How to wean a baby

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You’re giving your baby the best possible start if you can breastfeed. The Australian Government recommends exclusive breastfeeding until at least six months, with possible health implications for babies who are weaned early.

However, you might decide to stop breastfeeding before your baby reaches six or twelve months. For example, you might find that you start thinking about weaning when work starts up again or your baby might even begin to wean before you are ready, although this is less common.

Whatever the reason, it’s a good idea to allow some time for baby to get used to the change in routine. If your baby hasn't decided to wean herself, then you might need to offer some extra comfort as you make the transition to bottle-feeding or drinking from a cup. 

You can wean to a cup or a bottle, depending on your baby’s age. The first step is to drop the breastfeed she seems least keen on. Then remove another feed every week or few days. If you stop too quickly your breasts may fill with milk (engorge) and become very uncomfortable.

To prevent engorged breasts you may need to hand express sometimes, but be careful not to express too much or you’ll stimulate an increase in supply! After your baby has stopped breastfeeding, you may have lumpy breasts for some time. As long as they are not painful you can ignore the lumps.

The age of your baby will determine whether you replace the breastfeeds with infant formula, cow’s milk or water. Babies younger than 12 months aren't ready for cow’s milk, so they need to be weaned onto formula.

To wean an older baby or toddler you might want to go slowly, changing your child’s routine gradually.

It’s also quite common to feel a bit down after your last feed, even if you were looking forward to weaning.

Hormones may take some time to return to normal. Some women begin ovulating as soon as they reduce night feeds or begin to wean, others find the return of ovulation and menstruation takes several months.

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