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Original poster

Extended breastfeeding- when did your toddler self wean?

36 replies

whatsnewchoochoo · 30/10/2018 21:34

DS is nearly 2 years old. I'm wondering if he's likely to self wean soon or if I need to start weaning him myself.

How old was yours if they self weaned?

OP posts:
HellenaHandbasket · 30/10/2018 21:35

#1 was 18 months
#2 was 3 yrs and a few weeks
#3...1 yr and counting 😂

Cachailleacha · 30/10/2018 21:35

Just turned 5

Original poster
whatsnewchoochoo · 30/10/2018 21:40

Ah ... it's not happening soon then 😃

OP posts:

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2 year olds Families
AntiHop · 30/10/2018 21:41

Just after she turned 4. She'd just been having a little feed at bed time for quite a while though.

Hermagsjesty · 30/10/2018 21:43

Just after 2

SoftSheen · 30/10/2018 21:47

DD was 3.9

DS is now 3.9 and still going, just a 5 min bedtime feed. I am going to try to get him to stop soon though, which may require some form of bribery.

BrickByBrick · 30/10/2018 21:48

Depends what you mean by 'self wean' - if you literally do nothing then it could be 5/6/7, but I helped my youngest on the way, I stopped night feeds, then I was back at work so day feeds dropped down and eventually I was down to just one a day and she stopped that herself - she was just gone 4. I had nursing aversion pretty much the whole time.

My other 2 - dd1 stopped at 16mths during my 2nd pregnancy (my milk supply dropped, I didn't want to tandem feed, so let it be) DS I weaned him at 2.

BlessThisMess · 30/10/2018 21:54

DD1 - 5 and didn't self-wean
DD2 - 3 and didn't self-wean

I had more than enough by then and put a stop to it.

Vegisgrowingwell · 30/10/2018 22:14

2 yrs 7 months. She said she was too grown up for mummy milk and she was going to sleep in a big girl bed!!!

Pinkkahori · 30/10/2018 22:22

3 1/2 and it wasn't entirely self-weaning. We were down to one feed a day, at bedtime. I replaced the feed with the two of us listening to music at bedtime and she fell asleep without feeding. I did this for several nights and once she realised she didn't need a feed it to fall asleep she began to self settle.

LikeaMeteorite · 30/10/2018 22:24

Nearly 4, 3.5 and 5 years old.

TheDayMyButtWentPsycho · 30/10/2018 22:25

At 3 I had to put my foot down. I couldn't stand it any longer.
I couldn't sit on the sofa without him sucking on me whilst watching TV.
It was a terrible habit to get into (as opposed to just a feed at night) and I really disliked it, I think they call it feeling 'touched out.'
So I didn't sit on the sofa for a week and he weaned that way.
He definitely didn't self wean and he still talks about it now (7).

Cinnabunbun · 30/10/2018 22:28

2.5 yrs with no tears. He was down to just a 5 min comfort feed before sleep for about 6 months first, bar the odd random daytime feed when poorly/upset/overtired. Although he would go 1-2 nights in a row with no feeds when DP did bedtime, he wasn't showing any signs of wanting to stop when I was around. We talked about how the boobies were going to stop making milk soon (but he could always cuddle them etc etc) for a couple of weeks. Then I explained to him on his last feed that it would be the very last one. When he next tried to feed I'd covered my nips with soft fabric plasters. He just said "oh, they not working now!" and rested his head on one and fell asleep.

Bananalanacake · 30/10/2018 22:31

My 18mo is still feeding several times a day and night. If there are other ways to get her to sleep please tell me.Smile

onlyonmumnet · 30/10/2018 22:33

For those who felt touched out or had aversions... were you okay feeding the next one? I fed dc1 until just over 2 and developed an aversion and stopped. Currently pregnant and still feel vaguely bf averse... will this be likely when new baby comes? (Sorry to derail thread)

BlackeyedGruesome · 30/10/2018 22:34

2.5years.

took one look at boob, blew a raspberry at it and refused. swollen boob.a day or two later decided wanted one last go and fed again... then stopped. two more days of swollen boob.

oldsewandsew · 30/10/2018 22:41

@onlyonmumnet, I was absolutely fine feeding my second, after feeling massively touched out with my first. Then fed my second until she self weaned at just over 3. I was getting a bit twitchy by then, but was still sad when it stopped.

BrickByBrick · 30/10/2018 22:48

only I never particularly enjoyed feeding any of mine - it was always just one of those things I did. I think it was so bad with her because she was very very demanding, plus ds (asd) would react every time she cried so I ended up feeding her all the time. She didn't sleep (we night weaned as she approached 3), she fought going to sleep (dh would have to walk her the streets in the evening with her in the buggy) , like a pp if I sat down/was at home she would want to feed all the time, she was like a limpet, so I rarely had a time when she wasn't clinging to me. I think it was all this combined that made it so difficult with her.

She's 6 now and still very demanding of me, so I think that is just her personality.

TheDayMyButtWentPsycho · 30/10/2018 22:56

Onlyonmumnet I will be able to answer that question in about 7 weeks time!

I often wondered that though, but I think it will be absolutely fine.

coatsandats · 30/10/2018 23:02

Mine didn't self wean exactly.

I had night weaned already at about 12 months. Then, up until 20 months, every time she wanted comfort or affection/cuddles in the daytime, she'd look to breastfeed. At around 20 months, she started just being happy with cuddles
(I think this coincided with childcare from grandparents, so she had experience of being soothed and comforted with no BFing. Prior to that, it was always just me so she would automatically seek to feed).

As I noticed she was happy with cuddles, and also her language/understanding seemed good enough, I told her that all the milk had gone. She accepted it basically straight away with no tears. She wanted more cuddles and soothing e.g at bedtimes for a week or so after, but she never showed any interest in BFing again. (Until much older but I don't think that counts, she'd seen the baby do it and wanted in!)

Original poster
whatsnewchoochoo · 30/10/2018 23:39

Oh bugger ... I really hoped all toddlers self weaned at 2 😆

He still feeds 3x a day and 3x at night (we bedshare)

I don't hate it ... I just don't want to be doing it forever ... I like the plasters on nips idea!

OP posts:
chipsandgin · 30/10/2018 23:48

DS1 around 20 months wasn’t fussed one way or the other (& we were down to 2d feeds unless ill or travelling)...DS2 at 3yrs 3 months had to have a chat about it (with him!) otherwise he’d have carried on indefinitely. I said we had to drop the morning or night & he chose night to drop, which definitely made it easier, then we were done within weeks.

I don’t think they naturally self wean at 2 necessarily, but if you’ve had enough there are plenty of good ideas on here to do it gently.

AirandMungBeans · 31/10/2018 00:55

Mine was three and a half and one week. One evening he just said "I don't want booby tonight" and that was it. I wish I'd known that the night before so I could have really made the most of that last feed. It'll be a year next month since he stopped.

sadsadsady · 31/10/2018 01:25

Almost 5.

Cachailleacha · 31/10/2018 07:47

Depends what you mean by 'self wean' - if you literally do nothing then it could be 5/6/7
I night weaned at 2.5, he still weaned at 5.

I could have weaned him at 3.5 no problems as he was feeding less than daily at that point, but I was happy to continue.

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