Weaning Your Baby

Weaning your baby involves the process of going from breast milk and formula milk to introducing solid food.  Babies are ready around 4 to 6 months for this kind of weaning.

Depending on age, weaning also means switching from breast milk to formula feeding for babies younger than 12 months.

For babies older than 12 months, weaning involves switching from breast milk or formula milk to cow milk and regular food.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for up to 6 months, with continued breastfeeding along with appropriate complementary foods up to 2 years.

We recommend breastfeeding for 1 year and then slowly and gradually introduce the weaning process from breast milk to cow milk and regular foods.

The longer the baby is breastfed, the difficult it becomes to wean off.

A baby starts showing specific signs when he is ready to be weaned.

• The baby shows interest in solid foods while you are eating.
• The baby opens her mouth while you are eating.
• The baby can sit without support.
• The baby wants to drink formula milk or breastfeed more often.
• The baby weight has been doubled.
• The baby mouths her toys and hands.

Weaning off breast milk or formula depends more on development than age.

If the weight, height, bone development, and other physical development milestones are in line with the month of your child, of course with pediatrician recommendation, it’s the ideal age to wean the baby.

At age 2, your little one does not need to be breastfed anymore. Real food is more sustaining and nutritious.