How to stop breastfeeding and feeding 18 month old to sleep

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

RappersNeedChapstick · 21/07/2024 08:13

Please don't worry about him not drinking milk from a cup. Both of mine would never touch the stuff if I was around although they would accept a cup from DH or DGP if I was at work or out.

It took 2 clear weeks from stopping BFing before they would drink Cow's milk. They're both teens now and both absolutely love milk.

If you're having trouble settling him without feeding during the night, I would try some gentle night weaning. I'd try this method first

Have a read of 12 alternatives for the all night nurser.

Once you've done the gentle night weaning The No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers & Preschoolers should help too.

For now I'd go with feeding him to sleep before bed. Once you've got him having a decent chunk of sleep at night without BFing, you can go out at bedtime (assuming someone else is there with LO ). Mine would happily go to bed at that age without feeding if I wasn't around.

If you're home with him today, I'd try the Don't Offer, Don't Refuse Method.

You might get him to take cows milk if you blitz it up with banana and a few berries or offer him a hot (warmish) chocolate

Original poster

Molukmik · 21/07/2024 10:16

RappersNeedChapstick · 21/07/2024 08:13

Please don't worry about him not drinking milk from a cup. Both of mine would never touch the stuff if I was around although they would accept a cup from DH or DGP if I was at work or out.

It took 2 clear weeks from stopping BFing before they would drink Cow's milk. They're both teens now and both absolutely love milk.

If you're having trouble settling him without feeding during the night, I would try some gentle night weaning. I'd try this method first

Have a read of 12 alternatives for the all night nurser.

Once you've done the gentle night weaning The No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers & Preschoolers should help too.

For now I'd go with feeding him to sleep before bed. Once you've got him having a decent chunk of sleep at night without BFing, you can go out at bedtime (assuming someone else is there with LO ). Mine would happily go to bed at that age without feeding if I wasn't around.

If you're home with him today, I'd try the Don't Offer, Don't Refuse Method.

You might get him to take cows milk if you blitz it up with banana and a few berries or offer him a hot (warmish) chocolate

Thank you so much! I will read through the links ☺️

OP posts:

RappersNeedChapstick · 21/07/2024 18:09

Let us know how you get on @Molukmik

Andemaggie · 26/11/2024 20:17

Molukmik · 20/07/2024 21:49

Hi, I've gone back to work and the past few months have been tough with my 18 month old boy. I would like to stop breastfeeding as it's become exhausting. The problem is that he still feeds to sleep and if I don't give him the boob he starts crying so much. I'm so knackered by the end of the evening that I end up giving in and letting him feed to sleep just so I can rest. He also wakes up throughout the night and the only he settled back to sleep is through a feed otherwise goes hysterical. Me being half asleep I give the feed so we can both go back to sleep as getting up and rocking him or holding him won't do anything and I'll be up for ages. I feel so stuck and it's getting me stressed about how I'm going to function. I don't know how else I'd settle him or how to stop. Whenever I don't give him a feed he becomes unsettled. I don't know how to stop and if I do stop what do I do to soothe him? He doesn't drink cows milk from a sippy cup, only drinks water. Any advice would be great please about how to approach this all. Thanks.

How did you get on? Currently in a similar position with my 13 month old.