2 Yr Old Still Nurses Morning/nighttime

I'm interested also. In my opinion if you child was interested in stopping he/she would on their own. If you are going to suggest they stop they are not going to be interested and if they are not interested they will not be happy. If they are happy one of the ways you have suggested no one suggest is going to be included in some way. Good luck hope it goes well for you.

Congrats on nursing so long. I weaned a little earlier at 18 months. was dealing with one last night feeding, although I did not nurse to get her to sleep. Here is what I suggest.

First start trying to get him to sleep without nursing. For us that was around 12-14 months. Whereas I used to do teeth-diaper-pajamas-nurse, I started to add things after I nursed until it was nurse-teeth-diaper-pajamas. Work on rocking, cuddling, whaatever works.

Second, start giving an extra cup of milk after dinner. Fill him up!

Third, I started to make myself scarce every 2 to 3 nights. So Monday I would nurse. Tuesday I would let my husband do the whole bedtime routine. When I was ready, I just had my husband do it like three nights in a row.

After we weaned, she didn't ask... until I made the mistake of wearing a nursing tank at bedtime. She saw those straps (which she used to play with) and remembered. I said, "No, night-night" and swiftly handed her to my husband And that was it.

It is probably easier to get rid of the morning nursing session first. I would just have him go right down for breakfast, and maybe let dad do it for a few days.

I applaud not doing cry it out or cold turkey. But it is hard to wean without help - you are the biggest cue to remind him! I loved nursing and it was hard to decide to stop, although it was nice to move on to a new stage with my daughter. I had nursed my older daughter until 13 months and SHE decided to quit cold turkey, just stopped asking, which was devestating. It is nice to have some compromise with our child and share the process. So don't feel bad about nursing after you think you are done. You can do it slowly, but try to be consistent.

Good luck!

My little boy turns 2 today and he's nursing as I type this, so I'm not the best help in the world. He really only nurses first thing in the morning, and (I work from home) when he wants to keep nursing, I try to turn him on my lap so he can watch cartoons or doodle on paper while we still have cuddle time.

The biggest hurdle is breaking the nurse-to-sleep habit, I would suggest following whatever pattern you use for naps.

Congratulations for nursing for more than two years. The easiest way to wean a toddler is to follow the "don't offer, don't refuse" method. If you make yourself available when he asks to nurse but don't initiate, he should wean. The bedtime routine may take longer.

Depending when you get home at night, it might work to start earlier. Some 2's do really well going to sleep in the 7's and stay asleep all night. Early dinner, a bath, and lots of reading and/or music can help your little boy fall asleep and eventually he will forget to ask to nurse. It feels kind of strange as the Mom but the child just replaces nursing with cuddling. I'd thought we would substitute milk or water at bedtime but that wasn't what nursing meant as a toddler. The cuddling time lasts for years. Enjoy!

my son nursed until almost 2. He really didnt need to any more. But anyways I started out with one first. The morning nursing should be the easiest to do. Instead give him milk in the morning and cuddle togther and tell him No more nurseing in the morning it's al gone. My sone was litterlay 2 months before 2 and he got it. The night time nurseing is not good for his teeth so you might want to stop that as soon as you get the morning one under control

I was in the SAME boat and feel the same way about cold turkey/cry it out.
I ended up just letting my son do the morning/night nursing until he seemed like he could take it or leave it - which was at about 2 1/2. I also snuck in little conversations about how when another baby comes, it will be HIS turn (we were learning about taking turns anyway, so, that worked). I got pregnant right when he was about 2 3/4, and he really understood that mommy was growing a baby in her belly and needed that milk for the new little baby.

It's so natural. So good for him. So, regardless if he "needs" it - it's still great for him - and if you are okay with it, I say let nature take its course. :)

For me the morning nursing time was the easier of the two to get rid of. When my little girl woke up I would just hold her and rock her for a little bit, and then when she started to get a little restless and started to nuzzle in I would get up with her and carry her into the kitchen. I would just give her some milk before I gave her breakfast. She did well with that but it did take about two weeks before she stopped giving me the "I want to nurse" chest pat. She enjoyed just the cuddle time so she wasn't missing out on that.

For the night nursing that was more difficult. I didn't try to do that until I knew she was okay without the first nursing. Before bed I would give her some warm milk and sit and cuddle with her like I did in the morning. It took about a month for her to stop nursing all together. The only thing I would really make sure of no matter what you do is to be sure that you still offer your son the closeness that he had while you were nursing him. You don't want him to feel like you are shunning him. Try to stick to your normal routine as much as possible and he will adjust. There is no substitute for Mommy and her comforting ability. I hope that he does well and that you are able to get pregnant!!

a two year old who still occasionally nurses, no big deal,
he/she will eventually get bored with it.. and long before they start school. i would think that given the economy,
nursing a tot for two years or more would be better anyway.
no fonmula to buy, no bottles to sterilize, but asking your
doctor for his opinion might not be in your best interest
though, because all your doctor is going to do is chide you
for continuing to occasionally nurse the child, and then hand you a coupon for a formula company that he gets a kick
back from. as for trying to get pregnant again, these things happen, typically when you least expect it to. i was making tentitive plans to hike part of the appilachian
trail, maybe even take up rock climbing ,i was even pricing camping supplies and gear, then i discovered that
i am pregnant. no camping, no hiking, no rock climbing
K. h.

K.:

Hello! I nursed my oldest son until he was 2 years, 3 months. Like you my son only did it in the morning and bedtime. I LOVED this time too!! It was really hard for me to give it up!!

I got pregnant (without trying) while I was nursing, that's why we stopped, the OB suggested it.

At this point, since you are only nursing twice a day, you probably aren't putting out a lot of milk and it's a habit for both of you, that's the sad part.

Any way - what I did was cut the time for nursing, especially in the evening. It took about two weeks. He's 9 now and just fine! We do other things in the AM and PM, to keep that closeness.

My other son? He JUST STOPPED nursing at one year - no kidding, went to nurse him the day after his 1st day and he refused the breast, wanted a bottle and never looked back! I admit, I was saddened by this - but i've been told, some kids do that.

I hope my information helps!!

Best regards,

Cheryl

I really believe in letting the child choose when to quit. You have a beautiful thing going! Children grow up so fast. Your nursing has nothing to do with whether you get PG or not. I nursed my son until he lost interest. It tore my heart out when he didn't want it anymore. He quit when he was 2 and a half years old.

I had to stop nursing my daughter when she was almost two because I was too sick. She accepted the fact when I told her "Mommy doesn't have anymore milk." But then she started thumb sucking all the time. I think this was her coping mechanism.

Breastmilk is so good for the child. My babies were very healthy! AF

I hate for you to feel like you need to stop, but if you are not feeling pressured, you just know that it is 'time', then I would suggest offering a cup of milk, even warm it up in the evenings. I wouldn't go to a bottle at this age, because that is one more thing you'd have to break later on. Your youngster is pretty much old enough to be able to talk to and explain things, so you can start having conversations about how it is almost time to be done with nursing. I personally, would try and get rid of the morning feeding first, then move to the night time feeding.

Good Luck,
KATIE

2 years old seems to be a cutting off point for you, so now is a good time to try to ween him off of you and onto the bottle...if you do get pregnant, your milk will change, so he will probably stop on his own (my mom was surprised when I stopped drinking my bottle because I accidentally got my younger brother's formula and was shocked that it tasted gross...never went back to the bottle!). Who feeds him when you are at work? What do they give him? Try sticking to that...he may resist at first, but if you give him the option, he may just stick with what he is used to...Also, while you are trying to get pregnant, you can try these tips that moms use for younger babies - it may work as well (from BabyCenter)-

• Offer him a bottle a little earlier than her regular feeding time so he'll be hungry and interested, but not so hungry that he'll be frustrated by the cold nipple.

• Let someone else feed him the first bottle.Your baby will be less confused if you don't give him the bottle yourself, since he may wonder why she's not getting your breast. Instead, ask someone who might feed him in your absence — your mother, your partner, a childcare provider, or another mother — to make the first introduction.

• Try to be out of the house for this event; babies can smell their mother from a distance of at least 20 feet, and he may know that you (and your breasts) are around even if you're in another room.

Good luck!!

First, I have to commend you for nursing for so long! I think its great! I nursed my son until he was 2, mostly just for comfort and going to sleep. The way that I got him to wean is, I give him a bottle, but I lay with him and he holds onto my breast and goes to sleep. He's 2 and 1/2 now, and he's since not asked to nurse anymore, he just likes to hold onto it.
I either give him warm milk in a bottle or Chamomile tea.
The nursing should not be having an effect on your trying to get pregnant, I have friends who have nursed throughout thier pregnancies.
Good luck!

Good for your for nursing so long!! I weaned my son at 28 months, after he was potty trained :) I used prizes for the potty training and it went SO well that I had him pick out "sleeping" prizes as we were already down to one nursing session before bed. HE got to pick them out and one night he happened to fall asleep when I was reading to him. So the next night I put the prizes on the kitchen table and told him it was time to work on the sleeping prize. That night after stories and lights out I held him in my arms but did not nurse. He cried a little, but it was NOT a full blow fit. In the morning he said "mommy helped me earn my sleeping prize!" It was amazing. Good luck, and you are SO right to do it with love.

Hi K.,
Do you want to wean? I found for me that when I tried for reasons other than I felt ready, it never worked. Once I was emotionally ready to wean, my boys were too. Does that make sense? The morning and evening were my last two as well. We stopped the evening one first, my husband would put my son down....same routine just not me nursing. I had maybe one night of "No, mama" for about two minutes then both fell asleep. for the morning one, I offered my son a yogurt smoothie instead and that did the trick. My younger loved the smoothie too, but he needed cuddle time for a few months after that. There were several weeks/month between dropping those last two feedings. But, had either resisted or shown transition issues, I would have gone back....

I nursed my daughter until she was 15 months, and she was the same, fell asleep nursing. You have to set a time limit...like 10 minutes...so that you are taking him off the breast before he falls asleep. It's going to be tough for a few nights but just hold him and rock him until he falls asleep. Also try replacing it with a sippy cup of milk. I know you shouldn't give them milk to sleep but to help make the transition I don't think it hurts. It may help if dad does bed time for a few nights and if you aren't around at all. That's what worked for us. Good luck!

My daughter nursed until she was 2 years and 10 months old. She loved it and I felt like she needed to be weaned before she started school this month. I got a timer and set it for a few minutes less than she was currently nursing each time and then progressively cut the time on the timer down. We went from about 7 minutes per side each time down to 5 seconds per side over the course of about 4-5 months. Then we set a stopping day, put it on the calendar and talked it up about what a big girl she was getting to be and how only babies really nurse. It worked really well for us. After the final big day she asked a few times to nurse and I reminded her that we were all done because that day had passed and she stopped asking for it. Good luck with your effort and congratulations for giving your son such a great start in life!

I only nursed my son until he was 10 1/2 months but not by choice. Had I been physically able to continue nursing I would not put any limits or restrictions on it at all. I would probably be nursing today with my 4 year old.
It is a natural bond between a mother and child and there are so many women that nurse until the child is 4-6. Morning and night should be considered that precious time you have between you and your child. You should cherish it.
If you feel that you NEED to wean, then make the choice and use some of the suggestions you recieved here.

My opinion is that if your child is happy, healthy and developing well then why would you want to stop spending that special time together? Time that you spend before you rush off to work (to a hectic day) or before bed should be a welcomed moment. Relish in the moments you have to be close with your child before they grow up all too fast and then you miss that time together.

Believe me, I miss it so much and grieve for the time that I wasn't able to nurse due to the lack of production. You will miss it when you stop and your child may miss it as well.

I have lots of friends that still nurse their 3,4,5 year olds for comfort and closeness as well as nourishment. Their children are the most well rounded, calm and loving children I know. It isn't about what is socially acceptable. It is about what you FEEL is best for your child and for you. These friends of mine have also nursed while TTC, while pregnant, and after giving birth (tandem nursed) with no problems.
Hope this helps. Whatever you decide, make sure it is for the right reasons (your reasons) and not because people make you feel insecure about it. Listen to that Momma voice deep inside for what you need and want to do. Do what your instincts tell you.

Hi,
I cant comment on how to stop nursing, both my boys quit 2-3 weeks before there first birthday. A possible reason for no pregnancy though could be the nursing. Are you getting a period at all. I went almost a year free without it while nursing. Good Luck!