12 month old losing interest in BFing, should I keep offering it?

[Flingmoo]

He eats well and drinks water or cows milk from a cup quite happily. For months now he's been having less breastmilk but now it's got to the point of about 1 minute long feed in the morning, nothing all day, and he's rejecting the bedtime feed entirely. Is he self weaning? Shall I keep offering at bedtime and in the morning until he completely stops? It seems pointless as I'm sure he must only be getting a couple of teaspoons worth of milk

Sounds exactly like dd was. Coincidentally I had a night away around that time too, when she didn't have the morning or bedtime feed, so after that I just didn't bother and she didn't ask.

I wouldn't bother.

I think he's telling you he's over it.

Thanks. Trouble is I've read Kellymom page which seems to suggest I've gone wrong somewhere... Too much solids for his age, giving him the sippy cup too much, low milk supply etc.

I just feel that he's really happy with the current arrangement and reducing his food intake or taking away his sippy cup would be really mean and trying too hard to force ongoing breastfeeding. I'd quite happily feed him for another year but I can't see him wanting it. I'd be interested to hear if anyone else's baby self weaned at this age. I saw myself feeding at least a few months longer and must confess I'm sort of disappointed it's coming to an end now!

Does he ask for it? If he is asking, keep offering. If not, and you are happy(ish) to stop, don't offer. He does sound like he's self- weaning and, as he's over 1 he can just have cow's milk as a main drink now.

You've done nothing wrong btw! You are following his lead :)

My first self-weaned just after her 2nd birthday. My second is 16 months and still feeding. I have a friend whose son self-weaned at just 7 months. She was gutted but followed his lead.

My DS did this at 13 months and one day just refused altogether. I was sad to stop but glad it wasn't a struggle to wean.

Just remembered, it was the 'don't offer, don't refuse' strategy I used.

Kellymom is nuts if it's suggesting you've done something wrong. It's usually good but I don't agree with that at all.

If you want to keep it going, then keep offering. It might just be a lull or a nursing strike, but your supply will be robust enough now not to worry about it, even if he stops for a few days.

I would say it's a great opportunity to stop hassle free if you're happy with that, but if you don't want to stop yet, don't worry either. It's likely to be temporary and he'll come back to it. You don't have to do anything special.

BTW, any chance you might be pregnant? Sometimes babies go off the milk when you are because the taste changes.

OK I read the link (you left out a space, so it's broken, btw)

I don't think that it is saying that you've done something wrong or something to cause this. It's just saying that these things can cause a temporary lull in feeding, and that's okay, to let you know it's temporary. If you want to get it back especially, you could do the opposite of those tips, like encouraging breastfeeding over other drinks, having more skin to skin/close contact, offer breastmilk often, don't divert.

But I would say unless you're really desperate to carry on I'd just go with it, keep offering and see what happens.

I can't really remember him "asking" for it in any obvious way since he left the newborn, head bobbing stage. I've always just offered it whenever I guessed he might want it.

He does sometimes pull my top down to get at my boobs but then he just wants to poke and slap them...! He's recently started lifting peoples t-shirts up to poke their belly button so I think it's more of a playtime thing for him rather than a milk thing, as he doesn't seem to want milk.

My son weaned a few days short of his first birthday. Wracked with doubt at the time, but now know that it was the right thing for him, even if my ideas of extended breast feeding were dismissed.