Ready to stop weaning - 12 months old - but how?!

[forevercurious]

DD has just turned 1 and I’m now ready to stop feeding her. Up until this point she’s been breast fed, never taken a bottle and weaning has taken an absolute age. She doesn’t really eat anything and then for the last few nights she just feeds constantly so I just feel done!

i feel like it’s a bit of a catch 22 situation: I can’t stop feeding her whilst she barely eats but then I don’t think her appetite will improve until I stop feeding her. I just don’t want her to go hungry in the meantime.

On a working day whilst she’s at nursery she will feed before we leave, I feed her on my lunch break and then again when we get home and before bed. We also co sleep for part of the night and she will feed whenever throughout the night but right now I just want it all to stop.

Any advice from anyone who has been through similar?

Maybe try to start with just introducing some whole cows milk to replace one of her breastfeeds during the day. Then can work up to all of them replaced, or with a healthy solid snack instead.
You must be struggling through the night with waking, we just sleep trained our 12 month old and he slept through the night straight away from multiple feedings per night, and it's a game changer!! All so much happier now

I have tried giving her milk in a beaker - didn’t want to introduce a bottle now but she just spits it out. Perhaps I need to try a different cup.

Definitely feeling exhausted and done with it all now. How did you sleep train? That’s something else I need to tackle!

Yes I wouldn't introduce a bottle at this age, keep trying with the beaker or an open cup? Does she drink water at mealtimes? If so what do you use? And try that
Basically we were breastfeeding to sleep so stopped that by creating a new bedtime routine - BF, bath then a few cuddles and lullabies then down into his cot awake. Lots and lots of crying from separation anxiety but now is absolutely fine with being left at bedtime and puts himself to sleep. There are different methods you can try if you really can't handle the crying, but you have to allow around 2 weeks for the changes and keep consistent in your approach. If you cave and say bring her into bed with you (assuming you want to stop bed-sharing) then you're back to square one! Difficult but worth it