Non-stop Nursing - Just a phase?

[NEastMomma]

Wow, my DS's epic nursing sessions are starting to take their toll. Any mamas BTDT with a babe this age who went through a phase of nursing non-stop?

My DS is 19mos and a very easy, laid-back guy - I would not consider him high-needs at all.  That being said, there is a huge uptick in his nursing requests and also the duration of his nursings the last month or so.  It seems he wants to nurse constantly.   I am happy to meet his needs and want to continue to do so cheerfully, but he's become so squirmy and handsy while nursing.  He zones out and pinches me (not from frustration, but rather as a way to relax?).  He also frequently turns his head to check out a noise and will try and take my nipple with him - ouch! 

Anyway, I am working on his nursing manners, but just curious - is this a "thing" where toddlers this age become epic nursers?  I remember a couple of months ago there'd be a day here and there where he literally didn't nurse at all.  And now...  Tell me he'll soon taper off some???

Thanks in advance!

[HeliMom]

It was totally a thing with my DD, she was nursing more often than a newborn around  that time, now at 23 months she nurses maybe 2x a day. I indulged her the best i could rationalizing that I won't have her asking forever and it's worked itself out.

[chartreusevelour]

I am going through that now.  I think it is teething.  Breast milk is actually a natural pain reliever, you know.

[Asiago]

My 16 month old is nursing constantly also. His molars just erupted and he does also seem to have grown a lot recently but my instincts tell me it is more so related to his motor skills development currently. He's taken off with the running/climbing stage. Whether comfort related or nourishment related it does seem to be a direct relation to developmental changes.

[beebalmmama]

My ds (almost 16 months) is going through this now, especially the last month or so with his first molars coming in. I swear I was back to changing massive breastfed diaper poops but with the volume of a toddler!! I was afraid to leave the house until he had a bm, lol! He mellowed out a lot with the number of nursings once his bottome molars came through, but now he has a cold and has upped the nursing again. He still has two more molars pushing through so I'm sure we'll be riding this out for another month or so......

[HappyMommy2]

Sounds like you are already on the right track.  His extra nursing could be a growth spurt, teething, a cold coming on, etc. 

Also - nursing manners will help a lot.  At that squirmy age, perhaps nursing only in the quiet bedroom if possible will help avoid distractions.  When the pinching etc. got really bad, I would give a warning, and then put her down if it continued.  That stopped it quickly, because she loves her milkies! 

Have you checked out kellymom.com?

[NEastMomma]

Thanks for all the replies!  It is so great to hear that other are going through/have been there.

HappyMommy2 - I haven't checked out Kellymom in sooooo long - I'd forgotten about it.  Going there now.

Thanks!

[D_McG]

Mine went through that. I allowed it with my son but with my DD I was less tolerant of it. It seemed to me that her needs were increasing but her tools were not. So she kept nursing because she didn't know what else to do. So, strict limits, a better, busier schedule, increased time with Daddy etc. All that sort of pushed her to the next phase in her development. That approach satisfied her much more than perma-nursing my son did for him.

[KABB]

My daughter, Kadie, is almost 22 months and is a non-stop nurser. I haven't found a co-orelation between schedule, attention, etc...it's just how she is. Even as a baby she was a constant nurser.