How did you drop the bedtime feed?

[artifarti]

DS is nearly one and I am planning to stop BFing soon. We currently just have a morning and bedtime feed. He dropped the others of his own accord - he's never been much of a 'booby' baby (IYSWIM). (I know I could wait for him to drop it of his own accord too but TBH his top teeth are really hurting me now and I will be glad to stop.)

I don't think dropping the morning one will be much of problem but the bedtime one is part of our routine and has been since he was born. He sometimes feeds to sleep, sometimes not (in which case he usually falls asleep happily on his own in 10 minutes or so) so that's not a problem.

Should I start introducing a cup of cow's milk? (He's never taken a bottle and also refused all attempts at FFing!) I'd be interested to hear how it went for people when they stopped this last feed.

[Naetha]

I know not exactly directly linked as DS is FF, but he is 19mo, and still has 6-8oz cows milk every night before bedtime.

He'll also carry on with this for the foreseeable future. I think they have regular bedtime drinks of milk until they're about 2.5 - 3.

[Sheeta]

lots of children have a drink of cows milk for years (I remember having a glass of milk before bed well into primary school)

Try a cup of cows milk, don't expect miracles straight away though, it can take a while for them to get used to a cup/beaker

[Sheeta]

how do you feel about expressing some milk for him to drink from a cup? that might have the benefit of getting him used to a cup, but without having to change to a milk he's not used to..

[Hormonesnomore]

I only BF DD1 for a couple of weeks , DS stopped BF at 3.5 months (his choice!)- I was most successful at BF DD2 (6.5 months). She

refused all attempts to give her a bottle (juice or water) but drank from a cup at 3 months. I decided to drop the night feed before the

morning one. Partly because I was more comfortable in the morning after she had fed, and partly because I didn't want to feed her to sleep,

she settled well by herself after a cup of milk and lots of cuddles. I know it's unusual but it worked really well for us.

[artifarti]

Thanks! He does already drink from a cup (in a fairly gulpy, tipping it over his head sort of way) and he'll take a bit of cow's milk (has to be very creamy Jersey at the moment, fussy little beggar) but not very much.

Am also interested as to whether he is likely to be upset by the change in routine ie no more BFing. How did people manage this transition (or am I over-thinking this massively?!)

[artifarti]

I x-posted with you there Hormonesnomore - was she upset by it or fairly okay?

[Hormonesnomore]

She wasn't upset by it at all, artifarti - if she had been, I'd have changed & dropped the morning feed, or delayed until she was a bit older. It just seemed the right thing to do at the right time and we were both happy with it.