not just bedtime & nap @2yo

[kylesmama]

I like the idea of CLW but have talked to other IRL CLW moms lately & it seems like all of their babes at 2 yo are only really only nursing for bedtime & nap or possibly first thing in the AM but not ALL DAY LONG...I've had a few other mamas comment on how often my 2 yo dd nurses & it is quite frequent. I am in no hurry to wean but I would like it if she nursed less frequently during the day. I do say no & try to limit her at times when I don't want to nurse & am sure to try to reach for a healthy snack or drink. I do find that she tries to use yummy nummies for some alone time to get me to herself w/o her brother. I also know that it totally grounds & centers her & me too at times. Someimes I secretly look forward to nursing b/c I know it does help me slow down, breathe & relax a bit & pause & look at things differently. I don't think it's out of boredom, nor am I sitting down much - she usually pulls me to find a bench if we are out or tells me where she wants to nurse at home. I do think she likes the idea of being a little baby & maybe that is part of keeping that in the "I do it myself" stage. It is a bit frustrating to me b/c she obviously has some emotional needs being met w/ nursing but I don't want to resent nursing...I want to continue it being happy for us both...but my nipples are literally feeling chewed off lately. Personally I don't mind the night nursing so much, but am feeling overwhelmed w/ the amount of day nursing going on.

a little history my ds weaned at 25 mos (her age) as I was 6 mos pregnant & he was very frustrated with not having any milk....it was a semi-easy transition in a way b/c of the lack of milk...I think it may just be hard for me b/c I'm not used to nursing this old of a child out in public - that does get me a bit - especially when that's all she wants to do at story time or other social situations with lots of kids...

I guess what I am looking for is reassurance & support that I am not alone on my journey...also am trying to think if this is needs / wants vs. just habitual...and how I can be better at setting limits. I am realizing that I have challenges with limits of all sorts...

Thanks in advance!!

[mom2threenurslings]

I have 5 children and have nursed all of them. I've NEVER had a 2 year old who nursed just for nap / bedtime. My children, at 2, nurse A LOT. My 3.5 year old nurses a lot. It's normal. It's wonderful.

[alegna]

At 2yrs old dd was nursing 12-20 times a day....

NOW, at nearly 4.5 yrs, she doesn't nap, and nurses more often than just bedtime.

Probably around 3-6 times a day, depending on how you count the multiple morning wake-up nursing sessions.

-Angela

[staceychev]

At 2YO, my dd totally nursed all day long. At 3.5 YO, she's nursing 1-3x daily (including middle of the night wake-ups) during the work week, and maybe once more than that on days when we're home all day.

[LavenderMae]

I have 3 and none of them only nursed in the morning, nap and at bedtime at 2 (my youngest is 2 now) but all 3 nursed much more often than that. I don't really count how many times my 2 yr. old nurses during the day but it's several times for sure.

[FernG]

I don't have a toddler, but I've noticed that at API playgroups, the nursing toddlers who are the oldest seem to have weaned down to nursing before naps or bedtime during their mom's pregnancies with the younger siblings. The nursing toddlers who are the youngest, seem to nurse in public more and need nursing to reground them during play. I'm sure every child is different.

Do you have a natural parenting group near you? Maybe you would be able to find toddlers who nurse in public more often and you would feel more at ease. It's great to feel "normal" every once in a while.

[soso-lynn]

I think that sometimes people are used to negative reaction to the idea of nursing toddlers so they minimize the amount of nursing they do. I know tons of people have said things like "But she only nurses before bedtime, right?" with that desperate look of hope that I will rescue them from the thought of my daughter nursing all day. My daughter only significantly cut down on nursing a few months ago, around her 4th birthday and she still nurses 3-4 times a day, just for shorter periods.

[williamsmommy2002]

My 4 year old still nurses more than that. My 6 year old usually just nurses a few times a week but that has increased recently(probably due to the holidays). I know that I sometimes minimize nursing to people on the outside because I don't make a big deal about it.

[azmomtoone]

My two year old still nurses all day long when we're home together, but he'll go most of the day without nursing much if we're out doing stuff all day. I WOHM so he's not nursing all day every day; but I'm sure if I were home he would be....weekends he still nurses, more times a day then I can count; he's still up several times a night to nurse too.... after usually being latched on most of the evening. Lately (see other post) he's been asking for water alot but he still nurses alot too......

[Drummer's Wife]

yup, at 2 yo my kid nursed almost as much as a newborn, some days. Definitely for naps and night time. I know there are toddlers that only nurse a couple times a day, but mine surely wasn't one of them. Even at 3, he nursed pretty dang frequently.

[milkybean]

My guy at 2 (and 3 and 3.5 and just up to 4) was like all the others. I could never, and would never, count b/c it was impossible and might have made me feel negatively about it. All I know is that I felt that he, up to around 3ish, nursed more than your typical American breastfed infant. You can imagine what he was like as an infant....