Weaning woes and ways

THE PROCESS OF weaning a baby off its mother's milk has undergone a sea change. Babyled weaning (where the baby is introduced to solid food that he can eat on his own), breastfeeding till the age of two and gentle weaning (replacing one feeding with semi-solid or liquid food) have become part of the art and science of breastfeeding today.

- Lakshmy Ramanathan

Alongside these new rules, the old also find sway in our homes. It is not uncommon to find families using the extracts of neem, bitter gourd, gonkurra leaves (sorrel leaves) or coffee to wean a baby off its mother's milk.

Here is a lowdown on these agents.

Coffee decoction is a highly concentrated liquid and therefore the caffeine content even in a teaspoon can be high. If your child is the type who gets weaned at the first attempt of applying it to your areola and nipple, then you have nothing to worry about. If you have to resort to a daily application, note that prolonged use has been found. to cause restlessness, affect the heart and breathing rate and even lead to an upset tummy in the baby. Also note that caffeine is one among substances (alcohol, nicotine, certain herbs, drugs) that is capable of affecting foetal behaviour even when present in the mother's blood stream.