Weaning Your Breastfed, Bedsharing Child: A Real Simple Guide to Gently Transition from Night Nursing and Cosleeping (Real Simple Motherhood)
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Weaning Your Breastfed, Bedsharing Child: A Real Simple Guide to Gently Transition from Night Nursing and Cosleeping (Real Simple Motherhood)
Breastfeeding is an absolutely beautiful journey, and it is made much easier when you cosleep or bedshare. But inevitably, there comes a time when your child will wean (or when you choose to wean your child). And when that happens, it means a significant transition for everyone in your family.
If you are reading this, it is probably because you are wanting to learn more about weaning your child… and getting them out of your bed! I will share everything I have learned through research and my own personal experience. My hope is that this will help the transition be as smooth and gentle as possible for you and for your child.
This book covers lots of different strategies through the two aspects of weaning here: getting your child to fall asleep (or go back to sleep) without breastfeeding, and getting them to sleep in their own sleep space. I will address single moms as well as mothers who have help at bedtime, and give you ideas for setting up a place just for your child to rest. I also list sample scripts and tips for talking to your child about the changes; other mom-and-child bonding ideas; and an alternative strategy if you think that your child needs to transition as slowly and gently as possible.
Please realize that I am not a medical professional, and that my book is a source of ideas and a conversation starter for the parents of a breastfeeding, bedsharing child. I give you various suggestions so that you can choose what might work the best for your child. But as always, please consult your child’s pediatrician or a lactation consultant for medical advice or if you have serious concerns.
Secondly, I do not normally advocate “sleep training†as it is typically portrayed, and I will not recommend that here. What I am teaching is a gradual way to help your child disassociate breastfeeding in your bed with sleep.
And finally, you can successfully night wean without completely losing your breastmilk supply. Your body will take a week or two to “learn†the changes, but as always, the supply-and-demand system will even out. You can continue to nurse when your child wakes up, and throughout the day, as long as you both choose!