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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Weaning 2 yr old quickly- how?

7 replies

Twicemicerice · 20/02/2015 09:01

It's a bit of a SOS situation. Bf much longer than planned, mainly due to convenience. Dd is at cm 3x a week and absolutely fine without bf. I had night weaned for a while but due to various illnesses etc. we are feeding at night again. This is no longer sustainable. She wakes up several times a night and wants to feed as that is a 'go-to' comfort. She does seem hungry at night sometime though especially as she doesn't eat that much for tea.
( I know people say she cannot possibly need food / drink at night, but what if she does?)

I do feel sad to finish now but I have been given a contract role starting next week and I will not be able to function with the broken nights. I feel some ambivalence though as I will be working a lot in the next three months and bf has been a great way to 'connect' after cm or when she didn't see me a whole day.
Please don't judge, I know extended bf is frowned upon by many but it was the right thing for us. Now it must stop though, but how?

Please help me wean her effectively.

OP posts:

Original poster

Twicemicerice · 20/02/2015 09:26

Igbo could sleep train her at the same time...... That would be great

OP posts:

Original poster

Twicemicerice · 20/02/2015 13:18

Bumping for the afternoon crowd.

OP posts:

CultureSucksDownWords · 20/02/2015 13:34

Do you feed in the day at all at the moment, or just at night? If you do morning or evening feeds you could carry on with those and just night wean. It might help if someone else settles her at night (DP/DH?) whilst you are night weaning so that she isn't frustrated by what she wants being right there but not being allowed it.

At this age she really doesn't need the night feeds for nutrition or hydration, so it is a comfort thing. All you (or actually DP/DH preferably) can do is provide as much alternative comfort as you can whilst she re-learns to settle without it. You may have to be quite persistent with it.

When you talk about sleep training, is she waking in the night and not asking for a feed as well?

Original poster

Twicemicerice · 20/02/2015 20:22

Thank you culture! We were down to 2x feeds, morning and evening but now feed throughout the day (and night )

I was determined to go 'cold turkey' today but she is poorly with a high temp so didn't have the heart to do it.

I would like to give her a morning and evening feed. However, I wonder if she will get he routine of such an arrangement as she never stopped asking for a bf when she was on 2x a day for a few weeks. I am equally happy to just wean her completely (though a bit sad as she is my youngest and last one)

Also, my dh was tending to her during the night when I had temporarily night weaned her and she did wake up 3-4 times wanting food, mummy etc. it was a bit of a nightmare / circus.

It led us all to be desperately tired

OP posts:

CultureSucksDownWords · 21/02/2015 01:05

I think it will take a bit of time for it to sink in and for her to realise that this is now the new normal. After all, you went back from night weaned to feeding, so she may try and hold out as she may think you'll revert back again.

If she asks for daytime feeds I would just treat it like asking for extra snacks or whatever and just keep saying no.

I would try and plan out how you're going to handle the night wakings between you and your DH so that both of you get as much sleep as possible. You could do it in shifts or take turns each night, whatever works really.

TeaPleaseBob · 06/03/2015 22:18

My lo is 21 months and feeds first thing in morning and last thing at night before bed (if I'm there, I work 12.5 hr days so don't see her at all I f working day shift). I havent fed her through the night for quite a few months now and she mostly sleeps through (not sure if 2 are linked or not to be honest).
I don't feed through the day now either (did for a while when she was unwell). If she asks for a feed during the day I just say we'll have a feed at nighttime. Cuddles and distraction seem to work well with her.

Recently I've stopped offering a morning feed. She comes into bed with me when wakes up and if she asks she has a feed if not I don't prompt. She always asks for a feed if I'm there at bedtime though. Im happy with that just now. No idea how I'd stop the night feed without upsetting her to be honest. Although it was easy for day feeds so perhaps I'm imagining it'll be worse than it will be. That's not very helpful though, sorry!

TeaPleaseBob · 06/03/2015 22:23

Actually I know she'd be fine as she settles well for my DH and mum when they put her down for the night. She's also been fine if I've worked 2 or 3 days in a row and she's gone without feeds then. She sleeps just as well having had cup of milk and cuddles from someone else before bed.

I just think we'll both maybe be upset if I'm there and refusing feeds at bedtimes. It's harder because most people I know in real life either don't know I still feed or think it's a bit weird so I don't really discuss it with anyone.

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