1 year old - still nursing a ton, having issues w/ solids

[seafox]

I work full time, so I definitely know some of this might be missing me during the day. But this weekend I am noticing the same thing - almost constant nursing if he's not adequately distracted (which takes a LOT! usually needing to be at a park or going up and down our stairs). We have a playroom, and even w/ all the toys in there, if I'm in there he'll want to nurse most of the time, even if he just did. Sometimes he's impatient though, and will nurse for like 30sec and then pull off and do something else - a minute later I let down so not so useful. Other times he does nurse get a good letdown, etc., but will want to nurse 2 minutes later.

This morning for example, lots of milk on awakening (both boobs) went downstairs, and between 600am and 10am (his nap) he had at least 4 'big' nursings and countless small ones. Plus breakfast, and that's my other concern - feeding him is such a battle. He'll eat cheerios, but is very inconsistent on other foods, and its very frustrating.


anyway. I'm still pumping 2x a day at work - but when I'm at work he seems to drink a lot less milk and a lot less often then when I am home.

He's fine overnight - wakes up only 1-2x to nurse, which is no big deal to me. So I am not wanting to nightwean or anything - I kind of just want to be able to hang out in the playroom with him without him constantly pulling down my shirt. I am trying to teach him a bit more etiquette but its really difficult (he doesn't seem to really get 'no' yet! and I've tried signs with him for milk, more, all done, but also nothing) He was a super early walker and seems late verbally, which just makes this all harder. He doesn't bite often, but occasionally. He also is a super active nurser, so he'll be nursing but also climbing around, doing various yoga positions, etc. at the same time. So it can get a bit tiring.

so I'm worried about a) him bfing so much that he's not hungry for solids? and b) how to teach a bit of etiquette/etc so that its not quite so intense for me when I'm hanging out with him.

any suggestions?

[AnnaNova]

my sister had similar issue, her 1 yo has been nursing like he's a newborn almost. and very very weird about solids. she had his hemoglobin levels checked (for a different reason), and it turned out that his hemoglobin was extremely low (and so was his iron). they got him on a supplement and he decreased his nursing sessions and started to be interested in solids.
I have no idea how the results and the behavior are connected. maybe something as simple as he wasnt feeling all that well and seeked comfort, who knows, maybe theres something else.
but her story was just like yours, and she was getting exhausted and just upset, and that was the fix

[seafox]

interesting! since DS's iron levels were a bit low at his last appt - but not enough to warrant a supplement - we were hoping w/ solids increasing he'd get some that way. We have another checkup soon, I guess that might tell us what's going on in the iron department.

He doesn't seem to have many low-iron symptoms though, although there doesn't seem to be that many signs for low iron in general (fatigue, I guess? he is uber active and doesn't sleep all that much) but its very possible since he was so borderline a few months ago that its worse now. I guess we could try a supplement and see if that changes anything.