Weaning
Not sure when or how to wean your toddler from the bottle or breast? Get expert-backed guidance on timing, methods, and step-by-step tips from pediatric feeding specialists.
Key Points
Weaning happens as baby moves from milk or formula to solids and stops breast and bottle feeding
Weaning starts when you introduce solid foods, usually around 6 months old. It ends when your baby no longer drinks breast milk or formula. The word “weaning” can also mean the time when you stop breastfeeding or bottle feeding for good.
Solid foods are important for nutrition around the first birthday
Weaning can begin when both of you feel ready. However, toddlers should be moving toward solid foods becoming their main source of nutrition, with breast milk and formula for comfort and support. Even if they are nowhere near ready to wean by age one, once toddlerhood hits, it's time to gently guide them toward focusing on solid food.
Wean at a pace that feels right for both you
Doctors and dentists recommend dropping bottles by 15 to 18 months of age to protect a child’s teeth and encourage them to eat solid food, but you can be flexible depending on your child’s needs. When it comes to breastfeeding, you can keep going as long as you’d like, as long as your child is regularly eating a variety of solid foods.
When to wean off the breast or bottle?
Toddlers have different nutritional needs than infants. Before 12 months, a baby’s primary source of nutrition is breast milk or formula. Starting around 12 months old, a toddler needs a different balance of nutrients than can be found in infant formula or breast milk alone. At this point, solid foods take over as the primary source of nutrition.
This does not mean you have to wean from milk feeds immediately at 12 months old. You have lots of flexibility for when and how you choose to wean from the bottle or breast. Solid foods are simply the priority and primary source of nutrition and weight gain after 12 months, and if your toddler does not have the hunger motivation to learn to eat table food, some weaning might be a good first step to improve eating at the table.
The AAP recommends weaning bottles by the second birthday at the latest, but most medical professionals encourage weaning earlier, between 15-18 months. It is our professional opinion that many young toddlers still need a bit of supplement from bottle feeds as they continue to build the skills for eating; for many kids, we recommend a slow and systematic wean beginning around 12 months, concluding sometime before the second birthday. Looking for more support in this area? Check out our guide on weaning from bottles.
Regarding nursing, we believe that mothers should be supported to continue nursing as long as it is comfortable and beneficial for both parent and child. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization both recommend continued breastfeeding until at least 2 years old, though many families are ready to (or need to) wean during the first year or around one year.Some parents and babies balance continued breastfeeding and table meals without issue in toddlerhood, while others may need help weaning slightly, or timing feeds to help their toddler build hunger for table food. Need more guidance? Check out our guide on weaning from the breast.
Why you should or shouldn’t wean
Weaning should be based on:
Child’s capability of efficiently eating a wide variety of foods to get their daily nutrients and
Child’s capability to drink liquids successfully from a cup to stay hydrated
Parental readiness to move on to a new phase
Giving up the bottle or weaning nursing are big changes and very personal decisions. No one should pressure another person to wean their child before they are ready.
Some common reasons why people choose to wean their child off a bottle or nursing:
They feel the child is ready.
The child stops asking for or accepting bottles or breast feeds.
The child is eating a wide variety of foods.
The parent no longer wants to breastfeed or use bottles.
A medical provider recommended it.
They feel it’s the right time.
They feel pressured to wean.
The child is not gaining enough weight or is losing weight.
The child is not interested in solids, and the parent wants to encourage the child to eat more solid foods.
Reasons why you might wait to wean
The child is too young. While it is natural for a 9- to 12-month-old baby to start dropping milk feedings, they should not be pushed to do so (except in rare circumstances and only under the supervision of a medical provider). 12 months is the earliest babies should be weaned, though many children at this age will not yet have strong enough chewing skills to eat and consume a wide variety of solid foods to warrant dropping breast-feedings and/or formula at 12 months.
The child only consumes purées. If your child only eats purées, they still have a long road to learning to chew. Breast milk and formula are a safety net that gives baby plenty of nourishment while they learn the important skills of chewing. Weaning when a child is only eating purées can cause many toddlers to get stuck on purées because they are easily consumed and provide quick calories, while chewable foods take a lot of effort. If you wean a child who cannot consume enough solids, you are often forced to resort to purées.
You’re not ready. Bottle feeding and nursing are soothing for a toddler and often the only time of day when you have a calm, quiet, cuddly kid instead of a busy, active child. If you enjoy nursing or bottle feeding your toddler and it’s not negatively impacting their solid food meals, you shouldn’t feel pressured to wean before you or the child are ready.
When you are ready, how do you wean?
Determine how many bottles or nursing sessions are offered each day, and for bottle feeders, many ounces of milk the child is taking. It’s easy to lose track of how many nursing sessions or bottle ounces throughout the day; spend a day or two tracking how much the child takes in.
Implement a daily mealtime schedule, establishing set times for meals and snacks.
Decide on your weaning method. We find two main methods the most effective, all of which are slow and respectful of a toddler’s need for flexibility:
For bottle feeding:
Dropping bottles approach: Cut one bottle at a time.
Decreasing volume approach: Decrease the amount of milk offered in each bottle.
For nursing:
Time of day approach: Choose a period during the day you don’t offer the breast.
Time limit approach: Limit the amount of time your toddler nurses for each session. (15 minutes to 10 minutes or 10 minutes to 5 minutes, etc.). Determine which feeds may be the easiest to drop—first thing in the morning and go straight to breakfast, snack times during the day, etc. Once you choose, begin your wean.
Expect some tears when weaning bottles and nursing. Although it is hard to see your toddler upset, consider holding firm to the boundary and being present to support your toddler and their big feelings. It’s okay for your toddler to feel disappointed and sad. As the caregiver, it’s your job to provide other sources of support and comfort during these big feelings.
If you need more support in weaning your toddler from breast milk or formula, including detailed step-by-step instructions, see our guide, How to Wean from Breast to Bottle.
Frequently Asked Questions
We recommend taking it slow, starting around 10 to 12 months. Some babies are completely off bottles by their first birthday, and others stop somewhere before they turn two. It’s important that baby is eating a wide variety of foods and drinking well from a cup before weaning off formula. When your baby is ready you can start by dropping one bottle from your regular feeding routine or decreasing how much milk is in one bottle per day. From there, the transition can happen slowly. After a few days with the new routine, you can try dropping or decreasing the amount of milk in another bottle each day. Check out weaning from bottles for step-by-step guidance.
Move at a pace that feels right for both of you. Some toddlers are ready to wean around their first birthday, while others need more time (or you want more time). Both are normal, though if you are unsure, know that the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization encourage parents to continue breastfeeding until the child’s second birthday and beyond if desired by baby and parent. As long as a toddler is regularly eating a variety of solid foods at mealtime, you can continue breastfeeding if it feels right for both of you. Check out weaning from the breast for more guidance.
You can start by dropping a regular nursing session or shortening the amount of time at the breast during one of their regular feeding times. Either way, give them a couple days to settle into this new routine, then move forward with dropping or limiting another feeding session. As you go, keep in mind that weaning does not need to be linear. You may have a few great days, then comes a day when they absolutely need to nurse at a regular time that has been dropped, or nurse longer than you’d like. This is not a step in the wrong direction. You are staying flexible and responding to their needs during this big transition.
Weaning is a big transition for toddlers, and it requires them to learn more about how their body feels when they are hungry and full. For example, a toddler may not fill their belly with enough solid food when it is time to eat, and end up hungry when it is not time for a meal or snack. Hunger is the natural result, and while it’s tough dealing with a hungry toddler, the feeling of hunger is a crucial part of their weaning journey.
You will know a toddler is eating enough while weaning if they:
Eat a variety of textures and flavors
Sleep for multi-hour stretches at night
Pee and poop regularly
Are usually happy and energized, and
Are growing and developing well
It’s normal for their growth rate to slow a bit around 15 to 18 months, which is when many toddlers are weaning from breastfeeding or bottle feeds. As long as they are otherwise thriving, keep going. If you have any concerns about your child’s growth or intake, discuss with your child’s healthcare provider.
