Weaning 22 month old.

[Timetowean]

For various reasons, I feel it’s time to wean my almost 2 year old. He has breastfed since birth, exclusively until six months, and has always refused dummies and bottles.

I know it’s time for me, but part of me doesn’t want to. I also feel immense guilt as it’s obviously a huge comfort to him. My eldest could never breastfeed, so he was formula fed so I didn’t know how emotional I would feel at the thought of weaning.

Anyway, he doesn’t really feed in the day anymore. If he’s sleepy and he spots me sitting down, he’ll ask for it but he is ok without. It’s the night time that I need help with, as he currently feeds to sleep and still wakes anywhere between 1-3 times a night for boob.

I would ideally like to do this as quickly as possible but without it being awful for him. How long did it take you and what did you do that worked? Is it cruel of me to stop?

thank you

My daughter was 2 and half when l thought was time to stop.. similar to you.. no dummy.. boob for feeding and comfort.. fully breast until 8 months then was mashed veg mixed with breast milk.
I left her with my Mum for two days and nights.. she moaned and cried a bit.. luckily my Mum had the patience to comfort her.. when she came home boob was totally forgotten and cows milk given in a cup.
Good luck.
( yes l felt bereft for a while)... but it soon went.

I weaned my daughters one feed at a time over about two weeks. I made sure they weren’t ill at all (which is constant at that age) then dropped the first wake up feed first, then the initial feeding to sleep, then the last wake up before morning then the middle ones last.
I did this so me and her wouldn’t be so tired from lack of sleep and by the time the middle of the night feeds were dropped she knew how to get back to sleep without me.
There was crying at the time but they are definitely not traumatised now.
I would advise a high necked top for bed.

It’s absolutely not cruel to stop but feeling guilty is quite natural, I felt like o was sort of mourning the baby stage passing.

Have you thought of trying some gentle night weaning?

If you want to stop completely that is of course absolutely fine but if it’s just being woken that is bothering you, you could night weaning but have a feed in the day, say after breakfast?

You are me a couple of months ago!

The first thing I did was detach the feeding and going to sleep. So I would feed her in a different room and then take her to bed.

Overnight, her dad dealt with the wake ups - took maybe three nights before she accepted there would be no more milk!

Thanks!

we co sleep, so I’m worried it’d be too much if I was to leave him in the nights as well.

currently, if his dad tries to comfort him at night he screams and literally hits him in the face 😩 he calms down as soon as I come in and he gets boob!

Have you thought of moving him to his own room? Both of mine woke and fed less at this age when they were away from me.

Yep, we recently re did the kids bedroom, he has a single bed and will be sharing a room with his 5 yr old brother.

I figured I would wean him first and then try to stop cosleeping.

This is exactly what I did, I wanted to make it clear we were just ending milk in the night not cuddles and me being there. One of my daughters started sleeping through soon after weaning, the other is two and three months and we are still waiting for that day!