When is a good time to stop breastfeeding?

[Ilovemybaby91]

I know it's always personal preference, but is there a 'better' time to try & wean? My daughter is 7 months & on solids now she only feeds for naps/bed. I'm not overly bothered about stopping right away but will she become more reluctant/difficult to wean as she becomes older? What are your experiences?
Thanks! X

[Ilovemybaby91]

@boatrace my mum too... she's like 'yuk' when she sees it??? Seriously??! Lol! If you were a stranger in public I'd give you so much abuse but because you're my mum I have to just roll my eyes!

[boatrace30]

@Ilovemybaby91 - my mum was he same! In-laws not at all but they lived on the continent when they had their kids so have a totally different attitude.
My mum was hugely prudish about it!

[Ilovemybaby91]

That's a good point actually! We are going away with my other halfs family... & I know his mum in particular gets a bit weirded out by breastfeeding especially in public! I think she expected me to stop after a few weeks lol! Deffo seems to be the older generation not the younger generation that have a problem! So strange!

[eeanne]

boatrace30 our first longhaul flight after weaning was also horrific!

[boatrace30]

Actually going on holiday may be a good reason to keep it up. We went to Italy with DD at 13months. She was so exhausted by the travelling and disruption to routine that being able to breastfeed her rescued the holiday. Especially on the plane when she was hugely upset but was massively comforted by feeding.
Our next plane journey at 16months was a nightmare too and I sooo wished I could feed her!

[SoftSheen]

WHO recommends breastfeeding until 2 years or beyond, complementary to solids from 6 months onwards. However, it really comes down to how long both you and she want to carry on!

[Ilovemybaby91]

She isn't a constant feeder at all, she only ever asks for it.. e.g - (nuzzles me) when she's tired. So hopefully when the time comes it'll just happen naturally. But taking the formula thing into consideration I will probably just keep going till she's 1 so she can go straight onto cows milk.. providing she doesn't decide to stop before on her own! I was hoping to stop by 11 months as we're going on holiday for 2 weeks but it's not really a big deal! Thank you all for your replies.. I am too keen to stop on one sense & a little emotional because it means she is growing up!

[DrWhy]

It looks like I’ve just stopped feeding DS, he’s 16 months and I’m a bit sad, I’d have been willing to carry on as long as he was keen. He was breastfed on demand until 9 months when I was back at work. He refused expressed milk from a bottle or cup so reverse cycled and fed a lot at night until just over 12 months. At that point I was exhausted so we moved to offering cows milk in a cup evening and nighttime and just feeding in the morning. I missed a morning last week because we were rushing, which has happened before but the next day when I offered didn’t try to latch - he just bit me! He did the same thing for the next two days so this morning he didn’t offer and I didn’t ask. I’m sure if I hadn’t night weaned though he’d have still been happily having 3+ feeds.

[stargirl1701]

I mix fed DD1 until 12 months as I thought I had to stop before returning to work.

I have followed the WHO guidelines with DD2. 6 months EBF, alongside solids but still on demand until 24 months then night weaned. She currently feeds morning and bedtime at 3 and half. Hopefully she will wean at natural term.

[GummyGoddess]

@EekThreek that sounds horrible, I really hope the tt division stops the pain

[boatrace30]

As others have said - you would need formula before one.
And good advice to ensure they'd take it if you did decide to wean from bf

[Vinorosso74]

I think the right time varies and if one of you is ready to stop.
I fed DD until 15 or 16 months. By this time she only had a bedtime feed. It wasn't too hard, DP did bedtime for a couple of weeks while my milk dried up. I did feel a little sad but it was the right time.

[Rainbowsandflowers78]

Eek could you have a touch of thrush that side? You can get cream from the pharmacy might be worth a try? I always felt pain when I had thrush

[EekThreek]

Until they're one they still get the majority of their calories from milk, so will need formula if you stop bf before then.

At 10 months, DS went to 2/3 bottles a day.


@GummyGoddess I tried nipple shields, but it's just as painful with them. Worked with DS, but DD2 has just caused too much trauma. It's painful to pump, and I'm having to wear the hard cups to stop anything from coming into contact with that side. Should be getting the TT fixed tomorrow though and I have high hopes for things improving afterwards!

[GummyGoddess]

We did try and give DC formula and cows milk when I had to go to hospital for hyperemesis just before he stopped feeding. He refused both of them in bottles and cups (and still refuses anything but water), so if you're going to wean her off yourself, make sure she'll take an alternative if she's under 1.

[Rainbowsandflowers78]

You need to give formula if you stop bf before one

[Ilovemybaby91]

boatrace I did think that, she can go straight to cows milk then & just skip the formula all together. But if I was to stop BF before she was one do they still need formula on top of meals? Or is it more of a something warm to drink for sleep times? Thanks everyone for your responses! I'm hoping like some of you she will decide for me

[AdidasGirl]

I EBF until my DS was 2 and a half and he woke up one day and never wanted it again.
So that was that.

[OuchBollocks]

DD was a mad crazed round the clock breastfeeder. I gently weaned her over 3 months once she turned 2 and I got pregnant. DD isn't half as fussed. He can go most of the day without a breastfeed if he's doing something exciting. I'll just see how it goes with him. I can't imagine he'll still want it at 2 but you never know.

[boatrace30]

A big advantage of waiting to 12months is not having to wean them into formula and then cows milk. Just go straight to the (much cheaper) cows milk.
I stopped at 14months mainly because continuing was preventing us from TTC.

[Bigpizzalover]

My LG is 1 on Saturday and still breastfeeds, she eats meals and snack and drinks water from a cup, but will not drink milk from a cup or bottle. She normally feeds on a morning/night and for a nap. I’m back at work so she normally has a feed when I get in too. I plan to just let her wean herself away from it x

[minipie]

Easier to wait till they don't feed at night but that varies hugely.

DD2 was a bottle refuser so was better waiting till 9+ months when she could drink a decent amount from a cup.

[GummyGoddess]

@EekThreek have you tried using shields for a bit? Dc destroyed my right nipple with his tongue tie, using the shields allowed it to heal and also not destroy the other one. Took a few days to wean him off of them once they looked OK again.

[EekThreek]

DD1 fed until her 2nd birthday, I instigated stopping but she didn't argue. Only on one feed a day by that point, and she never lifted my top up while we were out - I would never have stood for that.

DS was 10 months when I'd had enough. He'd fed every 1.5 hours every night of his life and I couldn't function back at work with that amount of broken sleep.

DD2 is 11 days old and I've nearly stopped twice! She has a tongue tie and has completely destroyed one nipple, so I'm pumping on that side to keep my milk going while I feed on the other and supplement with formula to give myself chance to heal. Knowing that I can stop when I want to is keeping me going!

[upsideup]

Theres no perfect time, stop when you and your dd feel ready

DD1 breastfed untill she was 2 1/2
DS1 untill he was 18 months
DS2 untill he was almost 2
DD2 untill she was 12 months