Weaning a 1yr old- please help and advise me!

[Joneseygirl77]

I really need some advice on how to stop feeding my DD. I'm planning to stop in around a month when she turns 1. We're down to 2 feeds per day- a morning and evening feed. Planning on dropping morning feed first and then the evening one. My DD eats well- she's on 3 meals a day and is on 91/98th centile. She will also take formula from a sippy cup well and drinks on her own.

I want to stop for 2 reasons- I'm going back to work next week and my work involves overnights away. I'm going away in May for 2 nights with work and I need to have it sorted by then so my DH can manage. Plus I feel like I've done my bit now and she's taking a long time feeding in the morning so it's a huge rush when I need to leave early.

Current routine is bath, book, book in bedroom, feed and then another book and she's put in her cot away. I know the bedtime feed relaxes her though as she often goes sleepy whilst feeding.

Can anyone advise me on what to do? The ideal would be for her to self wean but I can't see that happening as she's showing no signs of it! I'm more worried about the bedtime feed so I need tips!

Anyone?

Sorry no help from me. My dd self weaned very early, just no interest in it. Hopefully someone will be along to give you some ideas soon.

Can you get your DH to take over the bedtime routine with a bottle?

Maybe put the night-time feed before the bath? She's obviously feeding down to sleep, if not feeding completely to sleep, so you may get a few nights of rage, but she'll get it eventually and if you put the evening meal close enough to bedtime she may forget about that feed altogether.

Could you exercise the ancient motherly art of fobbing her off with a rice cake for the morning feed?

I was worried about this with my 1 year old as I thought the feed made him sleepy if not actually asleep. But I just missed out the feed and gave him a beaker of milk instead - initially he refused the milk but still went to sleep ok after a bit of protesting, now after only a week he will take the milk before going to bed. It may have helped that he has his dinner at 6pm and goes to bed at 7pm so I don't think he was actually taking that much milk at bedtime anyway.

Thanks all.

Lmeg did you just off cows milk in the beaker? I did wonder about just doing cows milk in a cup with a cuddle and story. I know we will get protesting for a few nights but she's at nursery ft now so aiming to start at the end of the week when she's shattered!

I have wondered about feed before bath too but just wondered if it'll be too close to dinner. She has a light snack at 5.30-5.45pm and then formula in a cup and a bath at 6.30 and then feed and bed at 7pm.

Guess I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and cope with the angry crying for a few nights! Dropping bed feed scares me more than the morning one!

I weaned my 15 mo DD2 and it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Like you OP I went back to work and started having to be away overnight.

I dropped the morning feed first by getting up and giving her cows milk in a beaker.

DH put DD2 to bed after having a beaker of milk two nights in a row whilst I was out of the house with DD1. Same routine, bath, pjs, book and milk, into cot. She was absolutely fine and that was that.

Ah soup maker that's reassuring. Did you put her to bed after the 2 nights? Was she ok with same routine with you and no feed?

She generally wakes up crying in the morning but I'm hoping milk in a beaker and a teddy will distract her! No one warned me stopping bf would be fraught with complications!

Are you factoring in teeth brushing between the milk in a beaker and bed? This is why I suggest final milk feed before bath as at least you can get them calmed down from teeth brushing before a relaxing story/cuddle (if she's not rebelling against this now, she may in the future) and she's not going to bed with grotty teeth.

Yes Jonesy I did. She was absolutely fine on night 3. I just made sure I had clothes on that made BF impossible! Even though I wanted us to stop BF I think I missed it more than her.

I also used to feed DD2 downstairs before bedtime so often DH would actually lift her and cuddle her on the way upstairs to bed so she was used to him putting her down.

I just put cow's milk in a sippy cup which I was already using to give him water at meal times, so he was used to it. Thanks for the point about teeth Elphaba - I'm still doing his teeth before his milk which isn't ideal so I need to rearrange that.