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Do babies under 12 months self-wean?
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By Kelly Bonyata, BS, IBCLC
Introduction
True SELF-weaning
before a baby is a year old is very uncommon. In fact, it is unusual
for a baby to wean before 18-24 months unless mom is encouraging
weaning. However, it is very common to hear a mother say
that her baby self-weaned at 9 or 10 months old, or even earlier.
How do we reconcile these statements?
What is self-weaning?
A baby who is weaning on his own:
- is typically well over a year old (more commonly over 2 years)
- is at the point where he gets most of his nutrition from solids
- drinks well from a cup
- cuts down on nursing gradually
Child-led weaning occurs when a child no longer has a need to nurse
- nutritionally or emotionally. The solids part should rule out
self-weaning in babies under a year since, for optimum health and
brain development, babies under a year should be getting most of
their nutrition from breastmilk.
What factors might lead mom
to think that her baby is self-weaning?
When a mother says that her baby self-weaned before a year, there
is a chance that she interpreted a normal developmental stage (perhaps
combined with her own wishes) as baby's wish to wean. Low milk supply
can also play a part.
Low milk supply
If mom's milk supply is reduced, baby may become less interested
in nursing, and of course decreased nursing will lead to an even
lower milk supply. If milk supply is low, baby may grow to prefer
a cup or bottle simply because he can get more milk this way. As
long as baby is nursing on cue and removing milk thoroughly, mom's
breasts will produce the milk that baby needs. There are a number
of things that might interfere with the milk
production process after lactation has been established. Some
factors that commonly come into play in baby's second six months
include:
- Scheduled
feedings or other things that reduce baby's nursing frequency
too much (for example, pacifier
overuse or sleep
training). The answer to "how much is too much?" will
depend on the particular mother-baby pair. A consistent decrease
in nursing frequency will signal your body to decrease milk supply.
- Rapid
weight loss. A sudden decrease in mom's calorie intake can
result in decreased milk supply.
- Medications
or herbs that reduce milk supply (hormonal contraceptives,
for example).
- Early
introduction of solids (before 6 months). Besides interfering
with baby's immunologic health, solids before six months often
results in baby taking less milk at the breast and thus results
in a decrease in milk supply.
- Overly rapid increase in the amounts of solids.
Again, this results in baby taking too little milk at the breast
and thus a decreased milk supply. Keep in mind that mom's milk
supply will naturally and gradually decrease as baby begins to
eat greater quantities of solid foods - this is fine and expected.
What you want to avoid is increasing solids/decreasing milk supply
too quickly, as breastmilk is what baby needs for proper
growth, health and brain development through the first year and
beyond.
For more on milk supply, including how to increase it, see Got
Milk?
Normal developmental stages
It is common and normal for babies to show less interest in breastfeeding
sometime during the second six months. This is developmental and
not an indication that baby wishes to stop nursing.
Older babies tend to be distractible
and want to be a part of all the action around them. Your baby may
be more interested in learning about the world than in eating during
the day (these same babies often increase their night nursing to
make up for their busy days).
If baby is being given a bottle or sippy cup frequently, he discovers
that he can walk/crawl around with it and not miss a thing, whereas
nursing generally requires sitting still and not looking around
for a few minutes. For this reason, some babies develop a preference
for the bottle or cup at this developmental stage.
Milestone times, such as crawling and walking, and stressful
times like teething or illness can also cause baby to be less
interested in nursing - these types of things are common in the
second six months. Nursing
strikes (when baby quits nursing suddenly) also tend to
be more common around this age, perhaps due to the same factors.
Our society tends to produce the expectation that babies can and
should become independent as quickly as possible. Babies
are considered more independent when they sleep alone, sleep through
the night, potty train, wean, etc., As a result, babies are often
pushed toward these milestones before they are ready - emotionally
or physically. Because of this societal mindset, many moms don't
even consider the idea that baby's disinterest in breastfeeding
might be temporary, but simply go ahead and wean.
This is not saying that a mother's choice to wean a baby this age
is necessarily a bad choice for her family. A mother who wishes
to wean her child at this point can certainly take advantage of
baby's temporary disinterest in nursing to initiate mother-led
weaning.
However, it should understand that this is not self-weaning
but a temporary developmental stage. Mom is making the choice, not
baby. Once mom knows that she has a choice in the matter, she can
better make an informed decision of whether to wean
or to seek the benefits
of continued nursing.
Tips for avoiding premature weaning
The following suggestions can be helpful in preventing baby from
weaning prematurely:
Keep breastmilk primary in baby's diet during the first year
- If you feel that your milk
supply is low, take measures to increase it.
- Offer breastmilk first, before any solids,
through at least the first year. Don't let solids become more
important than breastmilk during the first year.
- Increase solid foods gradually. An example of a gradual increase
in solids would be 25% solids at 12 months, 50% solids at 18 months,
and 80% solids at 24 months.
- Sugared drinks (and juice, too) are "empty calories"
and will keep baby from feeling really hungry - limit or eliminate
these. Water can also fill baby up and decrease nursing frequency.
Click here for suggestions on offering water
and juice.
Minimize the risk of baby developing a preference for the bottle
or cup
- Limit (or eliminate) bottles. If baby must be supplemented due
to separation from mom, then only use bottles when you are physically
separated from baby. Use a newborn-flow nipple, no matter how
old your baby is, to reduce the risk that baby will grow to prefer
the fast flow of a bottle. If baby is older than six months, seriously
consider using a cup rather than a bottle.
- Limit or eliminate pacifier use when you are with baby, so that
your baby's desire to suck encourages him to nurse more often.
- Avoid allowing baby to walk around with bottles or sippy cups.
If baby is very busy and doesn't want to stop and nurse
- Try different and novel nursing positions in which he can have
more control and perhaps see what's going on around him - baby
standing up, sitting on your lap facing you, etc.
- Try singing, talking, telling stories, playing finger games,
reading, etc. while nursing.
- Try wearing a nursing necklace or bright colored scarf to help
hold baby's attention when nursing.
- Give baby a small toy to hold and play with when nursing.
Be aware of your own subtle cues that encourage weaning
- Offer baby the breast often; don't wait until he "demands" to
nurse. Be aware that the "don't offer - don't refuse" method of
breastfeeding is a weaning technique.
- Be available to nurse when baby wants to. Saying "not now,
but later" is certainly part of the natural give and take
of a nursing relationship as your child gets older, but don't
overuse it and don't forget the "later" part - offer
to nurse later, rather than waiting for baby to ask.
- Diversion/distraction by mom is a weaning technique, particularly
if used frequently.
- Avoid limiting times or places for nursing. This is another
weaning technique.
- Allow baby to nurse at night if he wishes. Baby will nurse
more often if he is in your room and/or bed, and many families
get more sleep this way.
- If you feel you need to phase out night nursing before baby
does it on his own, then it may be helpful to make a conscious
effort to increase daytime nursing.
- Keep in close contact - carry and hold your child often. This
will make breastfeeding more accessible to baby. Restricting access
to nursing is a weaning technique.
Be aware of normal developmental stages
- Pay attention to your child's natural growth rhythms. Be aware
of times that are not true weanings.
Page last modified:
10/10/2005
Written: 1/15/1999
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