It is not recommended to apply anything on your nipples to stop breastfeeding as your baby will swallow some of it and may react to the ingredients. However, some home remedies are said to help weaning, such as applying bitter gourd juice over nipples to cause a repelling taste. It is important to note that weaning should be done gradually, reducing the number of times in a day you breastfeed, rather than stopping abruptly, as it can be upsetting for your baby and uncomfortable for you. It may leave you with full and painful breasts and can sometimes lead to a painful breast inflammation. Here are some tips for weaning off breastfeeding gradually:

• Slowly decrease breastfeeding, reducing one feed every week so that the baby is primed and weaning is not drastic. Last to stop is night feed.
• Making the baby sleep towards the father’s side is a good option.
• As a mother gets busy in her daily chores, time spent with the baby diminishes and family foods replace breast milk.