After breastfeeding over the last couple of months, there comes a time when it all has to wind down. There are many reasons why a mother could decide when to wean her child of breast milk. It could be due to a new pregnancy and another child is on the way or perhaps it just feels like the right time to stop. For those who may not know, Weaning is the process of gradually introducing your child to an adult diet and withdrawing the supply of your milk. For some of us, that time has not come. For some, we are there but don’t know how to go about it.
Tips and Steps for Successful Weaning
It is usually better to allow your child initiate the weaning process. How? Watch him or her for signs of interest in other food. For example, if your baby is now interested in what you’re eating — making sounds as she watches you eat, or trying to grab your spoon or watches anything you put into your mouth with a look in her eyes that says, can I have a try… then she is saying I am ready to try that. It is also a time when you should be extra careful because anything baby can reach and hold it most likely is headed for the mouth. With that said, here are some tips to weaning successfully.
- The key to a successful weaning process is to do it gradually and when both of you are ready. That’s you and baby. There is no perfect time but it is generally accepted that at six months, most babies are matured enough and ready to start trying new food. Just try not to make the stop and switch sudden and abrupt.
- It is always better to begin the weaning process earlier than later because as baby grows, so does the will of the child mature. At 6 months to one year, you can succeed in getting your baby to adjust easily as compared to if you begin later when baby is much older.
- Gradually cutting back the number of times you breastfeed during the day is a good idea. Not only does this make it easier for your baby to adjust, it also helps you avoid engorgement where your breast would be filled but not sucked or emptied…this hurts.
- Consider reducing the length of nursing time. If you nurse for 15minutes (for example) from each side during each breastfeeding session, then reduce to 10 minutes each side. That is 10 minutes on the left side and 10 minutes on the right side. Taper off gradually until you are nursing for 2 or 3 minutes on each side. Before long, it would be one minute per side.
- Let what you know about your baby guide you. You alone know your baby more than anyone else; more than doctors, more than Mothersbond even more than your baby himself or herself. So use that knowledge to your advantage.
- Retain favorite breastfeeding times for as long as necessary. For some babies, it is the first nursing time of the day. For others it is the midnight nursing. Let that favorite suck time be the last to go because even if you may not know, your baby looks forward to it.
- Replace nursing times with more interesting activities. For example, if your child likes to play with a favorite toy, then use that. If your child likes to be outdoors or look through the window, use all of this to distract. But try not to distract on an empty stomach. Distract for only breastfeeding times you are trying to drop.
- Avoid nursing triggers. For example, holding in the usual nursing posture. If you use a nursing pillow, hide it. I once held a baby whose mom was weaning in a nursing position and all efforts over the past week seemed lost because baby suddenly remembered how sweet life was whenever he was held in this position. So avoid nursing positions and nursing rooms or nursing tools.
- If you’re introducing your child to a spoon for the first time, do so at a time when your child isn’t extremely hungry and might have more patience.
- When all else fails and you must wean, then try some tricks such as applying bitter leaf juice on your nipple, applying Aloe Vera gel on your nipple or garlic oil on your nipple to put baby off. It works.
Appropriate foods as you start the weaning process.
Even after you start solids or semi-solids, breast milk or formula are your baby’s primary sources of nutrition for his or her first year. Keep breastfeeding in some form or the other for at least a year if you can.
We have gotten many questions about what can be used as baby food in place of processed (off shelf) baby foods. Or what can make a baby look healthy and well nourished. Well, our formula which we recommend for moms is a combination of some native yet highly nutritious grains namely Dawa, Corn (Maize) and millet. Take it to a clean machine to blend. Make it clear to those blending for you if you are doing it in a market that it is for a baby so it has to be clean, the plates for the processing and packing has to be clean, the machine too has to be clean, neat and free from pepper. If the machine was used to grind pepper, then it should be cleaned thoroughly or simply use another to be safe.
Dawa, Corn, Millet can be mixed in a ratio of one cup (or any portion you choose) each of all three. (This mixture would surely make your baby look healthy and robust which is the wish of every mom).
Before processing the grains, you can decide with your own creativity how you wish to proceed, but don’t serve raw. You can grind it and then cook to make a pudding, or you can process how we process pap. Pap is prepared by soaking for a few days before grinding, after which you sieve and collect the smooth part and dispose the chaff. You could also take it a step further such that after sieving like pap, you still dry it again…just as we make starch (dry starch which some people eat and others use for washing clothes). This way, you wouldn’t have to worry about preserving it. Just take as much as you need each time. Either, it is all up to you.
You can also try other grains like wheat and rice mixed with Millet in the same ratio of 1:1:1. Any grain you feel comfortable with. You can also try purees of any healthy food, including vegetables or fruits. Mash it thoroughly to be very smooth. Remember to sweeten a little if baby isn’t enthusiastic at first. You can sweeten with a little glucose, or some baby milk or even breastmilk. Remember though that baby survived on breast milk and enjoys it, and breastmilk isnt so sweet if you actually taste it, so baby doesnt have to be fed with something really sweet.
Some Things to Look Out For When Introducing New Foods to Your Baby
- Choose one food to introduce first and do it one at a time. Whether from the store or homemade, feed that to her for a few days before introducing the next new food, to check for possible allergic reactions. Don’t try different things all at once so if something isn’t right, you can easily pin point where the problem may be from.
- Don’t worry if you feel baby is eating just one type of food for this period. Remember, your baby survived on only your milk for many months. And with a little of your milk still coming, she’s in safe hands.
- If you note diarrhea, rashes, or vomiting after introducing a new food, stop offering it and consult your pediatrician.
- If you choose to buy cereals from the shop, make sure it’s one made specifically for babies; they’re fortified with specific nutrients babies need at this age. Don’t just give her your oatmeal! On the other hand, if you have the time and wish to blend your own formula for your baby from these grains we listed earlier, in either case you can mix with water but we recommend you mix with your milk.
- You can mix your baby’s formula with your breast milk. This is another secret that makes your baby look fat and healthy which most people don’t tell. When you ask them, they say its nature and genetics that is making their baby look like this. Well, we know the secret and we are sharing here. This is another area where breast pumps come in handy. Extract enough milk with your pump and use it as the solvent to dissolve your baby’s food. You don’t need to use water. Breast milk is almost 80% water. So use your nutritious milk to mix your formula.
Sadly, you can’t store semi solid or formula that may have been mixed with your milk. Unlike fresh breast milk which you can store in your fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for two weeks, once formula has been mixed with milk, baby has to consume all or you dispose the rest. So use very little of your milk and mix very small food at a time, just exactly the quantity you know your baby can consume. Try not to waste your milk. It is precious.
What we know you Could Need
For moms interested in getting a pump to extract milk to mix, we suggest getting an electric pump that does the job quickly and quietly. There are many options out there in the market, but the Kinyo Superfast Electric Pump is one we recommend. Not only does it have a high speed capacity, it’s also very affordable considering how hard times are. This product is available on our store. (N34,550 for double side, and N29,300 for single side).
Kinyo Double Electric Breast Pump
If you are buying a double side electric breast pump, you may need to buy a hands-free pumping bra so that your hands would be available to do other things. It is not easy holding up your breastpump on both sides while you wait for it to fill up.
Milk and formula Bottle warmer
After extracting milk or mixing a formular which you may have stored, it is best to warm them again before feeding to baby. Babies and infants never like cold food. They are used to feeding directly from Mommy and the milk from Mommy is always warm. And so when you want to bottle feed your baby, it should be the same temperature as the one that comes from Mommy. This baby milk and food bottle warmer has been designed to warm milk to this same temperature as the one from Mommy. (N5600)
Also consider our various options of Nursing bras and Nursing pads. Nursing bras because you would still be breastfeeding. And nursing pads because you would be having leakages even more than before. (Ranges from N2150 – N6600)
Nursing and Maternity bra (Large to Huge Cup Option) (D, DD to G Cups)
Baby Spoon Feeder: Another great product to consider is the Baby Spoon Feeder. It is simply the best to start introducing semi solid food to your baby and here is the reason. The tip (the part that goes to your baby’s mouth) is shaped just like a spoon but in actual fact food still flows from it. This helps in preparing your baby to accept the round shape of a spoon. It’s perfect to feed on the go and it’s definitely a lot less to carry with compared to plates, lids and spoon.
Baby Spoon Feeder
Teethers are very important now. Your baby would keep trying to chew. So be ready. We have some fruit type teethers in stock that are very colorful and attractive. (N1000).
Baby Teether
You would also need some bibs ( A bob is that piece of cloth placed on baby’s chest and hung around the neck in case of spilled food).
And a baby food blender; if you don’t have one, your hand blender or kitchen blender (at low speed) can serve.
About Mothersbond Mothersbond is Nigeria’s No 1 Mother and child care online store and resource center. We support moms and their babies by answering questions on issues of importance to them and also sell high quality yet affordable products that aid the bonding process between mother and baby. We welcome your comments and feedback on our products and write ups. Please sign up on the home page to receive further advice, bonding tips and great products directly to your mail box. You can also ask us a question.
©Mothersbond 2016.
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My baby hates to breast feed. Even when I extract it, she still refuses. I introduced SMA progress, she was stooling and at the ssme time losing so much weight. At present, she’s using Peak. She isn’t enjoying it. What formula do you advice I reintroduce to her?
What meals can I give to her to help her gain weight?
Cause she is just 4 months and weighs only 4kg. It really breaks my heart that it is this way with her. Please, help me out and what can I use to boost my breast milk yield? Cause sincerely, itz really diminishing.
Hi Ifeyinwa,
Thanks for your question and we are sorry to hear this but you really do not need to worry especially if you are sure your baby is not sick. Perhaps you or her father was this way as an infant. If your parents are still alive, perhaps you can ask them because genes play really strong roles in the lives of children. Children dont have characters formed yet and their diet is not so broad, so most of what we see are mainly genetics in action.
When a baby is not sucking breast milk, is she sucking from a bottle, even if its water in a bottle. We are trying to see if she is just unwilling or unable to SUCK. Or it is her decision not to even if she can because maybe she cant or cant suck properly, not that she hates to.
The Peak you introduced to her, we hope it is specific for children.
On what to feed her, well, we already suggested some formula in the post you read. Perhaps you can try those.
And yes, when breast isnt sucked or the milk in it isnt extracted or used up in some way, nature has its way of thinking this person isnt breastfeeding again and so wouldnt be needing as much milk, so it begins to diminish until it disappears.
To boost your breast milk production, please try to extract milk with your pump even if you dont need it, you can mix in her food or dispose it. Also increase your fluids intake. Drink plenty of water, have a bottle of water beside you all the time and take sips from it every 5-10 minutes even if you are not thirsty. ALso increase your consumption of food that easily converts to water like tea, pap and fruits/vegetables. No alcohol. Some vegetables help specifically if you are breastfeeding, carrots, avocado, spring onions, garden eggs and raw tomatoes (ripe tomatoes washed clean), cucumbers, lettuces and other green vegetables. Eat them all the time, especially early in the mornings before breakfast and late at night long after you must have had dinner.
Most importantly, try to relax. Any tense woman is likely to have lower milk production because of stress. Milk flow depends so much on how relaxed you are.
If this response has missed out anything, please bring it to our attention and we would address that.
Enjoy bonding with your child.
The Mothersbond Team.
When I order for the kinyo electric pump and belly binder. How long does it take to get to me?
Hello Josephine,
Thank you for your interest in our products. It would take between 1-2 days if you are in Lagos, and 3 – 7 days if you are outside Lagos, depending on where exactly you are.
We hope this answers your question and we look forward to your order.
Comment pls my baby is 13months now . I don’t want to wean her yet. but my friends keep saying breast milk is no longer nutritive at that stage that is just waste of time. pls how true is that?
Hi BB,
If you do not want to wean her yet and your baby is gladly taking the milk, then by all means continue. Weaning should only be considered if you wish to wean or baby is showing signs of wanting out. However, your friends are partly right, perhaps they put it wrongly. Breast milk remains nutritious but to be completely honest, your baby has at this stage gotten all the nutrition she needs from you.
As a matter of fact, with six months of exclusive breastfeeding, most babies have gotten the primary fortification they need. But when you breastfeed continually, it is like keeping a grown child of 15 in nursery or maybe primary school all in the name of having a good foundation. That child is matured to learn new things but it doesn’t mean what is being taught in primary school is of less value. It simply means at that age, he or she is in fact ready to advance.
Hope this answers your question. Your breast milk is still nutritious and you shouldn’t be forced to wean.
Enjoy bonding with your child and do visit our store http://www.mothersbond.com.ng.
The Mothersbond Team.
Thanks for d information. Please wat is Dawa n secondly is there no need to wash them n dry befor grinding in d case of d powder bcos of dust or any form of dirty?
Dawa is better known as Guinea corn. A native grain which is highly nutritious and grown in the northern part of Nigeria but sold all over. Your local grain dealer would be able to show it to you. If you choose to go the powder way, then you need to watch out for those. Most women rather prefer to go the pap way where they soak for a day or two before going to blend.
Pls Aw is Dawa prepared apart from the pap form? I wil like 2 try sumfin different frm the pap dat I knw. Thanks, n Pls Aw do we prepare those puree
Hi Ini,
Most women tend to get creative with this, especially those who know their way around the kitchen, I mean those who are ordinarily good cooks.
You could try to make it like dry cereal, you could even go a step further to make it like moi moi. You could also try to make it like where you are making semo or amala. The three bottom lines are 1. Try to make it hot to kill any microbes, 2. Try to make it not too thick so baby can swallow 3.Try to sweeten it in some way if baby doesnt like the initial taste.
Secondly, a puree is a blend of anything really. So fruit puree is a blend of fruits which hasnt been crushed fully to juice. So there is some fibre left in it. If you make blend water melon, carrots and apples for instance, a puree is what it simply is once you are done. A juice is when you remove the entire fibre and leave only the juice. We need baby to eat the fibre too thats why we talk of puree.
We hope this helps. If you have further questions, please ask.
Enjoy bonding with your child.
The Mothersbond Team.
Good morning, I would like to know if you have any thing a baby can use to feed himself. For babies who prefer feeding themselves. I heard it’s like a teether but has a net around it so the baby can suck out the food while playing with it. Thanks.
Hi Ola,
Thank you so much for reaching out to us. We have reviewed your request and the closest item we have that resembles that is the baby spoon feeder. It is made of silicon and the tip is made of plastic. So even if it falls, it wouldnt break or burst. It is also leak proof in the sense that it would not open except you unscrew it. It is also educational in the sense that baby would know he has to press it before food comes out of it…although it is really soft.
You can read more about this product here
http://mothersbond.com.ng/product/baby-spoon-feeder/
We look forward to your order (if it meets your specifications)
The Mothersbond Team.
My sisters baby is a year and 3 months but he refused to eat solid food Uptil now just pap, fricso gold and biscuits, pringles, Pepsi and caprisonne. We all are bothered cos he was initially plumpy but he is reducing on a daily basis now. What can we do and what suggestions can we get please. Thank u
Hi Ogechi
Your sisters baby is not alone like this and its best to have it dealth with now. One child who we worked with continued like this until 3+. For family visits, his foods had to be taken along because he wouldnt eat what was served. Even school parties were a problem because he would have to go with his own food to the parties. It may not be too bad though because he is still young but now is the time to start addressing it.
His loss of weight may be as a result of worms. Please check that and take steps to eliminate worms and he would begin to gain weight again. Also, if he is a very active boy, there is a possibility that the food he is eating currently is not enough for what his body and age requires.
So what you could do is simple.
1. Make him understand that he would only get the type of food he wants if he eats some of the right things.
2. start with foods such as rice without stew or anything without redness or pepper.
3. Consider sprinking some of the frisco on something like mashed rice or mashed yam
4. Consider sweet foods such as plantain and sweet potatoes.
If you try these and still not making progress, then please get back to us on next steps.
regards,
The Mothersbond Team.
Thanks alot for this information. My baby is 5 months and I intend to introduce her to semi solids at 6months. I would definately be using the tips I learnt from here.
Hi Tonia,
We are glad to hear this. If you need any further support that you think we can offer, including tips and useful products, please dont hesitate to contact us.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Enjoy bonding with your child.
The Mothersbond Team.
Good morning please Ill like to know if You recommned administering multi vitamins to babies to boast their eating. I have a 17weeks old baby who doesnt suckle as much as I want right from Birth. I experience leakeages daily aldo I use a pump to maintain regular supply. Would a multi vitamin make her suckle more?
Hi Yeancah,
At 17 weeks, just a little above 4 months, its quite early for baby to be taking medicines which are not prescribed by a doctor, even if its simply multivitamins. We think it may be better to ask ourselves why is baby not sucking well since birth.
You seem pretty sure that you are lactating well so that may not be the problem. Could baby have a tied tongue? Not easily able to pull on the nipple with her mouth? When you use a pump, do you extract enough milk, do you feed baby with a bottle? whats the bottle experience like? Is it better or the same thing.
And also what do you consider to be suckling well? Perhaps you have really high expectations. Most babies of that age may wet the diapers about 5 times in a day or thereabout. If baby is wetting diapers appropriately then baby is eating well. Does baby look sick or malnourished? If your baby is looking healthy, playful and happy, then she is just fine.
If you need a better pump that can help you extract more milk, then please consider the kinyo double electric pump.
We hope this answers your question, but if you have more to add please do.
Enjoy bonding with your child.
The Mothersbond Team.
How do I make my tommy flat immediately after giving birth
Hi Gloria,
The best product to use would be the 3 in 1 abdominal binder. It would help flatten your tummy after birth.
Very helpful info. Thank you. My first child was a picky eater, didnt take any solids till he was way past 12 months, and then it was only cereal, till he was 24 months and some. Now he eats just about everything we cook! My little one will benefit from all this, i wish i knew earlier.
We learn new things everyday. What matters is how we make new experiences educational. Thanks Doyin.
Do I start with the millet mixture or baby formular such as Nan,Frisco etc or d two?She’s 6months old today and I want to introduce her to other food by next week by God’s grace.I want to introduce it one @a time.How do I go about it?Which should come first?The baby formular(baby food such as Nan),d millet mixture,d smashed vegetable mixture etc…kindly put me through as to which to introduce first follow by which one and then which one and how.Thanks.I want the best for my baby girl,she deserves the best!I would like to tap into that info of mixing her formular with breast milk.
Hi Taiye,
Really theres no limit to what you can try so long it is healthy and safe. So go on ahead to try these options alone or mixed together. And even the breast milk mixing as you highlighted in your comment. But you see, fruits can hardly qualify as a meal so if you try the mashing of fruits or vegetables like avocado, carrots etc, then it shouldnt replace the main food.
Some Moms try to be organic (feeding mainly on natural foods), such moms are the ones who would go into the market and source the grains themselves. Others may not have time so they simply go for the ones on the shelf. If you can try both seperately or even mixing both the grains and the commercial formulas, then do so. Just try everything, it would be fun to see which one your baby enjoys the most.
You can sweeten with baby milk, glucose or even breast milk. But go mild on the milk and glucose, your baby survived on breastmilk and enjoyed it too, so this means babies really dont know sweet taste so dont make it too sweet.
Enjoy bonding with your child.
The Mothersbond Team.
Please Which Food Should I Introduce 2my Baby At 8month
Hi Mrs Daramola,
We normally recommend that you try several food types to see the one your baby likes the most and which you can afford and which is also nutritious. Please read more here…
http://mothersbond.com.ng/2016/04/09/weaning-how-to-introduce-semi-solid-food-to-your-baby/
Enjoy bonding with your child
The Mothersbond Team.
My 7 month old baby has refused to take anything but breastmilk. I’ve introduced puréed fruits, sweet potatoes, banana, avocado, ewedu with amala. He ends up crying and refusing to open his mouth. Even when I force feed him, he throws up eventually. I tried cerelac, same story. I bought Frisogold rice, he vomited accompanied with a fever, next day, he had a rash (allergic reaction)that made us go to the hospital early the next day. A friend told me to give him the brown pap, which I did but he threw that one up too. I’m confused. This breastfeeding is draining me, I’m always hungry
Wow Madam,
You seem to have some work on your hands but its not that bad. Your baby has shown clear preference for breast milk and you should let him be for now. We would share some steps you could take but first and foremost, you need to accept that your boy may not be ready yet, its that simple. Give him sometime, hes only seven months old and thats quite young for some of the food you listed here, e.g. Amala and Ewedu and some other too. Please do not force him again, you see how he is been reacting and having fevers, so take note.
We also see how its affecting you so first focus on your self now, dont worry, try to eat more in between meals. Dont eat too much foods, eat light foods but in between meals. So eat up to five times a day but light. This is so you dont put on weight. That would be another problem to deal with. Then eat more vegetables, like cucumbers, carrots, garden eggs and raw tomatoes. They help with milk supply. Drink more water even when you are not thirsty, have a bottle of water beside you and take sips every five to ten minutes. This would make you less hungry and more hydrated…which in turn would lead to more milk production.
Also buy a breast pump if you dont have one. We sell the Kinyo electric breast pump and its the one we recommend because its got high capacity and its affordable and built for our environment. With the breast pump, you would extract milk once a day or twice a day and not have to breast feed every time which is the reason why you feel drained. You would now bottle feed him the same breast milk he likes.
For your son, his case is clearly that he is not ready, but sometimes, we can help our kids be ready. So what you should do is to get him first to like sucking from a bottle. Let him suck the same breast milk he likes so much but from a bottle. Once he is ok sucking from the bottle, then the next step would be to take some of these foods and mix with your milk which you would have extracted with your pump. Mix it in a way that the flavor of the milk would supersede the taste of the food. Some of these foods you mentioned are strong flavored, so you need very little quantity of them but more of your milk so it would still taste like your milk.
Do the first step, of getting him to like bottle feeding for the next one month. Once he is used to that, the after a month you can introduce the mixture. For now, dont force him again and dont introduce any more foods so he can be more relaxed at meal times while we execute this procedure.
Enjoy bonding with your child.
The Mothersbond Team.
Pls howvdo I stop my six month old child from sucking his finge. Thanks
Hi Priscilla,
We always suggest pacifier to solve challenges like this. Although some parents prefer to use plaster to tie the fingers but our own suggestion is to use pacifiers, it helps control the urge to suck.
Enjoy bonding with your child.
Please how do I get my baby to add weight significantly? She’s 9 months and she weighs 6.1kg. She feeds on b/milk, pap and other cereals…she’s not a big eater so most times we have to force feed her, the only thing she eats wholeheartedly is breastmilk. She’s taken multivitamins and other appetite stimulants for babies but there’s no significant increment in weight. She’s an active baby but she looks small for her age
Hi Yemi,
Thank you for your comment and the details you shared. By posting your comment on this blog post on weaning, we are pretty sure you must have read and seen some formula we shared…have you tried that. We also encourage moms to mix their breastmilk with some foods like yam or potatoes, in very small quantity mashed and soft, then add excess of your milk such that it would still retain the flavor of your milk. These two steps have helped so many moms get their babies to start trying other foods.
You also mentioned that shes not a big eater, well, thats another reason that explains this and your breastfeeding should be a major part of her diet. If shes active and happy then she is not sick, it may just be in her nature. Are you on your own a big person? Is her father big? Do you have any of her grand parents who are slim people? Genetics play very strong roles in the lives of babies and most times what we worry about is just nature showing itself on our children. If your parents are alive and your spouses parents are alive, then you can ask them if you or your husband were like this as a baby.
So try all the tips we have shared here and ask questions on your roots. Most importantly, try not to force feed her, she may just throw up and fall sick therefrom. Forcefeeding children is not the best except when the child is grown up to maybe two years and can understand you clearly. Even at that point, the best is to reward them with something they cherish if they eat everything on their plate. For now, your baby doesnt know what she is doing, so let her enjoy being a baby and you stop worrying.
If you dont have a breast pump, you may want to consider buying one to help you get plenty of breast milk out of yourself as this would help ensure there is always enough milk available. We have some on our store.
We hope this helps, and if you have more questions, please dont hesitate to get in touch again.
Enjoy bonding with your child.
The Mothersbond Team.
Good morning and thanks for the information. Pls my son is 2yrs 6months and won’t eat anything other than cerealac,pap or custard,golden morn, oat, cheeseballs,fruit juice and biscuits. Pls what do we do to inculcate solid food into his diets. We’ve tried several options to no avail. We’ve taken him spend some days with other kids that eat solid food but he still won’t eat. What do you suggest we do?
Hi
There are many children like this and getting them to change takes patience.
You should first understand that there is an attraction to this type of food or there is a turn off from the other type of food.
Sometimes our stews and soups are pepperish or the color is not appealing. The taste may also be lacking in the area sweetness if he has gotten accustomed to eating sweet and sugary things. So tone down on the pepper and make meal times more fun. For example, you can try rice, on its own, without stew or anything, and see if he would accept it. If you want, a cooked rice pudding with milk.
Another step to take would be to force or bargain. We dont recommend forcing for any reason so its always better to bargain. The good news is that at almost 3 years, he would be communicating clearly. So for example, say to him, here is your food. Eat it and get this. A favorite toy or a favorite sweet or a second meal which he would enjoy better. Eat this one and get this as a reward. (Try not to over use the sweet option so that it doesnt damage his teeth).
You need to stand your ground, no need to beat or get angry, just maintain that if you want this, you eat this. Dont worry he wont die even if he cries or abandon the food. Just make sure that the quantity you present to him to eat is not too much at the beginning. Start with small portions. If you allow his crying to break you and you give in, well, thats more time and more money spending on someone who should be eating adult food by now.
The step you took by taking him to another house is a good one but it wont work. Psychologically, he knows that this is not home, and when i go home, back to my world, everything would go back to normal. So it wouldnt work. If the other child or children came to your house, that would have been better. And for long too, not for a week only. He would feel intimidated that these ones are eating what he cannot eat in his own house.
An even better approach would be to have another child. Funny but true. Knowing that his younger one is eating this adult food would make him sit up. Once a while rub some soup in his mouth to lick. This is what you should have been doing since he was a baby…it helps prepare our childrens taste buds for our type of food.
Enjoy bonding with your child.
The Mothersbond Team.
My baby is five month and he cant sleep without having the breast in his mouth even when his tommy is full, sometimes he sleep off when sucking n just suckle on the nipple when I try to remove it he will cry n will not sleep again, his always doing that in the night n during the day. Pls how can I stop him from doing that?
Hi Omobola,
Thanks for contacting us.
Just like adults, babies too form habits. This is a habit your baby has formed and how do we stop habits? By breaking them. It may seem hard but you just need to turn a deaf ear to he cries sometimes. If he doesn’t sleep without it, let he be awake. Within a couple of hours, she must sleep too. And when she wakes up at night too, feed her. Once you are done with the feeding, let him be. He is only months old. Now is the best time to break any habit. He would easily forget all about this in a few days or weeks if stand your grounds.
If you must try anything, then try using a pacifier, it helps quench the urge to suck. Best break the habit now to avoid nipple sores and for him not to pick up the urge for finger sucking too.
We hope this helps and if you have more questions, please dont hesitate to contact us again.
Enjoy bonding with your child.
The Mothersbond Team.
Lovly post, I always read your articles……your doing a great job, you take good time to answer questions with patience even when it’s repeated, keep it up!
Dealing with Moms is a virtue. Its a lovely experience. Most of the time, for first time moms, they dont even know how to take care of themselves not to mention taking care of a new baby. So its patience and Gods grace. And we would continue to do our best in anyway we can.
Thanks for appreciating us. It means a lot.
Great
Thanks.
I enjoyed every post on dis page. Great job. Pls , my 9months old baby doesn’t like drinking water. What method should I use? Thks
Hi Abiola, so what does he take for fluid currently? What does he drink?
i enjoy every bit of ur words.my baby is 3 month old i notice she is nt satisfy wit breast milk again.my next plan is to get her baby milk like nan or sma, hope dr is no problem wit dt and will nt have any effect on her
Hi BB,
There is no problem dont worry, just dont stop breastfeeding entirely.
However, we hope your milk supply is enough, because if it is a case of you not having or producing enough milk then you should start by looking for how you need to improve
the quantity of milk available for her, please consider getting a pump.
Enjoy bonding with your child.
The Mothersbond Team
I love this site. I am a victim of a pricky eater. At 4 years he still doesn’t eat on his own except he is feed or forced. Pls what can I do.
Be assured that he would outgrow it but what type of food does he enjoy. Every child enjoys some kind of food, so which one does your boy enjoy. And sometimes these things happen because they are the only child in the house. Is this the case with you? A younger sibling who eats well always prompt an older sibling who is picky.
Finally, remember to use rewards instead of force. I know that sometimes we parents loose it and get angry but more often, the best approach is to reward good behavior instead of punishing bad behavior. So for example, eat and get this or eat and have the opportunity to do this or something…am pretty sure you catch my drift.
Enjoy bonding with your child.
The Mothersbond Team.
Please ma I want to ask if Irish potato is good for a 6months old baby with a butter inside and also rice without salt but with butter or indomie without the seasoning with butter.
Hi Abisola,
Thank you for your question.
Yes for the irish potatoes, Yes for the rice without salt and No for the indomie. In the rice and irish potatoes, please mash it very well to almost like paste.
In addition, please dont stop breastfeeding even though you have begun introducing these foods.
Enjoy bonding with your child.
The Mothersbond Team.
i have been giving my 8 month old baby dano milk and golden morn for a while now because the Nan 2 he was taking before was not sufficient. he seems to be doing very fine with the golden morn. he is taking to solid food very well and he’s quite big for his age. what other alternative can i use besides the golden morn and dano milk.
Thank you
Hi Bee,
Thanks for contacting us.
You seem to have everything under control, but are you still breastfeeding even though he is eating all of these.
This is one area that you may want to continue till baby gets to about one year.
Enjoy bonding with your child.
Thank you for your reply. i am still breastfeeding. however, is the golden morn and dano milk good for him i have not noticed any side effects though
Ok. Continue breastfeeding for now. It would help you. Dont worry about the dano milk but you see, try to read labels very well to be sure anything you are buying is suitable for babies.
ok. thank you. will do.
Hello admin tanks for this great answers u have been given. My baby will be six mth next week is it proper for me 2 start introducing pap 2 her and also i dont want to use spoon 4 her, i want her 2 be using bottle. Hope its a good idea 2 use bottle for d pap. Thanks a lot
Hi Omotoyosi,
Thanks for contacting us. Yes it is the right time to introduce pap but you shouldnt stop breastfeeding entirely.
Yes you can use bottle but as baby approaches one year, its best to start introducing the spoon so she starts getting used to it and wouldnt struggle when the time comes for her to use it.
Here is a link to our spoon feeder, its a bridge between bottlefeeding and spoon feeding.
http://mothersbond.com.ng/product/baby-spoon-feeder/
Enjoy bonding with your child.
The Mothersbond Team.
Hello motherbond, my baby sucks her thumb and all efforts to stop her has failed. She cries so much that we had to leave her to stop sucking. Please what can i do.
Hi Ibukun,
Thanks for reaching out. You havent told us how old your baby is. If still young, she may overgrow it eventually. If not, then its time to take measures that may be far reaching. Consider the use of bitter items or applying plaster on the finger. If this doesnt work, then go for a pacifier. Let her attention for sucking shift away from the finger and to the pacifier.
Enjoy bonding with your child.
The Mothersbond Team.
Hello motherbond,my boy is a 24 month old and he likes eating rice,but i observed that he now has a big tummy what do i do motherbond.
Big tummies would resolve themselves as the child grows. But what you can do for him now would be to reduce his starch and sugar intake. Especially the artificial ones in form of drinks, juice, carbonated soft drinks and food packs bought from stores.
Still cut down on the rice and replace with fibre foods.