Whats the Best Way to Wean from Nursing?

B. - I stopped nursing my son at 15 months. For the last few months he nursed when I got home from work and before he went to bed. I nursed him about 1/2 hour before his bedtime so he didn't fall asleep while nursing. I am glad I waited because it was easy on both of us. I gave up afternoon nursing and then nursing altogether and he didn't have any issues and neither did I. I have to agree with one of the other moms, it was a nice way to reconnect after coming home from work. Good luck!

K.

Cold turkey, I found. It's worse on the Mom, engorgement and all. But if he's already taking a bottle you're a shoe in. Does he take a binky? I found that it helped, because it was the comfort my daughter missed the most.Go onto the La Leche League website good info. Good luck. : )

B.,
Are you considering weaning only because he's turning 1, because you're going to school, or because you both are ready? If he's only nursing at nap and bedtime, it may not be necessary to fully wean, and keeping his bedtime nursing routine may be a nice way to reconnect after being away at school for the day. If you've been home with him until now, and you'll be going to school for the day, he may need that reassurance when you return, and weaning may be too many changes at once.
If you are really ready to wean, dropping one nursing session at a time will help ease the transition. Hold him close at naptime, and try just snuggling or offering a bottle or cup of your milk or formula (don't just let him have it in bed- it promotes tooth decay). He will likely fight it, but you'll have to be persistent and understanding about it. After about a week of that, you can drop another session. The nighttime one should be the last to go.
Good luck and good for you for nursing him through his first year!!
H.

If nursing is the only way he'll go to sleep, the best way is to have your husband or someone else get him off to sleep. Start with whatever sleep time you can get someone else to do it. Once he's doing that, it will be easier for him to let you put him to bed without the nursing. Just give him time to adjust after every nursing you wean. I've done cold turkey & weaning. Weaning really is much easier on both of you. Good luck.

Hi B.!

If he is falling asleep nursing its best to try and keep him awake and then put him down for a nap. Also I found it easy eliminate one feeding at a time. I kept bedtime for last... hope everything works out

H.