Weaning 1yo off breast/night feeds

[circlehead]

My DS is 11.5 mo, and I am beginning to prepare to wean him onto toddler/cows milk once he turns one (I want my body back!!!).

My concern is, DS still wakes 3x night for BFs. How will this be affected by the weaning process? What if DS is crying for boob and I am no longer producing milk? I have experimented the last couple of nights with HIPP bedtime milk to see if he would sleep any longer, but he still woke as usual... mind you, he only took half the milk (was a bit perplexed about taking it from me, was just having the odd guzzle while standing in cot).

Just for info, I am an LP. DS will happily guzzle formula from his dad on a very regular basis when I don't have much expressed, in fact XP says DS often repeatedly rejects my EBM and eventually XP will give formula which DS hoovers down. So no problems generally with formula or beakers... just not sure if that will be the case when it's the booby-owner trying to fob him off with a beaker!! Particularly if it's 3am And not able to send dad in.

[Albrecht]

Jack Newman has a good article about encouraging sleep past 1 year. Sorry I can't find it right now but maybe someone else can link to it.

Are you wanting to cut out nightfeeds altogether or just substitute other milk for breast milk?

No experience here as I can't be bothered myself but I'm sure plenty of people have given up bf at this age. I guess he'll get used to it if he takes milk from his dad at night. i suppose you can only experiment with beakers of milk now and see if he goes back to sleep, while you've still got bm in case it doesn't work.

Sorry don't know if that was actually any help!

[Trillian42]

Interesting one. DD is 13.5 mths and flatly refuses anything other than BF during the night. She's also not to keen on DH arriving in to console her as she knows he can't provide the BF! So I can't help you, but am having the same thoughts about milk supply.

One thought - has your DS ever stayed the night with his father? If so, what does he do during the night? If not, maybe a night with his father might be on the cards? If you weren't around, maybe he'd know not to look for it?

[circlehead]

Hi both, sorry for going awol.

Ideally I would like him to sleep all night, please God!! I have recently been giving water/milk in a beaker on his 1st wake up, but it takes a lot of wailing and refusing to take it before I manage to stick it in his open mouth, when he will suck furiously for 10 seconds and drop back off (but never for very long).

DS does stay with dad regularly, he says DS rarely takes milk in the night from him now. Still wakes up a lot but will settle with a cuddle.

My main problem is I live in a little block of flats where you could hear a pin drop in your neighbour's flat, so I can't really let DS cry at night =S

I spoke to my health visitor, she seems clueless about BFing for this long... As soon as I said I was thinking of weaning DS off boob once he was 1yo, she was like, 'yes, as soon as he is 1 that's it, no more breastfeeds' !! How rejected would your LO feel if one day there was just no more boobie?! Not to mention excrutiatingly painful!

Anyway, attempted to replace an afternoon feed today with formula. Again, a lot of wailing but my brother was here so he took DS off and distracted him. But even if I wean him off the breast by day, I'm worrying he will want to feed all night to make up for it!!

[Dozer]

Thanks for the articles, reallystruggling with my 11.5yo dd2 going back to work 3 days a week with a commute soon and she is up so much in the eves and nights justbdon't know how will cope.

Also, despite my doing all the nights since her birth (co-sleeping, ebf) dh says he can't do the comforting for the first few nights of trying to stop feeds between midnight and 6am 'cos he wouldn't be able to work etc!

At moment I look after dd1 (3) and dd2 all week from 6am - 7pm, he works full time. Haven't had more than 3hours stretch of sleep since last summer.

Am really angry with dh. His solution is for me to deal with it, ideally by just continuing to co-sleep and feed (he sleeps in separate room). Aibu?

Dd2 is crying as I type

Dd1 didn't sleep throug night til she was 2, really don't want anotherr year of this.

[Trillian42]

Oh dear Dozer, I don't have much useful advice but didn't want your post to be unanswered. Your DH is being unreasonable, not you! Start on a Friday night so he isn't working the next day and at least you have 2 nights off. If he disagrees, give him a kick in the arse because he is being very selfish.