How To Wean Your Baby Off A Nipple Shield

Dear Mama, you had a challenge with breastfeeding that required a nipple shield.

You got the right size shield.

The challenge has over time been solved / corrected. Your baby no longer has a tongue tie, your flat or inverted nipple is now corrected.

Your baby is currently feeding adequately (i.e. gaining weight, peeing and pooing as expected etc).

How then do you transition smoothly to directly breastfeeding your baby?

We’ll share some tips on how to wean baby off the nipple shield :

Follow your baby’s early hunger cues

• Breastfeed your child on-demand to prevent the baby from getting impatient and upset at feeding times.
• Try pumping or hand expressing to encourage milk let down before baby latches.
• Ensure your latching technique is on point and baby opens her mouth wide for a deep latch.
• Try starting the breastfeeding session with the nipple shield then unlatch baby and take the shield off to continue breastfeeding directly . Gradually keep reducing the time you spend feeding with the shield per session.
• Experiment with different breastfeeding positions.

Please…

Don’t cut the top of the nipple shield while weaning as some advise. It will create dangerous sharp edges that can hurt your baby’s mouth.

Ensure your nipple shield is made from high-grade silicon. If all else fails, don’t stress yourself, Mama. Weaning may take longer for you and your baby than some other mums.

Please be patient.