ABSTRACT
Being weaned from the breast is a time of painful loss for infants (and for many mothers) except for those who have experienced great difficulties in the breast-feeding relationship. While some infants are able to transfer the good feelings towards the breast onto the bottle and from the bottle onto the spoon and cup without too much difficulty, most at first protest strongly to these changes. How mother reacts to the expression of her babys varying emotions will be crucial in confirming or alleviating the babys anxieties. Being fed with a spoon creates further distance from mother: the spoon comes and goes, there are gaps when his mouth is empty; drinking from a cup makes it more difficult for the baby to control the flow of milk as he could when sucking at the breast or bottle. The loss of an idealised relationship can become compounded by such hurt that it banishes love and care for the other person.
