Expert: Sageda El-Abbasy - 8/26/2008

Question
Hi,

My daughter is going to be 2 years old next month and she still breastfeeds.  I need to wean her off now.  Could you advise on how to do this?

Answer
hello,
This is not always an easy task since babies do not only breast feed for the food but it's also a source of comfort to them.
You need to drop off feeds gradually.  You can try giving her a bottle of cow's milk instead, when she asks for a feed.  This is better than just suddenly giving up breast feeding altogether since this might cause engorged breasts, blocked ducts and mastitis.  You can also try to distract her when she shows you that she wants to breast feed.  Try to give her her toys and tell her that you'll feed her later.
A good step would be to narrow the feeds down to just one feed and from there things will get easier.
I hope this helps you and do update me on what happens.