Weaning Techniques

I started playing a certain CD during the going to sleep feeding and layed down for it. I then proceded to laying the child in the crib with the music on and rubbing or patting the back until they were asleep. I had the crib next to the bed during all of this anyway. But the main thing seems to be music that they associate with going to sleep that worked for us. It took me until child number 10 to figure this one out but it was great for these last two. I also used it on a little girl I watched for a friend for a while and she seemed to find it helpful to settle for her nap. It did not take her long to get used to the ritual and fall asleep quickly(which she never did at home)
Hope that might be of some help. This would give you a month of the music to have your child used to it.

Sincerely,
K. B

I also use a CD when Iput my little one to sleep. Part of the reason I do it though is to down out any other noises my other three kids might make that otherwise would wake him up! :) However, I do think it helps him go to sleep.

When I've been night weaning with mine, which I haven't started yet with my youngest (11 months old) I did what you said and eliminated the other feedings first, saving that night feeding for last. I would rock them when i was putting them down for a nap and they would start to make that connection. Then when I thought we were all ready I would follow the same routine as naptime for bedtime, no feeding. I do not put mine to bed with a bottle or cup. Bad habit to start. Some of them had a period where they would cry a little, but none of them did so for very long. It depends ont he child. My daughter would self-sooth very easily. She would play in her crib until she was ready to sleep and then be out without any crying. Whereas my oldest would cry pitifully until he got tired enough to sleep. Try a few things and just see what works. But I would agree with whoever else that said to skip the bottle and go to a cup!

It's good that you don't want him to cry! He will cry a bit because the breast is also his comfort, but there's a difference between letting him cry it out (bad) and him crying for a short period in loving arms.

Dr. Jay Gordon has a wonderful nightweaning method: http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/ap/sleep.asp

It's gentle and it works.

Good for you making it a year! You've given your son an invaluable gift.

I have responded to a few request about weaning before, and I hate to keep saying the same thing because I know people get tired of hearing it...BUT...I would NOT go back to a bottle. I would do just as you said and wean off one feeding at a time. Use only cups during the day, and then for the night time feeding, what I did (my son was the same age) was I started a steady night time routine. I would give him a bath, read a book, nurse him (not to sleep), then give him a cup of milk and then put him to bed. I did that for a week or so, then I just dropped the breast feeding (which I had gradually shortened anyway) and did the same routine without the BF. I had also at the same time started having him put himself to sleep during the day (not dark or scary in his room), and so he was getting used to soothing himself during the day and it carried over at night.

I am sorry to say that there may be some crying involved.

Good luck!

Take it slow, make it a gentle transition. Your baby
loves nursing more than we can imagine. There's no hurry, nothing magical about the 12 month mark that says you "have" to wean, and many mothers nurse past the 12 month mark (especially to help thier babies drift off to sleep, because it works like a charm.) There are lots of tips at the kellymom breastefeeding website to make things go more smoothly.

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/weaning/index.html

I haven't read the previous replies so I'm sorry if I repeat anyone! I nursed both of my sons and weaned them shortly after turning one. The thing that worked best for me was to get them out of the house and distracted around the time that they would nurse. Sometimes that would mean that they would fall asleep on the way home and not need to nurse before a nap.

I replaced the nursings with a cup of milk (no sense in needing to wean a bottle habit in 6 months too!) and they did fine with them. The last two nursings I cut were the bedtime nursing and then the first thing in the morning.

For the night time I started giving them "milkshakes" I would put half a container of yo-baby yogurt in the sippy cup with milk to make sure they were full before bed! For the morning feeding I made sure there was a cup of milk ready in the fridge (so they wouldn't have to wait for me to get it ready) and when he woke up I would heat it in the microwave for about 20 seconds.

There is a period of adjustment in any change you make to a routine but these are the tips that seemed to make everything go much much smoother for us! Good luck!