Weening My 14 Month Old

I'm in the middle of this process. My daughter is almost twenty months old. I only breastfeed in the morning now. LIke the other moms, we got it down to two a day, once in the morning then once and night and now we're slowly ending this one. Once you start getting it down to one or two a day, your milk supply will decrease a bit (at least mine did). I make sure I have a sippy cup of milk with me. In the evening I would give the sippy cup before breastfeeding and eventually, she wasn't as interested in breastfeeding. In the morning, she still wants it right away first thing, so now I nurse for only a few moments then try to redirect to the sippy cup or get up and start an activity. With anything with kids, I imagine you'll have the most success if you are consistent, for your own emotional well being as well. If you are consistent, then you don't feel like you are denying your child but rather creating a different structure and helping him to grow up. I agree with one of the other moms that when your child is a little older, the holding and cuddling will return. The overwhelming, heart achingly fantastic feeling of feeding your child while holding her in your arms is still there when the milk is coming from a sippy cup. Helping with this transition has been the use of role playing. The monkey or the baby drinks from the sippy cup, and cuddles while mommy reads the book, etc. Good luck!

Hello..I just weened my 17 month old cold turkey and we used band-aids to get him to stop trying to nurse, this was actually advice I got from several moms here on mamapedia. Sounds mean but it worked great, he understood that mommy had "boo boos" and he couldnt go there anymore, he still lays next to me and puts his hand down my shirt but that is about it, I think if they understand that there is a reason for things it is easier for them to accept. I had a hard time giving up the bonding thing too, but we still snuggle and now I know it is because he wants to be close to me and not just because he wants to nurse..(: Good Luck!

Hi Jen,

I weaned my daughter (now 3!) at 12 months...we were down to one feeding in the morning and we just stopped it and replaced it with a cup of milk...we just changed the routine up a bit...instead of nursing we moved to some milk or juice and a snack while I'd get breakfast ready...it was no big deal for her! I know that sounds so simplistic...but it was really that easy for us.

As for the bonding...you will find other ways/times/places for bonding...we often now have snuggle time on the couch while she watches a show on t.v., once they get a little older and the novelty of moving so much wears off they often return to enjoy being read to (my daughter LOVES me to read books to her). It will all be good! I promise!

That was a big concern for us as well when we weaned our youngest child. It was truely only difficult for a few days. The transition was faster than we thought it would be and less traumatic for all of us. We did it gradually, nursing only upon waking and bedtime...then just at bedtime...then not at all. She cried, of course, but we replaced the evening feeding with a sippy cup of warm milk. Eventually, she didn't even want that. Hang in there, Mama... it's going to be harder on you than it will be for your baby.

At 15 months my son weened himself..u may want to wait a little bit..he just became disinterested..but then we started back up a month later when he got the flu..and i was glad i still had milk..b/c that winter sucked..and i was happy i could bf him back to sleep when he was sick..other moms that gave up bfing were whining on the mom board i was on about how they had been up all night with their sick toddler..but not me..i could nurse him back to sleep in 15 minutes. I quit bfing almost 2 years ago..my son one day just didn't want to anymore and we were done...i still have breast milk..this stuff takes a long time to dry up!

D.

This is probably not the answer yo are looking for...but personally I would wait until he weens himself with some gentle encouragement. I have never regretted my long-term nursing of my children - there are so many physical and emotional benefits! My 19 m old daughter is still nursing - when she is not running around crazy!