Stopping breastfeeding after a holiday

[InRainbows]

DS is 11 months and I want to wean him off the boob. Its the last day of a short girls holiday and I'm about to return.

Should I refuse the breast when I get home? I'm a little worried about their being emotional implications but he has apparently been amazing without me - slept much better, not pining for me at all. Do you think refusing the boob will be distressing for him on the day he is reunited with his mummy? Or do you think it's a golden opportunity?

Could you just go down the route of not offering, but not refusing? Try to distract him with other things?

Being fine without you there is, unfortunately, not nearly the same as being fine with not breastfeeding when you are unless you were already only feeding once every few days or something. Most likely the first thing he will do on seeing you is want to feed and will be distressed if you say no. Children generally do not self wean at 11mo.

I mean you can use the opportunity if you really want to wean right now, but I would absolutely expect distress, yes. By this age they know when you aren't there and accept a substitute placidly but not feeding when you are there is a different ballgame altogether.

That's really good advice actually. Maybe I should be not offering and seeing what happens rather than going in with an all or nothing approach.

Should have added that I have lots of expressed milk in the freezer so will be able to give him my milk still.