Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Infant feeding

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

How did you stop breastfeeding?

27 replies

Hope54321 · 21/07/2021 20:47

How did you stop breastfeeding? Did you do it gradually or go cold turkey?

OP posts:
3womeninaboat · 21/07/2021 20:49

Cold turkey because I had to take medication. It went surprisingly well. (At 27 months.)

Element4056 · 21/07/2021 20:50

Watching with interest

Legomania · 21/07/2021 20:52

Gradually. One feed per week. At least one of the times (of two) my supply dried up on one side once I got down to one feed (the bedtime one)

User5827372728 · 21/07/2021 20:52

How old is child?

I went cold Turkey but that’s because he was almost 2 so only down to one feed a day.

I would defo not go cold Turkey if you’re feeding often.

I would drop a feed wait 3 days then drop another feed if not engorged.

Really watch out for signs of mastitis- redness, lumps etc

Legomania · 21/07/2021 20:52

Mine were babies btw, just under a year

Annoyedandirritated · 21/07/2021 20:53

I have finally finished feeding my 3 year old this week as I had to have surgery so told her my boobs were broken now 😬 She’s been fine apart from the odd lingering look at them 🤣

Zarene · 21/07/2021 20:54

Cold ish turkey, at 17 months. I essentially stopped over night and it was surprisingly fine, but she's fed (I think for comfort, I can't have much milk at all) about once a week since then (about 2 months).

It started really hurting and I just couldn't take it any more. She was an absolute breast fiend so i was incredibly worried about it. But after two rough days (when DH mainly dealt with her) she was absolutely fine.

HappyDaysToCome · 21/07/2021 20:55

Dc1 8 months. He weaned really well and he’s started taking a bottle a month before, so I when I had the opportunity for a night away I went for it, and then it went so well I continued with the bottle. All fine.

Dc2 was 18 months and down to one small feed at bedtime. I went away for a long weekend to visit family. I didn’t even get slightly sore boobs. He always refused the bottle so he went straight to sippy cup.

BuffySummersReportingforSanity · 21/07/2021 20:57

I did "don't offer, don't refuse" for a while until we were down to just a bedtime feed, then one night I just said that the milk had gone away and offered him a cuddle and a cup of water instead.

HappyDaysToCome · 21/07/2021 20:57

@Legomania

Gradually. One feed per week. At least one of the times (of two) my supply dried up on one side once I got down to one feed (the bedtime one)
Yes I had that too, I only fed from one side for the last couple of months.
kowari · 21/07/2021 20:58

DS self weaned gradually. I nightweaned him at two and then he usually just had a feed on waking, before an occasional nap, and at bedtime. Did sometimes ask at other times but not often. Usually once a day at three, started skipping days. About once a week when he weaned at just turned five.

Mintjulia · 21/07/2021 21:05

I breast fed until 11 months, then was going back to work so reduced it to morning and evening feeds only, with bottles and other food during the day.
I carried on bf morning and evening until 18 months. Then stopped one very hot week when ds wanted lots of water instead.

PinkDaffodil2 · 21/07/2021 21:08

Watching with interest - have got my 25mo down to just a feed at bedtime, unless she’s poorly, or heatwave, or I really need to get her to nap at lunchtime…

SamprasTheRabbit · 21/07/2021 21:10

Dropped to feeding only at bedtime with 'don't offer, don't refuse' during the day. Did once at bedtime for a while then buggered off to Champneys for a weekend. Came back and never offered since. Stopped at 19 months. She's now 2.5 and although feeding has long since been forgotten she does look at them with wonder and fascination if I'm getting in the shower. Sort of though she really likes them but can't work out why Grin

Piccalily19 · 26/07/2021 19:41

Just in case your baby is younger that most the pp’s here I stopped at 4 months. I was mix feeding already but had enough by 3ish months. So I dropped a feed every 4-7 days (tried to spread out dropped feeds) until I was down to just the night feed then stopped. Stuck to the same feeds dropped each day too so my boobs got the message that feed wasn’t needed anymore

Twizbe · 28/07/2021 19:27

Baby over a year, cold turkey. I did that with mine at 13 and 17 months. Both were down to 1 feed a day by then.

Any younger and swap out alternate feeds and take it slow to give your body time to adjust

Jujujuly · 28/07/2021 19:30

At 13 months we were down to morning and bedtime anyway as I was back at work. I dropped bedtime first and then morning a week later. No issues!

PollyRoe16 · 28/07/2021 21:46

12 months, feeds before nap times stopped when he went to nursery and was down to only at bedtime. Then after about 3 weeks I just offered a bottle of milk instead and that was that. He wasn't bothered in the slightest.

Grasshopper90 · 29/07/2021 07:01

DD was down to one feed at bed time by 12/13 months. Started offering milk in a cup instead, and did “don’t offer, don’t refuse” on breast milk. Eventually she drank more of the cup and cared less about breastfeeding. Stopped completely by 15 months. Boobs were absolutely fine, no pain.

Megan2018 · 29/07/2021 07:05

I’m hoping to stop at around 2-DD is 22 months and mostly has 1 feed a day but more when she is ill or non nursery days.
Feeds are getting shorter so I have my fingers crossed. She won’t drink cows milk though so the bedtime feed is going to be hard to stop (she’ll “eat” cows milk eg on cereal but not drink in a cup).

Bobbybobbins · 29/07/2021 07:18

Gradually with both at 11 months and 7 months with DS2. I replaced one feed at a time with a bottle, starting with mid morning. Had to use a cup at first as they refused a bottle. Was planning to carry on longer with DS2 but he had teeth at 8 weeks and I'd had enough!

89redballoons · 29/07/2021 10:28

I stopped at 16 months.

We'd been doing combination feeding from 7 months along with meals so we kind of had set times when we would feed rather than it being totally on demand. We were down to feeding first thing in the morning, before bed and at nighttime if he woke up which was maybe once a night, 2 or 3 times a week.

I cut out the night feeds first by bringing him into my bed if he woke and wouldn't settle, giving lots of snuggles and comfort but not feeding him. I wore high neck t shirts in bed and covered up my breasts with my arm, and told him we had milk in the morning but not at nighttime anymore. It took about a week for him to stop "asking".

Then I cut out the evening feed, again by giving just cuddles before bed and saying he could have his milk in the morning. He would have a cup of cow's milk earlier, too. This took about 5 nights.

Then finally we were down to just the early morning feed and to cut that out I just said, No more milk now in a breezy tone and took him downstairs to start getting breakfast ready. It only took a couple of days and he stopped asking entirely.

It was all a lot easier than I thought, and my periods came back and I felt like I got my body back shortly after stopping, which was why I wanted to stop. DS is 20 months now and has learned to say MILLL in a very plaintive tone when he wants a drink of cow's milk! For me personally I would have found it much harder to stop BFing if he had been frequently using words to ask for a feed like that.

He normally sleeps through now too, although I'm not sure how much that's related to ending breastfeeding.

KurtWilde · 29/07/2021 10:40

Mine just gradually wanted less feeds as they became more mobile and started eating proper meals. When it was down to just one feed at night they were pretty much done with it. Mind you they were all 2+ by then.

Whatamuddleduck · 29/07/2021 10:56

I stopped feeding in the day at about 2, was at the childminder all day so wasn’t too bad and offered cup of milk and snack when asked instead. Cried for a couple of days and then accepted it. Stopped night feeds at 2 years 8months by cuddling and saying milk all gone. Tears for a couple of nights but snuggled into my lap to sleep instead. She’s 3 years 3 months now and only recently stopped sitting on my lap to get to sleep. Still has. A Cup of milk in bed though!

Superscientist · 29/07/2021 15:01

I had to switch to medication I couldn't breastfeeding on so had to go cold turkey. We had a week of trying to switch her but got no where. I was in hospital and had to send her home for my partner to try without boobs as an option. He tried fro one day and she didn't have any fluids in 26h, he took her to nursery the next day and they got her to have 2 bottles. She was just with my partner the next day and she took the bottle fine from him. I came home the following day and she has happily accepted the bottle from either of us ever since. She was 11 months and due to allergies we had to get her to take one of the amino acid formulas which is foul tasting and smelling. Our dietician said it was practically unheard-of getting an 11 month old to switch to this formula