Help needed - I'm going to be BF forever otherwise....

[MrsMoosickle]

My DD is 2.5 years and still breastfeeding like a trooper! I work full time and a couple of nights a week I am often away overnight but when I am back home she is making up for lost time.

Currently we co sleep and so when I am home she is BF throughout the night ( for comfort really I fear) and so neither of us having great sleeps.

Not asking for me when I'm at work ( in Nursery all day and so occupied) and will go to sleep with DH and a bottle or cup on my nights away.

Its quite draining now and I am worried that she is BF through the night and then up early for Nursery and so a bit tired and grump as a conseqence.

I did tentatively try and stop a few months ago but she was so upset and I felt so terrible about that so here we are back up to full speed again.

Is there any easier way than cold turkey?

All advice very very welcome

Bump

No advice, sorry! In same position with 20 month old dd except I am lone parent and she has never fallen asleep without breastfeeding so I have no social life.

Would love her to fall asleep without it, and co-sleep without the feeding, I don't think I have the energy to stop though!

Hope to get some tips!

Hi. I have two boys, one now 8 and the other 3.5. We co-slept with oldest until he was almost four, and he fed until it petered out at about that time too. My youngest still sleeps in bed side cot, (hes diff. from his brother and likes a bit of space), and he now is weening himself, he has, as he puts it 'a little pop off' where he sucks once on each side and then is happy. obviously just for comfort. With my older boy I tried to ween him at about 2.5 and he went nuts, so I just let it go, and when he was ready he stopped so easily I dont remember it happening! It depends how much you want to stop. If it helps the av. age worldwide to ween is almost four!! So its not so unusual, and its what they are programmed for! I think its lovely that youve been able to give her this for so long but if its time for you to stop then you need to. I weened of during the night feeds by saying 'just a little bit' and that turned into a bit of a game of then being 'just a teensy tiny bit' and then ' just a pop off' and that has stuck. I know hell stop soon though. there is a book by the same woman who wrote 'Three in a bed' about late weening, you could google it.... Hope some of that helps.

Be firm BF last thing at night and first thing in the morning if time. Drink of water in the night and sleep in your own bed. 2.5 year olds aren't daft you can pretty much tell them you go along with this or no mummy milk.

HOw weaning happens by Diane Bengson is worth a read. Many mothers find if they go to quickly it makes this worse and they go backwards.

Thanks ladies,

Thank you for the book tips too, I've just found them both on Amazon. Lycheemartini - I know exactly what you mean, my DD has always been breastfed to sleep by me too, she will drop of with DH after a story, but that has never happened to me. The older she gets the longer it takes, can take up to an hour, even when she is exhausted

Roll on the books......