Tips please! Anyone managed to night wean while continuing with day feeds?

[CosmicLove]

My DD is nearly 18 months and I’m keen to start looking at transitioning away from BF. I thought that considering the best way to do night weaning would be a good start as it might improve her sleep (she wakes multiple times every night looking for breast) and would help to reduce my supply gradually.

Does anyone have any tips for successfully night weaning? She feeds a random number of times each night, all for varying lengths of time - this inconsistency means it would be tricky to “drop a feed” or reduce feeds by 2 minutes etc. I was thinking of just wearing a polo neck and not allowing her to feed at all. Just sing and rock. Although I assume she’ll be very upset by that.

I’m also wondering if anyone has managed to night wean but kept a few day feeds going? If so, how did you do that?

Thank you in advance xx

I night weaned at 11 months as my DD's sleep was terrible but kept BF during the day until 18 months. I started it by refusing BF between bedtime and a set time I thought she might be hungry by (can't remember now what time that was, perhaps 3am?), then feeding her whenever she woke for the one feed only, then refusing any more BF until morning. Was much easier than I anticipated, just cuddled/gave dummy instead. It didn't impact BF during the day.

I nightweaned my 17 month old a month or two ago. We transitioned to his dad doing the wake ups and stopped bringing him in to bed with me. He now sleeps considerably better, often for 11 hours without waking. Still utterly obsessed with breastfeeding in the day and he'd definitely demand the breast if I went in to him at night.

Mine was about 15 months old when I decided to stop feeding her when she woke up in the night because she'd go on and off constantly and it was giving me such feeding aversion, I couldn't carry on with it.

I just decided I wasn't going to give in and can still see her furiously signing "milk" over and over again but I didn't want to confuse her by going back on my resolve. She still got comfort from me and she had a dummy, just no more milk.

I fed her through the day and to sleep until she was two years and three months and then again just stopped.

I night weaned DS when he was around 18mo, but still bfd in the day until he was nearly 4yo.

I night weaned DD1 at 13m, continued to breastfeed during day until 3.5 years. With DD2 I night weaned at 18m, am still breastfeeding at 2.1 years. No dummies, I'd just pat and shh in their own cot and wouldn't let them into our bed. Both slept through after night weaning.

Yes, in my experience, they are capable of understanding that ‘boobies go night night’ from this age. Have a brief chat with them about it, make sure you wear a backwards pyjama top or something they can’t get into and give them water when they wake. Just make sure to cuddle them/rock them/pat them etc instead for the first few nights. There might be crying, there might not. Should be fine in 3-5 days and will probably start sleeping through.

Make sure they get ‘rewarded’ with more time and attention than usual during the day too and beware that your hormones may go a bit nuts. You might get a bit weepy/ragey/boob achey.

I forgot to add, your body will just adjust to the new routine. I nightweaned my eldest at 13 months and bf until 2.4. My youngest I think I remember nightweaning earlier and fed her a bit longer as advised by her consultant (she caught a rare disease at 2 that the consultant thought breastfeeding would help with). It definitely doesn’t have to be the end of your feeding journey.

in fact, when you do decide to end bring, I suggest cutting down one feed at a time to help with any hormone fluctuations.

We night weaned at 18 months and continued to breastfeed until age 3.

we made it a routine. Time to brush your teeth before bed. Fill up your sippy cup of water to take to bed with you.

Yes, I did this too. A polo top, cuddles and perseverance. A couple of nights of crying, then they accepted it. Well worth it because they slept loads better. I figured that the crying was sadness which cuddles could help with, rather than anything that would cause lasting psychological damage!!