Child-led Weaning??

princesa2423

This is a re-post from the Breastfeeding board:

So I'm curious, to any moms who have been there done that in terms of child-led weaning, when did your LO wean themselves? Mine is almost a year and still loves her boobies. Currently going through a divorce and trying to get the judge to wait for overnights until she weans. Do you think if she has one overnight a month (what father is currently asking for) or a week, if it would damaging to the breastfeeding relationship?

Any and all thoughts are appreciated

 

P.S. Also curious if you think it would be traumatic for a year old whose accustomed to comfort nursing during the night to go to an overnight without that? Again, any and all thoughts are appreciated. 

sadsadie

Unfortunately, I don't think the judge is going to wait (though I could be wrong); you may have to pump and send her to dad's with a bottle (or even a cup). At a year,giving milk via other methods probably won't damage your BF relationship, though if she's never had a bottle that could've a challenge. I'm sure whatever happens she won't be irrevocably damaged...maybe frustrated or a bit distraught, but kids are pretty resilient. 

Angela814

I think she'd be fine without nursing for one night/month. Really, how well she does will depend on her relationship with her dad. Has he been pretty active in her life? Does she know him well?

On kellymom, she says that most kids will self wean between 2-4 years. I did kind of a combo of mother led and child led weaning with DD1. I stopped offering during her normal sessions and left it up to her to ask. (I only did this because her latch was horrible and I couldn't take the teeth marks anymore.) We started the weaning process at 34 months, and she was weaned completely at 38 months.

tlew12778

My DD is 3.5 and just recently dropped to OBs session per day (before bed). She night-weaned herself around 2.5. I suspect that she may have done so earlier had we not bed shared but it didn't bother me. I went on a business trip at 18m and she had a meltdown that lasted all night long. At the time I think she was busing 2x a night still and not always just for comfort. She always refused a bottle at night from DH. I went on another business trip at 38m and she had another melt down that resulted in projectile vomiting multiple times but that was bc she was more conscious of my absence than the missing the boob.

I think you just need to see how it goes. Its really hard on my DH to deal with DD like that so he just  prefers avoiding it if possible.