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Weaning help, please!

GalLauraGalLaura member
in Breastfeeding
Hello ladies,

I don't post on this board often, so hello :). My LO is 16 months old. My ds has been down to one feed for at least 1.5 months. I want to get him off the last feed which is before bed. He didn't once mind giving up the other feeds which surprised me. I could substitute his feeds though with snacks, playtime etc. Having said this, he LOVES his before bed feed. He seeks me out for it after his dad reads him a book etc. How do I do it? I know it's going to a big deal for him, tears etc. Anyone want to share how they got through this?
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Re: Weaning help, please!

  • 73jewels73jewels member
    Do you always do the before bed feed?  Have there been times you are not home and someone else puts him to sleep?  If so, maybe be "not home" for 2 or 3 nights in a row and have someone else do whatever that routine is.  Then try it yourself after a few nights.

    My son is a little bit younger (11.5 months), but I just recently did this... and he still gets a bottle.  It was much less hard than I thought it would be.   I last BF him Friday night before bed, Saturday night I was out and someone else put him to bed, then Sunday I fed him a bottle, to which he was REALLY fussy and unhappy about, but by last night he sucked down his bottle, curled up and went to sleep.  I still held him and cuddled him as if BF, just with my shirt on.

    Hope this helps!
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  • TheBorg7of9TheBorg7of9 member
    edited November 2014
    First try dissassiciating the feed with bedtime. Nurse before story time for a while, so gets used to going straight to bed after story time. Then you can try replacing the nursing with a sippy of water. You can do that gradually too. For example, let him nurse for less and less time and offer the water instead.
    My TTC History:
    2009: missed miscarriage #1 at 9 weeks (trisomy 16)
    2010: Infertility
    2011: Diagnosis and treatment (low sperm count, anastrozole for DH, clomid for me + IUI)
    2012: Baby #1
    2014: Baby #2
    October 2015: missed miscarriage #2 at 11 weeks (trisomy 22)
    March 2016 BFP#5, due November 2016.

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  • GalLauraGalLaura member
    Well tonight I decided that I wouldn' t offer or refuse giving him the milk. We had some cow's milk and then books. He seemed confused and started playing for a bit. Finally, i said time for bed. I expected big tears but he was fine. We had a big cuddle and rock. I cried when I looked at his eyes. It reminded me of the night he was born. We will see how it goes tomorrow. I know that I started this process but feel incredibly sad about it. I'm living overseas and we are headed home in December. I wanted to wean so I could have a drink, maybe not be around for bedtime one or two nights. I also knew how much slack everyone was going to give me for still breastfeeding. I know I shouldn't care but part of me did. :(
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  • Abenedict2011Abenedict2011 member
    Sorry you are having mixed emotions after last night. No suggestions (still ebf my 5mo) but sending support.
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  • surpriseadditionsurpriseaddition member
    I agree with PP....don't quit because you are worried about what others will think. My LO is 18 months, and I know some people would think I'm a freak, but LO still loves nursing and so do I. If you're ready, that's different, but no one needs to know if you continue.


    **DD1 - 7/9/98**

    **DS - 11/9/00**

    **DD2 - 4/30/13**

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  • GalLauraGalLaura member
    Thank you ladies for your support and for not judging me. I do have mixed emotions. I was never able to pump much and so that wasn't an option for me. I was so strict with myself while breastfeeding. I haven't had coffee or alcohol once. I know it's okay in moderation but just didn't feel right about it. It started mostly as me wanting to be able to maybe miss bedtime one or two times while visiting home. On top of that I could hear everyone los comments. When I was home last year, lo was 6 months and I got mastitis. Everyone was telling me to quit.

    My lo didn't ask for the milk tonight either. I guess he is ready to move on too. It's good it hasn't affected him. He is growing up so fast it kills me.
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