If not breast before bed, then what?

[Carpo]

My DS is nearly 14mths now and, while I think I'm happy to go on BFing and let him self-wean, sometimes I think I might quite like to encourage him to do without me at bedtime. Sometimes, if he's really tired, it's as if he can't really be bothered to wait for my letdown in the evening so we did try DH offering expressed milk from a cup. DS spat it out and went to bed anyway but woke up later wanting a feed.

The little darling is quite happy to have cow's milk on his cereal etc. but won't drink it cold, warm or even sweetened with a little honey. So, my question is, what do other mums give to previously breastfed babies/children before they go to bed or don't they worry about giving them anything?

BTW, he's also still really keen for his milk first thing in the morning but those are the only two feeds he has now.

Thanks for any pearls of wisdom!

why not feed him before the rest of the bedtime routine and then he won't wake for a feed but you can get him down and he'll stay down.

then gradually switch o a bottle of normal milk. it worked with dd when she was a year (although i was pregnant and she was losing interest anyway)

I never gave my children anything before bed when i stiopped breastfeeding.

dd still has her cup of goats milk and a story, she's 2 and 4 months, but that's coz she badly needs the milk she won't drink it through the day

i never gave dd1 anything either after supper, except maybe some water after toothbrushing...I stopped bfeeding her at 17 m, bedtime feed was last to go.

eats feck all some days either!

i gave mine warm milk at 12/13 months in a beaker they were familiar with. 7yo still asks for it when he sees his 3yo sis drinking hers.oops.

Thanks everyone. It's so useful to hear of other people's experiences and reassuring that they're often pretty different.

DS2 didn't have any bedtime drink after I stopp bfeeding him - doesn't seem to have done him any harm although since DS1 was (is) syuch a milk guzzler I though that DS2 "had" to have milk before bedtime!!

I had some success with quite runny porridge, made with full-cream cows' milk and some honey. Seemed to fulfill DS1's needs for something sweet and milky and reasonably filling. However, from the tooth-care point of view it's not so good (unless you brush afterwards).