Expert: ruth kraft - 8/3/2009

Question
My son turns 1 in two weeks.  He has been exclusively breastfed and is well established in eating (started solids at 4.5 months).  He is healthy and happy.  However he needs the breast for comfort and to help him sleep.  He takes two naps a day.  He falls asleep on the breast and then I get him to  his bed.  When he wakes from his nap, sometimes I can get him to sleep longer if I give him the breast.  At night he goes to sleep by 8 p.m. but wakes frequently and the breast comforts him back to sleep.  This happens throughout the night and early morning about 6 to 8 times until he gets up for the day between 6:30 and 7:00 a.m.  He seems to be getting his rest but I am exhausted.  It helps some that I co-sleep with him.  My question is, now that he is one year old, I want to stop breast feeding - how do I do this when he is so dependent on it to sleep?

Answer
wean slowly. For each week you can try to eliminate one feeding. Starting with the one that he doesnt seem to need the most. You start by telling him that you will nurse him soon, then just keep delaying it until it is his next feeding. and then wean him slowly like this. He will adjust as time goes by as will your breasts when its done slow and he wont also think he is being rejected :)

Good luck!
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