Nurse your baby on demand and start adding in solids, there is no need to drop nursing sessions.

SassetteSmurfling · August 2015

Your dr is nuts! As PP said, food before one is just for fun! Breast milk should still be the primary source of nutrition and there is no reason to be dropping nursing sessions now unless your LO is dropping them on their own. You can certainly introduce foods, but not in place of breast milk.

Birthinrox · August 2015

You do absolutely not need to cut back on nursing! Awful advice! Continue nursing your baby and offering complementary foods. Your baby will regulate herself. Babies get much more efficient at this age too, my son would take a full feed in 5 minutes!

Birthinrox · August 2015

And who cares what your doctor wants? What do YOU want? There are a million reasons to continue breastfeeding passed 6 months. Even your peds professional organization recommends breastfeeding for at least a year. Sorry stupid advice like this makes my blood boil!

oceanchild · August 2015

I would definitely be finding a new pediatrician. That's really bad advice. She needs to go back and read the WHO's (and AAP's) recommendations. Cutting back nursing sessions in that way can harm your BFing relationship and your supply. If *you* are ready to wean your baby, that's a very personal decision. But suggesting arbitrary amounts of nursing per age is just ignorant on your pediatrician's part. And unnatural/forced weaning can be hard on you and your baby. If this is something you have been wanting to do, then I support you as a parent, and kudos on making it EBF for 6mos! But that doctor sounds like an ass.
Here is a great resource for weaning, when the time comes
https://drjaygordon.com/attachment/sleeppattern.html

oceanchild · August 2015

And echoing everyone else - food before one is just for fun. Your baby will not have speech delays or texture issues or any other nonsense you may here if he's not ready to jump right to solids at 6m.
My first wasn't really ready for solids until he was about 11m (he was my formula baby). My second started playing/tasting with solids ("baby-led weaning," eating whole table foods - we skipped purees) around 9m but really started eating around 10m. My third started solids around 8.5m - he seemed very interested before then, but still wasn't sitting unassisted on his own or using the pincer grasp, so we waited until he could.
For the record, my 2nd and 3rd are still nursing (at 4y and 17m). Wonder what your pediatrician would say about that LOL

etayislove · August 2015

Wow, everyone here has great advice for you, I just had to say wow at such horrible advice. Babies are ready to start solids when they can sit up unassisted, do not have the tongue thrust reflex, are picking up things with a pincer grasp (thumb and forefinger), are mimicking eating motions and seem interested. However, you should nurse before even giving solids at this point.

lulabellalula · August 2015

I always tell women...your breastmilk does not expire once your child hits 6 months, 1 year or heck even 2 years. You wean only when you & your child are READY and not anytime before. I would transfer to another pediatrician quick. Yours seems antiquated and misinformed.

TarHeelMomToBe · August 2015

I would absolutely be looking for a new pediatrician. There's no telling what other bad medical advice he may be giving because this is really far off.

The World Health Organization's current recommendation is that infants nurse for AT LEAST 2 years. Any reduction in breast milk prior to age 1 will need be replaced with formula. Unless you have a medical reason for wanting or needing to reduce nursing, then there is no reason to.

My DD is 32 months and still nurses occasionally, even with me being 27w pregnant. She also loves food, cow's milk and is super healthy and sleeps through the night with no problem.

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