NORMAL BREAST WEANING
As a general rule the normal, healthy, breast-fed baby is given a feeding of a bottle each day after he is ten months old. These bottles are increased in number until, by the time the baby is a year old, he is gradually weaned from the breast. Should the ninth month of baby's life arrive in the hot summer months we urge the mothers to continue breast feeding, with possibly the addition of some fruit juices, as noted elsewhere, until early autumn. Under no circumstances should the baby be weaned and compelled to use cow's milk during the season of the year when the risks of contamination are greatest. If the baby is nursed up to the close of his first year he hardly need be trained to use the bottle, but may take his food from a cup. From one to two months should always be consumed in weaning the baby, unless sudden weaning is necessitated by ill health, as noted elsewhere. The baby should have, if possible, from thirty to forty days to accustom himself to cow's milk exclusively.
If the child is weaned slowly there should be no trouble with the breasts, but in the instance of sudden weaning the mother should restrict her liquids, put on a tight breast binder, and for a day or two should take a dose of a saline cathartic, which will assist in taking care of the liquids and thus decrease the secretion of milk.