Trying to Wean toddler

[LuvnZoobie]

Anybody have any experience weaning a toddler from breastfeeding? I feel like she always wants to nurse because she's not getting foods that really fill her belly. Please give me your experience on weaning from nursing to eating raw foods. And if its not too much trouble please tell me what kind of schedule your toddler is on as far as eating and sleeping. Thanks in advance :)

[Aleesha Sattva]

I believe in self-weaning. My kids breastfed until they were done. One was 13 months, another was 4 and the last one was closer to 4.5 yrs when she weaned.

[Conscious Midwife]

I ditto Aleesha experience.

The best schedule is the one your toddler provides

The key is to make sure mama is getting the best and most wholesome nutrients. You milk is specifically formulated for each phase of your childs growth. Stay nourished and hydrated mama.

[Raw Mommy]

How old is your daughter? I stopped breastfeeding my son at 2.5... I got poison ivy over my chest and stomach and couldn't hold him skin to skin, which is how we liked it :) We gave it a rest for a week, which was crazy, because we both loved the experience. I let him decide if he wanted to continue and thats when it stopped. Makes me sad... I would've breastfed longer. I can't wait to have another! What an amazing natural RAW gift to give. It always made me feel so good. I believe in making it last as long as you possibly can!

[Raw Angel Mom]

Due to an infection, i had to switch from nursing my child to the breast pump. So i pumped my milk for her for 4 years. Like you, i didn't feel she was getting enough because she didn't eat enough variety of food. What i learned, is that we are worry too much because of so much brain washing from governmental guideline. Such you need such and such portion of this, or this type of food every day etc..... Children are far more in tune with their body then us. From observing my daughter, she will eat mainly the same type of food for a long time, then she would switch to the others. I feel that our body store nutrient and it will give you craving for what it needs.

If you make a smoothie with fresh berries, bananas and hemp seeds, you will cover a huge game of nutrient including essential fatty acid and amino acid. Try to introduce smoothie to your child, and when you feel guided, add something to it, such young coconut, different fruits, chia seed, gojji berries (packed with vitamin C and Iron).

If your child have fresh fruits and amino acid, he will be more then ok.

After being pressure from the dietitian, i had to get my child blood test done and to check for deficiency. They wanted me to give her soya and egg white, i knew that soy is GMO, process and no way, i was going to do this. When her result came, they were great and all protein test were above average. This was her signature and after this they had to back up. Prior to those test, my daughter didn't want anything else but strawberries, banana and hemp seed smoothie. After the test, she started to accept different food and i then stop pumping milk.

Here are food that i recommend. Keep in mind that i am not a professional, neither a dietitian or pediatrician. I believe strongly in intuition that you receive to care for your child. All children will have different need, and you will need to figure this out.

Fruits especially berries, plantain (could add in smoothie), apples, pears etc.... (Fruit should be organic due to high content of pesticid. It is ok with Banana/mango/avocado to be conventional)
Hemp Seeds (no allergies has been reported)
Rich starchy fruits such bananas/plantan/papaya/durian, etc....
chia seed
Gojji berries
avocado
e3live

Get the book RawSome by Brigitt Mars. So inexpensive and very informative concerning nutrition.

p.s As mentioned, my daughter was a fussy eater and wanted only strawberries/banana/hempseed smoothie for the longest time and did great in her blood work.

[RawMomma7]

Hi,

My sixth child was nursing, he was about 9 months old, and saw his Aunt with a honeydew. That was it for him, he let go of me and went straight for that melon! He never went back to nursing. He was very ill as a young baby, allergic to milk, but it took me about 3 years to figure it out. Even though I went raw before his first birthday, he was still eating some cooked and some raw.

My seventh child breastfed until she was 18 months old. I had to go back to work and she didn't like the bottle, with breastmilk in it. She was a raw pregnancy and was a raw baby from the get go. If she wanted it in the produce section, I bought it. We went home prepared it and she ate it. Most of the time, she liked what she picked out. She is 6 now. She still asks for things in the produce section and is still willing to try new foods. She loves mushrooms. Baby six favorite food was blueberries and my 10 year old craves kale.

I think that when we eat raw, no matter our age, we instinctively understand what our bodies need. Take her to the store and let her see if anything appeals to her. I agree with the rest of the group to stop the chia seeds. I make sure my kids have greens and fruit daily. I stick to whole foods and a variety for them. They eat some cooked, but all of them can say that they eat more than french fries and catsup for veggies! (fact is: at a Halloween party last week, none of them recognized the Jack-in-the-box guy!! We haven't done fast food in...7 years.)

As far as a schedule for her, after seven kids, I would say 7-8pm bedtime, let her rise when she wants, nap only if you feel she still needs it. lots of creative play, outside play, imaginative play.