https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 24 Apr 2026 18:09:08 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/weaning-at-close-to-3#post-2666250 Thu, 15 Dec 2016 22:22:42 +0000 Iced Tea 2666250@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My LO is almost two. I reduced the sessions mainly by telling her she could have milk before going to sleep (so nap and bedtime). We continued first thing in the morning for a while until she started to sleep in a bit. Then I decided to immediately ask her if she wanted breakfast (while she was still groggy and hadn't yet asked for milk), and she has readily accepted the last few days. </p> <p>The nanny is helping me cut out milk at naps by putting her to sleep in the stroller (just on nanny days, three days a week). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/weaning-at-close-to-3#post-2666246 Thu, 15 Dec 2016 22:07:21 +0000 Dahlia 2666246@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I weaned when she was only 16 months, so this may or may not be helpful. I went to a conference for 3 days, and then when I got back I work high shirts, didn't sit down at all, had DH do bedtime and wakeup and daycare pick up (which were the times we mainly nursed), and tried to distract her if she asked. She fussed a couple of times, but got over it in about 2-3 days and immediately started sleeping 11-12 hours a night in her crib instead of the 9 in her crib and 2-3 attached to my boob that she'd been doing before. It was so much easier than I expected, and I have zero regrets. </p> <p>Have you been away from him before? If so, how did he react? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/weaning-at-close-to-3#post-2666217 Thu, 15 Dec 2016 20:52:46 +0000 skipra 2666217@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I weaned right around 2 with both of mine it really wasn't an issue. My younger one asked for it for a week or so but very easily allowed me to replace nursing with snuggles and a cup of milk. We were down to only nursing at nap and nighttime so it would probably help to reduce the number of sessions first. Maybe you could try taking something to reduce your supply? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/weaning-at-close-to-3#post-2666216 Thu, 15 Dec 2016 20:52:44 +0000 Peasinapod 2666216@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I weaned my boob obsessed toddler at 22 months because I was 3 months pregnant . It went much smoother than expected. We did cold turkey because she's an all or nothing kind of kid. She cried hysterically for 20 min the first time I said no and that was it.... Somehow her sleep actually got better. Added lots of stories and rocking in to replace nursing to sleep. In all honesty I think I miss it more than she does. I loved being able to solve any problem with boob... I'd consider nursing my next longer so we could skip some of the emotional outbursts 2.5 seems to have ! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/weaning-at-close-to-3#post-2666212 Thu, 15 Dec 2016 20:47:58 +0000 mamabolt 2666212@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We weaned cold turkey on LOs third birthday. We talked about it leading up to it that milkies would be all gone when she turned three because that's what happens. It worked like a charm. The excitement and clear understanding of the birthday helped a lot. Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/weaning-at-close-to-3#post-2666152 Thu, 15 Dec 2016 18:56:32 +0000 bookwormmama 2666152@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think my son would have nursed for a lot longer than we did, but weaned him just before he turned two because it was starting to get painful. He really loved nursing and is still a huge cuddler a year later. We mainly nursed anytime before bed. I started by cutting out his naptime nursing. I hid the boppy because he asked whenever he saw it and after a couple days he stopped asking and we replaced nursing with cuddles before nap. </p> <p>Nighttime took a few weeks longer than nap. I did a couple things differently with our routine. First, we nursed with the lights on and no sound machine. Then we would read books and then cuddle before bed. I wanted the cuddling to replace the comfort of nursing for him since I don't think he was nursing for the calories...it was mainly about comfort. After a couple weeks of that routine I started setting timers and stopped nursing when the timers went off. Every couple days I decreased the time until we were only nursing for a minute. Then I started hiding the boppy and told him "not right now" or something if he asked. He stopped asking after a couple days.</p> <p>I think it helped that he really took to whole cow's milk and replaced a lot of our nursing with milk. Hopefully some of that info helps people! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/weaning-at-close-to-3#post-2666145 Thu, 15 Dec 2016 18:44:52 +0000 Mrs. Pickle 2666145@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think you can set limits with nursing just like with anything else. My kid is a lot younger than yours (14 months), but that's what I'm doing with her and it's working. I'm not a buffet and reaching down my shirt and grabbing is not how you get something. </p> <p>We are down to twice a day now and I'm dropping down to once a day tomorrow. Whenever she asks for milk when it's not time to nurse I offer her milk in a cup or a snack. Sometimes she happily takes it, sometimes she gets angry. I just try not to give in. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/weaning-at-close-to-3#post-2666102 Thu, 15 Dec 2016 17:33:06 +0000 Cole 2666102@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm curious about this too. I am pregnant and getting miserable and ready to at least start weaning my 2 year old. </p> <p>We night weaned already but it was a looong process. She woke up crying for milk every night for months. I caved if she was sick or we were traveling but that was it. She can have milk at 6 am, I picked the time because if she doesn't get milk then she wakes up for the day but if she nurses she sleeps for another hour at least. Now if she wakes up early I tell her it isn't time yet and she's usually fine with that. </p> <p>Since my supply has dipped though she's asking to nurse more truth the day because I can't seem to get her to eat enough! Today she ate strawberries for lunch which is just not enough calories for her. She won't touch anything to drink besides water and no yogurt. </p> <p>Right now I really want to drop that 6am nursing session but it might actually be the hardest for her... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/weaning-at-close-to-3#post-2665991 Thu, 15 Dec 2016 15:30:04 +0000 Baby Boy Mom 2665991@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My oldest weaned right after his third birthday. It was very gradual. Sometime around 15 month we stopped nursing out of the house. Then at about age 2 we got it down to just before nap and bedtime. I was tandem nursing at the time and it was just too much. So at wake up we would just offer breakfast and other times a snack, but it was pretty easy. Then soon after his birthday we went on a road trip so naps were in the car, and I got DH to do bedtime and that was that. One trick that I did use when I had nursing aversion was saying ok but just until we count to 10. At first I would count pretty slowly but I sped it up really quickly and that helped (me) a lot. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/weaning-at-close-to-3#post-2665917 Thu, 15 Dec 2016 14:39:32 +0000 Woolly Mammoth 2665917@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son weaned on his third birthday. I would suggest setting limits that you're comfortable with.</p> <p>Around 18 months I started only nursing him at home. Around 2 I started limiting him to morning, before/after nap, bedtime, and overnight. I basically just tried to keep him distracted with outings/toys in between and didn't sit down on the couch or read books to him unless it was one of those times. </p> <p>Around 2 1/2 I was going crazy with a nursing aversion, so I begged my husband to take over bedtime. It just took 2-3 nights and he was happy to snuggle with daddy instead of nursing. His sleep immediately improved, like flipping a switch. We got him sleeping in his own bed (after years of cosleeping) pretty quickly after that. </p> <p>He dropped his nap a few weeks before his third birthday, so the nap-related nursing sessions disappeared. I still had a strong nursing aversion (I'm pregnant), so I started using the timer on my phone - he could nurse for a minute on each side. He was surprisingly okay with this.</p> <p>Then, the morning after his third birthday I asked him to wait until it was a little later, hoping he would go back to sleep. He said he wanted breakfast and ran to the kitchen. It's been a few months now and he occasionally asks, but doesn't get upset when I say there isn't any milk anymore. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/weaning-at-close-to-3#post-2665883 Thu, 15 Dec 2016 14:14:59 +0000 twodoghouse 2665883@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm curious to see if anyone else chimes in. My twins are 2.5 and still nursing 3 or 4x a day and whenever they want to overnight, which lately has been a lot. I'm starting to feel like I'm ready to be done, but they are not ready AT ALL. I mean, they could be ready, but if I try to talk to them about it rationally they flip out. They are really attached to our nursing times. It's not really my style to force them to stop if they don't to, but I'm not sure they will ever stop on their own. Like you, I'm just feeling really tired and worn down from 2.5 years of nursing two kids on demand. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/weaning-at-close-to-3#post-2665829 Thu, 15 Dec 2016 13:22:58 +0000 cat620 2665829@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I weaned my oldest at 18 months, which is not the same as 3, but I can tell you what I did. I started by gradually reducing the number of nursing sessions each day until we were only doing it before bedtime and before naptime. He really liked nursing to sleep, but we didn't co-sleep, so I didn't have the problem of him nursing all night long. When I wanted to cut out those last two nursing session completely, I timed it with a family vacation we were taking to Disney World. My son was so busy during the day and worn out at night, that he went right to sleep without nursing. I didn't offer and he didn't ask, so that was the end for us. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/weaning-at-close-to-3#post-2665808 Thu, 15 Dec 2016 12:59:14 +0000 oscarthegoon 2665808@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Looking for some advice on weaning my toddler. He will be 3 in February. We cosleep, which I am fine continuing, but my poor boobs need a break, and I hope he will sleep better once he learns to sleep without waking up to nurse a few times a night. He asks to nurse during the day too and makes such a sad face if I refuse him (and I end up giving in). We nurse to sleep most nights. I am dreading what I anticipate to be a few days/nights of lots of crying. Should I go cold turkey? Or start by cutting out the daytime nursing and tell him we only nurse at bedtime now? Wear a crewneck shirt tucked in and just hold and pat and rock him while he cries? I feel so guilty denying him, but I am really ready to be done with this part of our relationship. Does anyone have any experience or advice to share? </p>