The Nursing Mother's Guide to Weaning (Paperback)

~ (Author) "What does it mean to wean a child?..." (more)
Key Phrases: United States, The Hazards of Formula Feeding, The Fussy Baby (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

What is the best way to gently wean a baby? Should you be weaning your baby now? The Nursing Mother's Guide to Weaning, by Kathleen Huggins and Linda Ziedrich, is at times less a how-to and more a "why-not-to" book about nursing your infant, baby, and toddler. As such, it provides strong, supportive arguments for not weaning babies too early. Each of the possible impediments to nursing--physical reasons, logistical problems such as working, and emotional considerations such as critical family members--are discussed and dealt with sympathetically, reasonably, and with useful tips.

For those who have decided to wean their babies, Huggins and Ziedrich give clear hints on how to use shortened nursing, postponement, substitution, and distraction to make weaning a positive experience for both mother and child. The Nursing Mother's Guide to Weaning is a useful accompaniment to Huggin's terrific, bestselling guide The Nursing Mother's Companion.

From Booklist

According to Huggins and Ziedrich, weaning babies very early has been a practice in patriarchal cultures throughout history. In this follow-up to Huggins' popular, recently revised Nursing Mother's Companion, the authors take a pro nursing stance, attacking problems that often prevent babies from nursing as long as they could. The book goes beyond the usual how-to approach, beginning with a fascinating (and telling) history of weaning in Western societies. The main text is a year-by-year discussion on making breast-feeding successful, despite the roadblocks that appear as babies grow. Weaning in positive ways, no matter what the baby's age, is encouraged; and there is even a daring presentation of the downside of formula feeding. Aimed especially at mothers tempted to wean before their children are really ready, the advice given is wise, practical, and baby-friendly--a nice touch. Because all nursing mothers reach the point where they need information on stopping, and support for breast-feeding is so lacking, The Nursing Mother's Guide would be an important addition to parenting titles. Jo Peer-Haas --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Harvard Common Press; 1 edition (October 25, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558320652
• ISBN-13: 978-1558320659
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #760,865 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

110 of 119 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mistitled, but some good information, August 9, 1999

By A Customer

This book is less about weaning than it is about justifying the decision to nurse a child for as long as he/she wants, even 4, 5 or 6 years! Much of the book is discussion about how extended nursing is the norm most everywhere but here--we (Americans) are the ones who have tried to put limits on it. Unfortunately, not every mother is willing/able to nurse for that long and there is not a lot of practical weaning information for her. I was having a specific problem nursing my 15 mo. old and this book did not even address it. I really expected more from this book, since Kathleen Huggins' other book, The Nursing Mothers Companion, was so practical and helpful. The bottom line is, if you really want to wean your baby, don't bother with this book. If you want encouragement for extended breastfeeding, you'll find it here.

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Source of Info on Weaning and Weaning Techniques, September 24, 2000

By	Kelly "kelly-lcce" (Kennesaw, GA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This book begins with a fascinating chapter on the history and sociology of Breastfeeding and Weaning [and the politics as well!]. I found that very interesting. More than 90 pages of the book are devoted to how to wean a baby who is less than 12 months old - which might be helpful to many moms, but is useless to anyone who is nursing a baby older than that. I found the book to be VERY honest and direct on both the pros and cons of weaning in each age category [0-4 mos, 5-12 mos, 1-2 yrs, 3 and older]. The author was very supportive of a mother's wish to wean [or not], regardless of her reasons and gave the facts about the benefits and costs of the decision in a very forthright and non-judgemental fashion. She included a huge number of practical tips on weaning in different situations and for different reasons. She offered information on every choice available without judgement - including some methods condemned by most Breastfeeding Advocates - such as weaning by "abandonment", applying disgusting or pain-inducing substances to the breast to traumatize the baby out of wanting to nurse, and weaning by frightening the baby. I didn't care for those methods, but she was certainly honest and thorough on ALL the options available. She gave many, many tips on methods that might be more healthy for the baby as well, and I felt the book was very complete.

44 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The old bait-and-switch, March 13, 2003

By	booklover "booklover" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

I picked up this book because I was looking for practical advice about weaning. Hey, with a title like "The Nursing Mother's Guide to Weaning," that's pretty much what you would expect, right? A "guide to weaning"? Apparently not. Instead I found page after page of guilt-inducing arguments as to why I should nurse, nurse, nurse my daughter until she was well into the preschool years, and that she would somehow be damaged if I did not. Even a full year of breastfeeding is far, far less than your child truly needs and deserves, this book implies. Look, I have impeccable breastfeeding credentials. I wound up exclusively nursing my first daughter for more than a year, until she weaned herself. We didn't even start solids until she wanted to, at 7.5 months. My second daughter is 6.5 months and has never had a drop of formula. I'm even pumping all the milk for her cereal. Like every mother I know, I'm doing the best I can for my kids. But if I make the difficult decision to wean, and decide to buy a book to help me through the process, why should the author try to talk me out of it? Why does she assume I haven't already put a great deal of time and thought into the decision? Perhaps a better title would have been, "If You're Thinking About Weaning." Then she'd probably do a better job of reaching what seems to be her intended audience: long-term breastfeeders who really don't want to wean but are feeling pressured to do so.

The rest of us who already know our own minds are likely to find this tract a bit grating. Enough guilt for now, please! This is the kind of stuff that gives the La Leche League a bad name.