The last stop of breastfeeding For every baby, the day when you leave "ㄋㄟㄋㄟ" is not only an inevitable stage of dietary changes, but also an important milestone for your baby to grow up independently! After all, when the baby is sucking mommy's * * *, it is not only a simple feeling of fullness, but also a sense of intimacy and security; Once the weaning stage is reached, the baby is often inseparable from the dependence on mommy, and the lingering feelings will lead to the continuous extension of the weaning period.
Dr. Lu said that weaning is actually a very difficult thing for long-term breast-fed babies! In order to bid farewell to lactation, mommy and baby have to go through a lot of tests and running-in, which is like a psychological attack and defense war; However, as long as the two sides try to work together and insist on cooperation, they can still successfully complete the phased task of natural weaning without hurting the baby's feelings.
Is my baby going to be weaned? There are more and more dual-income families, and women are doing better and better in the workplace. Based on this situation, a gentle and natural weaning method may not be suitable for modern times. In order to return to work, many working mothers have no time to wean gradually, so they have to "wean directly". Dr. Lu Renying said that in addition to paying attention to the balance of nutrition, there is also psychological compensation for directly forcing the baby to wean, so as not to cause the baby to feel insecure in the future.
Even if you want to stop the baby's demand for breast milk, don't forget to let the baby feel that his father loves him more than his mother. When you stop breastfeeding your baby, you should make the baby feel that his father still loves him more than his mother.
Time is up ~ Start "Weaning Mode"! Let my baby quit smoothly! Breastfeeding has many benefits, but in the face of many external factors (such as professional women, lack of some nutrition, etc. ), the time for mommy to kiss must be shortened. When is the best time to wean? There is no standard answer.
Dr. Lu Ren Ying explained that every baby has different unique temperament, nutritional needs and dependence on "ㄋㄋㄋㄟㄟㄟ", and every father's breast-feeding plan is different from his mother's, so the best time for weaning should be decided according to individual circumstances.
According to the baby's personal situation, according to the wishes of both mommy and baby and the real needs of the baby, it is best to adopt a gradual weaning method; Or mommy can make a suitable plan, and when both sides can accept it, naturally end breastfeeding and achieve ideal weaning.
For babies after 1 year old, breast milk has gradually retreated to non-staple food, but some babies will not reduce their preference for breast milk by increasing their intake of other foods. If mommy intends to lead the baby into the weaning stage, in addition to providing balanced, diversified and nutritious food every day, she can also gradually reduce the number of times and shorten the time of drinking milk, so that the baby can gradually get rid of the demand for breast milk.
According to the age of the baby, the biological principle of nature is usually that the longer the pregnancy, the longer the breastfeeding time, while the larger mammals are usually weaned when their weight increases to four times their birth weight; If this is converted into adult growth weight, it is about 2 ~ 3 years old.
According to the baby's age, the baby's understanding and development are not complete, so his emotional control ability is also insufficient. If you wean at this time, you will encounter more setbacks, and breast milk has the immunity needed to strengthen your baby's acceptance of new things and explore new environments. Therefore, it is not recommended to let the baby "cut into eight sections" at this time.
After the child reaches the age of 2, he can basically communicate more rationally and eat more stably, which is a stage suitable for weaning; What needs to be reminded is that even if they start to keep their baby away from "ㄋㄟㄋㄟㄟ", they should continue to satisfy the sense of intimacy and security, so that the success rate of implementing the weaning plan will be relatively improved.
Time is up ~ Start "Weaning Mode"! Which weaning method should I choose? Mommy is connected with the baby through the umbilical cord from the beginning of pregnancy. During the breastfeeding period, mommy is close to the baby's body because of breastfeeding, and they are closely dependent on each other. Therefore, drinking breast milk is not only an important source of nutrition, security and psychological comfort for the baby, but also a wonderful moment for mommy and baby to concentrate on each other and enjoy close contact. Dr. Lu Renying said that when it was decided to start weaning babies, both sides needed some time to adjust and accept this major change.
Forcing vs to be gentle, if it doesn't have much influence, there is actually no need to stop breastfeeding for special reasons; Only with the baby's growing demand, it is necessary to gradually increase the intake of solid food, and the number of times the baby needs breast milk will naturally decrease. Dr. Lu explained that when the baby's psychology develops to a mature and satisfied stage, it is natural that he no longer has a heavy attachment to mommy's "ㄋㄟㄟ"; Babies must be at least 1 ~ 2 years old to reach this mature state of mind, and some children with a strong natural attachment will not mature until 6 ~ 7 years old!
Way 1？ Forced weaning of breast-fed babies is usually not suitable for direct "forced" complete weaning; After all, "weaning" is a long-term adaptation process that takes time and patience. For infants, emotional anxiety, unstable sleep, excessive crying, difficult to appease, persistent resistance or developmental degradation may occur due to insufficient sucking and emotional needs; Even if mommy stops breastfeeding, the body will continue to produce milk. If the milk cannot be discharged normally, it will also bring pain and discomfort, or cause breast obstruction, breast inflammation, hormone changes and other effects. These physical discomforts are relatively reflected in the emotional level.
There are irresistible factors in this way, such as having to leave the baby to work (mommy is a professional woman), environment or other factors, or unilaterally deciding to stop breastfeeding; However, this sudden deprivation of the baby's right to drink breast milk (most babies are still in the stage of drinking breast milk) does more harm than good to the baby and mommy.
Dr. Lu Renying said that if it is really necessary to force weaning, it is necessary to strengthen the satisfaction of compensating the baby's psychological needs: physically, it is necessary to meet its nutritional needs, and psychologically, it is necessary to increase the time of intimate interaction, so that the baby can understand that mommy's original love and dependence will not disappear because of stopping feeding, so as to reduce the baby's emotional harm.
Mode 2? Mild weaning and natural weaning are still close to human nature, provided that they are adjusted according to the baby's growth rhythm; This method is to let the baby decide when to stop drinking breast milk to meet his growing needs. This weaning method is mild and not easy to have negative effects. It just makes the baby happy, but it may make the mother miserable. Mommy must be prepared for long-term breastfeeding.
Time is up ~ Start "Weaning Mode"! Weaning ideal? This is the right way to do it! If you want your baby to get rid of the dependence on "ㄋㄟㄋㄟㄟ" and reduce the number of times to drink milk, dad can try to tell you in a gentle tone: "The baby has grown up, it's time to stop breastfeeding!" ","to grow as strong as a tree, in addition to drinking, but also eat more other food! In these ways, help your baby start preparing to leave breast milk.
Remind dad that it may be too early to talk about weaning if the baby does not show signs of reducing the number of times of drinking milk and weaning; After all, for the baby, "weaning" is a process of getting rid of nutrient intake, and it is the closest contact with the mother (a way to get strong comfort), so dad needs patience more than mommy. Dr. Lu recommended 8 different weaning methods. You can choose the one that suits your baby.
Method 1？ Increase the barriers to drinking milk. In fact, the baby who is about to wean will want to drink "ㄋㄋㄋㄟ", which must be a whim or nothing special to do, so dad can arrange more activities than mommy to divert the baby's desire to drink "ㄋㄋㄟ". The most effective way to wean is to divert attention. Mommy can take them to the park or outdoors more often, instead of doing nothing at home. She can provide them with picture books or singing videos for them to watch, so as to avoid the baby wanting to drink milk easily.
Method 2? Reduce the frequency of feeding every day. When mommy finds that the baby is not paying attention when feeding, or stops drinking after drinking once, she can start trying to "reduce one meal" and switch to other foods. After the first step, reduce the number of meals every 3 ~ 4 days or every 1 ~ 2 weeks, and the baby's demand for breast milk will gradually decrease.
Dr. Lu Renying suggested that the time to start weaning should be at least 1 year, and it is not necessary to replace it with a bottle to avoid the process of taking off the bottle again in the future.
Time is up ~ Start "Weaning Mode"! Method 3? Shorten the feeding time of each meal. If you want to drink milk 10 minutes for every meal, limit the baby to drink it within 5 minutes; After meals, according to the baby's age, give the baby nutritious snacks, several cups of juice and milk supplements; Dad can delay the baby's breastfeeding first, or distract the baby in other ways.
When the baby is no longer interested in breast milk, he can also refuse the baby's request for milk at an inappropriate time (such as attending a banquet or outdoors); Dad can say better than mommy: "The baby is so good ~ Many people are pinching it now ~ It is not suitable to eat ㄋㄟㄋㄟㄟㄟㄟㄟㄟㄟㄟㄟㄟㄟㄟㄟㄟㄟㄟㄟ125 Or use other fun or novel things and delicious food to distract him from drinking milk.
Method 4? Change the baby's eating habits, and change the eating style that only takes "ㄋㄋㄋㄟ" as the staple food, especially the fixed meal that is usually available before going to bed (choose the time period that is not provided first). Dad can let the baby eat more dinner than mommy, tell them story books and listen to music before going to bed, and then hug them to sleep; Or if you have to (the baby insists on eating), switch to some nutritious snacks and remember to brush your teeth after eating.
This process may last for several weeks before it gradually improves; However, if you try for a few weeks and find that the baby still can't stop attaching to breast milk, it means that the baby is not ready to leave and needs more time to adapt, so mommy will follow him and let him give up the habit of naturally sucking milk!
Method 5? Dr. Lu suggested that before the formal implementation of the baby's weaning plan, we should first confirm whether the baby's physical development and dietary status are sufficient to cope with the dietary changes after weaning, and actively enhance the baby's belief in leaving "ㄋㄟㄟㄟ" from the psychological level. As long as the preparation in advance is more accurate, the subsequent weaning plan will go smoothly and the natural weaning will be completed naturally!
Time is up ~ Start "Weaning Mode"! Method 6? With the baby's physiological development, when the baby has adapted to solid food well, there is less need to worry about insufficient nutrition intake in the future when weaning. Of course, in addition to the integrity of physical development, it is also necessary to help the baby create a pleasant dining atmosphere and create an environment that can enhance the interest in eating, which will be of positive help to the weaning plan.
Based on the normal baby's physiological development, about 4 ~ 6 months is the stage when the mouth begins to secrete a lot of saliva, which can decompose food; Babies aged 7-9 months have usually learned to use oral muscles skillfully for swallowing and chewing. You may wish to start preparing baby tableware such as cups, straws and spoons, so as to reduce the chance for mommy to feed directly. After 1 year-old, the baby has gradually added adult food, and breast milk naturally retired to non-staple food (even later became a snack). Finally, the baby will say goodbye to ㄋㄋㄟ completely!
Method 7? Phased psychological adjustment Mommy should learn to tell whether the baby is a "need" or a "habit"! ? If it is in the stage of high demand for breast milk, it is not suitable for weaning; But if you are just used to breast-feeding to get psychological comfort, it's really time to plan for weaning.
However, weaning is a major change in the growth stage for the baby, so it is inevitable that there will be some discomfort in this process; Since it is a necessary transition process, rather than a switching point that suddenly ends, then dad can make plans better than mommy. Once you are ready to wean, you need to give your baby an adaptation period of at least 3 months to half a year, and gradually change your baby's dependence on breast milk through other means.
Method 8? Diversing your baby's attention and feeding your baby regularly is actually one of the reasons why you can't live without it. When it is found that the baby will particularly want to drink milk in some special situations and time points, mommy can deliberately change her habits or do something else to divert her attention before these situations happen.
During the day, you can add some activities to distract your baby from drinking breast milk, such as letting the baby who is used to getting up in the morning drink milk in mommy's arms. Mother had better leave the bed before the child wakes up. Or when the baby feels bored and wants to open his clothes and drink milk, Mommy may wish to take the initiative to suggest playing games, telling stories, providing other food or going out to jump, so that the activities that the baby is interested in can temporarily divert the idea of drinking milk. Establish a new sleep mode before going to bed, and help you fall asleep by telling stories, whole body and singing, instead of feeding you before.
Time is up ~ Start "Weaning Mode"! I believe many pro-feeding moms know that the process of weaning a breast-fed baby is difficult and complicated, because it needs to face all kinds of emotional challenges: to change the baby's attachment to the most familiar * * *, to alleviate the sense of loss caused by not drinking milk, mommy must also bear the weaning pressure from others. In any case, as long as a small step is a big step towards success, both mommy and baby need more firm beliefs and complete weaning strategies to solve all weaning problems.
Q 1？ What should I do in the face of pressure from others to wean me? Even though breast-feeding has many benefits, when the child enters the age of weaning, mommy can't avoid the inquiries and pressure from relatives and friends. If mommy and baby have no plans to wean, they don't have to care too much about other people's eyes, stick to their own beliefs and continue breastfeeding; However, if mommy has decided to start the weaning plan, in addition to her firm belief (trying not to be influenced by others), she should also give priority to winning her husband's support, establishing * * * knowledge with her husband and facing the external pressure together.
In the face of elders with traditional ideas, mommy can first understand the motives of elders who disapprove of weaning with empathy, avoid criticizing their ideas with sharp words, and provide more professional information so that they can understand that continuous breastfeeding will not cause any developmental problems; However, if the elders in the family have a deep-rooted concept of weaning, Mommy may wish to listen to their ideas and prepare for early weaning. After all, the baby's nutrition can start to be obtained from non-staple food, but if the relationship breaks down, it really does not pay off!
Q2？ My baby began to wean, but it was obviously not suitable! ? Babies who have just started weaning may feel anxious because they feel that Mommy deliberately refuses to breastfeed, so they will insist on drinking more water. At this time, mommy must not strongly refuse. It is better to give "ok ~ but the baby has to wait for mommy" and feed a few mouthfuls of non-staple food to delay the child's desire for milk and alleviate the anxiety of being deprived of the source of security.
If the weaned baby has serious rebellious behavior or behavioral degradation, such as endless crying, particularly clingy, separation anxiety, poor sleep quality, sucking fingers, biting people, etc. It shows that the baby is not ready to leave, or the weaning speed is too fast to adapt to the change. Dr. Lu Renying said that mommy had better slow down, give the baby enough time to adapt to the major changes in life, and of course accompany the child through the transition period of weaning.
Time is up ~ Start "Weaning Mode"! Q3？ For weaning, it is actually mommy who is depressed. What should I do? Mothers who are used to breastfeeding actually feel a sense of loss when their babies leave the life of "ㄋㄟㄟ", because mommy actually has a natural kinship in the process of kissing and feeding.
Therefore, when the baby begins to wean, many mothers can't accept it smoothly for a while. After all, weaning means that babies no longer rely on breast milk to survive, but must rely on other nutrients to grow up alone; Feeling is the last hurdle from childbirth to umbilical cord shedding and finally leaving the mother. Therefore, Dr. Lu Renying suggested that mommy should not be too impatient when drawing up the weaning schedule, and give herself enough time to adjust her sense of loss after not feeding.
Q4？ After the baby is 6 months old, isn't it enough to simply drink? Even if breast milk is fed to babies over 6 months old, it is rich in protein, fat and various important nutrients, and it can still provide complete growth elements. The reason why you need to supplement non-staple food is because your baby needs to eat more nutrients and food with satiety; In addition, babies at this stage need to practice swallowing and chewing skills in order to successfully establish contact with adult food.
After all, six months old is preparing to explore the world, and the scope of activities will become larger and larger, and there will be more sources of infection, but the immune system will not be fully established until about 18 months; Therefore, the immune factor contained in breast milk is actually the most natural and powerful protective cover, and it is an indispensable and important source to consolidate your baby's health!
Time is up ~ Start "Weaning Mode"! Q5？ Is it difficult for a baby who drinks breast milk for too long to be independent? Overdependent babies are mostly caused by natural temperament, or influenced by parents' parenting attitude, and have no direct relationship with "breastfeeding". There are many benefits of breast milk, in addition to supplying the baby with the most natural nutritional needs, it is also the most direct way for the baby to get love and comfort from mommy. Newborn babies do get direct intimate contact and enough comfort from their mothers, and then establish a sense of self-security and make their emotions reach a relatively stable state.
Natural weaning means that they have developed enough psychological maturity and spontaneously move towards the next important milestone. This personality trait is the basis of "independence". Previous studies on children's development have found that the later infants are weaned, the less likely they are to have the habit of sucking their fingers (sucking fingers is a sign of insecurity), which means that naturally weaned children have higher safety satisfaction, but in fact they are more capable of building independent personalities.
Q6？ Can you really wean yourself naturally, and don't you need to set a mandatory weaning period? In fact, natural weaning is not just a coincidence, it is really a natural behavior of the baby because of physiological needs or growth process. Most people think that weaning training is mandatory and phased, but in fact, unless there is a very urgent reason (for example, mommy is pregnant or has a serious illness in medical treatment, etc.). ), it is suggested that it is more appropriate for mothers to gradually let their babies break their attachment to ㄋㄟㄟ in a gentle way.
The most difficult problem for breast-fed babies is that one of them is not persistent and cooperative enough; Moreover, each baby is born with different temperament, and facing common sense or other people's experience can only be used as a reference. Finally, the rhythm of weaning should be adjusted according to the child's reaction. Dr. Lu Renying suggested that in the process of preparing for weaning, it is absolutely indispensable to constantly satisfy the baby's physical intimacy and maintain the love connection between mother and child through intimate interaction; When necessary, mommy can also seek the help of other family members to appease the baby. As long as she carries out the weaning plan with a gentle and firm attitude, she will be able to successfully get the baby out of the attachment habit of having to drink water.
Lu's current position: Pediatric Attending Physician of Hsinchu Branch of Cathay General Hospital Education: Kaohsiung Medical University School of Medicine Graduation Experience: Pediatric Attending Physician of Taipei Cathay General Hospital, Specialist of Pediatric Medical Association of the Republic of China, Tutor of Pediatric Specialist, Clinical Lecturer of Medical Department of Auxiliary University.