Question

Question

My 9-month-old is spending less and less time nursing. Should I make her feed longer or is she starting to self-wean?

Hui Qun Ng · Accepted Answer

Self-weaning usually only takes place when the baby is over one year of age (more commonly over two years old). When a baby is self-weaning, he/she is able to get most of his/her nutrition from solids, could drink well from a cup and would cut down on nursing gradually. Teething could be one of the reasons why your baby is spending less time nursing. Another common reason would be due to cold or a change in the taste of your breast milk (brought on by hormonal changes during your menstrual period). For now, you could continue to breastfeed according to your baby’s cues. Even with a fairly consistent drop in breastfeeding, it is unlikely to be a permanent change. It is quite common for babies this age to alternate between having more and having less breast milk for a week or two.

Deepz · Answer

True SELF-weaning before a baby is a year old is very uncommon. In fact, it is unusual for a baby to wean before 18-24 months unless mom is encouraging weaning. However, it is very common to hear a mother say that her baby self-weaned at 9 or 10 months old, or even earlier. Child-led weaning occurs when a child no longer has a need to nurse – nutritionally or emotionally. The solids part should rule out self-weaning in babies under a year since, for optimum health and brain development, babies under a year should be getting most of their nutrition from breast milk. Low milk supply can be a reason. If mom’s milk supply is reduced, baby may become less interested in nursing, and of course decreased nursing will lead to an even lower milk supply. If milk supply is low, baby may grow to prefer a cup or bottle simply because he can get more milk this way. If you feel that your milk supply is low, take measures to increase it.Offer breastmilk first, before any solids, through at least the first year. Don’t let solids become more important than breastmilk during the first year.Increase solid foods gradually. An example of a gradual increase in solids would be 25% solids at 12 months, 50% solids at 18 months, and 80% solids at 24 months.Sugared drinks (and juice, too) are “empty calories” and will keep baby from feeling really hungry – limit or eliminate these. Water can also fill baby up and decrease nursing frequency. Click here for suggestions on offering water and juice.