How did you night wean your breastfed toddler?

[emvy]

DS is 18 months old & has been EBF since day one (+ solids from 6 months, obviously). He no longer feeds during the day & hasn’t for a while after self-weaning once I went back to work 4 days a week. He feeds to sleep at night and we bed share. He’s a frequent waker - about every 2 hours and always has been really bar a handful of longer stretches here and there. He feeds back to sleep after every wake up, so multiple times a night. He naps in the car or buggy during the day.

Out of interest, anyone who has been in a similar situation to us, how did you night wean? When did it happen? Any experiences and advice greatly welcome, thank you!

I can’t offer advice but following in case anyone else has good advice!

Similar situation with DD. She was a very determined breast feeder. What worked for us was for DH to completely take over the bedtime routine. He would give bath, read stories and offer cows milk in a sippy cup ( which she slowly accepted). I slept in the spare room.

DD would wake up in the night but again dealt with DH and would offer water or cows milk.

She eventually got accustomed to not breastfeeding at night.

Thank you @hopelesslyunstylish. Out of interest, how long did the process take for her to be happy going off to sleep without boob & get back off to sleep happily after waking? Was your DD really distressed for all of that time?

I night weaned both of my kids at 18 months, although continued daytime breastfeeding until they were 2.5ish. I just refused to feed them at night. Take a beaker of water to bed and offer that instead. I would lie in bed with them and hug them until they went back to sleep. They did cry but I never left them and just comforted them. It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. By the third night they just accepted it when I said no. They both still continued to wake up in the night until they were about 2 maybe 2.5. Good luck. It's hard but you'll get there.

Look at Dr Jay Gordon’s gentle night weaning method

Just gone through this with two year old. As per @CupCupGoose basically just said no & weathered the storm. Which was stormy.
I’ve also started pitting her into her own bed for bedtime DH & I alternate nights. It’s not been terrible.
Now if I could just persuade her that 4:30 am is not an acceptable getting up time....

I weaned about a month earlier but was totally ready to stop not just night wean. I put him to Grandmas for one night and then kept him busy the next day. The following night he woke up 4 times and had a wee sippy cup of water then a cuddle then went straight back to sleep. Hasn't woken during the night since! Still likes to bed share though..not sure if you were planning keeping that going or not!

@emvy about a month I think. My DH was more determined than me really to get her off night feeding. DH has always felt a bit left out by DD constantly clinging to me and breastfeeding.

For the first few nights he tried rocking her back to sleep. This was not very practical as they both fell asleep in the rocking chair.

DD started drinking water and sometimes cows milk and fell back sleep after a couple of weeks on her own. Loads of cuddles and back rubs were given in the process. I never went in and she settled well with DH. DH was more thrilled about this than I was!

We bed share most nights and she never asks for breast now.

All the best.

I’m almost there with my 20 month old and we’re down to just her feed when she goes to bed. I’ve taken a very gentle approach and started off by softly saying ‘it’s night time, go back to sleep’ and rubbing her back when she woke. If she got upset I would feed her. Steadily it worked more and more often and more quickly and she fed less and less in the night. The last feed I’m just going to do the same and hopefully after a week or so she’ll go to sleep without it. I don’t let her get upset so it’s been a slow process but it seems to have worked. Getting my husband to do it just doesn’t work as she instantly gets hysterical so I’ve had to work out a way to manage by myself.

Thank you for your responses everyone - all very helpful! We’re yet to take the plunge & make any changes but I feel we may be ready very soon.

@hopelesslyunstylish my OH is the same - he’s keen to take over bedtime now. He would ideally like DS in his own bed full time too (he starts off the night in his cot).

@ChaoticKate that sounds very much like DS - every time I so much as cover my boob up at bedtime he gets himself in a state let alone my OH taking over. If he goes in at wake ups it’s immediate crying. I might start with trying this method for now & see how we go.

Thanks!