How will I ever stop bf?!

[TheCatSofa]

Advice please oh wise ladies,

My LO is 9.5months, ebf, has never taken a bottle & is taking months to get used to a sippy cup (still just tips it upside down & refuses to drink from it..).

Been trying solids since 6 months ish. She was great with food at first but now totally refuses spoon feeding. Been trying finger foods but she hardly gets anything in,am trying not to get too stressed about this... I persevere with 3 meals a day & always offer her the cup throughout the day.

So I am still bf her about 5 times a day (I fb her to sleep for naps.. Bad I know..) & I just don't know how to cut down since without me she won't be getting any food or liquids. Can anyone advise me on resources that will help me formulate a plan of how to wean cos I feel I have no idea what I am doing & will never be able to stop bf! it's lovely but I'm a bit too indispensable!

Thanks in advance.

I don't think it's a bad thing to feed to sleep, if it works for you then it's fine.

I would imagine that in the next few weeks she will start to get to grips with self feeding and start to eat more that way. She probably will improve with the cup as well. Are you using one without a valve? I found my ds learnt better with a free flow cup to begin with. Once she's eating/drinking a bit more at meal times you may find that breastfeeds start to get dropped. You could also try offering a snack plus water at a usual feed time e.g. mid morning or mid afternoon. She may decide to drop that breastfeed with a little gentle encouragement.

Also, it would be easier to breastfeed up to 12 months and then if you want you can wean onto cows milk in a cup. If you stop breastfeeding before 12 months you would need to give formula instead, probably in a bottle. Then you would need to get rid of the bottle at 12 months anyway.