typically, when do DC no longer need/want milk at bedtime?

[flipflopson5thavenue]

DS is almost 13mo and I'm planning my exit strategy from BF. Am planning to night wean first over the next few months (once he's settled into nursery and I've settled into work). From threads on here it seems best way is to then start dropping a feed and replace with a bottle/sippy cup slowly, so maybe a feed per week. My plan is to have given up completely by the end of the year.

At the moment he feeds at bedtime, 2/3 times a night, and before each of his two naps during the day. He occasionally has a couple of other quick feeds, but only really for comfort etc if he wants a cuddle or is a little sleepy or peckish. Because he feeds during the night, he rarely wants milk when he wakes up for the day.

I was just curious when children tend to stop having milk at bedtime? I know it depends on the child but is there a 'norm'?

Also, because DS is over one, and will be almost 18mo when I completely give up, will he still be having milk 'feeds' in the same way? Am a little confused about replacing BF with bottle when I'd assume over the next months he will not be needing milk in the same scheduled way he has over the past months/year?

Thanks for any advice. Have realised post has expanded further than my original question in the title ;-)

My DD was BF til 18mths then had milk in a cup at bedtime til 2.2. I stopped it then as potty training and didn't want night time accidents. She adapted pretty quickly and just had a cup of milk in the morning with breakfast. All cows milk - never bothered with toddler formula or anything.

Don't really have anything useful to say, as pretty much in the same boat, and so I am watching this closely.

DD is also 13 months and I'd like to be done by 18 months. I have started afternoon feed with a cup but as she's always been demand fed we're only loosely structured iyswim. She loves the boob though and sometimes will have a cup then insist on boob anyway depending on her mood. She does toddle up for a cuddle without demanding boob sometimes as well so she's not entirely dependent even for comfort. We still have 1-2 overnight (seem to have regressed from the 0-1), quite a lot in a morning, less throughout afternoon and then bedtime. I don't want to refuse her though so am hoping she will start asking less and less.

MissingMyMarbles - we've regressed at night too. In fact, he's a beast at night at the moment. Wants to suck forever and wakes up and screams the moment I put him back in his cot. Velcro baby by day, velcro baby by night at the moment. Its due to the general grimness of this nighttime feeding that I've decided to set a deadline. First time I've actually felt I'm ready to wind down and call it a day.

Well, that is a bit reassuring that we're not the only ones with sleep regression. I have to say that I'm not that worried about when she stops taking milk before bed. She's taking cow's milk before bed if I'm at work anyway. IIRC, DD1 had nighttime cow's milk for ages and it didn't impact on potty training at all for us, it's more trying to wean as painlessly as possible, that I am watching for

I stopped breastfeeding at 13 months and offered cups of cow's milk instead. DS wasn't keen on cow's milk at first so the bedtime milk just stopped - he'd have about 100ml of milk in his cereal in the morning, 2x100ml cups in the day time and that was it.

300ml of milk plus cheese and yoghurt was more than enough at that age.