How do I wean??

Question

Any advice? I’m a FTM and my baby is 11 months old.. he’ll be 1 on Halloween 🎃 I know there are benefits to breastfeeding longer than a year, but I physically and mentally would like to be done shortly after. I’m thinking being completely done by December sometime.. I have no idea where to start. My baby has never taken a bottle. He’s getting the hang of drinking out of sippy cups (so far just water.) he eats 3 “meals” a day but he doesn’t always eat very much..
-Do I start putting breastmilk in a sippy? 
-Do I start giving him small amounts of cows milk? (He eats cheese and yogurt)
-he nurses to sleep at night so not sure how that will go? :( (he does not nurse to sleep for naps.) 
-how do I safely dry up?

Answer

Idk if this will help at all but 
I was soooo ready to throw in the towel at a year, but my LO was so not. I started to feel guilty and then read that the norm was actually to go for 24m. I think I had it in my head that 12m was the goal for some reason and felt pressure that I had to wean her by then. That was when I started to embrace the idea and decided this is about what's best for her and me and the timing wasn't right for us. Once that clicked I was happy with continuing on. She will be 2 in 2 months and just recently she's been asking for it less. We will be weaning soon as well but I can already tell it won't be as difficult as it would have been a year ago.

Answer

I'd start by decreasing sessions that you are nursing to make the transition easier. You could pump and give your baby milk in the sippy cup. I'm not sure about the night feedings. I actually had to leave for work for 2 weeks and that's how I weaned my daughter. I'd wait until your baby is a year old before I did the cows milks, but sounds like your baby will be ok due to eating the cheese and yogurt. 
I think the smartest way to dry up so you dont end up with mastitis ,would be to decrease sessions little by little, and then you could use the cabbage trick. I've also been told that sudafed works with drying a supply, but I havent tried that.

How do I wean??

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