Dorie Meek is director of the Infant & Family Support Program, provided by Saint John's Health Center in partnership with the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. Meek answers questions concerning children ages birth to 5 years old.
My 18-month-old is breast-feeding at night only, and I’d like to begin weaning her from the middle-of-the-night feedings. Any suggestions on how to put her back to sleep without feeding?
Weaning Worrier
Dear Worrier,
Congratulations on breast-feeding this far and continuing to look for a smooth weaning experience. Your daughter will benefit from your dedication and love ... lucky girl.
Weaning a middle-of-the-night feeding usually requires a comfortable rocker and patience. In the past, your daughter probably woke up, latched on and went back to sleep within a few minutes. She will wake up now and look to you to understand why you’re not feeding her. While each child has a different reaction to this, most will cry a little and need to be swaddled and soothed with rocking or walking.
You may also want to find a key phrase that is comfortable for you. Something along the lines of: “Mama’s body is not ready to feed you right now. It’s time to go back to sleep,” or “I know you want to be fed right now, but it’s time to go back to sleep.” The intent of these comments is to affirm her needs and feelings while beginning to wean. Allow yourself a few days of this behavior and re-evaluate how it’s going.
At 18 months, your daughter is not depending on feeding for nutritional purposes. She is enjoying non-nutritive soothing. As such, some parents consider using a pacifier at this point, but that choice is yours. Good luck.
Dorie
Dorie Meek is director of the Infant & Family Support Program, provided by Saint John’s Health Center in partnership with the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. Meek answers questions concerning children ages birth to 5 years old. Submit your questions to “Dear Dorie” at meek@smmusd.org, or call (310) 452-6132; fax (310) 452-6392.
