Your trusty guide to weaning your child off breastfeeding

The South African Department of Health is a signatory to the World Health Organisation, which recommends six months of exclusive breastfeeding, then “continued breastfeeding for up to two years and beyond with the introduction of available, local, affordable complementary foods.”

“Breast milk remains the most important part of a baby’s diet until at least the end of the first year of life,” says Jane Maasdorp of the La Leche League International in Durban. “Other foods should be given in addition to breast milk and not instead of it. The health and nutritional benefits of breast milk will be available to your baby as long as they nurse.”

How to start baby on solids

1. Know when. Signs that your baby may be ready are when they hold their head up straight, sit without support, become restless during breastfeeds (although this can be for many other reasons, such as a congested nose, says Maasdorp), and show interest in what you’re eating (remembering that babies are naturally curious) – usually from around six months.

2. After a breastfeed, offer solids. Many moms begin with a teaspoon of rice or other single-grain, iron-fortified cereal mixed with expressed breast milk; but many dietitians now recommend starting with soft fresh fruits and vegetables like sweet potato, pumpkin and butternut.

3. Keep breastfeeding as long as you can. “Too many mums say their babies fully weaned themselves at seven or eight months, but this is highly unlikely,” says Maasdorp. “They tip the balance away from breast milk and onto the other foods too quickly, and often regret it and want to avoid this with a subsequent baby.”

If you need to wean baby off the breast…

Some working moms have no option but to stop breastfeeding before the recommended “two years and beyond”. Here’s how to tackle this process.

1. Get nutritional advice. “Get the recommendations of a health professional to help you decide which replacement for breast milk will best meet baby’s nutritional needs at that time,” says Maasdorp.

2. Go slowly. Begin by dropping one breastfeed a day – a midday one is usually easier; the first and last tend to be the last to go. Shorten feeding sessions, offering alternatives such as formula mixed with expressed breast milk, then soft fruit and vegetables. If they're older than nine months, move straight to a sippy cup or spoon, else use a bottle.

3. Partner up. Consider getting dad or a caregiver to do these feeds. If you’re doing them though, change your routine: hold your baby in a different way or in a different room to change their expectation and encourage them to adapt to the new feeding method.

4. Keep bonding. Snuggle and read or sing to baby, massage them, romp with them.

5. Prevent engorgement. Another reason to wean gradually is so that your breast milk production slows. Also express milk (not too much, or you will stimulate production), and use this to blend with formula or cereal so baby still benefits from its nutrients. Ice packs and heat compresses can ease discomfort.

Make use of Clicks Clinics Mother & Baby Wellness services

Clicks is here to help you with your pregnancy and your baby's health. Our Mother & Baby Wellness services available at our Clicks Clinics offer a variety of services, including:

A "Well Baby" consultation (meeting with a Clinic Sister for advice on your baby's health and needs), plus immunisation. We offer all baby vaccinations as per the EPI schedule, as well as many additional ones.

To make an appointment at a Clicks Clinic, call 0860 254 257 or visit Clicks Clinics online.