Stopping night feeds at 14 months

[Allthatjazz234]

Hello! My 14 month olds sleep has become progressively worse and worse since she turned 1. It has massively affected my mental health to the point where I have felt suicidal at times. I am going to counselling and focusing on ways to fix my situation. One of these things is weaning my 14 month old off night feeds.

This is probably a silly question but if I stop feeding her at night time do I need to replace it with anything? She's never had a bottle before. If I stop feeding at night will this affect my milk supply overall. I really wish I didn't have to stop to be honest but my 3 year old is suffering because I am perpetually exhausted and it has also impacted my physical health.

Looking for words of wisdom and encouragement on how to go about this. She feeds to sleep most nights also. Do I need to stop this? Thanks in advance for any insights!

If you can, when night weaning don't respond to her yourself. If her dad is there get him to do it (maybe a weekend so they aren't working). If its you and she knows you have the milk she could get frustrated. Dad needs to enforce night is for sleeping not eating and comfort her back to sleep. This also means you get sleep so you feel better!

If she is always fed to sleep then that could be an issue for dad getting her back to sleep because he's not only night weaning her, hes also having to get her to go to sleep without her only method of getting to sleep.

I'm sure there are loads of resources and books about ways to do it :)

I did Jay Gordon method at this age and as pp said, my dh did it, and offered a beaker of water. Good luck and well done also. It still took a while for sleep through to come but you'll get there.

I might weaned at that age. Didn’t affect feeding in the day.

I just explained that there was no more Boobie at nighttime. I went to her im a polo necked jumper ☺️cuddled up as she cried and comforted her and reiterated that no more feeds at night.
we had crying the first night about 3 times. Second night she cried once and then by third night she slept 8pm until 7am

Night Weaning definitely won't affect your supply @Allthatjazz234, it will be very well established by now.

You also don't have to replace it with anything. She will very quickly adjust to having her calories and fluids in the day.

I hope you find that it helps you

@SaveMeFromMyBoobs @SiouxsieSiouxStiletto @Thatbloomindog @mikado1 Thanks for all the advice. We have moved from feeding to sleep at bedtime so now she is settling more with my partner when she wakes. We had made some progress but then we all got a horrible virus, DD wasn't feeding as much and I ended up getting mastitis! I'm recovered from it now thankfully so will keep going with it.