Hello!

My son is 14 months and I would like to start slowly weaning him from breastfeeding as we would like to try for another baby in a few months time and I’d rather not continue breastfeeding whilst pregnant. Does anyone have any suggestions or advice? I’d rather not just stop and let him cry for it all the time. And should I give him formula, cows milk or almond milk (They say it tastes similar to breast milk) Any suggestions or tips would be great! Thank you.


Want more real mum questions sent to you?

You'll need to check this email to complete your signup.
  • I always found Kelly.mom.com a great source of info about anything breastfeeding related.
    On this site there’s a good article about the different weaning techniques.
    https://kellymom.com/ages/weaning/wean-how/weaning-techniques/


  • I expressed into a bottle, then into a sippy cup, then then mixed milk and breast milk… transition was smooth


  • Reduce the feeds, I also agree. Do what is right for you and your family in terms of milk.


  • All my children went from breast milk to drinking from a sipper cup of normal milk. I did it by slowly substituting the midday feed first, then the evening feed and so on. Be patient, relax, give it time and you will be right.


  • Agreeing with other posts, most of my children were able to transition from BF to cup/bottle. Just dropping which ever feed was least important to my child, then getting them use to this before dropping another one. Only one child was a problem which is something you do not have was when I stopped producing milk at baby been six months and he hating bottles.


  • yes reduce the number of feeds and give them more food/drink to supplement it.


  • Had thing isn’t it? I am needing to think about weaning my 14 month too. We are just about down to 2 feeds a day. I am slowly reducing the feeds a day, these will be replaced by cows milk. Also what I was told to get him to start on the cows milk was to give him a bottle (for one feed) of 75% ebm and 25% cows milk and then gradually decrease the ebm and increase the cows milk.


  • Start by dropping one feed and then steadily decrease the feeds and the duration of the feeds. You will find that he will end up stopping altogether


  • If your still feeding overnight start by dropping them first (replace with cuddles or pats). Otherwise start dropping the day feeds first leaving morning and evening to last and drop a feed every few days to give your breasts time to adjust. You don’t need to give formula as he is over a year and will be getting most of his nutrition from food. You can give him whichever milk you prefer but use a cup not a bottle so it doesn’t impact on his food intake. You don’t need to replace his feeds with milk most can just be dropped as long as he is drinking water, but an evening milk drink before bed can be comforting as long as you brush teeth afterwards. Good luck ☺


  • First thing I’d suggest doing is to find a milk that your tot loves, Whether its a toddler formula or goat, rice, soy, or normal milk brand get them used to drinking this, offered first before offering the boob (although by this point its demanded rather than accepted!) With my two I had to wean abruptly due to illness, I literally had to stop cold turkey at 16 and 18 months, I was really worried as both my kids were boobie babies but they were fine!


  • at that age its safe to exchange with cows milk, Although i started of a mix of cows milk and breast milk and uped the cows milk over a couple of weeks from a bottle. then i went to a cheap sippy cup . Just a cheap one which only cost about $3 from a supermarket. my youngest handled it just fine. With the longer i left it with the three of my kids the harder it was to get them to switch.


  • Yes, I also agree with previous posts, when introducing more solids and more variety cut back one feed at a time. It shouldn’t take long.


  • I started off slowly weaning skipping feeds buy distracting her and gave her normal cows milk which she had been having combined in her meals. I found night time to be harder but it mainly was just the habit and security rather than actual hunger. Good luck.


  • I agree with the previous poster, take baby steps and drop each feed gradually. Good luck.


  • Start by eliminating one feed at a time. I replaced the afternoon feed to begin with. Babies can have cow’s milk from 1 year old so just transition straight to that either via bottle or by cup whatever your baby is comfortable with. Once you cut out the first breastfeed, replace the bedtime feed and then the morning feed. The time line you use is completely up to you. I guess the most important thing is ensuring that your son gets used to the first replacement once he’s comfortable with that then replace the other feeds.


Post your reply
Add a photo
Your MoM account


Lost your password?

Enter your email and a password below to post your answer and join MoM:

↥ Back to top

Thanks For Your Star Rating!

Would you like to add a written rating or just a star rating?

Write A Rating Just A Star Rating
Join