Natural weaning of 2 yr old from the breast

[rothschildmargaret]

My 2yr old daughter has forgotten to have her morning breastfeed for 3 days. I am worried she will remember about 'mummy milk' in a weeks tie and it will have dried up and she will be upset. But I also don't want to keep prompting her to breastfeed if she is ready to stop as she has forgotten about. What should I do? This is my first child so I have no experience of this.

Sounds like she's doing it herself! I went with la leche advice-don't offer, don't refuse and it just never happened again. If it's dried up and she is upset I would just comfort her and let her cry poor thing but likely she won't look again. Well done you for two years!

I fed DS for nearly 3 years and if I'd done DADR he'd never have stopped! Sounds like you're doing it exactly right.

My dd is 14 months and still breastfed but in your shoes I wouldn't offer. It sounds like she is naturally stopping which is my ideal scenario!

Dd aged 18mo was easily distracted and I often had to chase her to feed in the mornings before I could get on with getting ready for work.

I decided one day not to chase and she didn't notice. She didn't notice until the weekend, where I just said all finished and offered her a cup of milk and a story.

It's been 2 weeks and she's only been bothered twice, and easily distracted.

I did DODR at 2yrs 9 months when I noticed that she'd stopped asking and was only doing it because I offered. It did feel a bit weird knowing that was it forever, but she never did ask again. I suspect that for a week or two at least it would come back, we went from morning only to full time round the clock feeding again at 18 months due to illness for a few days and it was fine (though exhausting).

thanks, for the replies.
I'm a little nervous as i did try to stop when was 18mths because i needed to take some medication, but stopping b.feeding made me feel so depressed i decided to carry on and have postponed taking the meds for now. Do the stopping breastfeeding blues affect everyone so strongly? I was in tears all day it was ridiculous. I never cry usually.

But it's a big hormonal change so that makes sense! I got migraines instead!

My 2.5 year old is showing no signs of stopping. I don't offer but he asks all the time. How do you get them to self wean? I think he will still be asking when he starts school

In my experience they don't self-wean, I had to push the issue quite forcefully!

It is unlikely that the milk will dry up so soon. My DS1 stopped for 3 weeks (by himself) when he was 21 months old, then asked again and restarted having a morning feed as if he never had stopped. Then he finally stopped (again by himself) when he was 2 and I got pregnant with DS2.
I cried when he stopped the first time, but not when he finally stopped. I was sad, but did not fancy feeding while pregnant.

thanks thats good to hear maybe it will be easier this time around now she is older.
also good to know it doesnt dry up quite so quickly.
thanks again