When to wean? WHO recommendations and helpful tips

When is it time to wean?

A breastfeeding relationship always consists of two sides: the mother and the child. If either side doesn’t want to breastfeed anymore, it’s time to stop breastfeeding. From a certain age – often after the first birthday – a child can wean itself by no longer asking for breast milk. Or the mother decides to stop breastfeeding at an earlier stage. But when should you stop breastfeeding?

• There is no perfect time to wean. Basically, as long as you and your child want to continue breastfeeding, you can do so. It doesn’t matter what other mothers, your own parents or friends say. It is your decision as to when you consider it sensible to stop breastfeeding.
• However, you can use the recommendations of the WHO (World Health Organization) as a guide to the question of when you should stop breastfeeding . They advise mothers to exclusively breastfeed babies for the first six months of life. After the introduction of solid foods, the WHO recommends breastfeeding until the 2nd birthday or beyond.
• A study has determined when German mothers stop breastfeeding on average  : after 7.5 months, most people stop breastfeeding.
• There is no right answer to the question of when a mother can stop breastfeeding at the earliest. Some mothers decide not to breastfeed from the start and still provide their children with all the important nutrients through powdered milk. However, breast milk contains important antibodies and has many advantages .

Reasons for weaning

The older the baby gets, the more supposed reasons the mother encounters for stopping breastfeeding. But not all of them are really relevant.

• About three or four months after giving birth, some mothers consider stopping breastfeeding because the milk is no longer enough . In most cases, however, this is a misconception. The breast no longer becomes hard between feeds because the amount of milk has adjusted to the baby. As long as the child is gaining weight, enough milk will be produced.
• The first teeth are another point at which mothers decide to stop breastfeeding. When a baby bites, it’s obviously very uncomfortable. Try not to cry out loud (that sounds interesting for the baby and encourages it to bite again), but undock your child and continue breastfeeding later. Then the biting is usually done quickly.
• If you are pregnant again and are wondering whether breastfeeding is harmful to the unborn baby, the all clear is clear. For some women, however, breastfeeding during pregnancy is uncomfortable because of the sensitive nipples, and some children no longer like the changed taste of breast milk.
• If you are ill and do not know whether you can still breastfeed, clarify this with your doctor. There are medications that are safe to take while breastfeeding. In the case of serious illnesses, however, mothers may have to stop breastfeeding immediately in order to be treated.
• As soon as mothers go back to work, they usually stop breastfeeding for organizational reasons. However, according to the Maternity Protection Act , you are also entitled to a break at work to breastfeed or pump.
• Breastfeeding is not comfortable for every mother. It is often associated with pain in the nipples , especially at the beginning . If the breastfeeding relationship is a big burden for you, your child is not gaining weight well and you suffer from breastfeeding, then you can stop breastfeeding after a short time and switch to the bottle.

Proper weaning – but how?

Whether after two or six months, after a year or after two years – weaning does not work overnight. It’s a process that you should set aside some time for. This allows your child and your breast to get used to the change.

• If you want to wean your baby at two, three or four months, be careful not to replace all breastfeeding meals directly. Introduce the formula gradually.
• The natural weaning process begins with the introduction of complementary food around the fifth or sixth month . The more porridge the child eats, the less breast milk he will need over time.
• When it comes to supplementary food, it is also important that you gradually replace breastfeeding meals with solid food and do not omit several milk units at the same time.
• Older children who are already eating well are often breastfed at night. From when and how to wean your child at night, Dr. Jay Gordon summed up in one plan. (Book: Gordon J., Goodavage M.: Good Nights: The Happy Parents’ Guide to the Family Bed (and a Peaceful Night’s Sleep))
• To prevent milk build-up, you can squeeze out excess milk and cool the breast after breastfeeding. Pumping takes the pressure off, but it also stimulates production – so you should avoid that when you are weaning.
• The point at which milk stops coming after weaning and the breast behaves normally again varies: anything is possible from a few days to a few months.