As a Mother of four I would like to share my tips on the sometimes difficult challenge of weaning the breast fed baby.

It's not only the Mother's who love the closeness nursing brings, the babies do too! But being close can trigger your babies instinct to nurse, so keep the snuggles coming but lay a thick blanket across your breasts so the scent of your milk and the feel of your breasts is covered up so you don't confuse your baby.

Helping your child fall asleep can be especially hard during the weaning process. Establishing a new bedtime routine is a necessity. A warm bath using lavender scented baby soap followed by a story from Dad is a good start. Goodnight Moon is a great bedtime favorite book. Folllow this up with walking him around his dimly lit room to say goodnight to his favorite things, then goodnight to Mommy and Daddy. Children love the routine of doing this every night and it may help to replace that bedtime feeding.

Does your little angel have a special blankey or animal yet? If not, I suggest 'My Banky', a soft multi-textured blanky that's also a stuffed animal - it's a two in one that your baby will probably love as much as mine do. Remember to always give a little tug on the small parts of any toy or animal you place in the crib to check for loose choking hazards.

Another great thing for your baby to sleep with is the shirt or nightgown that you have just worn and haven't laundered yet - it's full of that sweet smell of Mommy that your baby is missing at this time.

Sometimes children want to nurse out of boredom. Walking around the house showing your child interesting things usually works to distract them long enough for them to forget the idea of nursing. This may be a time to pull out a new exciting toy to give to your child.

Remember to keep your mood light while weaning; they will pick up on your feelings and it can either help or hurt the process.

After you do all that.... pat yourself on the back for giving your little angel the best start in life and then sit back and watch in wonder how you helped him grow into the big kid he has become. Good luck and God bless.