If you believe that it is time to stop breastfeeding your baby, you should begin the process of weaning, which will take some time. This is because the procedure should be gradual, not abrupt, since suddenly taking breastfeeding away from your infant often results in negative consequences for both you and the baby. You will also need to replace the physical closeness that nursing brings, which means that you should be sure to hold, hug, and cuddle often when you wean a breastfed baby. Additionally, you might consider going right from the breast to a spill-proof cup with a lid, as many infants find it easier to use than a bottle.
In most cases, it is best to gradually wean a breastfed baby, meaning that it may take anywhere from weeks to months to complete the process. Abruptly taking nursing away from a baby can result in anger, sadness, and confusion in him, since it is not only his source of food, but also a source of comfort. There are also consequences for your body when you wean a breastfed baby too quickly, as your breasts are likely to become engorged and uncomfortable. This may cause you to get an infection, and you may also become depressed due to the sudden drop in hormones. This is why you should wean by slowly replacing one feeding per day with a bottle or sippy cup, decreasing the amount you nurse based on the response of the baby.
Since nursing is a source of comfort and closeness for most infants, you will need to find a way to replace this feeling rather than just replacing the baby's food source. To make up for the closeness when you wean a breastfed baby, you should hold your baby while he drinks or eats, just as you would during a nursing session. You should also consider other ways to offer comfort when he is upset, such as story time, back rubs, or lullabies, especially just before bedtime when he would normally nurse. Weaning a baby is also often the ideal way for other caregivers to offer comfort that the baby could previously only receive while nursing. For example, you can allow the father or grandparents to hold the baby during feeding time once he is weaned from the breast, permitting him to be close to other family members, as well.
Some babies do not take to the bottle very well, which is why it may be wise to introduce a spill-proof cup instead when you wean a breastfed baby. This is especially true for toddlers, who are generally ready for a cup anyway. Some babies are just more interested in this type of cup than the bottle, while others find the nipple on it to be more appealing to them than the nipple on a bottle.
