Advice on stopping breast feeding 13 month old?

[lotti37]

Any advice on best way to stop breast feeding a 13 month old. He loves breast feeding and want him to takemilk from a cup now but he is fussy and refuses a lot of cups or spits it out. Thank you

Do you have a DH/DP?

I have found it much easier to let my DH train the DC to use a cup. When he can see & smell your milk supply it is hardly surprising he is not interested in a cup!

Yes I do have a husband. I was just wondering what Sort of cup would work best to help him? Thank you

My ds1 never drank milk once I stopped bf at 15 months and still doesn't drink it now at 5. May be that he just doesn't like cows milk. Can I ask why you want to stop bf? Ds2 has just stopped at almost 2, I never thought I'd carry on so long but am quite :( now that he has! He dies however happily drink cows milk from a beaker but only cold.

I stopped bf DS1 when he was nearly 13 months. He loved bf too so I was surprised at how easy it was - I just stopped, and he adapted really quickly. He refused all bottles and sippy cups (I tried different ones) so for a while he didn't drink any milk. I made sure there was loads of calcium in his diet (cheese, yoghurts etc) and a few weeks later he learnt to drink from an open cup.

Once they are 12 months they need 300 ml of cows milk a day if you have stopped bfing, so with the dairy in his diet, he doesn't really have to drink that much.

The current advice is to drop one feed every 2 weeks, this is for your benefit to reduce the risk of getting mastitis.

I'd look at the feed you want to drop the most and go for that one. You can replace it with a snack and a drink.

I'd also only feed him in one spot, and then never sit there for any other reason.

Have a read of this too

If you could cut down on his nursings and say just feed him first thing an before bed, would that help? Have a read of this, it might help even if its just while you are stopping.

If you can't get him to drink from a cup, have you tried a straw?

Just seen your second post, both of mine had the sommee tippee sippy cup, but they didn't drink cows milk until a couple of weeks after I'd stopped bfing. Think they saw it as a very, very poor substitute .

Thanks very much everyone for your advice . I live feeding him and he does to but sometimes he bites a bit and so feel like its time to reduce. My husband also comments that it's time to stop. Will drop feeds in the day and just stick to mor ing and night for bit then drop morning . He wakes up in the night every night 1-2 times am I always feed him to get him to go off to sleep but think its comfort he wants . How do I get him to sleep through thank you

If he is biting, there are things you can do to stop it and you shouldn't have to give up because of that. Have a read of this or give one of the Bfing Helplines a call.

As for your DH, why does he want you to stop? Does he know the benefits of feeding at this age for both of you? Get him to read this and this.

Bfing a 13 month old is normal, afterall he's still a baby. There is no reason to stop if you are both happy to carry on.

As for the sleep, have a read of this and this and you might like this book.

Don't forget too that at 12 months half of all babies still wake, no matter how you parent or feed them and if you stop bfing you will have removed the thing that helps him settle, which is something you will have to take into consideration.