Our Backstory
So, if you read part 1 of my „Quitting-Breastfeeding-Saga“, you’d know that I quit Breastfeeding during the day. It even got so far, that I realized my toddler was ready to quit night feeding too.
But then we went to a destination wedding, we got sick and it all was just too much for her, so I gave in. After all that she was even more attached to the boob than she was before those events. She wouldn’t drink much water, nor would she eat well. So I decided that I had to quit cold turkey for her well-being.
How To I Quit Breastfeeding A Toddler Cold Turkey
I am going to give you a short and sweet guide to quit cold turkey. I had asked other moms for advice and watched some YouTube videos on the matter. I consolidated my information and came up with a plan. Down below I’ll share my method with you. It worked for us. I hope it’ll work for you as well.
Step 1: Prepare Your Mindset
As I tried to emphasize in my previous post, mindset is the KEY, when it comes to quitting breastfeeding or for that matter, for parenting in general. In advance your going to tell yourself what kind of parent you will be through this. You could even do this every single day. Your going to use this mantra (Janet Lansbury) “ I am a confident leader“. A confident leader stays cool, calm, collected, grounded and kind. No matter what happens. You are your child’s solid rock throughout this. It helps to remember the „WHY“. When you feel like giving up, when you start coming up with excuses, then ask yourself „Why am I doing this? What am I doing this for? What good things will come from this, if I keep going?“.
Step 2: Tell A Teddy Bear That There Will Be No More Milk Or „Nene“ As My Little Angel Calls It
I took all my child’s stuffed animals and laid them out in a half circle. I then put my little one in front of them and I told the stuffed animals (and my child) that there will be no more milk. I tried to encourage her at the same time to also tell the stuffed animals that WE are no longer doing the whole mommy milk thing.
An acquaintance of mine told the girls at daycare, that there will be no more milk for her little boy. And it worked like a gem. However you do it, the point of this is to include a third party and not just tell the kid directly. In my mind the child will not feel as targeted as opposed to the situation where you directly tell the child. The aim is to include the child in this decision.
Step 3: Prepare Yourself – Stock Up On All The Foods You Can Stock Up on
Get enough alternatives for your kid. Have different liquids as options such as water, unsweetened tea, warm milk. Also make sure to have a variety of snacks available such as yogurt, fruits, homemade oatmeal, healthy kids cookies without added sugar, corn puffs without sugar or salt etc..
Step 4: Get Someone To Help You If You Can
Your toddler might whine a lot and probably won’t be sleeping through the night. This can really deplete your energy reserves. So nap whenever you can and get someone to help you through this time if you can. Maybe your partner can help throughout the night, maybe a family member or friend can come stay with you or maybe you can get a babysitter for a few hours so that you can get some rest.
That is it !
Now all you have to do is keep going and ride it out. It can be really tough on you and your kid but you and your child will be stronger for it. And you can get your body back and you both will (re-) gain some freedom.
You can definitely do it and your child can definitely do it too!
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