Giving up feeding a 16 month old

[crace]

Is cold turkey that evil to a very addicted 16 month old? I've posted before that she doesn't eat food really, apart from snacks and certainly not her 5 F&V a day.

So.. is cutting her off completely the worst thing I could do? I've tried getting her on a schedule or cutting feeds, it just doesn't work - I am pretty sure I've got an all or nothing little girl here. Also has very deep sleep/nursing associations so I know it won't be easy stopping her.

I am beyond sleep deprived and just fed up with it really. If it was am/pm only I would be thrilled but it's all day every day and I am done with it.

Any advice?

feel i need to add that they are all so different and go through phases of being more attached to the breast. for us, ds 1 fed much as your little one, i was ok with it though knackered,co-slept and eventually encouraged him to wean around his third bday.ds2, very different personality, self-weaned completely as soon as he could walk, just wanted to be off, was not interested in the breast at all from 11 months despite having never offered a bottle or any other milk. i have always liked the gentle route of feeding on demand and then if you want To wean, dont offer unless asked. hth bit rambly i know!

no purple i wasn't suggesting you or anyone should stop co-sleeping, it is a method worth considering though as a way of getting rid of comfort suckling in the middle of the night.

i used elizabeth pantley's advice on this (she is an extended bf-er) so instead of cutting feeds, sleeping separately would suit many children, obvioulsy not ALL children. the cot doesn't even have to be in a separate room, it can be right next to your own bed. this is still a form of co-sleeping. this is what dh and i did.

as i say it depends on the child, their age, etc. ds showed no resistance whatsoever to sleeping in his cot, gradually stopped waking for comfort (because essentially that is what he was doing, a few suckles that lasted 1 - 2 mins. max and he was asleep again, he just hadn't learned how to fall asleep on his own), but he would have been extremely upset if i had cut out his feeds by refusing feeds.

it is very difficult to say what would suit an individual child, obvioulsy the parents are best able to read a child's personality

Sorry, yellowrose, that's why I apologised. I wasn't suggesting that you were saying that would solve all our problems If only!

Yes, it's all individual - it's just figuring out what would work for each of us. If my daughter ate "normally" or at all even I would have given up ages ago. But as she doesn't I need to take care on how we wean her - the result needs to be the same however, in that she will be weaned.

crace - no please, i am sorry you are having a rough time and i don't have the right answers for you, i hope it gets better soon, toddlers can be a right PITA, says she who has a 3 year old who lives in a world of his own, the bf is less of a pain for us, but he goes through so many personlaity changes it is hard to keep up ; )

best of luck with whatever you decide

crace - have you posted under a fussy eater topic ? other mums with fussy eaters may have good tips, good luck

I have in the past, I think it's just one of those -this too shall pass.

Only things are now slightly complicated by just finding out I am pregnant. So, my supply might dwindle anyway and this is a non issue.

congratulations crace!

When I was pregnant with DD2 I became quite dehydrated, and my milk supply just dwindled and dd1 didn't seem at all bothered (she was one years old at the time).

DD2 is also a very fussy eater, but fortunately in the last couple of months she has gotton better, I hope this happens for you too.

Congratulations, Crace!

DS1 self-weaned at nearly 17m when I was pg with DS2 (about 5m pg) - milk had changed.

Try wearing inaccessible clothes for a bit when you don't want her to feed, maybe?

Thanks for all the well wishes, still in major shock or denial - not sure which!