Before you feel guilty for even thinking about weaning your baby, realise there is no right time for it to happen, and it’s not always the same time for each child.

Debbie DeSilva-Every, better known as Nurse Debbie to patients and parents, is a registered nurse and lactation consultant at Wee Care Pediatrics.

How long should a mother breastfeed her baby?

“The American Academy of Pediatrics recommend at least a year,” Nurse Debbie notes. “Here, we say as much as you can is great.”

“Generally, down here, you get a lot of moms who have to go back to work after a month,” she continues.

Many of these mothers will nurse for that first month and switch to formula afterwards out of necessity.

As timing is different for every mother and baby, so is the method, but generally speaking, one should never go ‘cold turkey,’ as it can lead to multiple problems for the mother, including engorgement and mastitis, an infection in the breast, according to Nurse Debbie.

“Take out one feed a day,” she suggests as a starting point.

It is best, she explains, to start with feeds where you generally produce less milk and where someone else, like dad, can take over the whole feed for you, like in the evenings. If you need to do the feeding yourself, hold the baby in a fashion other than you would for nursing.

However, if you do plan on continuing to breastfeed, it is a good idea to wait on giving your baby his first bottle.

“We like that you don’t give a bottle until after one month,” she recommends, as doing this can possibly cause confusion for the baby. However, giving a breastfed baby the occasional bottle after one month, whether expressed milk or formula, will help the baby take the bottle more easily when you decide to wean.”

But that isn’t so for all babies, the lactation consultant adds.

“Some go straight from breast to cup,” she explains.

When you decide it is the right time to wean your baby, how do you know which formula is the right choice for your baby?

“Anything with iron,” Nurse Debbie answers.

Many of the different things that formula companies use to say how their product is better or different are simply marketing ploys, she claims.

However, consistency is key, and she finds it frustrating that parents have to switch formulas multiple times between well-baby visits just because they cannot seem to find enough of the same product.

Some babies, do develop milk allergies and need to be switched to a soy-based formula. Indications of a milk allergy include vomiting after every feeding, severe rashes, beyond prickly heat, according to Nurse Debbie, and a family history of milk-sensitivities.

“When you hit a year, if you want to stick with soy, you need to use soy formula until two years,” she explains. This is because many of the soy milks available also contain hormones that are not recommended for babies and young children.

Finally, there comes the time for solids.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that you wait until six months, however, some babies may be ready earlier, and can tolerate rice cereals as young as four months.

“Babies will so tell you,” Nurse Debbie laughs.

A baby that normally sleeps through the night, suddenly waking frequently to eat, is one sign, as is wanting the breast more often than usual and drinking more and more eight-ounce bottles.

“Start with rice cereal by spoon,” she recommends. “Then move to vegetables. Only give one new food per three or four days so if the baby reacts, you know what it is.”