Hello Moms! So, I didn't really plan on extended nursing, but here I am with a 21 month old who I have not yet weaned. I nurse her about three times a day - morning when she gets up, afternoon when I get home from work (sometimes), and bedtime. She is excellent about drinking from a sippy cup (loves the ones with straws!!) and drinks whole milk and juice. She will take a cup from me, so that's not really an issue. I guess the issue I'm having is that I enjoy our cuddle time when she gets up in the morning, so it's been hard to say no when she says "milk" and snuggles up to me to nurse. I haven't really tried not nursing before bed, but she usually asks for milk then, too. I can't really go with the "have someone else put her to bed" method as my husband works a lot of nights, so I'm the one putting her to bed. And since I work all day, I like the time we spend together in the mornings. I am a teacher, so I kind of thought I'd just wait until summer when I'll be spending all day with her and the mornings won't be so precious. But it seems that when I'm home on break or on weekends, she tends to nurse more during the day, so I'm thinking I should wean her before being home in the summer. Also, we're thinking of working on baby #2 soon, so I figure I should be done nursing baby #1 before that happens! Anyway, just wondering if anyone has any advice. She's pretty good about knowing not to ask for milk when we're out anywhere - I guess the whole distraction thing really does work! So it's not like nursing is an inconvenience, I guess I just feel like it's about time to stop. Thanks for any advice :-)
Here I am, back with anther question about my late weaner! We have been going along just fine, although now that I'm home from school, nursing has become a bit more frequent again. Anyway, I had to go to the doctor today for what I imagined to be a uti - sure enough, it is. So now I am on antibiotics for a week to clear it up. I metioned to the doctor that we are trying for baby #2 but for some reason never mentioned that I am still nursing. I asked the pharmacist and she said I really shouldn't nurse while taking the antibiotics. I nursed tonight before bed and tried to explain that "mommy is sick and needs to take medicine that's going to make my milk icky". She seemed to get it, and immediately wanted to go to the fridge for milk :-) But I'm not sure she'll understand tomorrow and I don't know how to go about stopping cold turkey. Any suggestions?? I was actually pretty sad tonight thinking it would be the last time I nursed her. Thanks again, moms!
Why not hold her while she drinks from her sippy cup? That's how I weaned my 12 month old. Now he's 23 months and we still rock at naptime and bedtime. He drinks from his sippy cup and we cuddle and he rests his head on me till he's relaxed. Then to bed.
Good luck!
I honestly thought I would nurse for 6 months. Here I am... my daughter is 2 years and 4 months old. Her pediatrician tells me how much money I have saved in medical expenses. (No ear infections, no antibiotics, no infections of any kind, no constipation, etc.) He encourages me to nurse as long as possible for the health benefits. My lactation consultant says "natural weaning" occurs between 3 & 4 years of age. I would love for my daughter to self-wean. So I don't know how much longer we will go on... learning as we go.
I didnt get to breastfeed, but I did not let that stop me from getting cuddles. My daughter and I cuddle every morning before I go to work, even though it hurts my hips to sit on the floor in her room I wouldnt give up that time for anything in the world. You can cuddle without the breastfeeding.
All babies, if given a chance, will naturally wean themselves with no help from mom. I nursed my daughter till she naturally weaned at 3.5 years. It was a nice, slow, non-traumatic weaning at her own pace. My son is 20 months old and quite the Boob-man.
Breastfeeding is very fleeting. It is a beautiful, but short season in our lives as well as theirs.
As for baby #2, I know MANY moms who nurse while pregnant, so don't let that make you think you need to wean her. I even know some moms who nurse a toddler AND infant. Wet-nurses have done this for centuries and 3rd world countries still do. It is perfectly safe - just up your calorie intact a bit.
Love her and nurse her and in her own time, she will say bye bye to the boobie.
:)
I think it's SO AWESOME you breastfed this long. Congratulations!
If you're wanting to start on baby #2, I'm pretty sure she'll stop on her own.
My little guy pretty much weaned himself (I was wanting to breastfeed during and after pregnancy) once I became pregnant with baby #2.
He still likes to cuddle at night before bed, but now its just to get close to me and smell me I think.
Good luck, and again, I think you're amazing for going so long. :)
My daughter was self-weaning herself at 18 months & I weaned my son at 20 months. They both were down to nursing only twice a day before their nap & bedtime.
I weaned my son too soon though, because he has had a very difficult time letting go, not of the breastfeeding but instead he misses the closeness.
He is now 26 months old and still struggling with losing the closeness, he often times will lift my shirt up to expose my belly, then lay his head or his belly against mine.
It is heartwrenching, and the worst decision....I think kids will show signs that they are ready and sometimes they need encouragement to leave it, but I definitly would NOT push it on them.
The best way to encourage your child to wean themselves (in my opinion) is to keep them busy during the day. The nights are the worst, so if needed let her fall asleep in the car for a few nights in a row (or until completely weaned). This way she is not associating sleep with nursing.
Good luck!
How come you feel like it's time to stop? Don't get me wrong, I completely understand how, as a mom, you're just "done". I'm not judging AT ALL - I just want you to know that right off the bat. I thought I'd nurse my daughter for 6 months, a year tops - she's 22 months and here we are! To be perfectly honest, I thought it was a little "weird" to nurse kids past 18 months or so - I was wrong! I'm a teacher, too and I can't give up the mornings either!! The only reason I ask why you feel like you have to stop is because you seem like you don't want to, so why stop? My very good friend is pregnant with her 2nd - she has a 22 month old, too. She was a more frequent nurser than my daughter, but once her mom started getting a belly she quit nearly cold turkey! If you don't want to give up the nursing and snuggles, just go with it and see what happens!
Hi,
I haven't read the other answers...but mine is simple....why stop? You are giving her awesome emotional health and emotional benefits by nursing her.
I am nursing a 5 1/2 month old and a 2 1/2 year old. It's not for everyone, but it works for us!
My older son's playmates (and my husband and I) all ended up with horrible stomach viruses, two in the hospital. He threw up a few times, but never missed a beat. I truly believe it is from nursing. I want to be able to give that to him til he's 3 at least.
That all being said, nursing a toddler should be mutually beneficial to both parties. As a working mom myself, as much as I struggle sometimes with wanting to be done nursing my older son, I love that it is our chance to reconnect on my time off.
He is slowly weaning himself. This guy was a champion nurser....an all occasion nurser and now there are naptimes and mornings where he doesn't ask. It is tough. I miss our quiet moments just the two of us.
Good luck mama!
My daughter self-weaned at about 2.5 years old.
My son self-weaned at about 1 year old.
I just believed in self-weaning.
I would talk to my daughter about it. If she asked to nurse, I would sometimes just say "not now I'm busy, in a minute...." and then make myself busy and NOT sit down. Then she would get distracted. I also would lessen the time she was at the boob.... not letting her stay on it FOREVER. After a few minutes, I just said 'okay... I have to do things..." then I would get up and make busy. AND, I taught her manners about it... not in public, that she can't just order me to and lift up my shirt... that its my boobs etc. But I'd tell her that gently. So that she didn't feel upset.
Or I did so only IF she asked... not as a matter of "routine." Sometimes s she didn't even ask... thus, self-weaning. So you have to let them not nurse if they don't ask... not just doing it because of "routine."
Or, my friends with kids that age, would put Band-Aids on their nipples and say "Mommy's milk doesn't work...." or "Mommy has a boo-boo..." and they said that worked for them.
Or, you allow it only at certain times.
I got pregnant once, before my daughter self-weaned. But that ended up a miscarriage. But I got pregnant after that, with my son.
all the best,
Susan
I did the extended nursing thing until my daughter was 3 1/2 years old. If you really want her to wean the easy way have another baby. Your milk will change to prepare for the newborn and she won't like it. It's likely she'll quit almost cold turkey.
But it does sound from your post that you're not really interested in weaning. If you're still enjoying nursing there is no rule book out there that says you have to quit. It's okay to continue nursing and even tandem nurse a toddler and a newborn, but like I said, most toddlers don't like newborn milk and decide to quit at that point.
If you do decide to wean though, without getting pregnant, take away the sessions she's not as attached to first. You'll know which ones those are because they are the ones she can do without like the after school one. Do it slowly too, only one a week or so because otherwise you'll be engorged and in pain.
Try distracting her or replacing the feeding with just straight cuddling her. Offer her milk or water instead in case she is actually thirsty/hungry. Or you can even make her wait a few minutes and hope she sort of forgets about it. Nursing on demand with toddlers doesn't have to mean right now it can mean 5 minutes from now and that should be okay. She should be able to wait for mommy to get changed or finish cleaning or what have you.
Hope that helps!
I did the extended nursing thing 2.5 years. What I did was gradually cut out one session at a time, but you can still cuddle. Try being honest - you don't have as much milk, but she can still snuggle - just tell her that. Do that in the morning. When the morning one has completely gone, then take out the later in the day ones. With me, the night nursing was last. I still snuggle with my little guy at night, just no nursing. You're doing fine. She'll understand.
I nursed until 18 months. I ultimately told him it was all gone and was soooo apologetic as though I was sorry I couldn't give him it. I would comfort him and hold him if he needed it. Then we would distract. I also couldn't be undressed in front of him for several months.
