- Mommy & Baby: Teething &
Weaning
- By
Kirsten Hawkins
These are two topics that strike
fear in the hearts of all parents: what will happen when my baby
starts teething? How will he respond when it’s time to wean
him (from the breast)?
Teething
Teething is not a disease, but
a condition of growth. It shouldn’t be dreaded, but simply
seen as an accomplishment of a healthy, growing child. Most babies
begin teething between 6-8 months of age, but as in all children,
it may vary wildly. Some babies are known to teethe as early
as 2 months or as late as 14 months. Pediatric dentists agree
that the longer it takes a baby to teethe, the stronger and healthier
the teeth are.
Additionally, the later the teeth take to arrive, the later they
will fall out and be replaced by permanent teeth.
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Teething should not affect nursing
in any way, unless your baby
begins chomping down on your nipple. While this is painful and
one’s natural response would be to yelp, if you can stay
calm
and remove him from your breast while saying, “No, no!”
you
will have a much better response and less biting later on.
Some babies will experience fussiness,
irritability, increased
salivation, and a slightly raised temperature as they teethe.
A
proactive dose of infant Tylenol will help greatly, especially
before bedtime. |
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Weaning
Weaning is defined by the process
in which parents offer food supplements in place of or in addition
to mother’s milk. This process begins the moment parents
offer a bottle of formula or when their baby first tastes cereal.
It is a gradual process.
When weaning from breastfeeding,
it’s typically easier to drop the late-afternoon feeding
first. Replace each feeding dropped with six to eight ounces
of formula or milk, depending on the baby’s age.
Weaning from the bottle typically
begins with your baby’s arrival at his first birthday. Again,
it is a gradual process. Most moms wean straight to a sippy cup
with great success. As you replace each bottle (one at a time,
though) with a sippy full of milk, be patient. It will take time
for your child to
catch on to drinking from one of these cups, and you don’t
want to unduly frustrate him in the process. |
