Anyone still BF?

avasmummy · January 2014

I am and DS is saying "more" when he's not done. How do you go about weaning an 18 month old?

stlmomma27 · January 2014

No, I'm not. I wish I still was nursing him. I would just start cutting sessions down, that's what I did. He just stopped on his own after that. @avasmummy

ColeyJ88 · January 2014

I am. I'm following this because I also wish I knew how to wean!

skooz · January 2014

I am, but we're down to once or twice a day. And it's a little sad because sometimes I run out of milk before she wants to be done. I just kind of followed her cues, she knows the sign for milk and as she got older and was eating more solid food she asked for milk less. She never forgets about the morning session though. I'm fine with keeping that for now.

Toni79 · January 2014

I'm still BF too. And DD is still going strong!!!

But I've done a few things to cut out a few sessions.

Idea # 1: Shorten the sessions ... I did this for MOTN sessions.

At 9 months: DD was still BFing 3 times in the MOTN, for 20 minutes a session. As a working mom, I was exausted. So I started to shorten her MOTN BF sessions. I started by limiting the first two MOTN session. I'd limit them to 10 mintes total, then 8 minutes, then 5, etc. By 12 months she was down to 1 MOTN session. This session I limited to about 10-15 minutes. At 15 months (actually the weekend of day lights saving times), something magical happened and she started sleeping through the night! FINALLY!

This might not work as well if you are trying to cut down on daytime sessions. I think this worked for me because she was so tired, she didn't even realize I was limiting her. Plus the feeding were more habit for her, I doubt she was really hungry!

Currently ...

During the week when I'm working she BFs about 3 time a day - first thing in the a.m., when I pick her up from DC, and at bedtime. She drinks WCM at DC and at dinner.

On weekends she was BFing about 4-5 times a day. Basically at the times mentioned above, plus before her two naps. I stopped pumping at work in the fall, so honestly since then I wasn't sure how much she was actually getting before her two naps on weekends. The sitter and DH offer a sippy of milk a little before naptime, and she usually only takes a few sips (maybe 1 oz). So I decided over x-mas to cut out those two BF sessions at naptime. Either I or DH offered her a sippy of milk, again she'd only take a little, and then we'd get her ready for a nap. The first few times I had DH lay her down, so she wouldn't ask me for milk (she knows the sign). Then I was able to lay her down without her asking. We had no issues with that. Although I will admit I have BF a few times since then at naptime - but really only when we were traveling over x-mas (in hopes to get her to nap in a new place!).

Idea # 2 - Don't Offer / Don't Refuse

Right now, I'm ok with the morning and bedtime sessions ... but I 'd really like to cut out the session when I pick her up from DC. I'm kind of doing the don't offer/don't refuse method when I pick her up from DC and during the day on weekends. She still BFs after DC, but sometimes she'll wait until we get home (instead of doing it at DC). Or sometimes she'll want to BF after her nap (if I was able to sneak her down without BF before hand).

I'm going to follow this thread because I'm curious what others are doing.

I'm not in a rush to cut out the morning and bedtime sessions, but I'd really like to cut out the other daytime sessions.

vvvvvfee · January 2014

We're still BFing. I'll let DS self-wean when he's ready. He nurses about 3x a day on work days (morning, after work, before bed), and more on weekends and when he's sick. He gets a cup of WCM with his lunch at daycare.

skooz · January 2014

@annieluvsjordan not sure if you're looking for more ideas to get her to drink milk alternatives, but DD is not a fan of cows milk. I was starting to get a little worried since she nurses so little at this point and I saw an idea to blend a piece of banana with milk. DD loves banana and is very happy to drink a sippy full of banana milk, when before she might have taken two sips of milk. It only takes an inch or two of a banana to really flavor 6-8 oz.

99frontier · January 2014

DS still LOVES to nurse. He nurses before his naps, and we bedshare so he wakes up about 4-6 times in the early morning wanting to nurse back to sleep...that crap has to stop soon. The daytime I'm fine with and even once in the early morning would be fine, but MULTIPLE times from about 3am onward is too much for this mama!! I tried to tell him "no" last night and he ended up staying awake for over an HOUR saying "nurse", fussing, flopping around the bed, trying to climb on me, etc. I caved. Not sure how I'm going to get this monster to stop all that... #-o

biggdaddy4605 · January 2014

We're still BF but only 2 times per day, right away in the morning and right before bed at night. DD will sign "milk" while nursing. I think we are almost done though because she doesn't really want the night feed hardly at all.

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