How to stop bf a 20 month old

[Nottodaythankyou123]

Just looking for some tips on how to stop breastfeeding my 20month old. She’s completely obsessed and her sleep is awful because she just wants to latch all night!

I’ve tried cutting down and doing the don’t offer/don’t refuse (but she asks too much 😅) so think it may just have to be cold turkey. Would be grateful for any tips or advice!!

Could you go away for a night and leave her with your partner? (This was how I got my EBF DD to accept a bottle!)

I first stopped all night feeds with my then 20 month old. Cold turkey, if he woke up then I offered him his water bottle.

He was at nursery during the day but I occasionally breastfed him during the day at weekends....that went next.

Then stopped the morning wake up feed.

Then when he was 31 months old (sorry, just over 2 and a half) I got pregnant and the sole last feed just before bed went, it was uncomfortable for the boobs

All steps I just did cold turkey.

She doesn't need a bottle as a replacement OP, best not to get attached to something else!

So she will actually take a bottle but only when she wants and not as an alternative to boob!

I can’t go away, but my partner will do the night wakes I think for a few nights. I’m just not sure how long it’ll take, my eldest weaned when I was pregnant and wasn’t half as obsessed as this one is 😅😅

They're stubborn little buggers aren't they!

I stopped at 22 ,months. From 1 I replaced day feeds with a bottle of milk if he asked, (I’d maybe do sippy cup looking back now as we had to get rid of the bottle lol). Then went cold turkey overnight 10 months later. It was a few tearful nights but cuddles worked and it wasn’t as bad as I expected. I got to the point I was getting very irritated whenever he touched me so cold turkey was the only way x

Yeah I definitely got the ick with it a while ago, although that’s passed - it’s mostly just the sleep now. My eldest was an awful sleeper and passed the baton to my youngest, so for the past 5 years I’ve been either pregnant and breastfeeding through the night and I’m just exhausted.

I know it doesn’t guarantee sleep will improve but I found it definitely did with my first, so fingers crossed!!

Are you cosleeping to be latched all night? Do you want to stop or continue cosleeping as well?

I found that DS3 dropped night feeds and wakes both at once when I got clear about my own boundary of resettling him (with a feed if needed) in his own room. It was hell in the short term as I got much less sleep but he was the earliest of all of them to sleep through and much less annoying than part time cosleeping for ever.

If you want to keep cosleeping but not have an all night open milk bar I would look up Jay Gordon's night weaning in the family bed. People used to swear by that one.

So I try and just do a feed and put her in her own bed, but also I do usually cave around 3am and then she’ll just stay latched.

Try stretching it out. So see if you can go to 3:30. Then 4. If you go past 4, then unless you have excellent blackout blinds you may unfortunately get into the territory where she is rested enough to get up for the day rather than go back to sleep BUT it might be worth it if it breaks the night feeding obsession.

My DD was obsessed. I had horrendous nipple thrush which I couldn’t shift. Age 2.5 I explained this t her (she’d seen me slather int on creams). Sadly since birth of her sister and seeing her feeding she BEGS me and occasionally when I’m weak I let her. She’s 3.5. I’m sure it will stop sometime

@Nottodaythankyou123 just wondering how you got on with night weaning? I’m in a similar position with my bed sharing BF 18 month old. Not sure how I’m going to tackle the night weaning situation…

We ended up just going cold turkey! I went to my mums for a few nights, and she stayed with her dad. She was absolutely fine! Settled with a bottle of milk really easily apparently - it was much worse during the day when I was at home with her 😂 but within 3 nights she stopped asking at night.