Please Note: This post may contain sponsor, affiliate, and/or referral links. Read my full disclosure statement. 

Disclaimer: The information in this post is for educational purposes only. I am not a doctor. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. None of the opinions are meant to diagnose or treat any disease or illness. You should always consult your healthcare provider.


Night Weaning: An Alternative Perspective

Has there ever been a mama who longs for the night when her child will wake up more than a dozen times?  Has there ever been a mama who relishes spending more than half of her night attached to her thirsty babe?  Being a nursing mama is a night and day job.  And it is hard work!  We all look forward to the time where the whole house gets to sleep through the night. Many moms are told that night weaning, or not allowing babe to nurse until morning, is the solution to long nights.  So should you night wean?  Will night weaning help baby sleep?  Will it help mama sleep? Is it Time for Night Weaning? Our pediatrician told me to night wean … [Read more...]

Weaning Baby Off Breast Milk Before Six Months

Sometimes there are factors outside of one's control that lead to weaning baby off breast milk before six months. It can be disappointing and disheartening. Nothing tops the bond felt while breastfeeding. However, sometimes, a bottle of formula is what's best. There are no hard, fast rules as to how to wean baby off breast milk before six months; however, there are two tried and true ways that have historically worked best. The Top Two Ways of Weaning Baby Off Breast Milk Before Six Months 1.  Enlist the help of your spouse or that of a close relative. My body wasn't producing enough breast milk: it was time to wean my second child. … [Read more...]

Considering Weaning at 4 Months? What You Should Know

It is no surprise that breastfeeding is sometimes a difficult and frustrating journey. Despite what some might say, breastfeeding doesn't come easy. As a general rule, once a new mother gets past the 6 weeks mark things can be smooth sailing. However, some moms find themselves revisiting the idea of weaning at 4 months. Four months is a common breastfeeding hurdle. With the right information you can prepare for what's to come and rest assured you and your baby can get past this. Why You Might Consider Weaning at 4 Months, and What You Should Know   The 4 Month Sleep Regression It is no secret that as humans we need sleep to … [Read more...]

Signs of Weaning: How to Know It’s Coming

How will you know if your baby is truly weaning, or if it's a simple (yet incredibly frustrating!) nursing strike? There are several signs of weaning which can help you know the difference. Signs of Weaning Weaning happens over the course of months. Weaning from the breast is a very gradual process of a baby slowly cutting back on the number of nursing sessions and duration of each session. If the baby is suddenly refusing the breast, this could be for any number of reasons, including teething, illness, pain, or emotional stress. This is known as a nursing strike, and usually continues for several days, but does not indicate weaning. … [Read more...]

Child Led Weaning: Lily’s Story

Child led weaning: what does it look like? Does the experience make you feel happy, sad, is it bittersweet, or freeing? The truth is, it is all of those things. Child led weaning is an intimate experience fraught with a wide range of emotions typically charged with a mixture of waning hormones, a rapidly growing independence that is blossoming from your child and the relationship between the two of you morphing into a completely new story. I want to tell you one of my children's stories. I want you to know what it meant to me, doing this child led weaning and allowing her to stop when she said it was time. I gave birth to a … [Read more...]

Weaning Your Baby – One Mom’s Dilemma

Weaning your baby comes with many questions, emotions, and struggles. It is not a simple process. No mother and baby go through weaning exactly the same way. I have a dilemma.I have been breastfeeding for 68 months. That's a really long time. I've weaned during three pregnancies due to preterm labor concerns after my first was a preemie. I've learned that weaning your baby is not as simple as many say it is. Weaning Your Baby - One Mom's Dilemma So, my dilemma. I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel with my husband to France this summer as part of his work. We are leaving all four children at home with my parents. Baby … [Read more...]

Weaning off Breastfeeding: Breastfeeding into Toddlerhood

One thing is certain about breastfeeding: it seems like everyone has an opinion about it! A quick stroll around the old interweb will show you that many people who aren't breastfeeding are offering opinions and suggestions for weaning off breastfeeding once baby turns one year old. It seems to be a popular notion, as experts say that at one year old a child can be introduced to cow's milk. This leads many moms to decide to call it quits at that time, switch baby to a cup with cow's milk, and move on with life.  Most babies who reach one year old are breastfeeding less than they did six months prior, but they are still getting a great … [Read more...]

A Benediction to Weaning Moms

Breastfeeding is a two-sided relationship and that doesn't change when it comes to weaning. There is often a lot of focus on the process of weaning the baby, but it is also a process for the mother. Are you wondering if the end is near? Are you thinking that tonight might be the last night you nurse your baby before bed? Is it time for you to say goodbye to breastfeeding? Does that thought make you sad? If so, A Benediction to Weaning Moms is for you. Rebekah Hoffer beautifully shares her emotional struggles with letting go of breastfeeding as she writes a benediction to weaning moms. Her honestly shared emotions are both touching … [Read more...]

Stopping Breastfeeding Cold Turkey

For a variety of reasons, you may find yourself in a position where stopping breastfeeding cold turkey is your only option. I have been in this position, and while nothing can quite exactly prepare you for it, there are tips on how to make the pain and engorgement manageable. After the birth of my firstborn, I found that breastfeeding was going well, but my daughter also took a bottle so I was not exclusively using the breast. I was feeling pretty good over all, until around 4 weeks postpartum when I had a terrible IC flare up. (If you have not heard of IC, here is a short description: Interstitial cystitis is a painful bladder … [Read more...]

A Flexible Baby Weaning Schedule for Toddlers

So, your toddler has been eating table food and drinking from a cup for a while. Maybe you're expecting your next baby, or you're just ready to stop nursing, but your little one is still asking for the breast multiple times per day. What does a baby weaning schedule look like for a toddler? I have now successfully weaned two children during the toddler years. Both times I weaned because I was expecting a new baby and the pain from nursing was too much for me. I have a very flexible baby weaning schedule that I follow in order to wean my toddlers. I am not strict about weaning, and the process has always been very gradual for me, … [Read more...]