come in if you're still BFing

mrs.mastro · May 2011

I am still BFing DS. I would like to wean sometime soon since he is only nursing (no bottle or cup). He nurses upon waking, before nap, before bed, and maybe one other time during the day and maybe a night feeding. He barely drinks anything from a sippy cup yet, and especially does not seem interested in whole milk. I just really do not know how to go about weaning! I guess I have just been hoping it would happen without really doing aything. Nope! Any advice?

How often do you nurse (or give bottle/cup of BM)?

Does your LO drink any whole milk at all?

Does your LO drink anything else out of a sippy cup?

What is your weaning plan?

NathsPrncssD · May 2011

I am still BFing, but DD drinks whole milk at meals and water other times of the day. DD BF at bedtime, once during the night - but we are working on ending that, when she wakes up, and before naptime. I started giving DD a little bit of whole milk in a sippy at a meal or two a day. She wasn't a huge fan of it at first, but then started to drink it more and more. I actually started giving her whole milk before she turned a year because pedi said it was fine to do that in small amounts. We also did water in the sippy. She liked the water right away.

I would just start working on using a sippy and drinking whole milk and water. Make sure to try both so your DS doesn't get just used to water in a sippy. It will take a little time, but I am sure he will enjoy it eventually! I don't have much advice with the weaning. Good luck!

StrawberryAlarmClock · May 2011

When I'm home, maybe 2-3x plus naps and bedtime. He's been reverse cycling again so maybe 2-5 times at night depending on how he sleeps. Fun times. No WCM, just water from sippy. He started refusing BM unless he's nursing. I'm going to let him self-wean.

mrs.mastro · May 2011

StrawberryAlarmClock:
When I'm home, maybe 2-3x plus naps and bedtime. He's been reverse cycling again so maybe 2-5 times at night depending on how he sleeps. Fun times. No WCM, just water from sippy. He started refusing BM unless he's nursing. I'm going to let him self-wean.

Wow, that sounds exhausting! I am really pretty happy BFing DS as long as he wants except that I can never do anything! I can't be away very long during the day and can't be away at bedtime. It's just getting hard on me and I think DH is a bit resentful.

Brewtowngrl · May 2011

I have not nursed to sleep in a long time since DS1 would never let that happen. He is too loud. This helped. i just stopped offering before naps and gave him a sippy with meals and a water sippy to play with while he is playing. The first few days he did drink less, but once he got the hang of it it was fine. The night feedings we weaned at 11 months. When he got up I offered WCM in both a bottle and a sippy. I got pretty mad the first night. The 2nd night he was upset, but gave up quick. He stopped waking at night the 3rd night. We are only nursing at bedtime. He gets excited when we sit on the couch. I hope he just gives it up on his own.

whirli · May 2011

DD still bf's 3 or so times a day and once or twice a night. Her major times are before nap/bed and in the morning. She's never taken BM from a bottle or sippy and won't drink WCM. She drinks a ton of water from straw sippys or regular cups. She also drinks fruit smoothies though a straw. For now I'm letting DD self-wean but will encourage it strongly as we approach 2 years. I'm not concerned with her drinking WCM as she eats a ton of cheese and yogurt now.

greengirl0909 · May 2011

I'm interested to see other responses, I'm somewhat in the same situation. At daycare, DS takes all of his milk out of a cup, but doesn't do as well for us. I don't know if he's just hoping I'll "top him off." Or if day care wasn't watching closely enough and he wasn't getting enough to drink there. I teach and starting this week I'm home with him all the time. Instead of limiting nursing sessions, I think they've increased! He nurses upon waking, before his midmorning nap, before his afternoon nap, and before bed. Plus yesterday and today a couple of times he fell or bonked his head, he crawled right over and wanted to nurse. I don't want to take away this comfort, but I'm really ready to be done! I guess I'm hoping he just wakes up and decides he doesn't want it anymore?

Jilybean17 · May 2011

DD still nurses 3 times a day (upon waking, before nap and before bed). This is down from 4 times a day just a few weeks ago. We night weaned her when she was around 14 months.

She drinks whole milk with meals and has since I ran out of frozen BM. I should also mention she never drank from a bottle. She went right to a sippy around 11 months.

My plan for weaning is to be done by the end of June. DH and I are going out of town mid July and I would like to be completely done a few weeks before that. I think we are both just about ready and I am looking forward to a pregnancy/nursing free summer...though I am going to miss it a lot. HTH!

sapgirl76 · May 2011

DS still nurses 2-3 times a day (when we wake up, when I get home, and bed time), plus likes to snack all night long on the mama juice. I'm lucky that he'll take milk (coconut- darn dairy allergy!) and water/juice from a sippy, but that's largely because I work outside the home so he's never had the luxury of not taking a sippy or a bottle.

I'm getting some pressure to wean but I'm going to let him give it up when he's ready. My last day of work before summer vacation is Tuesday and I'm actually kind of anticipating his nursing to increase, not decrease.

bekahsch23 · May 2011

I am still bf my 16 month old. He goes to daycare during the day 4x a week and will drink goat milk (couldnt tolerate cow milk).

However at 12 months I was still pumping 2-3 times a day and sending breastmilk only in bottles. Only at about 14 months did he start really drinking from sippy cups,, I started just with juice and water to get him interested in the sippy cups and then started to put milk in them.(first 1/2 breast and 1/2 goat).

As far as nursing through the day I am still nursing about the same as you: when he wakes, nap time, night time and probably 1-2 other times. He finally started sleeping through the night at 15 months. Literally one night he was getting up at 4am and the next he wasnt. So far its been a glorious month .

Anyway when I am not here during the day and he is with my husband, he really doesnt need that much milk. He is nursing is mostly for comfort now so he may drink a little from a sippy cup before a nap, or he may not...

Getting to about 14 months was awesome bc he went from needing to nurse all the time to only really needing it if I was around. I really love nursing my toddler bc for me its bonding time I may not get with him and I dont feel like I'm a slave to it. Anyway as far as a weaning plan I'm just going to let him self wean.. I have begun to tell him no and offer him food because often he wants to nurse because he is hungry. anyway enough typing...good luck!

Chelz · May 2011

DS still nurses 4+ times a day (upon waking, before nap, before bed, middle of the night). He hasn't STTN yet. I never EBF due to issues at birth, so he has been drinking from a bottle since birth.

I introduced sippy cup awhile back. He drinks from it if I hold it for him. He picks it up but doesn't tip it up to drink. I always offer it at meal time. He drinks water and WCM. I'm having him drink water from a regular cup now. WCM I mixed half and half with water/formula.

I don't have a weaning plan yet. We've co-slept since birth but I've been transitioning him to the crib (naps and night) for about a month. When he wakes up in the middle of the night I still bring him to bed so he'll go right back to sleep with the boob.

rosiemomma · May 2011

I nurse my daughter at least 6 times a day and usually 2 or 3 times at night, while she was teething she was nursing more frequently and it was a little tiring. I would take her out and about to distract her when I needed a break.

She does not drink whole milk.

I offer her water at meals, but not all meals, and the occasional cup of diluted juice. She drinks from a cup usually, I take a straw sippy if we are out and about.

I just started restricting her more, not stopping what I am doing and telling her to wait. I also take her out and about more. I am not actively weaning yet but plan to when she turns two. I spoke about weaning the other day and my SO said "I thought you were going to wait until she is two!" this is from him when he was unsure about nursing a toddler at all now he is gung ho!

I still like nursing, it is convenient, she is calmed during meltdowns quickly.. and naps and bed time are never a hassle! When she was vomiting and had a fever she still nursed but would refuse ANYTHING else, I swear it saved us a trip to the ER!!

CTri17 · May 2011

How often do you nurse (or give bottle/cup of BM)? Just the morning now

Does your LO drink any whole milk at all? nope, she doesn't /won't

Does your LO drink anything else out of a sippy cup? water, all the time

What is your weaning plan?she was like you, nursing AM, before nap, after nap, 1 other time

We cut out the 1 other time one, then a week later cut out the before nap one, a week or 2 later the after nap one. And now she has been on the nursing one only for 2-3 weeks. She is still wanting it and I have no idea how to get rid of it because she wakes up and says milk mama milk, milk, milk, milk, milk....until we nurse. So, we are down to just one side at least and I really don't think she is getting much milk but she's enjoying it.

Eventually I'll probably have to deal with her being ticked when I set her in the high chair w/ no milk...

canesbaby · May 2011

I've been having the same thoughts!!

I nurse about 5xs a day. DD is 13 1/2 months old. I'm also hoping weaning will happen on its own

DD will take one or two sips of WCM each time we offer it, about 4-5 times a day.

She does drink a good amount of water out of the sippy cup, but spits out WCM or BM after the first couple of sips.

I don't have a plan for weaning, but DD is starting daycare full time in a week, and I don't have enough freezer stash to keep up (I pump almost nothing when she goes part time now). I'm thinking I'll try mixing BM with WCM in the bottle and slowly transition, then change to the sippy. She won't even take a bottle at home, so I think it will be a while before we wean.

bump54321 · May 2011

StrawberryAlarmClock:
When I'm home, maybe 2-3x plus naps and bedtime. He's been reverse cycling again so maybe 2-5 times at night depending on how he sleeps. Fun times. No WCM, just water from sippy. He started refusing BM unless he's nursing. I'm going to let him self-wean.

Pretty much this exactly. I give him some diluted juice from time to time too He also gets almond milk from a bottle or sippie cup. I'm not too concerned about him not drinking WCM (which he refuses and spits out at me), and I may not even try to introduce it again. I'm in the camp that doesn't necessarily think WCM is necessary for kids...or anyone for that matter. But, DS never really drinks that much from a sippie unless he's REALLY thirsty, like after the park or something.

I'm hoping that after he gets tubes in his ears, his ears will feel better and maybe he'll nurse/wake less during the night.

Chrysallys · May 2011

How often do you nurse (or give bottle/cup of BM)? On demand. When we are home it seems like he wants to nurse 24/7. He nurses more now than when he was 1. He has been night weaned for months and months.

Does your LO drink any whole milk at all? No.

Does your LO drink anything else out of a sippy cup? Yes, he drinks water like it's going out of style.

What is your weaning plan? He'll wean when he's ready or my body says it's done.

I never planned to BF this long but it is what it is.

winomom22 · May 2011

DD2 still nurses 4-5 times a day including naptime and bedtime. I too am hoping she will self wean. We offer her WCM in a sippy and she drinks very little. So she mostly just drinks water out of a sippy. I no longer pump at work so she gets offered WCM in a sippy when I am working. DH also give her a bottle of mixed WCM and BM (from the freezer) in a bottle at bedtime when I work. Once that runs out, we will stop the bottles. You could just give you LO water in a sippy and just make sure he gets 3 servings of dairy a day if he isn't drinking WCM. That could include yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese etc.

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