Did your dc naturally wean off breast?

[Lizbiz89]

I've been ebf my 3rd baby. First 2 were both and formula by 6 months. My ds is now nearly 10 months and I've noticed his feeds starting to go down quite a lot. Obviously it's because he's now eating 3 meals a day and has a great appetite. Just wondering if this is the beginning of the end of the road for us. I'm happy to go with the flow but I'd be interested to know people's experiencing with it? Was a natural progression or did you have to intervene?

No it was entirely parent-led for me, night weaned at 13 months and very slowly weaned day feeds between 15 and 17 months.

I'm pretty sure research suggests that children will generally self-wean between 3 and 5 years old, a small number may wean more around 2-2.5 of their own free will. Sometimes younger babies than this will go on a nursing strike but will come back around given the chance - they are not actually self-weaning.

My boy was a big eater and EB after the first 6 months or so. At around 16/17 months, during a hot summer, we were down to just 1 feed before bed. But he started taking less and less and asking to go to bed (pointing), and eventually didn't bother. We didn't replace with a bottle. I don't know if he was just getting too hot, but he decided he wasn't interested anymore! And that was the end for us.

Yes, at 15 months she got a fairly standard vomiting bug and once recovered would never go near me again, she must have associated it with sickness. She was also a v keen eater though!

No. I tried to stop (went away for 5 days when ds was 2y10mo) but he was desperate when I got back. Tried the same again a year later, and although he was disappointed the 'milk is all gone!', he took it better than before, only asked a few times after that and didn't get upset.

First child: full-time work reduced the feeds from 7 months, she naturally stopped feeding at 3.5 years.

Second child: I reduced her feeds after 6 months then reduced further after a year and stopped feeding her at 2.5 years so I instigated reducing and stopping feeding.

No, my DC stopped at 3.5 years, but only because I initiated it (gradually allowed it less and less). Using the boob made it really easy to get him to sleep as a toddler.

After about age 18 months, I chose only to feed first thing in the morning, before bed/naps, and after coming home from work.

Even if breastmilk is becoming less a part of their diet, they might still feed for comfort and for 'snacks' :)

No. Mine were both 3. I had to go on holiday so I could stop.

My 1st and 2nd breast fed babies weaned whilst I was pregnant with the 'next one' - one at 18 months and the other about 20 months.

The 3rd had no such incentive and carried on until I 'nudged' them off the breast just before their 3rd birthday.

They were not going to stop on their own - but I just couldn't do it anymore having been pregnant or breastfeeding for 7 solid years.

Mine weaned themselves quite early, at nine months (because I was pregnant and I think the taste changed) and eight months because he was into everything and just such a busy baby - he went on nursing strike and I couldn't reverse it. I wasn't really ready for them to stop, but they were both eating and sleeping well by that stage so I went with it. I always knew I didn't want to breastfeed beyond a year, so not having to wean them off was a good thing for me in the end.

My third lost interest in breastfeeding at four months because my supply was low; I'd had to supplement with formula from about six weeks. I was really sad I couldn't go on for longer with him.

No. I imagine mine would be still feeding if I hadn't chosen to stop. I lasted until 18 months, 18 months and 17 months. Was totally done at that point each time. I couldn't bear the thought of waiting for my child to stop and that maybe not being until 3 or 4 or even later.

(Don't care what anyone else does, but for me it was totally out of the question to carry on.)

i had one self wean at about 2.5 yrs when I was pregnant. My next DC also self weaned but not until he was almost 4. But he’d just been feeding at bedtime for quite a few months before that.

I EBF both kids until they were over a year old. Weaned my eldest off the breast at 13/14 months to much less drama then I feared. My youngest self-weaned at around 15 months. After a 12 months breast feeding seemed more for comfort then anything and they were both happy going on to cows milk, no fuss.

Yes my EBF baby stopped herself at 14 months
She was a big eater and loves food, she gradually fed less and at 12 months we were just at morning, afternoon and bedtime. Then she generally started to refuse the afternoon feed, then I decided to not offer in a morning as she'd have a good breakfast of solids so it was just bedtime. She then went from having both sides to just one, then instead of falling asleep on the breast she'd feed for less and less time and still be awake and want to such her thumb and be rocked
She then started to push away, bite, get upset and just want to suck her thumb and be rocked so we just stopped!

Nope. DH had to take DSs away for a few days. They were both just gone 2 and whilst I was delighted I’d fed that long I was done.

Nope. Was determined to stop by 18m as I heard it was much harder to stop after that. One I stopped at 16m, the other was less than a week before 18m.

I would love this to be the case with my DS. Fingers crossed.

I have an EBF 1yr old. I had to cut his milk feeds down at 10 months to encourage him to eat more food, and at that point he was feeding maybe four times a day and also a couple of times a night. Night weaned at 11months and now at 12 months we’re down to a morning feed, pre-first nap, pre-second nap, bedtime feed and that’s it.
From my limited experience, unless I reduce the feeds, there is no way DS will, but having said that he didn’t seem that bothered as I’ve started cutting down.
Will go down to just morning and bedtime feeds once he’s in nursery and hopefully then down to just the one and then stop!

Yes, weaned naturally but not till 3.2. By then I’d been back at work for 2 years. He dropped the morning feed aged 2, just lost interest. Still fed at bedtime but only 5 nights out of 7 for most of that time due to me working some evenings.
Then he started forgetting some evenings, but still feeding others. After about 2 weeks of this on/off he lost interest altogether. I neither led this nor resisted.

No I had to eventually go cold turkey with both of mine. Youngest was nearly 3 and it started getting uncomfortable when she was feeding. She gradually weaned herself during the day as she got older but would still feed to sleep/during the night and if she was particularly tired or unwell.

I went back to work when my son was five months he had no choice in the matter.
My DD I was at home and she self weaned by one. We were down to one bf at bedtime by then. I offered her my breast, she looked at it and stuck her thumb in her mouth and that was the end of that!

3 yrs 10 months here. I think it was absolutely just for comfort and not nutrition though. I had a very extended maternity leave and couldn’t sit down without her jumping up. She seems pretty normal and bright but if I’m honest it did get on my nerves sometimes.

Thank you for your responses. Seems to be a very personal thing judging by everyone's replies. Just hoping ds gives up naturally and with no tears. Fingers crossed.