When Is the Right Time to Stop Breastfeeding?

By Alison Heyerdahl

The decision to stop breastfeeding is a very personal one.  Each mother has a different breastfeeding experience, and her emotions surrounding breastfeeding will be just as unique. 

Some mothers have a clear idea of how long they want to breastfeed, and when they would like to stop, but for many mothers, it is not that simple or obvious.  While there’s no recommended cut-off time for breastfeeding, however long you choose to breastfeed will be beneficial to both you and your baby.

There are many things to take into consideration when choosing to wean your baby off the breast, including your own beliefs and feelings, the feelings and needs of your child, and dare I say it, sometimes the unwelcome opinions of others. 

What do the authorities recommend?

According to the World Health Organization, babies should be breastfed exclusively for the first six months of life.  Thereafter, stage-appropriate solids should be introduced to the diet while continuing to breastfeed for two years or beyond.  Authorities such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control recommend breastfeeding your child for the first year and thereafter breastfeeding for as long as “mutually desired by mother and infant.”

Weaning your baby off breastfeeding

The benefits of breastfeeding are numerous, and as your child matures, your milk adjusts to his or her growing needs, providing all the essential nutrients and energy requirements for their development.  Eventually, solid foods become the primary source of her sustenance and calories. However, with the addition of solids, breastmilk continues to add valuable benefits. 

Weaning is the gradual process of introducing your baby to other foods or milk substitutes while continuing to breastfeed, and can be either natural (child-led) or planned (mother-led).  Mothers who wean their babies within the first 12 months of life will need to substitute breast milk with formula. 

How to wean your baby off breast milk

Start slowly.  Weaning your baby should be a gradual process.  If you know that you will have to return to work soon and won’t be able to continue with breastfeeding, plan ahead, and allow the process to happen over a few weeks.  An abrupt stop should only occur in extreme circumstances such as engorgement, clogged ducts, and mastitis. Start eliminating one feed per day, for several days, and continue dropping one every few days to week in stretch. Try to not stimulate the breasts during this time, using ice compresses. If needed, hand express just to comfort to assist with discomfort.

If you have excess breastmilk stored in the fridge or freezer, you can certainly use that in place of the nursing session. If not, offer formula at the feeding time. If your baby is over a year, you may introduce a milk, or food substitute. 

 Once you have successfully replaced one of your breastfeeding sessions, you may replace another feed a week later.  Continue with this process – and even shorten the remaining breastfeeding or pumping sessions by a few minutes each time – until your supply has fully tapered off.  Adjust the pace as necessary to ensure that your baby is satisfied and that you are coping with the changes. Over the course of a few weeks, you can transition fully off the breast.   If your baby is under six months old and hasn’t taken a bottle before, you will also have to make sure she gets used to suckling on the nipple of a bottle. If your baby is struggling with switching to a bottle, our lactation consultants can help you with bottle refusal. 

Be patient with yourself and your baby.  Some mothers are ready to wean their babies, and others will experience an understandable range of emotions around the process. Your baby may also be experiencing their own feelings around the transition off the breast. Take the time to bond with your baby in other ways – read to her, sing to her, or cuddle and hold her if you are feeding from a bottle.  This extra closeness will help her realize that you are still her source of comfort.   

Ensure your baby is receiving the nutrition she needs.  If your baby is under one year old, you will have to supplement her diet with a milk substitute such as formula, even if you have started her on solids.  Babies cannot fully digest solids before the age of a year because their digestive systems are still too immature.  As your baby grows, you will want to ensure that she is eating plenty of nutrient-dense vegetables, fruits, and grains, avoiding too many processed foods and those full of sugar.  If you have stored breast milk in the fridge or freezer, it can be used as an ingredient in all kinds of foods – such as cereals, yogurt, or even popsicles.  

Conclusion

Your body has done an incredible job of providing your baby with the best possible nutrition.  The decision to stop breastfeeding is very personal and can produce a range of understandable emotions.  Be gentle with yourself and your baby, and take the weaning process slowly so that you both have time to adapt.  If your baby is under a year old, you will have to supplement her diet with a milk substitute such as formula when you decide to stop breastfeeding.  When your baby gets over the year mark, you will have to take an active role in what your child eats, ensuring that she gets enough nutrient-dense vegetables, fruits, and grains.