Question
My baby is over eleven months old and will be one year next month. We are considering weaning him, so is this the right time to do so? What preparations should we make? Also, my son has already mastered belly crawling, but he still doesn’t know how to crawl on hands and feet. What can we do to help him learn to crawl quickly? Moreover, we plan to stay with my grandmother and mother-in-law for a while next month. Will changing the environment affect the child? What negative effects might there be? And my son likes to sleep in the cradle during the day, but now that he’s grown taller, we don’t want him to sleep in it anymore; his feet are almost touching the top. We’ve tried having him sleep in bed during the day several times, but it hasn’t worked. What should we do?
Answer
To wean your baby correctly, you can follow these steps: 1. Thorough Preparation and Gradual Weaning: Weaning is not just a significant change in your baby’s daily routine but also a psychological transition. You, as a mother, should be well-prepared and not give in to your child’s crying and tantrums, as this can affect their health. However, weaning should not be done abruptly; it should be planned and allow your baby a period of adaptation. 2. Gradually Increase Formula Milk and Complementary Foods: Gradually introducing formula milk (powdered milk) and complementary foods will lay a good foundation for a smooth weaning process, enabling your baby to slowly adapt and accept various types of food. 3. Gradually Reduce Breastfeeding Frequency. Since some babies are very attached to their mother’s milk, it’s best to start reducing milk intake from the feeding during the day. This is because there are many things that attract babies during the day, so they won’t particularly mind their mother. However, at morning and evening times, babies are very attached to their mothers and need to be comforted by breastfeeding.