weaning question

[mommytoalilgirl]

My daughter is fourteen months old and she is not showing any signs of weaning which I am fine with.
My question is tho, if I choose to start weaning her before she chooses it, how do I get her away from nursing herself to sleep?
She refuses a bottle but she will drink some from a sippy cup, but I cannot see her ever falling asleep to drinking from a sippy cup.
She nurses before every nap and before bed, so how would I wean her and wouldn't this disrupt her sleep schedule?

[annettemarie]

Moved to Breastfeeding Beyond Infancy

[Birdie B.]

Good question! And one that I have no idea how to answer Maybe someone else has some ideas...

[jamesjackmom]

Hope this helps

I feel like I may actually be able to help with this one since I went through this last month w/ my 14 mo old DS. He not only nursed to sleep but nursed continuously throughout the night. My DH took him in a seperate bed for the weekend. He laid down with him and just rubbed his back and talked soothingly. The first time he did cry but for no longer than about 15 min. I am totally against "crying it out" and the only thing that made me feel ok about this was that his daddy was lovingly holding him. Whenever he would wake up at night my DH would tend to him instead of me. By night 3 he went to bed no problem with my DH and slept THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!! After about 2 weeks I attempted the same technique, I laid down in our bed with him and just held him next to me. I made sure to cover up so he wasn't tempted to nurse. He did fight me a bit but not too bad and cried no more than 10 min. Now a month later I can get him to sleep pretty much no problem and am still nursing throughout the day. I just make sure that when I nurse I don't do it in bed anymore to try to seperate nursing from sleeping. Even when he wakes up in the morning, as much as it kills me I go right downstairs and feed him on the couch. I hope this helps!! Best of luck!!!

[karika]

If you choose to wean her from feedings this early, it will not be to her liking, no matter how you do it IMO. Humans are meant to suckle from a female human. This is a page about the age of weaning that helps put it in perspective. http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detwean.html I believe deeply in extended breastfeeding, but I understand needing limits for yourself. I say no to the almost 20 mo when I need to. I distract and redirect. Sometimes in the day when she nurses for 30 min, then gets off for 10 and comes back for more, I have to say no for a bit. I tell her the boobs need a little break and I give her water or food. Having a male without breasts helps since they don't smell of milk. When the Daddy takes her, she doesn't think about nursing constantly. But when she does want me, he brings her to me...
She has only fallen asleep a few times without boob in mouth (by her choice not mine), and it has happened more often lately. It will happen that child will stop nursing all night long. Mine did nurse all night long, but has recently cut way back, all by herself.
This way doesn't bother me because I do not keep any sort of schedule and do not have a job now (couldn't even if I wanted to there don't seem to be any jobs) so maybe that plays into it, if you have to be up at a certain time it must be difficult to do.

[sundaya]

With my DS, the nursing to sleep was the last to go. He nursed to sleep (bedtime) for probably 6 months after he had weaned from all other nursing sessions. He was 2 1/2 when he weaned totally. Alternately, Pantley has some great ideas in No Cry Sleep Solution. We are doing that with DD, 20 months, just to help with nighttime sleep, with great results. In my experience, though, these things do work themselves out. I remember questioning with DS if he would ever wean from that last session, and my mom saying, "you won't have to go to his dorm to nurse him to sleep in college"