| Feedings | 1 st week of weaning | 3 rd week of weaning |
| 1st | Breast or bottle feeding. | Breast or bottle feeding. |
| 2nd | Half breast or bottle feeding. Try one or two teaspoons of puree or cereal, then give remainder of feeding. | Half breast or bottle feeding. Two teaspoons of cereal. Remainder of feeding. |
| 3rd | Breast or bottle feeding. | Half breast or bottle feeding. Two teaspoons of vegetable or fruit puree. Remainder of feeding. |
| 4th | Breast or bottle feeding. | Breast or bottle feeding. |
| 5th | Breast or bottle feeding. | Breast or bottle feeding. |
EXAMPLES OF WEANING STAGES
WHEN TO WEAN
As your baby grows, she’ll need to drink more and more milk or formula to maintain this growth. But your baby’s stomach can only hold a certain amount of milk at each feeding; eventually, she will reach a point when she’s drinking to full capacity at each feeding, but still doesn’t have enough calories for her needs. Your baby will let you know that she needs more to eat by a change in her feeding habits. She may start to demand more milk and appear very unsatisfied after each feeding, or she may start demanding a sixth feeding, having previously been quite content on five. A classic case is a baby who has been sleeping through the night starting to wake for a night-time feeding. This is the time to introduce solids. Many babies do this at around four months, when their intense desire to suck lessens, though it can be later. You should be aware of the signs that your baby gives you, and be ready to follow her lead for the introduction of solids. The first tooth, if it appears at or after six months, definitely indicates the need for solids.
SPITTING UP
If your baby tends to bring food right back up – some babies never do – you may wonder if he’s keeping enough down. My youngest son was a child who had a tendency to spit up, and I worried that he wasn’t getting enough to eat. I simply followed my own instinct, which was to offer him more food. If he didn’t take it, I assumed that he had spat up an excess that he didn’t require. Babies usually spit up because of a normal gastroesophageal reflex, which is more pronounced in some babies than in others. Overfeeding can also cause spitting up, which is another reason to avoid insisting that your bottlefed baby finish his bottle.
Forcible or projectile vomiting, especially if it occurs after several meals, should be reported immediately to your doctor; vomiting is very serious in a small baby because it can quickly lead to dehydration.
BURPING
Burping releases any air that has been swallowed during feeding. It’s unlikely that gas causes your baby discomfort, and many babies are not noticeably happier or more contented for having been burped. Swallowing air is more common in bottlefed babies, but you can prevent it to some extent by tilting the bottle more as your baby empties it so that the nipple is full of milk and not air. Disposable bottles cut down on the air the baby swallows, because air cannot enter the bottle as the baby sucks the milk.
The good thing about burping, whether you breast or bottlefeed, is that it makes you pause, relax, slow down, hold your baby gently, and stroke or pat him, and this is good for both of you.
OVERFEEDING
Chubby babies can be cute, but fat cells, once produced, can’t be removed, and a fat baby may grow into a fat adult, with all the attendant dangers to health. Unfortunately, it is easy to overfeed a bottlefed baby. The reasons for this are twofold; first, it is tempting to put extra formula into the bottle, but you should always follow the instructions precisely; otherwise, you’ll be giving the baby unwanted calories. Second, in your anxiety to feed him “properly” you may want to see your baby finish every last drop of his bottle, but you should always let him decide when he’s finished. Introducing solids too early and giving sweet, syrupy drinks also cause overfeeding.
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