Older children resist weaning from breastfeeding

“Help. Help. Help. Did you continue breastfeeding your toddler while you’re pregnant? If not, how did you wean your exclusively breastfed baby? submitted by /u/carcm [link] [comments]”

“My fourth and final baby is not a baby anymore, but she is boob obsessed. She is 3 years and 2 Months old. She still nurses for comfort during the day, and to sleep at night and when I say no she loses her mind. I’m really over it at this point and it makes me sad but it’s just so taxing and my body feels it so much. I feel the way it’s really broken down my body over this past 11.5 years. Should I just go cold turkey? My other babies weaned right as the next baby was due so I never really had t”

“I've checked my supply and it's not the issue. So I'm coming terms with the fact that I should't breastfeed her any more and I should exclusively pump. But now I need to figure out how to pump while having to hold my LO all day. I use a wearable pump, it works great for the most part. But it does not work well if I'm moving too much and if I'm holding my LO it moves out of place. I don't even know how to begin to have enough pumped milk for a full day alone and withou”

“I’m currently 9 months PP and thinking of quitting breastfeeding. I breastfed my first for 6 months, my second for 14 months, and about to hit the 9 month mark with my 3rd. I think it’s causing my mental health to stay in a state of depression and horrible sleep deprivation. My LO is extremely attached to me and the breast, and constantly comfort nurses on top of that. He wakes every hour to nurse himself back to sleep for comfort and I’m barely able to rest. I feel like I’m running on empty and”

“Hi! FTM to an EBf 16 month old. I see a lot of “self weaned at 16 months.” Is this common? My kiddo is a boob monster , I am not offering and kind of just starting to refuse in certain settings. I guess my question is - do one day they just wake up and go from boob monster to not that interested ?? Do only some children self wean? submitted by /u/kittenswift [link] [comments]”

“My toddler will turn 3 soon and we still do 3 sessions a day. I have no desire to stop and neither do they. I’m curious for people who made it this long, what caused you to stop? My initial goal was to make it 6 weeks—I never would have imagined going this long, especially after triple feeding for months and being stressed and miserable AF. Now it’s pure joy, ease, and connection. I feel so grateful! But I do wonder about how much longer we’ll go. Can’t find a flair that feels like the right fit”

“Hi all, I weaned my daughter a month ago at 21 months old. It was gradual and we read books and had a party on her last day! She still asks almost every morning, and while there's not a huge freak out, she does sometimes get upset for a few minutes when I say no and remind her of the bye bye milk party! She sleeps through the night like 70% of the time (yay!), but since about a month before weaning my husband will go sleep with her if she wakes up (used to be me). I kinda miss being able to”

“My son is 14 mo and I’m still breastfeeding morning, afternoon and evening. I’m feeling pretty ready to be done- I would like to try a GLP-1, smoke some weed and take preworkout. I tried to wean around his first birthday but he was super grouchy so I gave up. I just feel really guilty for stopping and I’m planning on being one and done so I’ll never have this experience again. How did you decide when it was time to wean? Did you have any regrets? submitted by /u/bossbaber [link] &#32”

“Has anyone regretted weaning at 12 months? Wondering if I’ll regret weaning as I still nurse her on demand and for naps/throughout the night. Will she still wake up multiple times at night? I don’t have the energy to console her without nursing every single time she wakes up. Will she just learn to sleep without it? Also, sometimes I rock her to sleep but that has inconsistent results where I’ll give up and nurse her when I need her to go to sleep NOW! Has anyone looked back and thought wow I wi”

“My EBF one year old (13m) is a boob hound. I plan on nursing her till 18m, but im not sure. Right now she nurses once before bed, once at like 6am before going back to sleep, and lately once i get home from work. Last night i was nursing her and she started treating my nipple like a STRAW. like latching onto it as if it were a straw. She has NEVER bitten me and she has 6 teeth, but this is NEW. This is INCERDIBLY ironic considering she wont drink milk through a straw. Ugh... I dont think either”

“My baby is about to turn one. I am considering weaning shortly after, but I’m so conflicted. I love breastfeeding and honestly, my baby still really relies on nursing to fall asleep (especially at night). But my husband and I are eager to start trying for more kids soon, and I feel like I ought to wean before getting pregnant again. I know it’s totally possible to continue nursing throughout pregnancy! My main reason for wanting to wean honestly comes down to my desire to get back down to my pre”

“I am getting ready to wean my last baby (following her cues- not my choice!! 😩) I have 5 kids, ages 7, 5, 4, 2, and 1 and have been breastfeeding since my oldest was born (nursed through every pregnancy and tandem nursed after babies were born). FOR THE RECORD I am currently only nursing 1, not all 5 lololol. Anyway I’ve NEVER fully weaned bc there was always someone to breastfeed and I’m so curious about what to expect when my body finally doesn’t need to produce milk anymore. Any insight?? TH”

“Hi all, I am pregnant and have a 2 year old, I weaned him the month I got pregnant around 22 months and he was mostly okay with it. I am a little over halfway through my pregnancy now and have milk coming in already and all of a sudden he’s obsessed with my boobs again. I think he can smell it? I’m so worried about breastfeeding my newborn in front of my toddler. Obviously we will establish boundaries and I’ll try to have conversations about it with him before I give birth, but I think he’s goin”

“I've been breastfeeding my son since birth. Like many people, I found it so hard the first 6 months or so, but eventually I realized I actually really liked nursing an older baby. So I kept going. Then around 18 months or so it got SUPER easy and I realized I liked nursing a toddler even more. By that point, we were in a good 2x a day rhythm, morning and night. Then when he turned 2, I started to experiment with "don't offer, don't refuse". For awhile he still wanted to nur”

“My twins are 18wks (14.5wks adjusted). They used to be bottle fed breastmilk but for the past two months I’ve been exclusively nursing them both. For various reasons, we want to reintroduce bottles. We use pigeon/lansinoh and they did just fine before with them, though I ordered a couple different nipple sizes to find what works best now. My question is, how do I even go about reintroducing? Is there a time of day that’s best to give a bottle? How do I ensure they even take the bottle? How many”

“Help!! I’m almost 8 weeks pregnant and I’m still exclusively nursing my 14 month old. I don’t want to force her to wean and I’m following her lead in terms of weaning. She typically doesn’t care to nurse all day but is still nursing to bed and overnight. It is SO painful. Any tips / suggestions? Does the pain get better? Her latch has always been comfortable/ not painful. But I immediately knew I was pregnant because of how painful nursing was / has been recently. I have been waking up in so muc”

“I always thought I would be a mom that did extended breastfeeding but the biting is more than I can handle. My little guy is currently teething and he bites hard while breastfeeding. I can’t even feed him anymore without being so anxious and on edge the entire time and I’m starting to dread feeding him. So, I feel like it’s time to wean. And honestly I might cut the breast cold turkey and go to bottles/straw cups of milk. He takes bottles for daycare so he’s already used to them and I’ve been pl”

“HOW do I wean???😩😩 my 15 month old is obsessed with the boob and still nursing to sleep for most naps and bedtime. I am pregnant now and my milk supply has dramatically reduced, it’s been so painful to nurse for the past few months, she’s been biting me a ton (assuming frustration for lack of milk), bedtime takes forever and overall I’m finding it super overstimulating. I want a break before I start from scratch with my second who’s on the way Please give me any tips or advice?? Should I start”

“Hi all, desperate mama of a 15 month old here. We have had a beautiful breast feeding journey and things have been rather simple. I always wanted to go to two years old, if not longer. Baby girl has bit me in the past and it has been painful but she stopped when i took the breast away and told her “we don’t bite mommy”. We’ve gone through that a few times every few months. In the past two weeks she has popped FIVE TEETH and two more molars are on the way. She has bit me HARD and pulled at the en”

“Ugh. So I’m 14 months postpartum. And my toddler is demanding for me to breastfeed her. She nurses like every hour now during the day and night. I used to have a great supply but since she’s a toddler now it’s obviously become much less. Today she kept getting angry and pulling off and signing “more”. So I know the supply is bothering her. She eats plenty of solids and LOVES water but just wants to nurse a lot. How would you guys advise me to at least satisfy her with the milk supply issue? I’m”

“Hi guys, so I just wanted to start off by saying my baby just turned one a few days ago, and it’s officially been a year of exclusively breastfeeding her. I pumped a little while she was a newborn, but it didn’t last long because I was exhausted, but also because she prefers my boob and doesn’t take bottles. I think around 4 months is when things started to drastically change for us. She is obsessed with my boob, and I really don’t know what to do or how to wean. I mean, she will cry forever unt”

“I have been slowly adding restrictions on where/when my son (28 months) nurses for several months now. On Saturday, we decided to cut the nursing entirely while my husband has a week off work. It’s honestly been going great. The first night and day was rough but he’s really taken to it. He hasn’t really asked or tried to get in position to nurse since Sunday. Anyways, that said, I am exhausted. I am 13 weeks 5 days pregnant, but this is like my pregnancy tired on steroids. My husband just woke m”

“Hello, I’m a twin mum and long story short, my breastfeeding experience has not been what I had hoped for for a range of reasons. I am largely pumping and latching one twin three times a day. I’ve reduced my pumping to four thirty min sessions per day and still pump over 1L and meet the majority of my twins’ needs. I go back to work in a few months though and with twins, being attached to a pump isn’t sustainable. Current pumping times are 11.30pm, 6am, 12pm, 6pm. How do I go about weaning from”

“Hello! My goal was to breastfeed my son until he was two. Well I went a way for four days over the weekend and he has weaned himself off. We made it to 16 months! Also a good time because I’m four months pregnant and my milk has significantly decreased. I do have a question. Should I continue to pump once a day until my baby is born? I used a manual pump while I was away from him. I haven’t pumped in 24 hours and I don’t feel engorged (just a little leaking on one side). I’m not sure if it’d be”

“Hello everyone, (sorry if i make any grammar mistakes english is not my first language) I need advice, i wanted to breastfeed my son for 2 years but now he is 15 months. I feel like i am done, he wakes up 2-4 times a night and keeps pulling my nipples ( very very painful) i sometimes cry in pain. Now i seriously feel like it’s taking a toll on my mental health. I want to do cold turkey but i am scared cause he cries and screams a lot and i have no family support and my husband works full time an”

“Question for the long-ish BFers. I've had an incredible journey with my 18 mo babe and we're currently just BFing once a day before bed. He doesn't need it to sleep or to get nutrients. He's usually happy to BF but 1-2 times a week he says no and turns away. Great, then we just snuggle for a few min before moving on in the routine. I'm about to go away for 5 days (😭) so I've been thinking this may be our natural end, but I don't feel so certain about it. For people w”

“Little one is 21 months, BF has been a tough journey, this morning he fed for literally 9 seconds. Morning feeds have been dropping in time for a while most days around a minute but occasionally as low as 25 seconds but today was very low. Bedtime feeds are still around 4-15 minutes! Do I just stop the morning feed now or try again tomorrow in case today was just a blip? He seems excited to feed but I think more distracted in the morning by Big Sister and daddy moving about! If I do stop the mor”

“I abruptly weaned my 15 month old in anticipation for surgery. He really needed it anyways, it was all day feeding and night feeding. We are fully weaned now and he doesn’t want to hug or cuddle or anything! He became so independent and bossy, suddenly tantrums are a big thing. I know he lost his way to cope but man I miss my cuddle bug. Everything I read from people say their cuddly baby didn’t go away after weaning but that is my experience. submitted by /u/kakuji42 [link] [c”

“Due to a combo of reasons, I need to wean extremely fast. My 2.5 year old is obsessed with nursing. Gets incredibly upset when I explain she can’t during day because she’s grown up to be a toddler and says “I’m a baby!” We have stopped any nursing during day (she used to be nursing in 10 second intervals 100000x a day). Besides nap. Here’s my dilemma: she has unresolved Gi issues (we’ve been seeing specialists with no result) that leave her uncomfortable and the sucking motion gets her back to s”

“My child is 23 months old. I decided only feed her during night times. So eventually she will stop after one months since she will be 2 years old. It was three nights ago and I only gave her at night. Yesterday she was crying so hard but I calm her without gving in. Yes she eats solids but frequently feeds on brestmilk too, especially when she wakes up from nap or sleep. But since yesterday, she is not trying to come closure at my boobs. Even saying no no when i said 'tutu' (local word f”

“My son just turned 2 last month, and I'm 10 weeks pregnant with our second child. We night weaned about 5 months ago, and I still feed at bedtime but not nursing to sleep, nurse to sleep for naps, and in the morning (no earlier than 5 am.) There's also the occasional boob milk to help with teething pain, meltdowns, falling down, boo boos, etc. I nurse as much as he wants when he's sick too. I have been feeling ready to wean for a while now - at least 6 months. I noticed myself feelin”

“My daughter is 12.5 months and we are down to a morning and night nursing session. She has started sleeping through without an overnight feed for the most part over the last month. She doesn’t really ask to nurse but she does seem cranky in the morning before nursing. I have a work trip coming up in a few weeks. I’ll be gone Sunday-Friday. It’s breaking my heart to feel like I need to wean her for this trip. I was hoping she’d self wean and I’d be fine nursing her like this indefinitely. Is it b”

“Hi everyone! I’m looking for some guidance. My baby will be one years old early November and I’m looking to wean him at one year. I’ve had a pretty seamless experience up until the past couple of days, my baby’s teeth are really erupting and the latch on my left side seems to be off, he hasn’t bitten me but when he nurses I can feel the teeth and it HURTS. I think it has created a cut on that nipple and is causing a lot of pain when he nurses on my left side. I am so close to completely weaning,”

“Hi everyone! My 13-month-old daughter has suddenly and completely refused breastfeeding for the past 30+ hours, and I’m honestly a bit shocked. Until now, she was still breastfeeding regularly, including multiple times during the night. She has always been particularly attached to the breast when sick or uncomfortable, sometimes nursing for hours. But now she won’t even try. As soon as I offer her the breast, she pushes it away and cries until I put it away. She refuses it even at night, which h”

“I think the title has described it all. I am almost 3 months pp and i’m still pumping, but i am undersupply and my breastmilk only contributes more or less 30% of my baby’s intake in a day, i give him formula for the rest 70%. I have been thinking to stop breastfeeding because i think it’s taking much time and don’t really give enough results that i want (not even 50% a day), i also have a toddler that i have to attend to. But i’m feeling guilty to stop, i just want to hear your two cents about”

“At 12mo ped visit, I was told to stop doing formula feeds and to switch to whole milk (max 24oz a day, ideally closer to 16oz). And the goal by 15mo of dropping the bedtime milk bottle. Currently 14mo who has 4oz upon wake up and 12oz right before sleeping (no milk during the day, but water at meals and freely all day). I know I'm supposed to cut the nighttime bottle ASAP / by 15mo (and the morning bottle too; that'll be easier). But, like, how? He seems so desparate for it. I tried stop”

“So I was planning to Breastfeed my baby till he turns 18-19 months since I would have to travel to another state for work and be separated from him from a couple of days every alternate week. I had brought down the feeds to just two by the time he turned 15. That's when he developed a cold. During the cold I fed him 3-4 times one of the days. But we used to give him saline nasal drop before feeding so he could sleep properly. One of these days after the cold was almost recovered, after givin”

“So I was planning to Breastfeed my baby till he turns 18-19 months since I would have to travel to another state for work and be separated from him from a couple of days every alternate week. I had brought down the feeds to just two by the time he turned 15. That's when he developed a cold. During the cold I fed him 3-4 times one of the days. But we used to give him saline nasal drop before feeding so he could sleep properly. One of these days after the cold was almost recovered, after givin”

“I had a hard start to breastfeeding but stuck with it and am almost at 16 months! My little one is an absolute boob monster and I've always followed in demand feeding but she's asking for it at really inappropriate/inconvenient times and pulling my top down at dinner instead of eating her food. When I do let her feed she tries to play with the other nipple which is really embarrassing in public!!! We go to a toddler group and she is the only one of 20 toddlers who is still having breast”

“hi everyone, I have been EBF my baby her entire life to this point. She is now just over 10 and a half months old and has decided that she no longer wants to nurse during the day; she will drink for approximately .5 seconds on each side before getting way too distracted and wanting to move on with her day. I have tried nursing in a dark, quiet room to help prevent distraction but she does the same thing. She still has one feed in the night so she is getting some breast milk but not anywhere clos”

“I posted recently about weaning from EBF to formula without pumping, and I’m hoping to get some advice! About 1.5 months ago, I weaned two daytime feeds (10am and 1pm) and replaced them with formula. I originally did this because I thought I’d be returning to work next month, but I’ve since decided to extend my maternity leave until January. Because I’ll be home with LO for longer, I’d really love to go back to exclusively breastfeeding if possible. Has anyone successfully stopped the weaning pr”

“Hi! My baby will be a few days shy of 1 year on the night of a wedding that I am attending. In the past, she has not accepted breastmilk out of anything but the boob. Not a bottle, sippy cup, or open mouth cup. Even if it’s my husband is giving it and I’m not around (out of the house). She is a GREAT solids eater. Tonight she ate a 1/2 cup each of salmon, broccoli, sweet potato cubes, and strawberries at dinner. Her bedtime feeding was around 10 min. Can I get away with skipping a feeding? The w”

“basically title. I have an 11 month old and I’m exhausted. I thought he’d show signs of slowing down with breastfeeding but he loves it. We give him a bottle of pumped milk or formula twice a day when he is with his nanny, but he hasn’t really been finishing those. he prefers his solids. So slowing down with bottles but will still pull at my shirt and cry for boobs throughout the day and overnight. I don’t think he is ready, but I might be? submitted by /u/Cheap-Office8199 [link] &#3”

“My 14 month old has been exclusively breastfed since birth. Never took a bottle (except a few times when I was hospitalized for life threatening complications after birth) and still doesn’t like drinking milk out of cups. My breastfeeding goal was always at least 1 year possibly 2 or whenever baby lost interest. She is very much obsessed with nursing, and doesn’t show any signs of wanting to stop. She pulls at my shirt a lot. In fact, it’s very difficult to redirect her from nursing often throug”

“Hello everyone! DD just turned 1 on the 29th. She was a tough one in the beginning, because she never took to a bottle. So she was EBF until 6 months when she started solids. She is a great eater. She eats 3 meals a day & 2 snacks. She also drinks homomilk from a sippy cup during meal times. She still nurses to sleep unless I'm at work. And she still nurses throughout the night for comfort it seems (we cosleep) she won't stop biting me. She knows what she's doing because she'”

“Helppppp, my 21 m old girl is amazing, she talks allll day and is so smart and fun but she just will notttt give up the boobs 😩 ya girl is tired !! I’ve tried so many things including (don’t yell at me) apple cider vinegar and she literally was like “yucky, wash” and went and got a wet wipe to wipe my nipples off 😂😭 she will rip my shirt to get to them and cry till she can’t breathe.. I’m at a loss, she nurses all day and multiple times a night… send help submitted by /u/Sluuushpu”

“My baby is 12 months old and ebf since birth. We went to his 12 month appointment and the doctor acted confused as to why I was still breastfeeding. He said it’s bad for his teeth, speech, could cause constipation, and make him anemic. My baby has had no signs of anything like this. I planned on continuing to bf at least this year unless he weaned himself. Doctor said I should feed no more than two times a day. Thoughts? Part of the problem is, my baby very much enjoys breastfeeding. The weaning”

“I found out I was pregnant with our second (unexpected) just before 10 months postpartum. My goal has been to nurse my current babe for 18 months, then with pregnancy challenges, I was hoping to just make it to a year then see what happened. Babe turns 11 months this week and I am 10 weeks pregnant now. I have spent the last couple of days pretty sick with a nasty cold. Well, the illness has tanked my supply and letdown reflex and slowed my milk flow considerably. Yesterday was an extremely diff”

ello, I'm hoping to get some insights and advice from other moms. I have a 13-month-old daughter who has been exclusively breastfed since birth. When I returned to work, I introduced bottle-feeding,…

“My child is 15 months and only breastfeeds twice a day. She has had a stuffed nose the past few days and has basically declined breastfeeding three times now. She can’t breathe properly when she latches and after a few tries she doesn want to try again. She is eating solids well, so there is no issue with nutrition, but it would be sad if my milk production stops because of a cold. I don’t like to pump, but I will if there is a risk that my milk production will stop. At what point do I need to s”

“How did everyone wean their EBF babies? My son will be one on Tuesday and part of me feels ready to be done, but another part of me doesn’t quite feel ready yet. He takes solids well, usually three meals a day and at least one snack and he naturally weaned down to 2 feeds a day. I’m just conflicted on how to stop those feeds. He usually takes a cup of milk with his lunch at daycare and then nurses before dinner when I get home from work. Very occasionally he will wake up overnight to nurse, but”

“My baby and I have had a really positive breastfeeding journey so far. I have felt comfortable saying I will go until two years. But lately it is getting harder. She wants to nurse all the time on the weekends and it’s not as easy to be discreet when we are out and about. Currently she is taking a mid morning nap while nursing and I would like to be getting some things done around the house. She cries when I pick her up and don’t nurse. Naps are harder because she wants to nurse and cries when I”

“Ive tried to wean my “baby” a few times, tried to cut down on feeds, and tried to stop TWIDDLING. Baby is now almost 2 years and 8 months old. I finally felt ready (ish). A part of me was still sad. But nursing has become so painful during ovulation, plus she’s not sleeping thru the night (cosleep) and she ends up just attached to me during the night and I can’t get a nights sleep without a boob barnacle. I was ready to try weaning again. I’ve been talking to her a lot that “mommy milk is going”

“I'm still breastfeeding my 15 month old. We have night weaned as of a few weeks ago, but she typically still nurses 3-4 times a day. Everything still feels mid. I mean, I still don't have nearly the same excitement for life that I did before baby. It's still hard to focus, my brain feels scrambled, the highs and lows all feel the same. At first I thought it was the sleeplessness but since night weaning I've been sleeping quite well. Is it the breastfeeding? Is this a common exper”

“15 whole months later with my EBF, every 2-3 hour waker, no pumping, no formula, anti-bottle, anti-pacifier, anti-swaddle, contact napping, cosleeping daughter, no help with nights whatsoever, and no village besides my partner… it was quite a challenge, but so worth it in the end! (Being a SAHM helped our journey tremendously!) We ended our beautiful breastfeeding journey exactly a week ago. It very, very bittersweet! But I was BEYOND ready to start sleeping through the night, and since we stopp”

“My goal was to BF for 6 months. My baby girl just turned 18 months. I don’t know how to stop. Ugh. I guess I do know how to stop but I just don’t want to. I love the bond and how beneficial it is but I am worried about the fact that she is so dependent on me. I am a SAHM and I nurse on demand. We are also cosleeping and she nursing through the night. I worry about her getting cavities. I brush her teeth twice a day with fluoride and I TRY to wipe at night but I definitely don’t go it after every”

“i (24f) have been ebf for 2.5 years with my first and only. i dont have any plans to have another unless i find a good man that doesnt have any children and wants another of his own. id love a sibling for my son but the only thing holding me back from giving that to him one day is i never want to breastfeed again. ive had enough of it. it is constant. he gets hurts wants boob. i lay down. he wants boob. hes hungry. boob. sleepy. boob. doesnt get what he wants somewhere else. boob. i do not give”

“Hi all. My son is about to be 16 months and I’ve been exclusively nursing him. I’m also not seeking medical advice because I’ve already received the medical advice. Just asking what I should do now that the balls in my court. I have Bipolar II. I manage it fairly well. I’ve been on medications for it for about 7 years. My psychiatrist would like to start me on Lithium. He told me it was the gold standard for treatment. We’ve tried a few other options. This wasn’t the first choice. He told me it’”

“I don't know where the best place to ask this is. I'm just really struggling knowing how to tackle this, and help my poor baby. My now 15mo, always ebf, has gone through phases of biting while nursing, which caused a little cut on one side. I had to switch to feeding on only one side bc it hurt so so bad and wouldn't heal while she was nursing on it. It's been a few weeks, still hasn't healed all the way, and now the same thing has happened on the other side. I'm now tryi”