Breastfeeding duration and night weaning
How long you hope to breastfeed and whether and when to stop night feeds. These are separate decisions that tend to change once the baby arrives.
How long should we breastfeed, and when should we night wean?
In short: Parents choose between 4 main approaches: To 6 months; To 12 months; To 2 years; Child-led. Evidence: your call. No outcome evidence picks a winner. Preference, culture, money and logistics decide. Best settled: 6–12 months.
- Evidence
- Your call
- Best settled
- 6–12 months
- Part of
- Pregnancy to first birthday
Breastfeeding duration and night weaning: what are the options?
Parents usually land on one of these 4 approaches.
1. To 6 months
You plan to breastfeed for about half a year.
2. To 12 months
You plan to breastfeed for about a year.
3. To 2 years
You plan to breastfeed for about two years.
4. Child-led
You continue until your child stops by themselves.
Breastfeeding duration and night weaning: what does the evidence say?
Your call. No outcome evidence picks a winner. Preference, culture, money and logistics decide.
The AAP recommends exclusive breastfeeding for about 6 months, with complementary foods from about 6 months, and continued breastfeeding for 2 years or beyond as long as mother and child wish; WHO gives the same advice. Neither body gives guidance on night weaning, and the sources found on it were lactation and sleep-coaching sites that disagree, so treat when to stop nursing at night as a family decision rather than an evidence-settled one
Sources
What else is worth knowing?
Health bodies recommend breastfeeding for about six months and then alongside food for as long as you both wish. How long you continue, and when night feeds end, depends on your baby, your body, work and what feels right. These plans often change along the way.
Questions to ask each other
- How long do we each imagine, and where does that picture come from?
- How would we decide to stop night feeds?
- What would we do if one of us wants to stop and the other does not?
More in Feeding the baby
First published 2026-10-03. Last updated 2026-10-05. General information, not medical advice.