It’s never as easy as it looks when it comes to weaning toddler from breastfeeding. Start slow over a couple of months. It’s not going to happen overnight!

Distraction!

If toddler goes for your breast, deter him with something else.  Want a snack, water or milk? If it’s night time and he wants to nurse longer, chances are he just wants to be comforted.  In the beginning my son wouldn’t go for the hug but over time, I would continue to ask him for a hug.  And guess what?  It works!

My son calls my breast “bebe”. I would tell him, bebe is all done. After a few months its working great. He takes a few quick slugs and says “all done, bebe. Bebe, its done.” So cute!

Set Goals

My goal was to wean my son after a year but we were both very attached.  Now he is 2.5 years old and I am pregnant with my 4^th child.  My nipples hurt so bad! Therefore, I have been cutting back dramatically.  He would nurse all day.  No exaggeration.  Now he is only nursing 1 or twice a day.  The night feeding session is always the hard to get rid of.  However, my new thing is to read books in my room and offer my breast if he is fussy if not I don’t offer and tell him its bedtime.  Water is always part of the nighttime routine.  After feeding I give my son some water. 

He associates the final step with water and not my breast.   Associate a toy, blanket and or water to your bedtime routine.  He will eventually realize he does not need the boob to go to bed.  The few times I have done date night, he has fallen asleep with it and did just fine!

As the weaning process has gotten better over time, I try different methods. A snack before bedtime, read books in my room instead of his room. Currently, I like playing puzzles on my phone. My son will help me move the pieces and we complete the picture! I change his diaper and bring him to bed. No breastmilk tonight! He did amazing!

Fast Forward

I waited to post this as there were some set backs for me. Two to be exact!

Teething

My son got his second molar teeth it definitely delayed things. He was in a lot of pain and therefore wanted to nurse more. This took about a month. Things started going well and then…

Sick

My son got the cold and had a horrible cough and fevers. Of course, he wanted to nurse since he didn’t feel good and he ended up sleeping in bed with me that week. I felt so bad!

We Did it!

Now it has officially been two weeks since he stopped nursing. We talk about how “Bebe” is now for his his new baby sister who is due any day now. He mentions them but seems to understand he is all done with nursing and now it will be his sister’s milk. He asks for milk before bedtime and is doing great.

It Takes Time

Like I mentioned, it is going to take time. Don’t rush it. Take it day by day. You will miss it when it is finally over but it will be exciting when your toddler finally weans! Good luck!

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Are you weaning your toddler from breastfeeding?