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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

Original poster

At what age will most toddlers stop BF if you leave it to them?

46 replies

Sandrine1982 · 20/10/2020 16:04

Question for breastfeeding mamas.

At what age did your baby wean off the breast if you let them do it on their own? I have 14-month old who has been combination fed since she was 2 months.
She still enjoys breastfeeding and I would like to continue for a while - mainly for the obvious health benefits in these uncertain times - but I would like to stop eventually (ideally around 18-24 months) so I'm just wondering how to do it gently.

How likely is it that the baby will just grow out of it eventually?
That would be the best scenario for me :-)

I still express once a day when she is at nursery, and I BF around 3-4 times a day (early morning, morning and evening).

Thanks.
Flowers

OP posts:
Toebarb · 20/10/2020 16:08

I weaned DC1 off the breast at 12 months (my choice), but DC2 lost interest by herself at around 11 months.

Original poster
Sandrine1982 · 20/10/2020 16:17

Oh thanks, 11 months, that sounds early wow - good for you :)

OP posts:
ElizabethG81 · 20/10/2020 16:18

Mine just stopped one day at 16 months.

theskywasallviolet · 20/10/2020 16:20

Following with interest as I’m sat on the sofa breastfeeding my 2 year old! I’d like him to make the choice too but he still enjoys the comfort and I don’t feel like I have the energy to battle him to stop.

handmademitlove · 20/10/2020 16:22

My 4 all self weaned between 22-26 months

Findahouse21 · 20/10/2020 16:24

We got to 17/18 months and while dd had seldgweaned during the day, she more than made up for it overnight, so I forced the issue and stopped cold turkey at 18 months.

GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal · 20/10/2020 16:24

My DS gradually stopped on his own at around 3 and a half.

My DD also stopped at that age, but because I made her. She would have happily kept going but I'd had enough!

FinTutuola · 20/10/2020 16:24

We were down to just a night feed and a morning feed by about 21 months and then one day at about 27 months she just didn’t want it anymore. I was expecting a battle but she just did it in her own time

TheFormerPorpentinaScamander · 20/10/2020 16:28

I weaned ds1 off at 20 months.
I weaned ds2 at 3 years. No idea how long either would have kept going!

Birthdayhat · 20/10/2020 16:31

DS2 wound down gradually himself and was bedtime feed only for a few months before stopping naturally just before he turned 3.

MockneyReject · 20/10/2020 16:31

Never.
DS was in yR when he finally stopped for good.
It seems incredible, now, but I just kept thinking 'aww, he's just started nursery/moved house/ left nursery/got a big bed/fallen over/had a bug/started school/had a minor op' and so on and on.
In retrospect, I should have taken the lead, sooner, and weaned him. I was knackered, touched out.

CarlottaValdez · 20/10/2020 16:32

Mine had just turned 3 but it was less than one feed a day for ages before then.

tootiredtothinkofanewname · 20/10/2020 16:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

sqirrelfriends · 20/10/2020 16:35

DS sort of stopped himself at 20 months, he wasn't having full feeds anymore and had taken to chewing. I really miss the closeness, it was lovely while it lasted.

ForeverBubblegum · 20/10/2020 18:12

The normal age for self weaning can be anytime between 2-7 years, I've known 2 kids (children of a close friend) who have and they were 5 and 3.5.

My own DS was weaned at 20 months, had intended to go until 2 but I got to the point I was just done. I started by trying to cut down (would have been happy to keep 1/2 feeds a day) but he wasn't really understanding why he could have it sometimes but not others, and it was leading to lots of meltdowns. So we stopped entirely, we went cold turkey (with some pumping to avoid mastitis) and it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. We just kept him distracted and he was pretty much over it in 3 days.

shartsi · 20/10/2020 18:14

Mine was 3 years 5 months

museumum · 20/10/2020 18:18

I think it depends on your lifestyle. By 10 months I was sharing parenting with dh equally so ds self weaned by 13 months. I know some will say that’s not real “self weaning” as it’s too young but i always fed if / when he wanted to.

OverTheRainbow88 · 20/10/2020 18:29

About 18 months, was too interested in what his brother was up to and started to bite.

I wouldn’t call stopping at 11 months early. That’s an achievement in my opinion.

modge · 20/10/2020 18:33

My DC self weaned at 16 months, just literally stopped one day (we were down to just a bedtime feed by then). I had mixed feelings about it, but as they seemed so fine just went with it.

olderthanyouthink · 20/10/2020 18:37

Without things like nursery/work/leaving the child etc natural weaning age is around 4 (give or take) but some toddlers go on nursing strike and without working through it, that might be the end of it.

Dd is 22 months and showing no signs of stopping, I've been reading a lot about feeding older toddlers/children

Bajalaluna · 20/10/2020 18:52

Mine both self weaned at 2.5 and 3. I'd decided to cut it down to just bedtime well before that though, and then it just became less and less. They both decided to stop by themselves and I'm glad it was like that, but when you've had enough, it is fine to call the shots, it's your body, and some kids continue nursing well into their primary school years, which won't suit everyone! X

GrasswillbeGreener · 20/10/2020 19:05

I was at work part time by 7-8 months with both mine. Feeds dropped to morning and evening well in advance of 12 months, maybe 10 months? (Can't remember now they're teens lol).

Eldest was 14 months when I left her with granny overnight to go to a Christmas function with her father. Unimpressed by this, she stopped cold turkey and that was that. I guess we might have been able to continue had we needed to and I'd persevered, but it was quite nice to stop for Christmas tbh! Younger one I think I stopped around 15 months but was fairly straightforward. Again from just twice a day.

Fruggalo · 20/10/2020 19:09

My eldest stoped suddenly the week of his first birthday. All the overcoming nursing strike advice didn’t work. My next fave up with a little encouragement about his second birthday as I was pregnant. That baby has now turned two and shows no end of stopping but I don’t want to go for ever...

ForTheLoveOfDoughtnuts · 20/10/2020 19:14

I wanted to wean after we got to 12 months. By 12 months LO was only having morning and bedtime feed. We cut the morning 1 for 1 month. I stopped offering. Then one evening at 13 months I didn't offer, she didn't ask & that was it. We'd introduced a bottle of cows milk from 12 months. Was a lot easier than I expected.

Don't offer, don't refuse. Really worked.

Mutabilis · 20/10/2020 19:19

My first was 3.5 years but for the last year it was just once in the night, my second is almost four and I'm still waiting, I'd love to find out how to stop, it's the only way she'll go to sleep and she wakes a few times in the night. I stopped in the day around 2.5 year but I had to just cut her off as she was demanding to feed more and more often. She got over it by the end of a week, I think I might end up having to do this for nights too. It seems to depend massively on each child, stopping by 18-24 months would have been impossible with my two, but seems to work fine for others.