17 mo switching sides 20,000 times, what's up with that?

[oolongtea]

My 17 mo clucks his tongue to switch sides (imitating the sound of the maternity bra cup clasp -- cute!) and lately he's doing it like crazy. Nurse for 10 sec, cluck! 10 sec on the new side, cluck! What could be the reason?

Is it just because he can? Or is it generating more supply or something? FYI, when I switch, I'm not turning myself or him, just side lying and using the upper or lower side. And he can totally tell if I just give him the same side again.

Any ideas?

[lovebeingamomma]

editing- I realized he's 17 mo's, guess it's not so important that he get the hindmilk, but still good I guess so I would try to keep him on one side if he's nursing a lot and will drain one side. Also if it's annoying you, just make him stay on one side, say no and put him back on the same side. Kids learn quickly.

[haurelia]

The clucking thing is terribly, terribly cute, I must say.

But, I'm sure the switching must be really annoying. I have a 20 month old boy, and I've noticed a decrease in supply lately, as well as longer for my milk to let down, even if it's been a long time between sessions. He nurses for a minute or two, says "all done!" and pushes the breast away, and then immediately says "nurth!" while pulling on the other side of my bra. Repeated a few times until the milk comes down.
Maybe you are experiencing something similar and he's trying to stimulate a let-down?
This is my first babe, so I don't know if it's typical with nursing a toddler. I'll keep an eye on this thread for some ideas too!

[lifeguard]

The clucking thing is super cute!

Plain & simple I do not allow ds to switch sides. Can you perhaps limit it to a couple switches per session?

I don't believe there is any reason other than he can.

[Shanny2032]

I have to agree with lifeguard, he is testing boudaries just like they do in other areas of life! The first cluck, I would say "you can have both milkies one time so if you switch then we are finished" are however you think he'll get it. He won't be happy at first but stick to your guns and he'll get it.

[jgale]

I don't necessarily think it's a boundary testing thing--I think it may be more of a supply thing. All three of my toddlers this this at around that age. Mine says "Ono milk" (other milk). I think in my case she gets more with the first few sucks on each breast.

I don't particularly love the switching, and if it really drives you nuts, I think it's fine to say no--but as I said, I think it may not really be a toddler/boundary issue so much as he had figured out how to get the most milk the quickest...

[LROM]

At LLL they told me it was a supply dynamic. When dd started this (also at about 18 months), she also started really massaging each boob as she nursed (almost to the point of pain) and it just seemed really clear to me this was triggered by her not getting as much as she wants.

At night it seems a bit more like she's on autopilot with the switching, because she does it for much longer than when she's wide awake, but if I try to keep her to one or stop her she gets hysterical.

All that combined makes it seem very much a supply issue in my case, I don't think dd is even aware of what she's doing when she wakes up half asleep and switches back and forth.

[mambera]

You definitely get more milk by switching sides. I hand express at work and my supply is pretty low, and I find it's way way faster to switch sides frequently. Basically 10-20 'sucks' empties the immediately available milk in the breast, then it 'refills' with milk from higher up in the ducts while I do the other side.

Oddly my DD doesn't bother to switch sides at all when she is nursing, I have to suggest it or she would stay latched on the same side forever. I think she is used to not getting very much milk though, she just likes the comfort.

[mrstanimal]

A clucking sound ?! Are you kidding me ?!?! That is beyond adorable. Melts my heart. My 16 mo does the same damn switching sides thing. I wish he clucked, I think that would help me not feel so annoyed !

[Julybug]

My son is 15mo and does the same switching-sides thing. He doesn't do the cute clucking thing, though - he just grabs! He mostly nurses sitting up unless I lay him down (and often, I have to insist he stays that way or he'll want to pop up or switch sides a bunch anyway), so he just goes back and forth. I would believe it's the toddlers getting wise to how to "game the system" so to speak to get milk to let down more, maybe not have to work as hard to get more milk, etc. My son was a one-sided nurser between about 2wks and 4 months despite latch issues off and on the whole time we've nursed, so I've been lucky that I've had enough supply. But I would believe my son has figured out short cuts to getting what he wants faster. The switching sides is very annoying when he's in our bed, though, because it makes it hard for me to relax until he's done with that nursing session since it's always "this one - that one - this one - that one"!

[crunchy_mommy]

The clucking sounds so cute!! My 20mo DS says "Other side, that one's sleeping," (and sometimes when he starts on the other side he says "That side! Wake up milk!").

Anyway, I generally only let DS switch sides 2x -- so right, left, right, done. Then if he wants to switch again, I tell him he can stay on the current side or he can have water/snack/etc. instead. I purposely keep my supply as low as possible (severe oversupply issues!) and so I've intentionally made the right side produce less & I know sometimes he wants faster/more milk so I do let him switch but I have to limit it because otherwise my supply would get out of control very quickly. Currently he mostly does the switching in the evening (night nursing is on the left side all night long & most of the day he only gets the right side)... so I know when he's switching it's usually because my supply is lower so he wants more.

I don't know if that's at all helpful to you or anything similar to what you're experiencing... oh also I notice he switches a ton in the day or two before AF starts because my supply drops a lot then.