cutting out feeds - should i hold off?

[MaeBee]

ive stoppped breastfeeding on demand, my lo is 10 mths, and my plan is to stop completely by a year. so i was thinking to cut down very very slowly so its nice and gentle for us both.
so i stopped a couple of weeks ago, but he did get a couple of days on demand cos he got a fever sunday night and wouldn't touch a bite of anything else.
anyhow, we are down to 5 a day and i was going to cut down to 4 a day today. but at 11.30 today he started screaming, screamed til lunch at 12, screamed through lunch, sobbing into his lentils whilst reluctantly spooning them into his mouth, screamed when we went upstairs to play. i usually wait til 1ish when i put him down for a nap but i gave in and fed him early. cheery as anything after.
so what do i do? is he not ready? he has bad seperation anxiety at the moment, wants me to stay in the room while he falls asleep, gets panicked if i go to the toilet etc. but this anxiety can last months, so i can't just keep putting it on hold can i?
advice? thoughts?

[tibsy]

hi maebee, bumping for you and also for myself, as am planning to cut down at some point! dd is now almost 12mths.

[witchandchips]

May be easiser if you change your daytime routine so the feeding cues are no longer there

[hunkermunker]

I think if you withdraw feeds at a time when separation anxiety is peaking (like it seems to be now), you'll struggle more than if you keep on feeding and leave it to a time when your baby's less stressed out by not being able to breastfeed.

It's brilliant that you've fed this long - you must be very proud of yourself for doing so

I realise that you feel you need to do it sometime and it may as well be now, but I think that if you continue to be responsive to your baby's needs, as you were when he had the fever, and as you have been today, he will work through his separation anxiety. It may be that he'll be utterly fine and ready to stop when he's one if you do this, because he's had the reassurance of you responding to him so well.

But if he does find it difficult, you can either decide to keep breastfeeding, if that's something you'd be open to, and I understand not everyone is, or you have more options - he can have cows milk in a cup at breastfeeding times and you won't feel as awkward about introducing it when he's one, maybe?