Need ideas on how to stop my 2 year old son from breast feeding

[Saalims Mommy]

My son wil turn 2 years this month, and i am planning to stop breast feeding when he is 2. since its my 1st child, i need ideas from those experienced moms out there... my son is VERY attached to breast feeding.. he does takes him meals well but he needs my milk very often.. he cant sleep without having my milk. and during the night i have to always have be feeding him... so please mothers, give me ideas on how to stop it.
thank you

[waterdreamer]

I can't give you advice on getting him to stop other then having your husband help you with it. He is less likely to take a cup or bottle from you because he knows what he wants from you. But from a dental stand point breastfeeding a child of that age at night is the number one cause of dental caries in children. Unless there is a health issue feeding them anything other then water at night is a habit or a comfort thing, not a need for life. I work as a pediatric dental assistant. I'm not trying to be mean I'm just trying to give you the facts because alot of people don't think breastmilk can cause cavities but it contains natural sugars. Good Luck during this, I know its hard but if you can atleast eliminate the night feeds your childs teeth will thank-you

[Saalims Mommy]

thank you waterdreamer

i actualy have read abt wat u said abt feeding at night causing teeth problems...but my son wil cry the night out if i dont feed him, and the 3 of us will have to stay awake...and i cant fing any other way to calm him down. he doesnt feed on bottles either .. but thanx for the advice

[waterdreamer]

What we tell parents at work is that there will be a few rough nights, but you have to stay strong. I remember when i broke my son from his night feeds(he was six months old but over 20lbs, obviously did not need the calories just was use to it being a comfort thing) I made sure he had a full feeding before bed and I wiped his teeth and gums with a soft facecloth. Then at night I tried to find a replacement comfort item for him, we eventually found a blankie worked. I'm not going to lie, it was rough, but after a few days he only woke up once, then eventually not at all. Maybe you should plan to wean him on a weekend, that way if your kept up you know you or your husband don't have to work the next day. Best of luck

[Jillpea]

I just weened my son about 3 weeks ago and he's just a few months of two years old. Although I had refused to feed him at night for the last six months (only his dad would go in to his room in the middle of the night so he gave up after a week or two), but he was still feeding about 4 times a day before that. I just slowly reduced the amount of feeds per day by distracting him when he was tugging at my shirt and saying he was a big boy now and didn't need it, it was for babies. I would hold him close to my chest and feed him a bottle (which had only been introduced recently) when I wanted to feed him not when he tugged my shirt for a breastfeed. So he still felt close to me but was also getting milk from somewhere else. Then we were only on the morning feed and that lasted another few weeks. The last step was then changing our routine from getting him in the morning when he woke up and putting him in my bed for the morning feed, to getting him from his cot and going straight to the kitchen and starting his breakfast. Now only 3 weeks later he proundly sees a baby breastfeeding and says 'baby'. He's all proud he's bigger than them and not a baby anymore because he doesn't breastfeed any longer. It wasn't all smooth sailing but once you've made the decision to stop, then just stick to your guns no matter how much he protests. You have to stop at one point in his life don't you, so it can be now or when he's six!!!

[momtoo]

i actualy have read abt wat u said abt feeding at night causing teeth problems...but my son wil cry the night out if i dont feed him, and the 3 of us will have to stay awake...and i cant fing any other way to calm him down. he doesnt feed on bottles either .. but thanx for the advice

my son stopped breastfeeding a week after he turned two years old. he started drinking formula from a sippy cup when he was a year old (with help from husband too) during the day with his meals and I only breastfed him when he takes a nap and at night. it took a week of refusing to breastfeed (gently though - I forgot what excuse I gave my son) and giving him water in a sippy cup instead of breastfeeding to wean him off the boob.

goodluck with you.

[luckymommy1307]

Hi Momtoo,
Will your son refuse formula milk? I been trying for few months but fail, my son doesn't even want to take a sip. I am still breastfeeding him day and night. Any tips for me? Thanks

[khatty]

I too wouldn't mind weaning my 22 month old.  But she isn't willing to self wean and I am just not up for those rough nights.  She barely sleeps as it is, I couldn't even imagine how much worse it would be.  To keep myself going I remind myself that 'this too shall pass in its own time in its own way'.

I am concerned about the comment about tooth decay.  I try to brush and flush her teeth after every meal and then before she goes to bed.  However, I am breastfeeding her at naptime and she obviously falls asleep so I am not brushing then. How much tooth decay is there at naptime?  Is the risk of tooth decay better or worse than the risk of forcing a break in the bond before she is ready?  Teeth vs emotions, which one wins?

[waterdreamer]

Well I can tell you I have help hold down 2 year olds in the operating room and in the dental office because they need there front teeth extracted, or back teeth crowned. This prepared them for a life of fearing the dentist. The experience is tramatic on both difficult on mom and baby. The parents often wished they had found better ways to soothe there older children. The cost for the average case is $1500-$2000 Canadian and is more in the US. Plus if you leave it it can cause absesses and effect adult teeth. Baby teeth can not hold up to a cavity as well as adult teeth they just eat through baby teeth like wild fire.
You can breast feed as much as you want during the day, but at night time thats where the problems happen. As for nap, depends, I would not risk it, you can always gently wipe there teeth with a face cloth. And that would stop the cavities

[khatty]

Thx for the advice.  Is wiping with a facecloth better than brushing?

[waterdreamer]

No problem its my passion. I see so many young kids suffer because public nurses encourage breastfeeding at any cost and don't explain to parents what it can do to there babies teeth. Trust me I'm a big believer in breastfeeding and the bond it creates, but everything has another side to it, and parents need to be informed I hope I'm not being too pushy.
No wiping is usually recommended for babies that do not have teeth or only a couple, brushing children with more then 4 teeth is better, but wiping the gums might be more gentle when a child falls a sleep during a feeding and is ALOT better then just putting them to bed without doing anything.

[khatty]

She has I think about 12 teeth, maybe it is 14??? I don't know much about teeth.  The brushing seems to be working well.

Sorry we hijacked this thread. 

Perhaps waterdreamer could/would (pls) start a new thread with information on teeth.  I am finding it very useful.  Thanks. 

[momtoo]

Hi Momtoo,
Will your son refuse formula milk? I been trying for few months but fail, my son doesn't even want to take a sip. I am still breastfeeding him day and night. Any tips for me? Thanks

My son refused any infant formula (I think its because breastmilk is sweet and formula has kind of a smell) when I'm the one giving it to him. When I am out of the house for the day, my husband tries to feed him formula mixed with breastmilk but he only drank when he was really really hungry. Starting solid foods with a sippy cup helped in the transition from all day/night feeding to just nap time & night time. Since your son is already a year old, he can already start drinking regular milk (one from a jug) as my son did (you'd probably prefer combining it with toddler formula - your pediatrician should be able to recommend to you which is best for your son -continue breastfeeding, mix breastmilk/formula or mix formula/regular milk).

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