When did your baby lose interest in breast feeding?

[Writerwannabe83]

DS is coming up for 11 months and due to being well established on solids he only has three breast feeds a day: morning, before his afternoon nap and then bedtime.

I feel that over the last 1-2 weeks he seems to be less interested in feeding. He will still latch on and feed but he's easily distracted, always looking around, constantly stops sucking, comes off, goes back on, comes off again, goes back in again etc And when he is sucking there's no real 'passion' for it, he almost acts like he's bored and doing it because there's nothing else to do.

I read posts about prolonged breast feeding into toddlerhood and young childhood and I just think 'how?!' I can't see DS making it to a year.

When did your baby self wean?

DS is only 6 months but I went back to work recently and we weaned him at 5 1/2 months. He is on 3 meals a day and snacks (we do mostly BLW) and within 10 days had dropped to 3 feeds a day (plus one or 2 in the night). He is also much less interested - lots of looking around etc. Night feeds are the ones where he has the most - though it would be great if we could cut these down!

I think the pm one is normally the one that lasts the longest..

kellymom.com/bf/normal/babyselfwean/

I went back to work a month ago and I do wonder if this is a contributory factor as for the three days a week that I'm at work my DS has formula twice a day in replacement of my BF's.

I wouldn't be too upset if he stopped BF'ing altogether over the next month or so as I will be happy to have made it to a year but I guess I wasn't expecting him to lose interest so early.

Hi writer :)

DS stopped about a month ago at 6.5 months. He had bronchiolitis over Christmas and wasn't feeding so we were giving him formula to help with that and he slowly lost interest. He would still feed at night but my supply wasn't enough for him so he ended up needing to be topped up. I was getting in a state trying to keep going and trying to increase my supply so I gave up in the end because I was just upsetting both of us. He wouldn't get upset when feeding but was a bit like you described - would suck for a minute then would come off and want to do something else no fuss or anything. I was and still am gutted about it ending so soon.

Dd1 was 11 months, I think she just went off milk as she has never shown any interest in cows milk since, and it was hard to even convince her to try formula milk. The only milk she would touch after refusing breastfeeds was toddler milk which is very very sweet.

Dd2 was 13 months and realised that cows milk in a cup can be carried around unlike being attached to boring mummy

I'm glad they decided for themselves, it meant I never had to make the decision myself.

DS1 stopped at 9 months - I felt very sad but we were down to one feed at bedtime and one day he just refused to latch on. DS2 I suspect will e a different story, he is showing no signs of losing interest!

10 months old

But he was always a fussy, distracted feeder right from the start. He started teething and every time I tried to latch him on he wouldn't feed, he just bit me! This when on for a couple of weeks so I just stopped offering and he never 'asked'.

He doesn't really drink much cows milk now either (he's 13 months old now).

Absolutely loves his food though.

Dd was mix fed and tried to self wean at 3 months,we carried on until 6, but she defiantly prefer the bottle.

It sounds like it really varies. DS is 15 months old and is still as keen as mustard. I can't imagine him ever stopping of his own accord. I came into this thread hoping to read that he'd lose interest soon

DD was 3 and a half years old and I tried never offer, never refuse but had to nudge her towards dropping the last feed.

DS is 3 and a half and has a quick bedtime feed sometimes. Probably 3 or 4 evenings a week.

Both were voracious feeders for the first 2 and a half years.

My DS is 16 months. He dropped to one feed a day at around 11 months, then at around 13 months he started being able to verbally ask to feed. He loved his new ability so much that he asked all the time and fed like a newborn for a while. He's now dropped to around 2-4 feeds a day. More if he's not feeling well/teething, less if he's having a busy day. I just go with what he wants and am planning to let him self wean when he's ready.

at 12 months ds1 was feeding mid afternoon every other day ish. He dropped bedtime etc early. If i offered offer times he refused. By 13 months he had stopped. i knew it was early to self wean but like you op although i knew plenty of people who fed older children and i knew it was normal and in fact felt sad that i wouldn't be continuing to feed ds, i couldn't force him. ultimately i was pleased it was such a nice, natural ending.

dd i stopped shortly before she was 2 for personal reasons. She still fed loads, absolute addict. Couldn't have been more different from her brother.

ds2 will be 3 next month. He has a quick feed either at bedtime or in the early hours of the morning perhaps 2 or 3 times a week. Though i don't offer, when it gets to 3 days i find myself hoping he will ask, i will miss our cuddly feeds when he is done.

My ds stopped at 13mo but I didn't make a huge effort to keep bm as his main nutrition up to a year. He took very well and quickly to food and was eating a full diet of meals and snacks by about 8/9mo. He never took a bottle so I wouldn't let him wean till he could drink cows milk from a cup but once that was established I let him stop bfing.

DS1 is almost 3 and is still having a feed most mornings. His interest has ramped up recently but that has more to do with DS2 arriving and drinking 'his' boob!

3 1/2 for DS (and he had to be gently persuaded to quit). DS age 15 months has lost his usually voracious appetite for real food at the moment because of molars coming through, so is bf quite a lot.

I can't imagine either of mine stopping on their own. I wish!

Mind I do still find it very handy when they hurt themselves or are sick. Think for me continuing actually makes parenting easier. just would like a weekend away