Breastfeeding/weaning my baby

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Expert: - 7/4/2004


Question
Hello.  I have been looking for an answer to my problem for a couple of days now and it seems my family and friends all have different solutions.
My problem is that my son Gabriel is going to turn 1 yr. on Aug. 2 and it just hit me that he's still so much a baby.  He's my third child and the only one I was sucessful with breastfeeding.  All he wants to do is breastfeed though.  He'll eat at mealtime with my other children but it's only snacking and then he'll want to nurse.  I can't even get him to go sleep without nursing him to sleep then placing him in his crib. (while hoping I don't wake him up) I think another reason I'm troubled is because when my other two were 1 yr. they were completely off the bottle and went to sleep on their own during nap and bedtime.  I also can't get him to drink out of a sippy cup.  I have tried different cups and different liquids.
If you have any advise PLEASE let me know.  I would truly appreciate it.
Sincerely,
Sara

Answer
Dear Sara,

First, congratulations for giving your baby the best start in life by breastfeeding him. And yes, at 1 year, he is very much a baby. I can understand how frustrated you feel that this baby is not behaving the way your other two did, but every baby is different.

I would suggest that you keep offering milk or juice in a cup from time to time; chances are that when your son sees the other children enjoying something that he will want some too.

As far as not going to sleep without nursing, this is harder. Sometimes it helps to have someone else put a baby to sleep (father, grandmother, etc.)and have that person rock, sing to or lie down with the baby. It has worked for me with my own breastfed grandchildren!

I have an entire chapter about weaning in THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (Eiger & Olds, 3rd ed. 1999, Workman Publishing & Bantam Books), available in most public libraries, bookstores and La Leche League chapter libraries.

Good luck!

Sally Wendkos Olds

Breastfeeding

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Sally Wendkos Olds

Expertise

What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.

Experience

I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.

Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.

Other points of interest I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding. To find out more about me, go to

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