Ending breastfeeding

I’d like to stop breastfeeding my 16 month old however we still feed to sleep and have never done any sleep training. Any advice? Should I just go cold turkey on both and expect a rough few nights or would it be better to sleep train and then stop breastfeeding?

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A baby should never be sleep trained. Cold turkey will be traumatic for your toddler who has little understanding at 16 months and risks mastitis for you.

The best approach is a gentle and gradual one. Worth noting night weaning isn’t recommended under 18 months. If you’re wanting to stop I’d suggest gradually reducing the time you feed for each night until you get to 0.

Your baby is going to be upset and is going to need a lot of reassurance that you still love them, it’s just the milk that is going. Sleep training removes all they’ve ever known (milk and boob) and your comfort.

Ultimately it’s your choice. It’s your body, and your baby. What I will say is sleep training is not based in any evidence and can be damaging to the infant brain. Babies expect to be close to us for at least the first three years (highly recommend the book “The Nurture Revolution” for anyone who is pushing you to sleep train.)

I can also offer from personal perspective, closer to 18 months was a better time for us to night wean, and she still needed comfort and a snack/a drink of water.

La leche league website also has some great advice for weaning whilst still being responsive to your baby’s needs.

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