I’ve now breastfed three boys, each for different lengths of time, and every single weaning story has been completely different. Some were emotional, some were stressful, and one was surprisingly easy — like shockingly easy.
So this is just me sharing my real, unfiltered story in case it helps another mom who feels overwhelmed or unsure where to start.
Weaning My First Son: I Had No Idea What I Was Doing
With my first, I was honestly terrified to wean him. I didn’t know how I would get him to sleep, what our routine would look like without nursing, or even how to stop in the first place. So instead of weaning, I just kept going.
Then I got pregnant with my second son — and kept breastfeeding through the entire pregnancy. After the baby was born, I even ended up breastfeeding both boys at the same time. My oldest was two, and I honestly thought the day he quit would never come.
Finally, when he was a little over two years old, I decided to try something I had heard about from another mom: putting vinegar on myself.
So the next time he wanted to nurse, I put vinegar all over my chest. He took one sniff, screamed, and ran away — and that was it. He never nursed again.
Nights were a little tricky for a while, because he was used to nursing to fall asleep. I kept a paper towel soaked in vinegar next to my bed, and every time he tried to nurse, I’d hold it up to remind him. It sounds wild, but it actually worked. He was older, he understood quickly, and he adjusted.
Weaning My Second Son: Pregnancy Hormones + Night Wakings = I Was Done
My second son’s story was totally different. He was about three months away from turning two, and I was pregnant again. The combination of pregnancy hormones, constant night wakings, and my milk drying up made me feel so agitated while nursing him. I didn’t want to feel that way, but I also couldn’t keep going.
So I decided to night wean him first.
I made a new rule:
If we were in bed, there was no nursing.
Period.
And yep… I brought back the vinegar. Anytime we laid down, I would put vinegar on myself so he wouldn’t even try.
It was rough at first. He had always nursed to fall asleep, so without nursing, it took him forever — sometimes an hour and a half — to fall asleep at night. He also completely stopped taking naps during the day. And trust me, I tried. We would all lay down for two hours and he still wouldn’t sleep.
The one good thing?
He started sleeping long stretches at night once the nursing was gone. So I just pushed through that phase and accepted that naps were probably done.
It was messy, exhausting, and emotional… but we got through it.
Weaning My Third Son: My Miracle Child
Now I’m pregnant with my fourth, and my third son is almost two. Same situation: I’m pregnant, he’s eating plenty of food, but he still wakes up constantly to nurse — and the nursing agitation was coming back hard.
But I kept putting off weaning him because I was scared it would be as dramatic as it was with my second son — no naps, long bedtimes, endless crying. I just didn’t want to repeat that.
Then out of nowhere… he shocked me.
One day at nap time, I rocked him in the rocking chair, told him, “We’re not going to nurse anymore,” and he fussed a little… but then he laid his head on my shoulder and fell asleep.
No nursing.
No screaming.
No vinegar.
And after that?
He literally never asked again.
Bedtime became easy. I would lay next to him, sing to him, and he’d fall asleep smiling. He still takes naps. He’s happy. He’s content. It has been the easiest transition I’ve ever experienced.
The only thing I did differently with him was I started preparing him weeks before. I would say things like:
“You’re getting so big.”
“You don’t need milk anymore.”
“You’re all done nursing.”
“You’re tired of nursing.”
Did it help? I truly don’t know. Maybe it did. Maybe he’s just an easygoing kid. But this weaning story has honestly blown my mind — I never knew it could go this smoothly.
What I Learned After Weaning Three Kids
Every child is different.
Every breastfeeding journey is different.
Every weaning moment hits at its own time.
There’s no “perfect” way to do it. Sometimes it’s messy. Sometimes it’s emotional. Sometimes it’s surprisingly beautiful. And sometimes… it’s vinegar. 😂
If you’re in the middle of it right now, you’re not alone. You’re not doing it wrong. You’re just figuring it out like every mom before you — and every mom after.
And no matter how you do it, your baby will be okay.
And so will you.
—-Chandee
Dandychandee 