Weaning is the process of introducing an infant to its adult diet while withdrawing the feeding of breast milk to the baby. It is when a baby moves from breast milk to other forms of nutrition. Weaning is thus a natural stage in the growth of your baby, where you give him/her other foods while you continue to provide them with breastmilk. It is a process that requires a lot of patience from both the mother and child. This process comes with a lot of emotions included, as it is the first stage of your child becoming an individual with their own choices. The mother will enjoy the new independence but also might feel some sadness when the baby becomes less dependent on them. These are all normal, and the mother shouldn’t feel overwhelmed over such feelings. However, breastfeeding is the best thing you can do for your baby as long as possible. Experts recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and continued breastfeeding for as long as the mother and child are comfortable until three years. Sometimes the mother’s situation may demand you to start weaning early, if not, it is totally according to the child’s needs.
Every baby reaches a point in their growth where breastmilk would not supply enough nutrients needed for their development. They need specific and careful planning in their food habits to ensure they receive enough nourishment for their continued growth. New flavors encourage babies to eat various foods, which helps ensure a healthy diet later on in life. Solid foods assist babies in developing lip, tongue, and jaw movements. Introducing new eating habits and eating around in a social setting with other people allows the child to develop cognitive and social skills. Thus, it is important to have a balanced diet to meet the needs of the growing child.
- The child becomes more self-reliant when they are given choices of food. They start reaching out to foods they like and deny things when they don’t. Though it might turn out to be a messy affair, it will help with hand and mouth coordination.
- They will start having preferences.
- They will start consuming a healthy diet: while the primary purpose of weaning is to introduce infants to food different from breast milk. By bringing in a whole new range of food products, you boost the intake of wholesome nutrients that are vital for your little one’s development.
When to start weaning is entirely a personal choice and might also depend on the child’s comfort. Like we discussed earlier, sometimes you’ll be forced to begin weaning earlier because you’ll have to get back to work, and you can’t breastfeed your baby enough to satisfy his needs. Even the lack of enough breastmilk production can lead to this. You’ll also know that your baby is ready to wean when they seem hungrier early than usual, show interest in food when others are eating opens their mouth when they see food coming their way. These are signs that your baby demands more food than he/she is being fed, and you can start weaning them.
Weaning can either be natural(child-led) or planned (mother-led). Child-led weaning is where the baby starts accepting more food or different foods. In this type of weaning, the mother must watch the baby’s signs and follow his pace in the process of weaning. While planned or mother-led weaning is when the mother starts to the weaning process.
A partial wean is the gradual process of weaning where one or more feedings are done with a sippy cup or feeding bottle and breastfeeding at other times. This is a healthy method to start weaning, where the process is slow and might not immediately interrupt the child’s food habits. Pigeon Arabia comes up with a variety of feeding cutlery to make weaning fun and hassle-free. Providing such colorful bowls and plates to the child will attract their attention and encourage the process.
When you or your baby is ready to start weaning, it is best if you take it gradually. You can slowly introduce feeding bottles substituting one breastfeeding session. Watch the baby’s cues and consider how he responds to this before proceeding with the process further. With days, you can patiently introduce more bottle-feeding sessions and breastfeed less often. Start with daytime feedings as it is easier, and you can eliminate the bedtime breastfeeding in the end as it is the toughest for the baby to give up. An infant can drink from a cup as soon as he is six months old. So mothers can wean to a cup as easily as they would do it with the bottle. This would help the mothers skip the process of bottle-weaning.
When your baby is six months old, you can start introducing solid foods. This will naturally help with your baby’s weaning process. Make it as fun as possible by allowing them to take the lead. To have their own plates and cutlery would generate interest in them. You can explore the range of fun weaning accessories that Pigeon Arabia has come up with. They have a variety of attractive products that will make sure your child is enjoying the process without much fuss.
Your baby can start trying different textures and various food items like mashed veggies, meat, and finger foods by seven or eight months. Careful not to give whole milk, which they find hard to digest, and small food items like nuts might cause the baby to choke. Always keep in mind to be patient and take the process gradually.
Every mother will find it hard to accept the fact that her baby is slowly becoming independent. You might even feel like your baby doesn’t need you anymore. This is natural when your baby starts weaning. Most of the mothers begin this process with mixed emotions. But understand that your child is reaching a milestone in their life, the first of many. Even though you might find it hard to stop nursing your child, try to take it with much patience. Expect a wide range of emotions, and things will fall back into place very soon. Find ways to spend more time with your child by cuddling and playing with them to replace the special time you shared together.
