Suggest Ways To Stop Breastfeeding

Posted on Mon, 27 Oct 2014

Question: Hello Doctor, I am trying to stop feeding breast milk to my 1.9 year old baby girl who is so much addicted to it and will not have food properly. she will have 2 glasses of cows milk as well twice daily but she still prefers breast milk whenever she wants to sleep and during night time also.
milk is gradually reducing for me nowadays, but please suggest me some lotion which i can apply so that she will stop drinking milk.

Thanks,
XXXX

Answered by Dr. Diptanshu Das (13 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Breast feeding is associated with mother's touch

Detailed Answer:

I understand the cause of your concern.

But let me tell you breast milk is not just milk. It is the sense of closeness with the mother, the smell of the mother, the taste and feel of the skin of the mother's nipple which are associated with a child breast feeding. It is the craving for these that makes a child of this age breast feed. Cow milk cannot be a substitute for the same and neither is it needed (you may give cow milk if you want but that is independent issue). There is no need to try and stop the breast feeding by force. There can be no solution/lotion that will make a child retract from breast feeding. With time, the production of breast milk comes down automatically and therefore the child will eventually stop. Some amount of coaxing and mother's association in some other way should be enough eventually.

I hope that helps. Feel free to revert back with further queries if any.

Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Ashwin Bhandari