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Weaning

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

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Original poster

honestly how on earth does one stop breastfeeding?!

27 replies

Freddie15VES · 18/04/2025 22:09

i’m ready to stop now. she’s getting so many teeth, it hurts, i have milk blisters, some nights she’s attached ALL night

i’m ready now. she’s had a good 14 months boobin’ so now is the time. but my issue is, if i don’t give her boob she screams until i do. no way in the night would i be able to cope with her screaming the house down. she will settle for other people eg. rocked, shushed, bum pats etc but with me ohhhhh hell no, she knows there’s a boob waiting for her and she’ll scream until she gets it!!

help!!!!!! advice needed

OP posts:

SchoolDilemma17 · 18/04/2025 22:10

Go away for a weekend and leave her with other parent.

Moier · 18/04/2025 22:15

I left my 2 year old with my Mum for the weekend.
She didn't ask for it when she came back home.
She cried for me but my Mum was great with her and distracted her.

Oldmothershrubboard · 18/04/2025 22:22

We carried on until 2 and a half but then I used the groclock method. Setting it in the night to indicate when milk was 'allowed'. DC would cry for 10 mins while I held them and then the clock would change and I would feed them. Extend the time each night.

But at 14 months you can also instill some etiquette around biting etc and you may want to switch to toddler holds rather than baby holds if you did think it was easier to continue.

Nettleskeins · 18/04/2025 22:22

You tackle the sleeping first.
Getting her settled without breastfeeding. Putting her down to sleep when she is drowsy but awake. Lots of cuddles but only a very short feed. Feed only twice at night max.
Then start reducing daytime feeds to just when it suits you. Drop one feed every two days if you are feeding six times a day
Replace breastfeeding with other bonding activities. A story, a song a cuddle, a cup of milk in the day. Nutritious snacks. Exercise, play.
But if you get a good night's sleep you probably won't need to completely wean till she is two and it's sooo useful when they are ill. I weaned mine at 22 months and it wasn't too difficult at all certainly no drama. The baby still ended up in bed with us though in the night!

HiCandles · 18/04/2025 22:25

14 months is still quite young. Mine is the same age and there's no way she'd understand a gradual reduction. It would have to be cold turkey and the crying, fury and her sense of rejection that would go along with it. I would wait until she's old enough to have some awareness. For my older son that came about 20-24 months for different things. Personally unless I start hating the BF, I'll be letting her self wean, though ask me again if we're still going at 3!

Vallmo47 · 18/04/2025 22:27

Put a plaster on them and say “Owww, owwww, it hurts, milk all gone”….

I actually had to have surgery shortly before I stopped due to a cyst and my 2 yr old saw the bandaging and looked concerned, so I used that to wean her. It worked. She completely understood why the milk was all gone - they were now broken!
She was addicted to it previously.

Nettleskeins · 18/04/2025 22:28

When you slowly drop feeds your milk supply goes down to match and once you are down to one feed a day (for us that feed was the morning feed as less emotional and breakfast replaced it eventually) the baby is less interested as the milk just isn't there in vast quantities.
Some people do end up just feeding a lot at night which is perhaps not your intention which is why tackling the sleep/comfort association is important .
"Never offer never refuse" isn't that meant to be the mantra for tactful weaning away from breastfeeding

ohfourfoxache · 18/04/2025 22:31

DS2 was 2 years old

I had an awful cold and was dosed up on lemsip and sudafed - dried me up completely

We still had cuddles at bedtime but he sucked his thumb instead

If anyone can tell me how to get an 8yo to now stop sucking his thumb then I’m all ears

DorothyStorm · 18/04/2025 22:31

With my first I gave birth to my second. She tried the colostrum, said it was disgusting and that was that. 22 months.

with my second he was past two and i was seriously considering having a third to try to get the same result. I cannot remember what the cut off moment was now. But my god it was stressful.

Janefx40 · 18/04/2025 23:11

I’d also like to know how to stop but my DS is nearly 2.

It could be worth cutting out the night feeds first?At 14 months we were still co-sleeping and he was also chewing me all night. It got so bad that I eventually put him in his cot at about 3am which started a period of co-sleeping a bit with times in his cot. Then we moved him into his own room and stopped feeding at night (with the help of an amazing sleep coach). So it has improved but he still has 3-4 feeds during the day and screams when I take him off (sometimes after an hour!!).

I don’t really want to give up entirely but he’s so demanding it’s impossible.

Anyway solidarity and sympathy. I hope some answers come our way.

AnotherVice · 18/04/2025 23:22

I pretended to go out every night for a week!

LuluDelulu · 19/04/2025 06:53

It’s so helpful for teething for them but once you’re through each teething phase it gets much easier. Of course you may still decide you want to give up but I just want to reassure you that it was quite painful for us around that age and then got a lot better.

LuluDelulu · 19/04/2025 06:55

Vallmo47 · 18/04/2025 22:27

Put a plaster on them and say “Owww, owwww, it hurts, milk all gone”….

I don’t think this will work at 14 months. Too young to understand.

birdglasspen · 19/04/2025 06:59

I was at two feeds a day by that age. Dropped the morning feed first. Just got up dressed and went straight for breakfast, instead of morning cuddles and feed in bed.
then two weeks later dropped the evening feed. Never had any issues but I wasn’t using BF to comfort them at various times.

You may have to fix the bedtime feeds first. make sure baby is in a good routine with food and sleep, feed then give them a bath, story then bed. Wear lots of clothes and do not get your breasts back out!!!

May take a while but you’ll get there.

Bobbysmumma · 19/04/2025 07:27

I could have written your post OP- I’m in the exact same position with DC 14 months. I breastfed my older child until this age but one day they just decided not to feed and that was the end of it! Not sure how to stop this time as he is on the boob loads!!!

Original poster

Freddie15VES · 19/04/2025 19:11

thanks everyone - recently split from her dad so don’t have much support at night so think gradual will definitely work better for us. wil try and correct her sleep a bit better then go from there

OP posts:

LuluDelulu · 19/04/2025 20:15

If you can reduce but not eliminate you also keep some of the immunity benefits which can be a godsend if they’re going to nursery

recklessgran · 26/04/2025 19:33

DD tried everything but In the end in desperation she painted her nipples with that nail biting stuff.[DGS was 3 though to be fair. He stopped immediately telling DD her boobie was yuk!

BunnyRuddington · 27/04/2025 17:19

So sorry that you’ve been through such an upheaval

is she sleeping with you @Freddie15VES?

I found both of mine quite restless at that age, I moved them to their own rooms and they naturally fed less.

If you’re looking at dropping night feeds is she still getting milk during the day? With my first I made the mistake of dropping the daytime feeds first.

Comewhatmay25 · 27/04/2025 18:15

I offered juice, milk and water in a variety of cups. A couple of sleepless nights and I will be over. Just ride it out.
I also saw someone on Instagram put plasters on their nipples and told their child it was broken.

angelinawasrobbed · 27/04/2025 18:17

I offered a cup of cow’s milk with sugar in it. He had dropped everything but the bedtime feed though.

Amylearningaboutbaby · 19/09/2025 10:31

If you weaned your baby after 1yo, did you have replace your breastmilk with formula or another milk /liquid ? Does the baby just get used to not having so much "liquid" (in whatever form[ just like that?

we are doing BLW, however she taking limited solids . I would prefer to avoid formula altogether if we can.

TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams · 19/09/2025 11:57

All night ? There's a reason sleep deprivation is a form of torture.

I'd start by doing a short bedtime feed, removing her from the boob and doing a story. Ideally you need to remove the feeding to sleep part and break that association.

Then nothing at all until wake up time. Start on a Thursday night. It will be the weekend from hell sleep wise but make no plans.

I'm assuming she is going to nursery? Does she have breakfast there? Essentially I moved to two feeds a day, first thing before getting ready for work [feed, shower and dress both] and bed time.

Then stop the morning feed, then the evening which is harder but its easier if you break the sleep association and then move it to a bottle or sippy cup which would be better with new teeth. Milk, teeth wash and only water after that.

It doesn't hurt to start teaching your toddler that they are hurting you too. A sharp Ow and removal of boob will send a message that you are not a chew toy.

Lastly it's worth remembering that the pressure of chewing/biting down helps with teething pains. Do you have a nice cold substitute available?

BunnyRuddington · 19/09/2025 12:47

Amylearningaboutbaby · 19/09/2025 10:31

we are doing BLW, however she taking limited solids . I would prefer to avoid formula altogether if we can.

There’s no need for formula at all after 12 months @Amylearningaboutbabyso baby will be fine with Cow’s milk although both of mine wouldn’t really take any until BFing had stopped completely.

So after 12 months I wouldn’t look at replacing Bags with milk, I would replace them with food and a drink. You may want to offer them a drink of milk with theor breakfast and a drink of milk just before bed, when you’re ready to drop that feed.

Badgersandfoxes · 19/09/2025 13:04

Mine was 2 1/2 and I used the nail biting stuff on my nipples spent a few days leading up saying they were going to go yucky soon.

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