Night weaning was honestly the toughest part of our weaning journey. For 16 months, Reece was exclusively breastfed, fed to sleep for every nap and bedtime, and woke a minimum of 4 times a night. By the end, we were waking every 2 hours and I was completely exhausted, touched out, and running on broken sleep. I thought I’d be ready to stop at 12 months. I wasn’t. And honestly, I don’t think Reece was either. So we kept going. By 16 months, he was older, understood so much more, could follow simple directions, and seemed ready for the transition. At the same time, I had reached my limit. I knew I couldn’t continue surviving on broken sleep and being the only one who could settle him overnight. When we finally weaned, these are the things that helped us most: ✨ 1. Reduce day feeds first Before removing night feeds, I dropped the morning feed and the after-nap feed. When he asked, I’d offer water, milk in a cup, food, books, a cuddle, or a distraction instead. After naps and in the morning, I’d get him straight out of his room and into a different environment. ✨ 2. Use a visual cue Bandaids were a game changer. Instead of having the same conversation over and over, he could physically see that things had changed. It helped me hold the boundary and helped him understand it. ✨ 3. Make sure they’re getting plenty during the day I focused on offering regular meals, snacks, water, milk in a cup, connection, cuddles, and one-on-one time. The more full and connected he felt during the day, the easier nights became. ✨ 4. Be ready to hold the boundary This was the biggest one. The first few nights were hard. There were definitely tears. But I never left him alone to figure it out. I cuddled him, held him, rocked him, sang to him, and reassured him every step of the way. There’s a big difference between abandoning a child in their emotions and supporting them through a big change. And honestly? It’s been one of the best things we’ve ever done. He’s sleeping longer stretches, waking less, and he seems so much more rested and happy during the day. And for the first time in a very long time, so am I. If you’re currently feeding to sleep, waking every couple of hours, and wondering where to start, I’ve put together my full step-by-step guide sharing exactly what worked for us. Comment WEAN and I’ll send it to you 🤍 #nightweaning #toddlerweaning #breastfeedingjourney #weaningjourney #feedingtosleep - @tamaraforster_