Lindsay asked for advice on weaning in my last post...I don't know about 'advice' but I can tell you how I did it! :) (Thanks for giving me a topic to blog about, by the way.)
After getting Sutton used to baby food (which we started at 6 months), I took my nursing down to 3 times per day - morning, mid-afternoon, and bed time. We did meals of baby food for lunch and supper. We did this for several months.
My goal with weaning was to do it without having to introduce formula at all. I just didn't want the expense, and I didn't want to have to transition from breast milk to formula, then formula to whole milk. I thought I could save a little trouble. I researched this method online and didn't find much! So I just kinda did what worked for Sutton and for me.
After his first birthday, I cut out the morning feeding and just put him in his high chair as soon as he woke up and fed him oatmeal and fruit. He didn't mind that change one bit!
Once my body adjusted, I cut out the afternoon nursing as well. This was a bit more difficult but maybe just because I was trying to force the whole milk issue. We gave up on that and he just gets an afternoon snack of goldfish, fruit, or yogurt.
Once again, after my body adjusted, I decided to be done. I decided the date of the last feeding, and it was very emotional for me, but I knew it was the last time, and I soaked it in and just stared at my beautiful boy thinking about the very first time we ever tried breastfeeding in the delivery room. We finished, I put him to bed, and that was that. The next night, he got yogurt and goldfish before bed because if he doesn't have a full belly before bed time, he wakes up at like 5am. No good.
The whole process from start to finish lasted about 3 weeks and worked really well for us. So there you have it. A little wordy, sorry!
Two important things:
-Sutton drinks TONS of water. He loves it. I got a lot of advice to not let him get attached to a bottle, so we went right to sippy cups. He loves these Nuby cups (someone got them for us for one of his showers, that's how we found that brand) and I love that they don't spill. I'm glad he loves water because then I don't feel so bad about him not liking whole milk. He gets his liquids from water and his calcium from yogurt and other foods.
-Every baby is different, but I think one thing that made the transition easier for us is that Sutton LOVES to eat. He'll pretty much eat anything you put in front of him (unless he decides to share it with the dogs...which he finds hilarious). The transition to eating hard food (like goldfish, puffs, hot dogs, etc.) from baby food was much harder for us than the transition from nursing to not. My tactic was to stick puffs (something sweet and tasty) between his gums towards the back of his mouth so that he couldn't just spit it out immediately.
AND...I would love ideas of things to feed Sutton. I feel like he eats the same thing every day. Right now, he eats oatmeal, bananas, yogurt, lunch meat, hot dogs, whole wheat goldfish, puffs, and baby food mixed with oatmeal. Sometimes we'll buy those Gerber Graduates meals, but I don't want to make a habit of that. And cheese seemed to back up his system. I'd love food suggestions if you have them!
Just start slowing giving him really small bites of whatever you and Adam are eating. And fruit. If he's had it in baby food, he shouldn't have an unknown allergy that you don't know about. If he has a hard time gumming it, just do really bite size pieces until he gets better with chewing (not sure how many teeth he has). Just break him in slow, but the sooner you get him used to eating what you guys are eating the better. I used to give Eli his own thing and something different from what we were eating, and he's the pickiest eater ever!!! I was much better about having Kamdyn try new things when she got big enough to gum stuff, and she is SOOO much better. Plus, it makes your life a lot easier because you don't have to make separate meals for you guys and him.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I am hoping to basically do the same thing. Start weaning at a year, not have to use formula and hopefully do it smoothly! I have a feeling it is going to be harder on me! At least I still have a few months... Thanks again, that was very helpful :)
ReplyDeleteif he is a year he can start eating like you guys! my 11 month old loves: baked salmon, roasted sweet potato, steamed broccoli or carrots, pasta with tomato sauce, cut up avocado, any cut up fruit - esp. cantelope, blueberries, strawberries and watermelon. I also make him grilled cheese sandwichs. I mixed Heinz baby prunes with his cereal to solve the "backed up" issues. I loved http://www.annabelkarmel.com/ books and this website: http://weelicious.com/ for ideas.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your life!
JT in Calgary, AB Canada
PS
stumbled on your website from Jess Mac's.