Tips To Stop Breastfeeding A 2-Years-Old (11 super Important Points)
Have you gone through my previous post that is “How To Stop Breastfeeding A Toddler In 7 Steps”? If not just read that first and then read these tips.
So, here are 11 tips for you to make your journey of weaning off your toddler easier.
- Keep the tummy full with solids during the daytime
- Keep the child engaged
- Change your routine
- Drop the child to grandparent
- Plan some playdates
- Ask daddy to take care of the baby
- Wear full clothing
- Don’t try to explain
- Do not give up
- Choose the right time
- Don’t shame
1- Keep the tummy full with solids during the daytime:
Make sure your toddler is eating enough during the daytime.
Yes, you should offer breast milk alternatives like cow milk or fresh juices. But keep in mind that you are feeding enough fiber and protein-rich solid foods to keep their tummy full.
When they will eat enough food during the daytime, it will become easier for you to cut off the nighttime feedings too.
2- Keep the child engaged:
At the age of 2-years-old, children don’t demand to breastfeed because of hunger. They demand it due to the comfort they get. So try to keep the child engaged in her favorite activity.
Give her some engaging toys or colors. Buying them new toys at this time is also a good option. Because it will double their excitement and they may stay engaged for longer.
Related Article: 15 Best Toddler Toys That Can Turn Fun Time Into Learn Time. (Pros and cons added)
3- Change your routine
Having a routine is a great thing to follow but when you are trying to wean off the child, you should change your daily routine (and things) to take the child’s mind off of the nursing.
It works!
Try out new recipes, new Cartoons, a slightly changed array of toys, and household things, any change may help to shift their mind a little bit more.
Just don’t change the bedtime. It may disturb the sleep cycle of the kid and you may get a harder time.
4- Drop the child to grandparents
Grandparent’s home is a life-saver for parents and if you have this chance then don’t miss it.
When you are moving towards the next step of weaning off, like when you are done cutting some of the daytime feeds and now you are trying to completely cut off the awake time nursing sessions, dropping them to grandparents is a great deal.
It will make both the children and grandparents happy and the process will be a little bit more smooth for you.
A bonus is you’ll be getting more time to spend on yourself or completing some house chores.
5- Plan some playdates
This tip also goes hand in hand with the previous one, when you are transitioning to the next step, try to plan some playdates.
It will make things fun for children and will keep them engaged.
It will even help them to wake up fewer times at night because they will be tired.
6- Ask daddy to take care of the baby
Make sure you have informed your partner about your plan that you are going to wean off the child. You can ask him to help you.
Try to stay away from the child when it’s time to nurse, ask daddy to take care of the baby at that time.
If you have a helping hand from your siblings or other close relatives, that’s awesome too.
7- Wear full clothing
“When you are weaning off your child, try to wear clothes that cover your body so the things are out of sight of the child.
They will still demand a session when it’s time, but it may help to avoid all those unnecessary demands.
8- Don’t try to explain
For every other thing, I always prefer to talk to my child because it helps to develop an understanding and the child is most likely to cooperate.
But Not Here!
When you’ll try to talk to the child that we are weaning you off, expect a huge tantrum and an immediate demand for a nursing session.
Remember you are working to make them forget about nursing but talking and explaining this to your child will make them aware of your steps and they will immediately try to resist you.
(and will not forget about the nursing)
It should be solely your decision.
9- Choose the right time
Choosing the right time means not choosing the wrong times.
- Don’t try to wean off when the child is teething or is sick. If you are done with one step and you want to move towards the next and you feel that the child is teething or is sick, don’t move to the next step. (Don’t move to the previous step either)
- Do not move to the next step when you are at the end of your menstrual cycle because at this age you will be less likely to keep your temper and adapt to a new thing.
- Do not move to the next step when you have something really important to do or some guests are coming over.
10- Do not give up
Remember that the process is going to be longer and it may become longer than you expected and it’s okay.
Once you have made the decision, you are not supposed to give up.
If your child throws more tantrums than you expected, if she is not getting distracted, if she is more stubborn than you thought, still you are not supposed to give up.
Sooner or later, you have to stop breastfeeding your toddler and you will face the same reaction every time you try so there’s no point in giving up and thinking, ‘Oh! I can’t do this right now, I will try later.’
11- Don’t shame
Last but not least!
Shaming the child is the most common weapon parents use to discipline the child and the same goes with other things.
Never ever shame the child for anything. It is the worst practice of most parents.
“You want to nurse? That’s bad. Bad Child”
Never say things like that, it may help you to achieve your goal but it may hurt your child’s self-esteem.
