Common Question Asked By Mothers About Weaning

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Deepa Bansal

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यह लेख Hindi में पढ़ें।

I’m sure if you followed our previous post on what is weaning, you are now familiar with it. Referring to the same, there is a list of never ending common questions asked by mothers mom about weaning and here are a few for you.

I start work soon but my baby is still not ready to self wean. What can I do?

When your baby is not ready to wean but you have to make him for whatever reasons, things can get a little tricky. But that does not mean that you leave your child to take care of himself.

What you have to understand is that there are going to be withdrawal symptoms, he may be very clingy or cry a lot too. He would feel separation anxiety from his mom. The best thing you can do is in order to give him the physical comfort he needs from you, give your baby as much hugs and cuddles as you can.

This will ensure that he gets the physical comfort from his mother that he desires, even if it is not breastfeeding.

Spend a lot of time with your baby when you are around and give all your attention to him. In case your baby still feels he wants to breastfeed, never say no. Offer him your breast for his satisfaction. That’s the best you can possibly do.

ALSO READ – How Long Should I Breastfeed My Baby

I am unable to nurse because of my schedule but my baby has fallen ill.

It is a universal fact that breast milk provides all the nutrition and immunity a baby needs to fight off the disease causing germs. When ill, babies want to nurse more often too, especially for the comfort they get from their mother’s breasts.

No matter how far ahead in the weaning process you’ve come, if your baby falls ill, offer him your breast if he wants and let him breast feed for as long as he wants and as often as he wants. It’s crucial for the baby.

Like growth spurt, does a baby’s milk intake need change in weaning as well?

Growth spurt has no connection with weaning whatsoever. But yes, when you’re weaning your baby, he may feel the need to be closer to you physically, but not necessarily for milk.

If he wants to feed, you can offer him more solids or water, juices etc. But if you can, try and avoid breastfeeding (unless of course your baby is sick) because it will halt your weaning process.

Ever since I started the weaning my baby, he refuses to drink any other milk.

Yes, this may happen. When your child weans naturally, it is unlikely that your baby will refuse to take milk in any other form. However, mother-led weaning can repel him from milk other than his mom’s.

ALSO READ – 5 Common Questions And Answers About Breastfeeding

There are proofs out there that show that milk (apart from breast milk), when a baby is a year or older, is not needed by the body because we normally get all the desired nutrients that milk provides, from other solid foods.

So, if your baby is a year or older than that, you can offer him any substitute like yogurt, cheese etc., if he starts to refuse drinking milk. Just ensure that he gets enough protein which could also be in the form of eggs, peanut butter and calcium can be had from green vegetables etc. Other nondairy sources of protein can be tofu, soy products, beans, calcium enrich orange juice, broccoli, spinach etc… the list is endless.

Whatever question you may have about weaning, you can let us know.