A Roadmap to Weaning: When and How to Drop a Milk Feed
Timing is everything...
Once a baby has more or less gotten the hang of eating at meals, it can start to feel like you’re feeding constantly. No sooner than one milk feed ends, it’s time to offer solids at the table, and once the table meal is done, it seems like time to prep a bottle or breastfeed again!
If a baby is eating and growing well but you feel that you are feeding around the clock, it may be time to drop a milk feed, although many parents are unsure how. There is no right or wrong way to approach this very personal process; this post is meant to provide information about the choices and considerations that can help guide you while you decide what’s best for you and your baby.
The transition from breast milk or formula to primarily table foods can be seen as a progression of phases or steps, which can look different from baby to baby. In general, these steps usually begin at around 6 months of age and end around 12-15 months, but every baby develops at his or her own rate and on his or her own timeline.
It is not wrong to start dropping milk feeds later, nor is it wrong to take plenty of time to move toward the end of the progression. Parents of babies born prematurely also need to take corrected age into consideration. And there are often backtracks during the process. For example, you might find a couple of weeks here or there where your baby seems to want to eat less solid food and breastfeed or formula feed more as a result of sickness, teething discomfort, or a variety of other reasons.
The 4 phases of weaning:
During the first phase, a baby begins trying different solid foods. This phase is mostly a time of exploration, so milk feeds usually continue normally.
In the second phase, a baby begins to swallow more food. If the meals offered are balanced and nutrient-rich, parents can consider dropping a milk feed. It is also perfectly fine to keep milk feeds at the same amount.
In the third phase, a baby’s feeding skills are developing and he or she starts consuming more solid food at meals. For many babies, this happens at about 9 months of age. Meals start to feel more like actual meals as opposed to mostly exploration and play. Babies at this stage usually start filling up more from food and as a result, taking in less milk. Dropping a milk feed or two often happens naturally.
In the fourth phase, baby is getting most of his or her nutrition from food, and if 12 months of age or older, he or she can transition to cow’s milk or a high-quality plant milk in lieu of formula. Toddlers can also absolutely keep breastfeeding after turning one year old. In fact, the World Health Organization supports breastfeeding up to age two and beyond. Do what works best for you, your baby, and your family!
Many parents want specific ages for this developmental progression, but as with many questions regarding weaning, the answer is, “it depends.” Specifically, it depends on the baby’s development, whether the baby was premature, how much exposure to solid foods the baby has had, and more. A baby’s exposure to solids can be increased by parents and caregivers, but the amount of food a baby eats is dependent on different variables such as level of interest in solids, development of feeding skills, and specific medical concerns.
That said, many babies are ready to drop a milk feed by around 8-9 months given that they are usually in phase two or three at this point. The dropped milk feed can come at any point in the day that works best for you. Many parents find it easiest to drop a midday milk feed and replace it with lunch. There’s no right or wrong way to go here!
As far as when to offer solid foods versus when to offer breast milk or formula, a general rule of thumb is to move toward feeding milk after meals, rather than before. This way, the baby feels hungry for mealtime and begins to associate solid foods with satisfaction. Note that drinking a lot of milk right before a meal can reduce interest in foods, even in older children.
Many parents are worried that if they offer milk after meals or drop a milk feed, the baby will get too hungry. This makes perfect sense given how concerned we are as parents about nourishing our little ones and keeping them comfortable. However, if we feed the baby too many times throughout the day, he or she may never truly feel hunger, which denies him or her the opportunity to connect solid foods with satisfaction from hunger. As babies develop, it’s okay to let them go for longer periods of time between meals and milk feeds. The key is timing meals and finding that sweet spot where your baby is hungry enough to enjoy the solid foods, but not so hungry that he or she has a meltdown.
I’m often asked if it’s okay to wean “cold turkey.” In general, except for some medical reasons, it is better to take a gradual approach if you can. If mom is breastfeeding, stopping abruptly can increase the risk of engorgement and mastitis, and the baby may intensely resist the sudden change. If immediate weaning is necessary, however, this link has some helpful information about how to avoid severe consequences.
In the same vein, gradually transitioning from formula to cow’s milk is also often more successful than abruptly switching from formula to a bottle of cow’s milk right at age 1, which can sometimes result in a baby who refuses all bottles. Instead, gradually mixing in small amounts of cow’s milk or another nutritionally adequate plant-based milk to breastmilk or formula can help ease the transition gently.
However, you decide to drop a milk feed and move toward full weaning, know that there is no wrong way to do it. Take comfort in the fact that babies are incredible at meeting their nutrient needs when we let them lead the way!
If you have specific concerns about your baby’s nutrition and need 1:1 guidance, feel free to book a session with me in my virtual private practice and we will get to the bottom of it together.
And if you’re getting ready to start your baby on solids, or if your baby has recently begun his or her feeding journey and you need guidance on food sizing, balanced baby meals, introducing the top allergenic foods, and making sure baby is getting the important nutrients needed for growth and development during infancy, check out my online course for parents, based on my best-selling book which will walk you through the whole process of starting solids using a baby-led approach.
Thank you to my dietetic intern, Annie Hanes for her research and contributions to this post!
