January Weaning Challenge- anyone care to join?

[GiraffesAndButterflies]

I've posted before about my desire to stop bf DD (10mo) but what with one thing and another, it hasn't happened yet.

I am now DETERMINED that January is the month, I want this done! However I know from attempts so far that it's going to be a struggle, so I wondered if anyone's in the same boat so we can motivate each other...

So far: slight progress in getting DD to take milk from a cup, she took about 10ml this afternoon which was enough to get her down for a nap without waking up hungry :)

This week's goal is to get back to a pattern where she doesn't bf between about 11am and 6.30pm.

I'm determined too. My little boy is 18months, he is OBSESSED with breastfeeding. I'm a big softie too, so I'm struggling. Tried weaning2 months ago but I got sick, then he did, then Christmas! He hits my chest when he wants feeding (which is a lot) and often screams when I take him off, even when he's had all the milk, and often in early hours of the morning. I've cut down to nap, night time and through the night feeds. So i have quite a way to go. Have considered just doing it over the weekend, like cut night feeds tonight, cut nap feeds tomorrow and get his dad to sleep with him Friday and then take him away Saturday to Sunday. This is not my style at all.. but I figure it's going to be upsetting whenever it happens, so I just want to shorten it and get it out the way. Agh. What do you think to my idea? And why have you chosen to use a cup rather than bottle? I've heard of mums doing this but don't know why. X

Each to their own I think, you have to find something that works for you. I'm also planning a very softly softly approach, aiming to cut afternoon feeds, then night feeds, then move the morning one earlier so she has bm say 7am and 7pm and nothing in between. Depending on how we're doing with the cup I'll then go from there!

I'm going for a cup for two reasons: firstly DD has refused bottles completely, the most I've ever got her to take is a few ml. Others (DH and my DM) have had even less success. She's a bit better with a cup- record is about 15-20ml at one feed... The other reason is that I didn't think there wasuch point getting her on to bottles now as I'd have to be weaning her off them again in a few months.

How about your DS, are you aiming to move from breast to bottle/etc, or cut out the milk feeds altogether?

Well, ds loves drinking from bottles actually. And he loves rice milk as I discovered today (winner) so I'll aim to carry warm rice milk with me when I go out. My dd was weaned from breast to bottle at 18 months, but she was much much easier! Then again she could fully talk and understand at that age. DS can't yet.

Anyone mind if I lurk?
A few months ago we managed to night wean ds on to cuddles with water, still bf in the day. Then we tried a week sleep training which buggered everything, and had to go back to bf just to get sanity back.

The thing is he's now 12 mo, no milk in the day 7-7 at his own volition (I judt kept offering snacks and water first, and he lost interest in fighting for milk. ) So back to semi normal sleep patterns prior to this, and yet my periods haven't returned. Therefore we need to sort night feeds completely in case I am never going to get fertility back without full weaning, as really want his sibling close in age.

We are trying to get back to water and cuddles only at night - dh can settle him for bed first thing with no milk but it takes some crying and a wakeup 2 hours later.
Just lurking for tips/support really!

17 months here. Night weaned a few months ago, and have been refusing all requests except first thing in the morning and before dinner for three days. Plan to cut back to once a day next week, then stop by the end of Jan.

Feeling quite sad about it, but it's the right thing to do.

mamma are they allowed rice milk this early?

I have given both mine rice milk from 8months old. It's got nothing else added i don't think, apart from calcium. Why do you think they may not be allowed it? Also, why do you feed just before dinner? Just curious.

I just remember 'overhearing' a discussion about what to give dairy/soya allergic babies and I seem to remember rice milk having too much arsenic in it. Here's a link from 2009: www.food.gov.uk/science/research/surveillance/fsisbranch2009/survey0209#.UseN1JkgGc0

We have never fts at bed time, so since she's been on solids we've always done boob, food, bottle (formula top up - long story but stopped at 12mo), bath, bed. We BLWed, so needed to make sure she wasn't hungry for dinner. I pick her up from nursery and feed her as soon as we get in the door while DH finishes making dinner. In other words, it works for us, and why not?! I know others would want to do milk after solids to make them hungry for solids, but we didn't see that as necessary.

utopian - the sleep training went well then?! :) My sympathies. I'm struggling on that front with DD as well, she has major wind issues so I often end up either fts or else feeding in order to give gripe water. not ideal but I've just mentally added it to the list of things to work on...

Spindelina sounds like you are making good progress!

Spindelina, I don't think there's arsenic in rice milk. I don't know what some of your abbreviations mean, but if what you're doing works for your little one, well done :)

Not to labour the point, but the FSA (from the link I posted above) says...

"The Food Standards Agency has completed a survey of total and inorganic arsenic in 60 samples of rice drinks....If toddlers and young children (ages 1 – 4.5 years) consume rice drinks instead of breast milk, infant formula or cows’ milk, the Agency estimates that their intake of inorganic arsenic could be increased by up to four fold if combined intakes for high-level consumption of rice drinks at the mean concentration of inorganic arsenic plus average exposure from the rest of the diet are considered."

I'm not just making it up, honest! Don't know if that 2009 advice is still current, though.

Sorry about the abbreviations. Not sure which one you're stuck on, so thought it best to put them all in...
fts = feed to sleep
mo = months old
BLW = baby led weaning
DH = dear husband

Re weaning - think it's going pretty well. It's definitely me that's the problem (I miss our special cuddles), not the toddler. Need to drop the next feed soon, but still haven't decided which one. It's only going to be there for one more week, so it doesn't even really matter!

Thanks. I'm confused now. I've heard so much bad stuff about cows milk, formula, soya, and now rice milk. I'm thinking of getting powdered almond milk. This is full of nutrition and then I can carry warm water around with me and add this to ds's bottle when he needs it. I think it's probably alright to have rice milk sometimes though, and maybe raw cows milk sometimes too.

We just tried a bottle of cow's milk at night to replace me and it worked! Last night I gave him last boob before bed (we often fts or nearly, then cuddle till fully gone.) Dh got up when he woke at 1am, then I did at 4.30am and he was fine. Food and water as normal in the day, then tried to fts tonight (limited success as he ate so much supper,) which only relieved a bit of the horrendous overfull boob pain, but hoping it adjusts soon.
Have just given some on wake up now as it hurt to cuddle him, so thought it okay for bothour sakes and then nothing till this evening now.

We've had a truly horrendous few nights, DD has been extremely gassy and cries in pain when I put her down. Meaning I'm on about 3 hours' sleep a night :( :(

Daytime weaning progress is slow but steady though. Yesterday she took about 40ml of formula which is her best ever, I was so chuffed

How's everyone getting on?

Progress here on the cup feeding, she had 100ml in one go the other day (although it took her about half an hour). Bit by bit the formula consumption is increasing...

I was thinking of asking the same thing.

Giraffes, it sounds like you're going in the right direction at least! Your DD must be nearly 11 months now? Are you going to switch to cow's milk soon? It was a blessed relief when we packed up the steriliser!

We've been down to one feed per day (when we get in from nursery) for nearly a week now. She asked for boob this morning, and wasn't best pleased when I said no, but we were in a boob-associated place (my bed). I'm away Thursday night, so tomorrow evening will be our last feed.

She's 11 months tomorrow Spindelina :)

I haven't been sterilising as we use cups not bottles. So I will probably carry on with the formula for a while yet as it has taken such a bloody long time to get her even drinking that. We're down to morning about 6am, then evening a few times 7pm-midnight, other than that no bf at all. Not bad for two weeks work.

You're nearly there though! Good luck for Thursday/Friday. Do you think it'll be a battle to give up the last feed or is she getting less interested now you've cut down?

I think we did the hard work with the night weaning last year, actually. During the day we can find something more exciting to do - she's been drinking cow's milk from a sippy cup since she was 12 months (which she took to fine - maybe because she was used to formula from five days old).

I think I'm just going to need to avoid sitting on the sofa when we get home for a little while, and make sure DH and I are coordinated enough that I can just plonk her in the high chair and hope she wants some dinner!