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Austin Babies
babymillie
member
How to wean at a year?
babymillie
member
I am ready to finish b-feeding when LO is a year old. Right now he's b-feeding 4 xs a day (every 4 hours from when he wakes in the morning). I haven't pumped in probably 6 or 7 months with the exception of one feeding when he was sick and didnt eat, so he doesn't get bottles.
How do I go about it? Is there any way to do it without pumping? I loathe the pump.
He eats the most in the morning right when he gets up, and the least during the feeding right before bed (nursing is part of our bedtime routine).
Any and all help appreciated! That is, unless you are going to tell me to continue... I'm already feeling guilty enough about wanting to stop! 
I have started doing research online and plan to also talk to his pedi.
TIA
I have started doing research online and plan to also talk to his pedi.
TIA
This discussion has been closed.
Re: How to wean at a year?
I was exclusively pumping when I weaned at a year, but when you're ready I would just replace a nursing session with a sippy of whole milk (or formula if you want to go that route). I would start introducing whole milk in a sippy before you start to wean so it's not something brand new. I took it slow, and decreased a pumping session by one a weekish, so you could do a nursing session a week if you want to go slow, and I would since you aren't pumping at all.
I had a little issue with clogged ducts when I was weaning and I never really did the entire time I nursed. I had to pump it out a few times, so keep that in mind too. GL!
I weaned both of my girls at a year, and was definitely ready, so I know how you feel.
I did it by dropping one feeding at a time. Since you have several weeks, I'd drop one feeding for a couple of weeks, then another and another. The last to go for me were night and then morning.
My second DD didn't take a bottle either. I used a sippy cup and started with a mix of bm and cow's milk (my pedi said cow's milk was fine in small quantities around 11 mos as long as no allergies) to replace the dropped feeding. Then I gradually increased the cow's milk until there was no more bm in it at all. By right around a year we were on sippy cups of milk and completely weaned.
Good luck!
well since he will be one like tomorrow, you better get on it NOW (kidding kidding, inside joke with millie)
good advice above- i'd start with a feeding he is less dependent on (middle of the day)
I didn't read the other replies, so sorry if this is repetitive.
I was in about the same place as you around a year. Nursing around 4x per day and wanted to start weaning (without pumping, I hate pumping).
So what I did was just drop the feedings one by one. I started with the midday, lunch-ish one. I just replaced nursing with a sippy of water and "people food" for lunch. Then once that was all set I switched the afternoon-ish one for a snack. Then the night time one, which was not too hard for us because it came about an hour before bedtime. If you're nursing to sleep it might be more difficult. Maybe try rocking him with a bottle of warm milk?
For us the morning wake up nursing was the hardest to let go of. I loved getting a few more minutes to sleep in, and he liked cuddling in the nice warm bed. He was getting up really early (for me) though, and I suspected he'd sleep a few hours later if he didn't have that feeding to look forward to, so I finally broke down and would just take him downstairs for a sippy of milk and breakfast when he first woke up. If I'm remembering correctly, it only took a little while for him to start just sleeping later.
Doing it gradually meant that I didn't have engorgement issues. He also really seemed ready to let it go. He didn't bat an eyelash at dropping any but the morning feeding, and even then it didn't take much to replace it.
GL! I don't think you should feel guilty for wanting to stop. There are pros and cons to both choices, I think that if you're ready to be done then that's the right decision for you
NO no no. I pumped for the last 6ish weeks because he self weaned when he started cutting his top teeth, and I wasn't ready to be done breastfeeding yet.
lol!
No, I did not ever have to pump. I'm trying to remember (so many brain cells...killed each time a child lets out an ear splitting shriek right into my ear), and I think that I may have done some hand expressing once or twice in the mornings. But I'm pretty sure that by the time I dropped all those other feedings my supply was getting the hint and going way down.