Stopping breastfeeding

[TheMammySheep]

Any tips on stopping breastfeeding a 2 year old. My son turns 2 tomorrow and I’d like to stop but he loves it. Wakes up every morning around 5pm for a drink then back to bed for an hour. Also every night and whenever he’d like throughout the day. I’d just like to stop now and hope he’ll get into a new routine. Any tips or advice greatly welcomed 🙏🏻🙂 side note, I know it’s not infant feeding but there’s no topic on breast feeding 🤗

I’ve fed two children til 2-3 and am on third but was doing fewer feeds than you are at 2 because of work. My advice would be to gradually drop feeds in day - don’t initiate yourself, delay them, distract/offer food or drink instead if they are asking for one, just have boobs less visible so they are less cued/ don’t sit in the chair you usually feed in etc . You might find they drop quite quickly at that age. I’ve always found the bedtime feed hardest so maybe do that one or morning one last. For morning, maybe offer water and have OH get up with them initially and delay feeding, think for one of kids we just pushed back by 5 mins a day for a while - you could bring breakfast forward a bit initially if they are very hungry. You might find they start sleeping later as hunger possibly cueing them to wake at 5. For night I would set up a routine where they are not fed to sleep if you are still doing that, eg feed then cuddle in bed and get used to that and then get someone else to do last bit for a couple of nights maybe. These are all things have tried but all kids different and might not work for you! I would be kind to yourself as it’s stressful and don’t worry if you ‘slip’ and feed again or equally if they get a bit upset and you don’t want to feed for whatever reason. It’s all fine and no right or wrong! Be careful about mastitis if you are feeding quite a bit still - might take a little while for supply to settle. Good luck

I've just stopped and my little one is almost two. I was going to post on here because 2 weeks ago I thought I would never be able to stop and I want to go on a weekend anyway in November. So this is my experience.. there were a few times when DS forget to ask for milk during the summer and I thought oh we are moving towards stopping but then the next day he would be very very impatient for milk ( shouting milk milk and signing milk milk) as soon as he woke up. The evening feed was the one that I found tricky cause our routine was milk at about 5 or 6ish before dinner. And I often had to pause dinner to feed which ment dinner was late ( or burnt). Anyway I only gave him milk on demand but he was normally very demanding about it!
I had started giving him cows milk in a cup and offering him milk in cup, occasionally he would take a sip but then still shout for boob.
Last weekend he asked for milk early and I'm sure was just asking cause he came in from playing outside and was bored. I could distract him so I gave him boob. Then he asked for it again at usual time and I said no you've had boob. I thought we were going to have major tears but he cried for a moment and then said milk in cup! And so I explained that we are now going to have milk in cup from now on and he has accepted this! He has asked for boob since with a little bit of tears but his happy to take milk in cup if I sit him on my lap and he was warm milk in the evening.
So based on my experience I would try to see if baby would substitute milk in cup for boob at times
And just keep offering and distracting
And think if it's in your mind to stop you will be working towards it naturally.