Many pediatricians recommend that mothers breastfeed for the first year. After that, it is up to a mother and child to determine whether breastfeeding should continue. Weaning is the process of helping your child make the transition from breastfeeding or bottle-feeding (which can include feedings of breast milk, cow's milk, or soy milk) to solid food.

As a one-year-old, your baby may already be weaned, but it is also possible that you are still breastfeeding or bottle-feeding exclusively, are just beginning to prepare for the weaning process, or have started to feed a combination of breast milk and solid foods. Many moms, at this point, are only breastfeeding at night, a time when she can cuddle quietly with her baby and when the time together and the act of sucking may make falling asleep easier for her baby.

Giving up the breast or bottle is a big step for your baby, but it's a struggle for parents as well. It means their child is no longer a baby and doesn't need them in quite the same way as she used to.

This time is especially charged with emotion for mothers who have been breastfeeding to this point. Nursing a child is an emotional connection just as much as a physical one. This is one of the first times you'll be “letting go” of a common experience with your child. As your hormones shift and change, you may find the experience especially poignant. It might be helpful to discuss your feelings with a friend or your partner. Just being open and honest about your feelings will take off some pressure. Talking to moms of babies who are weaning is also a great source of support.

When to Wean

You'll hear a lot of different advice, some of it conflicting, on the subject of when is the right time to wean your child. After the age of six months, your child's digestive system is developed enough to handle solid foods. He may, however, still demonstrate the “tongue thrust” reflex, in which the tongue automatically pushes solids out of the mouth. Babies can be expected to dribble and drool. But if the tongue thrust happens consistently, it is a sign that your baby is not ready for solids. Wait a few weeks before you try again. Here are a few other developmental milestones that most experts agree he should meet before he's ready to begin eating:

• The ability to pick up small objects with the “pincer” grasp (between thumb and forefinger) rather than the “palmar” grasp, in which the baby uses fingers to sweep an object into his palm and pick it up that way

• The ability to sit up without assistance

• The ability to detect satiation; that is, to stop eating when full (instead of always falling asleep at the end of the meal, as very young babies do)

Some experts also counsel that it's time to wean when your child begins paying eager attention to the food you're eating. Some babies begin reaching for their parents' plates very early, apparently attracted by the smell and appearance of grownup food. While your baby is very likely to find your food interesting, it is hard to know whether that interest truly does comes from the desire to eat. At one year of age, most babies are attracted to any object their parents are holding — and most babies are eager to put anything into their mouths, edible or not.

Your child's behavior is another way to tell whether it's time to begin weaning. You may find that he's hungry more often, and that a nursing session no longer satisfies him for as long as it used to. Babies do go through growth spurts during which they are naturally hungrier than usual, and since breast milk is metabolized very quickly, it's also natural for a breastfeeding baby to be frequently hungry. As he becomes more interested in the sight and smell of food, however, you might want to take the opportunity to begin introducing solids.

How to Wean

As you have probably already discovered if you've begun researching this topic, different people swear by many different approaches to weaning. Some people counsel against introducing fruits before vegetables or meats, saying that fruit is so sweet that your baby will never want anything else. (Actually, hardly any food is sweeter than breast milk — don't worry that your baby will become addicted to bananas or fructose in any other form.) Others warn against feeding foods of certain colors, saying that orange foods like sweet potatoes and squash are only safe for older babies.

There are only two real things to worry about in weaning. First, you want to be sure your baby can swallow the solids you feed her without choking. Second, you want to be sure you are feeding foods she can safely digest and that are unlikely to cause an allergic reaction.

Most people begin feeding rice cereal and then move to fruits, vegetables, and meats, in that order. You could just as easily start with a soft palatable fruit, like banana or avocado. Introduce only one food at a time — if you start with cereal, feed only that for four days. If your baby is allergic, she will have a reaction within that time, and you will know exactly what caused it. After the four days are up, you can introduce a new food. Continue like this until you have a repertoire of foods you are sure you can feed safely. At that point, you can begin to mix foods — peas and carrots are a popular combination, or puréed chicken and squash.

The goal in weaning is to introduce your child to the taste and texture of solid food. This can be a long process. Don't despair in the first few feedings if most of the food goes on, rather than in, your baby. The concept of food as something that can be looked at and touched is brand new to your child. She needs time to familiarize herself with the idea. It can take a dozen times for a baby to accept a new food, so if your baby doesn't seem to like anything you feed her, don't give up.

Sometimes the texture of a food will surprise your baby, making her gag or look surprised. Keep smiling even if she's making a funny face and give her a moment to get used to the flavor or texture of a food. Let your child play with her food so that she doesn't feel pressure to either like it or dislike it. She's going to have her own individual taste and preferences, right from the beginning.

Weaning Step by Step

Eventually your child will actually be eating solid foods, instead of wearing them, and will no longer rely on milk for her sustenance. At that point, the most common approach to weaning is to slowly phase out your daily liquid feeding sessions. Drop one a week until the only liquid feeding time is at night, before bed. Begin by cutting back on the times when your baby shows the least interest in the breast or bottle, such as in the morning or after lunch.

Frequently, the last time to wean is at bedtime. To do this, give your baby breastfeeding or bottle-feeding time before your actual bedtime routine so that she begins to learn other comforting routines (such as listening to a story or having his back rubbed) rather than relying on your breast to go to sleep. If bedtime becomes difficult in the end stages of weaning, you may need to have your partner put your child to bed for a few weeks until the nighttime feeding experience has been forgotten by your baby (and it will be). This substitute transition may make the experience less stressful for both mom and baby.