Hey, Goddesses. How’s the new school year going? Let me know in the comments. Today, I’m talking about weaning your toddler from breastfeeding. So about three months ago I weaned my 14-month-old from breastfeeding. You can read about my journey here. Since I’ve been posting on Instagram about my weaning journey I’ve had a few people ask me about how I went about weaning Cairo. It was a tough journey for both of us. Tougher and more physically painful than I imagined but we made it through. So if you would like some tips on how to wean your little keep reading. Not ready to wean and need breastfeeding help? Read this post.

1. Sage and Mint Tea

I used a few things to help dry up my milk quickly, which is important because you don’t want clogged milk ducts. One was sage and mint tea. I bought the sage separately and added it to my brewed mint tea.

2. Sudafed

The other thing I did to dry up my milk was take Sudafed. I got this advice from a pharmacy tech who had recently weaned her baby. Sudafed will help dry up your milk. Talk to your doctor before using it to make sure it’s okay.

3. Cabbage Leaves

You may not like the way you smell while wearing cabbage leaves but they do help draw out your milk. I put them all around my breast and then put on my bra. If I had a swollen milk duct I was sure to put it directly on the swollen milk duct.

4. Willpower

Your poor baby will ask to nurse and may even throw a fit, but you have to stay strong. Offer them a sippy cup or pacifier. My sweet boy doesn’t take pacifiers so it was difficult to soothe him. But redirection by either me or my husband worked really well.

5. Hand Expressing

Before your breasts get too full, hand express in the shower but not too much. You don’t want to signal to your body that you need more milk produced.

6. Gradually ending feedings

Please don’t stop breastfeeding your toddler abruptly or you will have the hugest swollen milk ducts and it will hurt so bad. One night my husband walked into the room and said “dang.” He could literally see my clogged ducts. They were huge and very painful and I started feeling sick you. You also run the risk of catching Mastitis. So have a long plan. Start out cutting out one feeding a day for a few days, then cut out another feeding, until you have cut them all out. You may be able to do this in two or three weeks. Also, keep Tylenol or Motrin on deck.

7. Keep baby hydrated

I noticed when I started weaning my son his lips began to look dry. Make sure that you’re replacing the breast milk that they would normally get with water, whole milk, or what your doctor recommends.

8. Saying NO

When baby pulls at your shirt and “asks” to nurse say no. They will start to understand.

9. Get the help of daddy or another person

When things get difficult and your little is not giving in, have someone else take them to play or give them a snack. I found it great to have my husband put him to sleep. This was the time I started taking him for walks because he was used to going to sleep with me as his pacifier. This is now our new go to sleep ritual, I listen to my favorite podcasts, he observes our world until he falls asleep, and we both find it mindfully soothing.

10. Ice Packs

Used ice packs or heating pads to soothe your aching breasts. Use them while you sleep or when your milk ducts are clogged.

Goddesses, I love to hear from you. Have anything you want me to post about? Have any feedback for me to make my blog worth your time? Leave those comments. I read and respond to every single one. Your comments mean the world to me and let me know that I’m bringing value to you. Namaste.