another weaning question

cian's been down to 2 bfs a day (first thing in the morning, last thing at night) for several months and is quite happy, but there's been a lot more comfort sucking lately and i really want him weaned before no.2 arrives...

he's a really good drinker and will have 1-2 cups of cows milk a day plus water if it's offered, so just wondering the best way to go about stopping his bf. do i only give it if he asks? or do i just stop and replace his bf with a cup of milk before bed?

I weaned Natalie about a month ago - I really wanted to let her self-wean, but as in your case, she really wasn't getting much from me, and the dietary restrictions were getting too much for me!

For dropping the morning feed, I just got her up, offered a bottle while getting her dressed/napy change and then kept her busy/distracted and did breakfast quickly. She didn't seem to worry about missing the morning BF at all.

We started giving Natalie a bottle at bedtime - just after her bath, then would do stories, and then BF and then bed. Eventually (when she was drinking a fair amount), we got DH to do stories & bed, so she didn't really have a chance to complain about no BF, and then finally I was able to do the whole bedtime routine again.

However, for a while, she wouldn't go to bed without being BF, so we would end up doing a bedtime BF every 2 to 3 days. I think that helped drop my supply off too, so it wasn't as dramatic to my boobs!

I think part of the weaning process comes down to your DS's personality. Natalie dropped all her day feeds by herself, but wasn't going to do the last couple for a while yet, so it was more me deciding. However, if you think he won't *ask* to be fed, maybe the no offer, no refuse thing might work for you?

also wanted to add that the only reason we give Natalie a bottle is because she has food allergies, and without the bottles, she'd get almost no calcium at all! I think if your DS is a good eater/drinker, there's no reason to change to a bottle. I think it was Bizzy who suggested maybe a cup of milo before bed instead?