For ages Thomas was just feeding at bedtime, but recently he is looking for a feed more often - when he wakes up in the morning (if I'm there) and when he gets up from his nap (again, if I'm there). If I'm not there he will happily go without feeds, including the bedtime feed but if I'm there he is still very keen. He knows that he only gets a breastfeed on the armchair in his bedroom, I won't feed him elsewhere in the house or when we are out and about (personal choice) and he is fine with that. I still feed him directly, he never really liked bottles much although he did reluctantly take a bottle when he was younger. He also sometimes has cow's milk from a cup with his meals.
I always thought I would feed for six months or thereabouts because that's what everyone I knew did. I definitely didn't think I would feed past a year and I thought it was creepy breastfeeding a toddler who could walk and talk. I guess in practice though you are not all of a sudden breastfeeding a toddler, they grow older so gradually so you get used to it gradually too, if that makes sense! Also although he is 18 months and fiercely independent about some things, he is still a baby too and very dependent still. I do feel that he gets great comfort and security from breastfeeding and at this stage I will continue until he self-weans (although I will gently encourage him by limiting number of feeds, limiting places where I will feed him, etc.)
OmiOmen, if you do want to stop then I think there is a window of opportunity after they turn a year, when Thomas was 14-16 months he really wasn't too bothered about breastfeeding and I think I could easily have weaned him then but I wasn't ready. I even thought he was self-weaning at one stage because he didn't have a feed at all for three days. Now that he's older he understands more and he is much more attached to it and I think I would find it much much harder to wean him. I know he would be devastated and personally I know I wouldn't be able to do it to him. However, very few people in real life know that I'm still breastfeeding because I just don't tell them! And as I said I will only feed Thomas in his bedroom now so he doesn't ask except in his bedroom.
