How do you wind down your previously breastfed toddler for sleep?

[peachsmuggler]

DD is 2.5 and this week we have finally finished breastfeeding. She was down to a feed before bedtime and on the occasional nap. We have been reading lots and lots of stories and we still have a chat about all the things we did during the day (this bit with the light off) and then she goes in her cot, but she keeps shouting "I'm not tired!!!". I think she is tired but has previously wound down with a feed and so now doesn't have that cue.

She wasn't breastfed to sleep since she was about 1.5 but think it helped her along the way. Did anyone substitute the breastfeeding with something else or do they take a while to get used to the new way of going to bed? I have offered her milk in a cup which she doesn't want.

Any suggestions gratefully received! Ta

I haven't solved this one, so am watching with interest. I love the idea of her standing there shouting "I'm not tired". My DS can't say that yet (he's only 2) so he just yells at me.

To be fair it has only been 3 nights and she has done really well, not really mentioning the lack of milk too much, though this has probably been transferred onto "I'm not tired!"

I think the BF was a really good short cut to sleepyness and now she is maybe just a bit confused!

DD was just under 3 when she stopped the night time feed. We just went from BF in roecking chiar, to a cuddle and story instead. This seemed to work well.

DD is 20 months and still plenty of breastfeeding going on all day (and all night). However, she often now doesn't nod off on the breast, so I just hand over to DH - he's upstairs now with her. He will read plenty of stories with her until she's nodding, and then she consents to lie down in her cot. She thrashes about a lot while he sits beside her and eventually goes to sleep. She won't take this from me however...

She seems to take a long time to wind down and the days when she's really tired and just crashes out are much quicker.

I've always been of the sitting with them until they go to sleep school of thought. We did this with DS and he is a cracking sleeper now (4yrs) even though before 2yrs he was not so good.

I had a very similar thread when I weaned DS1 at 20 months! He would stand up in his cot and chatter for >90 mins before going to sleep. He didn't want cows' milk either. We persisted with just stories + toothbrushing before bedtime and after a couple of weeks he finally got used to the new state of affairs.

DD1 self weaned just past her 2nd b'day. Initally it took her ages to wind down, but we just stuck to the same routine - dinner, play, bath, bed + story so now (at nearly 3 years old) she just drops off by herself once the story is finished. It's all about establishing a routine imo.

I love bedtimes now - I bath the two DDs together (DD2 is nearly 5 months), read to them both and then give DD2 a feed while DD1 is getting herself off to sleep. It's just a lovely satisfying feeling having 2 content little children

Hi peachsmuggler. My DS is 21mo and still bf, although he hasn't bf to sleep for ages. He seems quite happy for either me or his dad to sit/lie with him and read or sing him to sleep instead. Without a bf, he definitely goes to bed a bit later but the bonus is that he doesn't wake so early - maybe your DD will be the same?

Thanks everyone! Guess then is just a case of perseverance and hopefully in a few weeks the stories will help her wind down. Last night, despite shouting I'm not tired, as I put her in the cot, she was asleep about 2 minutes later!!