Parentpedia

What Experts Say^*

Has your baby all of a sudden refused to nurse, and for no apparent reason? You may be wondering whether your little one has decided to wean early.

"A baby who is really ready to wean will usually be well over a year old, will be eating lots of solid food and drinking liquids from a cup, and will gradually lose interest in one nursing at a time," says La Leche League International in The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. "A baby who is on a nursing strike may not be eating much or drinking from a cup at all. He nurses fine one day and abruptly refuses to nurse at all the next day. He also shows signs of being obviously unhappy about the whole situation. He wants you to figure out what's wrong and solve the problem for him."

What You Need to Know about Nursing Strikes

There's usually a reason for a nursing strike.
Reasons can include, but are not limited to:

• major change in routine
• major stressor to family
• extended separation from mom
• mom's reaction to biting
• teething
• medical conditions such as congestion, earache, or thrush
• use of a pacifier or other artificial nipples
• distractibility (too busy to nurse)
use of a new product (such as deodorant, lotion, shampoo, soap, detergent, etc.)

Nursing strikes are most common in babies between 3 and 8 months of age.
This is a time your baby begins to engage more in the world around her and distractibility is one factor that can play a role. Shut out distractions when you nurse. Try nursing in a quiet, darkened room. If you have other little ones around the house, get them involved in something fun, quiet, and safe ahead of time to minimize the likelihood of interruptions.

Give your baby lots of time in your arms.
Since your baby is not happy right now, she needs lots of love. Skin-to-skin contact is comforting not only to your baby, but also to you.

Offer your breast before other foods or drinks.
You want your baby to continue to positively associate your breasts with filling her belly, especially if she is under 6 months old and is not yet eating solid foods. Never go without feeding your baby to coax her to your breast.

Nurse your baby when she's sleepy.
Babies often revert back to instinctual behavior when they're not fully awake, so take advantage of this and offer your breast when your little one is half asleep.

Try a new position.
Your baby may not be comfortable in the breastfeeding positions you typically use, so try something new. When a baby is having difficulty breastfeeding, lying down to nurse can sometimes work wonders, so get comfy in bed and give it a go.

Put away the bottles and pacifiers.
If you've been using artificial nipples, this is the time to avoid them, at least for a while. It's not unusual for a young baby to develop a preference for the firm feel of an artificial nipple or the rapid flow of a bottle. This obviously interferes with breastfeeding and can even cause a nursing strike. (See safety note below.)

Surround yourself with positive, supportive people.
You are probably feeling very concerned, frustrated, and sad that your little one is not nursing. It can be tremendously helpful to have people around you who can cheer you on through this difficult time. Visit a La Leche League meeting to meet other nursing moms and babies, or call a leader or board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC) in your area for emotional support and help getting your baby happily back to your breast.

Safety Notes

• If your baby is less than 6 months old and is not nursing, or nursing infrequently, you will need to regularly express your milk. Pump, using an automatic electric double breast pump, if you are still full following a feed, or if you've had a missed feed. This will help preserve your milk supply and provide milk to feed to your little one. Offer your expressed milk to your baby using a cup or spoon.
• The AAP recommends that once breastfeeding is well established, parents should offer their baby under 1 year of age a pacifier when she goes to sleep, since a relationship has been suggested between pacifier use and reduction of sudden infant death syndrome.