Has anyone weaned cold turkey without skipping town?

[Chamsia]

Did you wean cold-turkey, but stick around for company and cuddles?

Please tell me how it went.  Methinks I'm going to do it tomorrow night.  DS is 2 1/2.  We've been talking about weaning for a while.  He's only been nursing at night (and lately most of the night = no sleep = argh!!!!) for a few months.  He talks all day about how he's a big boy and isn't going to drink mommy's milk anymore, nono.  But come bedtime it's "Me not a big boy!  Me a little boy!  Boob time!"

I am ready to wean (his sister had just weaned at this age), and, especially, ready to SLEEP.  Also trying to wean him from the unintended cosleep situation of me ending up in his bed all night!  We deliberately coslept for a long time.  But now he shares a room with his sister and I'm ready for that to be his nighttime companionship.  (They're in bunk beds.  She is 6 1/2 and on top.)

Thoughts?  Advice?

The dude needs to sleep!!!  Me too !!!!!!!!!!

-a weary momma

PS: When I cut him off daytime nursing it was cold turkey and it went fine...although that does seem to be when his nighttime sleep got worse.  Sigh.

[rubidoux]

My older one weaned suddenly at 3 1/2 because I had to start antibiotics that I couldn't nurse with.  There was one very sad night and next morning (we were doing 95% of our nursing to sleep and upon waking in the morning), but after that it wasn't too bad.  He was able to understand that my milk wasn't good for him because of the meds and he was actually pretty worried about whether or not my breasts were going to be okay and he asked me about it for months after.  

I wore a serious bra to bed (one of those with like 4 hook and eye thingies) for at least a few days and to go to sleep he lay on my belly while I rubbed his back.  I remember it was rough to get out from under him, but it worked out okay.  I think it was good to establish a new routine.  

Good luck!

[rightkindofme]

I warned both kids for weeks "when your birthday comes milk is going bye bye" and I didn't leave them. It was a lot harder with my three year old than my two year old. I stopped because I was starting to hate my kids. If you hate your kids it is time to change something. Our relationships are SO MUCH better now.

[Chamsia]

Haha, rightkindofme--at bedtime I am starting to feel that way!!!

I wussed out and haven't done cold turkey, or even close.  Just lots of detatching.  He's fallen asleep NOT  nursing for 3 nights now.  But he has nursed a lot all three of those nights.  Ugh.

We are on the right road, and he talks all day about how he isn't going to nurse anymore.  So it's coming.  But I am so, so impatient now.  Just want this dude to fall asleep without nursing.  And it would be great if he'd then actually sleep most of the night too!  But first things first.

Thanks mamas.