Reluctantly stopping BF after 18m - do I literally just stop?

[bintofbohemia]

I know it sounds like a bit of a dumb question, but do you just stop dead or cut down? I'd be happy to do it once a day just before bedtime but I am fed up of being followed round the house being whined at, having little hands being shoved down my top, and being woken several times a night by an 18m old! Last night was shocking, he screamed for two hours and it's like having a new baby again, I can't hack it.

Obviously am going to feel crap about this - is there a kind way of going about it?

Have you read 'How Weaning Happens' by diane Bengson?

If he's nursing that much I would slowly cut down. Abrupt weaning will just upset him even more.

No - I'll look it up, thank you! I trained as a breastfeeding counsellor a couple of years ago but I don't remember anything about how to stop doing it...

-Don't offer-don't refuse (wouldn't work with DS2 he constantly asks)
-Try being really busy
-Offer snacks/cuddles instead, sometimes they just want the contact and nursing mwans you have to sit down with them.
-Distract/defer - i.e not now, after dinner (but you then have to oblige if they remember)
-Keep busy and on your feet. If find if I -sit down I get both DD and DS2 demanding milk.

FWIW - both of my DSs went through a difficult phase at 24 months but DS2 dealt with it a lot better due to nursing whereas DS1 (who stopped at 1 yr) just had horrendous mealtdowns. He's a far more emotional child though.
You might find it suddenly calms down.
HTH

I found that gradual weaning was best - over the course of about 2 weeks I dropped the mid morning feed and then afternoon feed and replaced them with a small cup of milk, small snack and a cuddle. I continued to breastfeed in the morning when she woke and last thing at night. I made a special effort to be out and be 'busy' at normal feeding times so she didn't have the normal triggers that would make her request food.

Once we had both got used to this (I would say it was about another 2 weeks) i stopped breastfeeding her in the morning. Instead we got up, had a cup of milk with breakfast and then got busy with the rest of the day. I stopped giving her milk mid-morning and switched to water to try and get her lunch food intake increasing. After about another month I stopped feeding her at night - again i replaced it with a small cup of milk and a cuddle. If she woke in the night and wanted feeding I would offer her some water. As long as your DC is eating well during the day he shouldn't be hungry at night.

So, all in all, I reckon it took us 2 months. I'm sure I could have done it more quickly if I wanted to but a slow pace seemed to work for us.

HTH