How old was your LO when you started "never offer, never refuse"?

[naturelover]

Am trying to work out if now would be an appropriate time for me to do this with 14 month old DD. I'm more than happy to continue morning and bedtime feeds, but she seems uninterested in mid-morning and mid-afternoon, which is when I currently offer her boob.

She eats a varied diet including yoghurt/cheese although I haven't given her any cows or other non-human milk. (Am not keen to, for no logical reason.)

Thanks

Ooh, spooky, I was about to ask about this. DD1 weaned herself at 13 months when I was pregnant (I think the wincing when she latched on put her off)
DD2 won't drink cows milk, or any other milk, unless it is DD1's chocolate milk....she is 12.5 months and have realised this is sort of what I am doing the other day, she just wanders over, climbs up and starts smiling at me when she wants some. She was never in a routine cos of DD1 being around so I always fed her as and when. I would say just go for it now as long as she has dairy/calcium in her diet.

hmm - my situation is a bit different as dd (14m) is at nursery so has had cow's milk mid-morning and mid-afternoon since I stopped expressing at 12m, but is still ebf at the weekends. Recently I've only started offering if I want to get her to sleep.

Never!

I continued asking him if he wanted boobie milk right up until he weaned earlier this year at age 4. No different to physically offering the boob to him because I wasn't sure what he wanted when he was a baby. If he didn't want it he just said no and we carried on what we were doing.

...actually thinking about it I am still offering occasionally. No different to offering a cuddle or a glass of water imo

terramum - you've just enlightened me!
Have been watching this thread with interest as I want my DD (17months) to self wean, but all the websites say you need to keep offering otherwise you're kinda weaning them, and I didn;t fancy physically offering all the time as I was embarrassed it would seem like imposing, etc. ... anyway, of course, you are right, you have made me see the light! They understand, so all you have to do is ask! That's a bonus for me as I speak to my DD is chinese so nobody will even know that I'm offering milk when we're in public so no actual fear of people thinking I'm imposing breastfeeding on DD!!

thanks, and sorry for ramble.

Hmm, I did this a wee while ago. DS was probably around 2 and it was a disaster.

He seemed to think "wayhay, my luck is in, she is never ever saying no" and asked more and more and more.

He actually became very clingy and upset and I am guessing that it was because there was no boundary any more. As soon as I started saying no sometimes, he was fine.

He is now three and I still don't think this technique would work for him but if your dd isn't that fussed, then it could well be the way forward for you both.

I would recommend reading LLL's book called "How weaning happens"

No problem FeelingLucky

....mawbroon what I did forget to say was that I did ask DS to wait sometimes if I was busy. I made it clear I wasn't refusing completely, just postponing until I had finished what I was doing. Most of the time he was happy with that.

from 12 months i stopped offering and she didn't bother in the day, she now feeds morning and night and comes to me and asks as its part of her routine. occasionly if we are out in the day and she is tired she asks but i say no big girls have water in the day from big girls cups and she is fine with that.