Weaning your baby: how to stop breastfeeding gently

The WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding until the age of 6 months, and continued breastfeeding until at least 2 years, alongside the introduction of solid foods. Until the age of 1 year, milk — whether breast milk or infant formula — should remain the basis of your baby's diet. In France, fewer than one in five children are breastfed until the age of 6 months [1].

Find out more about breastfeeding in the article on: breastfeeding duration.

Weaning may be a choice or something that happens for reasons outside your control, and the reasons that lead you to move to bottle feeding can be varied.

If you are stopping because you feel you have an insufficient milk supply, do not hesitate to seek support from an IBCLC lactation consultant and, if needed, to take a breastfeeding food supplement to support your milk supply and continue breastfeeding for as long as you wish.

There is no "right" duration for breastfeeding, only recommended durations. 

The best time to stop breastfeeding is the one that suits you, and the decision to continue or stop breastfeeding is yours to make. It is for you to make an informed choice.

Many mums stop earlier than they would have liked, often because they have not had the right support. The most common reasons are:

• feeling that you do not have enough milk, or worrying that it is not nourishing enough;
• a baby who wants to breastfeed very often, or refuses the breast for a few days;
• pain: cracked nipples, recurring engorgement, blocked milk ducts, mastitis and breastfeeding ;
• the mother being ill;
• the introduction of solid foods;
• returning to work.

None of these situations means you have to stop. Introducing solid foods does not replace milk, which remains the foundation of your baby’s diet until they are 1 year old. Pain is a sign that there is almost always a solution. And it is rare to need to pause breastfeeding when you are ill: in most classes of medicines, there is an option compatible with breastfeeding, which your doctor can check on the CRAT website.

Breastfeed more often if you are worried about your milk supply

Putting your baby to the breast more often stimulates milk production. In the first few months, breastfeed on demand, and if you are unsure, do not hesitate to offer the breast before your baby asks: offering it more than 12 times a day will not create bad habits. If your baby refuses the breast for a few days (because of an ear infection or teething), expressing your milk can help maintain lactation until they start breastfeeding again.

Treating pain without stopping breastfeeding

When every breastfeed becomes painful, expressing milk instead of breastfeeding for a few days can give you a break: you express your milk, your nipples have time to rest and heal, and your milk supply is maintained. It’s also a good time to find out what’s causing the pain, often the way your baby latches on, with the help of an IBCLC lactation consultant.

Surround yourself with support rather than listening to comments

‘Not enough milk’, ‘once your baby starts solids, milk is no longer needed’: comments from those around you often come at the worst time. Listen to yourself and your baby. Instead, ask your partner or someone close to you for practical help: finding a specialist, booking an appointment, looking after your baby or giving them a bottle of your expressed milk. It does not have to be all or nothing: partial breastfeeding or expressing milk can also help you maintain that bond.

Returning to work does not necessarily mean weaning

Returning to work does not mean you have to stop breastfeeding. You can express milk at work, or breastfeed only when you are with your baby: in the morning, when you are reunited in the evening, at night and at weekends. Our advice on combining breastfeeding and returning to work explain the practical arrangements and your rights. Even one breastfeed a day continues to give your baby the benefits of your milk.

Whether or not it was their choice, some mothers find the end of breastfeeding very difficult, feeling that they have lost a strong, unique bond with their baby.

One chapter is ending, but a new one is beginning!

Breastfeeding feels instinctive to your baby if they’ve been breastfed since birth. Nothing feels more natural to them, which is why switching to a bottle can be difficult. A new shape, a new texture, a different milk temperature… everything about the bottle is different from the breast. Be gentle and patient with your baby as you introduce this unfamiliar new way of feeding.

How long weaning takes

Weaning from the breast can take different forms. It’s unique to every mother and child, not an exact science!

You can introduce the bottle at different paces, either regularly or occasionally. A mother may want to replace one breastfeed a day, every day or just on some days.

Some mothers can continue breastfeeding while giving one or two bottles a day, while others find their milk supply drops very quickly once they introduce a daily bottle.

Weaning is generally thought to take a month, but it isn’t an exact science! Give yourselves as much time as possible. That way, you and your baby have room to say no to the bottle, to not feel ready, to find it difficult and to try again the next day.

To limit engorgement, drop one breastfeed at a time: first halve its length, then replace it once your breasts no longer feel full, after about 3 days, before moving on to the next. If a breast feels full, massage it under a warm shower, offer a breastfeed or express just enough milk to feel comfortable. Our tips for stop your milk coming in may also help you.

combination feeding may take longer if your baby needs more time to get used to the bottle. Take it gently: the right length of time to wean is whatever works for you and your baby.

Bottle-feeding offers a different kind of interaction from breastfeeding. Instead of being nestled against your breast, your baby faces you, so you can see their face as you give them a bottle. It’s a chance to notice new emotions and expressions each day.

Take a gradual approach

If you choose to wean your baby, you decide how and how long it takes. If it’s linked to returning to work, a low milk supply or pain, you have a deadline.

Whether weaning is your choice or something circumstances require, you can still choose to wean your baby gently by offering a bottle earlier. This can make the transition more pleasant and less stressful, and help you feel reassured that your child can feed without you.

Between 3 and 5 months, babies have an average of 4 feeds a day. You can start by replacing one daily breastfeed, keeping the morning and evening breastfeeds and giving a bottle during the day.

Once your baby accepts a daily bottle, keep to that routine for a week before introducing a second. Over the following weeks, you can gradually add more bottles to your routine.

Take care mama. Try not to focus on how much milk your baby drinks, especially the first few times.

Rest assured, the end of breastfeeding doesn’t necessarily mean the end of nursing. Your baby may still ask for the breast from time to time, especially when they’re ill or tired, until they stop of their own accord.

Don’t be too hard on yourself: the switch from breast to bottle won’t happen overnight! Go at your own pace and listen to yourself.

Create a new routine

Introduce a calm, reassuring routine that your baby will associate with bottle-feeding. This may help make the transition easier.

Keep taking care of your body by continuing to take your postpartum supplement, to replenish your nutrient stores.

Before the age of 1, breast milk is replaced with infant formula: ask your doctor or paediatrician which one to choose for your baby’s age. A bottle isn’t the only option: depending on their age, your baby may also drink from a cup or spoon, which can help some babies who refuse a teat.

There’s a wide variety of bottles, and not all will suit your baby. When you decide to wean, take time to look at the different options. You may need to change bottles during weaning if your baby doesn’t seem to like the one you’ve chosen.

If you’re looking for a medical-grade silicone bottle, Elhée bottles are practical, lightweight and unbreakable! Elhée also offers physiological teats with 3 flow rates: slow, medium and fast, to suit your child’s pace. They’re extra soft and fit your baby’s mouth. The teats also have an anti-colic valve designed to reduce air intake and make digestion easier for little ones.

Have you started weaning your baby but decided you’d like to continue? It’s possible. Put your baby to the breast as often as you can to stimulate milk production; some mums also use a breast pump. Even after a break of a few weeks (due to surgery or illness), you can try relactation, ideally with support from an IBCLC lactation consultant. During this time, take care to eat well and stay hydrated; our breastfeeding snacks can support you.

You can also follow your baby’s lead and stop when they’re ready, while still setting your own boundaries. As Claude Didierjean-Jouveau writes in Breastfeeding Today, natural weaning is ‘like a complex dance between mother and child’: you don’t know when or how it will end, which can feel unsettling, but it allows the breastfeeding relationship to come to a natural close.

Conclusion

Weaning is a stage every mother and baby go through. Whether it’s your choice or circumstances make it necessary, weaning isn’t always easy to navigate.

If you’re unsure, seek support from an IBCLC lactation consultant.

Support organisations such as La Leche League and Solidarilait also organise meet-ups where mothers can talk openly about weaning. And for what comes next, here is what happens in your body after weaning.