The Gentle Weaning Workshop: Keeping the Love When the Milk Goes Away

On-Demand Class · Breastfeeding

Every child weans, but the practical and emotional steps of weaning are rarely discussed and can leave parents unsure of how to proceed. This course takes the guesswork out of gently weaning a child under 1 or a nursing toddler.

Class Description

The vast majority of lactation education focuses on the first weeks and months of nursing. And "baby led weaning" courses don't actually talk about weaning from the breast. So what do you do if you are ready or need to stop breastfeeding? Bind your breasts? Take cold medicine? Go away for a weekend? These are common suggestions that you might see online. But the problem is none of them address how weaning will impact your relationship with your child. And that's where the Gentle Weaning Method comes in. Gentle weaning does not mean your child (especially your toddler) won't have some big emotions about the milk going away. But we will cover creative strategies to reduce resistance and new parenting strategies that will help keep that special bond with your child. This course covers everything you need to know to be prepared for the weaning process. First, in lesson 1 we discuss the basics of weaning, including: - Your child's nutritional needs - Your physical needs - Your & your child's emotional needs - Social influences on weaning Lesson 2 is all about the do's and don'ts of weaning under 1 Lesson 3 deep dives toddler nursing in 5 sections: - How to stay connected when the milk goes away - Setting and holding breastfeeding boundaries - Night weaning - Dropping feeds - All the feelings This course is ideal if you are planning to wean within the next 3-6 months and want your breastfeeding journey to end as a celebration of your achievement with no regrets!

Sessions Overview

  1. The Basics of Weaning: Erin descibes the definition of child-led vs. parent-led weaning, possible reasons to wean, and the four factors of weaning.
  2. Weaning Under 1: The Do's & Don'ts: Weaning under 1 has unique challenges including supplementation decisions and breast care to reduce the risk of discomfort and infection. How many nursing sessions you currently have will partially dictate how long the weaning process will take. Erin also discusses common weaning challenges.
  3. Weaning Beyond 1: How to Gently Wean a Toddler - Intro: Erin establishes her unique way of preparing for toddler weaning, her own toddler nursing experience, and a preview of the 5 sections to come.
  4. 1. Special Time: Weaning the milk, not the love: This section addresses a powerful parenting tool to use instead of a nursing session. Rather than just saying "no" to nursing, offer special time to show them you are still there for them, even when the milk isn't.
  5. 2. Breastfeeding Boundaries: Erin discusses why breastfeeding boundaries are developmentally appropriate for toddlers (but not infants), tips to setting limits, and example limits to set.
  6. 3. Night Weaning: Erin discusses the do's and don'ts of night weaning and 7 tips to make it more manageable.
  7. 4. Dropping Feeds: There is a lot of variation in how much milk a toddler nursing parent may be producing. This section addresses the do's and don't of dropping feeds while nursing a child over 1.
  8. 5. All the Feelings: Weaning is emotional. For your child, and for you. In this last section of the course, Erin discusses strategies to manage all the feelings. She also discusses weaning's impact on your hormones and their effect on how you feel.

Your Instructor

Erin Harris

Erin is a mom of two children with very different nursing experiences. Her daughter breastfed for 4 1/2 years, while her son weaned at 4 months! She then transitioned to exclusive pumping and supplementing for his feeding needs. Erin became a Certified Lactation Educator through Cal State Northridge to help teach new parents prepare for breastfeeding. Combining her personal experience and lactation education with her 13 years as a communication studies college instructor, Erin now offers on-demand courses on BabySparks to help parents at specific points in their nursing/chestfeeding/pumping journeys to learn what they don't know they need to know about breastfeeding. Erin has an M.A. in Communication Studies from Cal State Long Beach and an M.S. in Heath Communication from Chapman University. Erin's primary area of study is the intersection of family and health communication, and breastfeeding is a perfect combination of the two!

Degrees and Certifications

Certified Lactation Educator - Cal State Northridge Master of Science in Health Communication - Chapman University Master of Arts in Communication Studies - Cal State Long Beach

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