I must be in the minority here but I don't think there's anything wrong with the dad not wanting a baby in the bed with them. Both of my kids sleep clear on the other side of the house and I like it that way, I use a monitor so I can hear them but other then that they both sleep in their own beds. I think its the mom's decision though if she wants to breastfeed or not.
agreed! (and nothing wrong with being in a minority of opinion!!!)
we weaned DD1 at one year, and it just seemed "right". she was ready, was eating almost exclusively solids, and everything just progressed according to an instinctual rhythm. there was no rebellion or resistance, a natural progrsssion. even before that, DD1 was sleeping through the night 90% of nights after three months, in her own room. the added benefit that we see to this is that not only is DD1 perfectly well rested in the morning, but so are DH and DW
this in turn allows for happier and more rested interactions with our children.
DD2 is working out similarly to DD1, except that it took her more like 5-6 months before she was sleeping through the nights, and even now, it's only about 80% of the time.
we also use monitors to hear if our children wake up, and if they do, we go in to comfort them... but we also make it clear that they need to go back to sleep. we once caved and started letting DD1 into our bed after waking up from nightmares, and we saw it turning into a slippery slope.
i'm not saying one way is better than another... this is what has worked for us! and i will not get into a debate as to what is "better". each family has to figure out what is "best" for them. your mileage will vary, lol.
one thing i do have a strong opinion on, however, is never forcing your child to transition against their will, and especially never trying to get your child to transition to more than one major change at a time from their normal routine (e.g., weaning AND sleeping independently).