Extended bfs- can you ever go away?

[johnthepong]

Im still breastfeeding my 18month old. He only has milk before bed and then in the morning.

I would really like to go away for a night but I just dont know how he would cope. Im sure he would be fine without his morning feed as long as my h gave him breakfast, but I think he would scream the house down at bedtime. I just dont think he would sleep without his breastfeed.

How has your LO coped if you have wanted to go away for a night?

We went away for weddings for one night when DS was 15 months and 18 months. He tayed with grandparents.
I don't think it was fun for them - but it was fine! Bedtime is totally different when mummy's not there I think - does he fall asleep ever for anyone else (during the day say?)
I had to express though or I'd have been leaking by 10pm!

Though I was feeding a lot more than morning or night. Now he's 2, I am feeding morning and night and the odd time he's missed both feeds I've been fine, so maybe you wouldn't need to express

DS breastfed until he was 3.2 but I went away for four nights with work when he was around 14 months and again around 16 months and he was fine. And I left him with DH, or DH and I left him with MIL, for several one-off nights as well. It tended to work out that if I was there he wanted to breastfeed, but if I wasn't he was fine without.

I don't think you'd have a problem for one night. It's not like he's exclusive breastfed now after all.

I think it would be fine. Could you express and get whoever's looking after him to offer?

He wont ever fall asleep for anyone else during the day-in fact he dosnt sleep in the daytime at all unless he falls asleep in the car. If he is particularly miserable tired, then I might occasionally feed him in bed in the day til he falls asleep.

I have tried leaving dh to put him to bed with no bf to see how it goes, and he just cried and cried and cried unti I went and gave him his bf.

Im not worried about how much milk he has or giving his expressed milk or anything- its the actual physical act of breastfeeding that helps him to settle to sleep.

Gosh, i am so with you- ds is 12mths and haven't felt able to leave him even for a long evening... I am trying to add sleep associations now, so that when I take the bf away (either from me not being there, or more likely, me stopping bf entirely) it will be easier to cope with. This is the theory anyway .

At the moment, ds sometimes goes to sleep after latching off and writhing around next to me. I ssh and put hand on his back/back of neck or chest.

I have also introduced a comforter who kisses him before breastfeeding and he holds/strokes. Am also starting the bedtime routine by giving him a cup of milk with some stories. He sometimes has a sip of water from the Tommee Tippee cup at night-time to resettle. I also try not to bf him in the evening if he wakes...

Hoping it will make things easier, watch this space.