HOW and how OFTEN does your young and not-very-verbal toddler ASK to nurse?

[expat-mama]

My ds is almost 15 months old. He only has a few words but he is very expressive and he points to the nursing pillow or brings it to me when he wants to nurse. He just started doing this lately actually. At first he would do it when he was upset or tired as he nurses to sleep for naps. Now he is doing it constantly, like once or twice in an hour while we are at home during the day.

We aren't home during the day very much but when we are I usually nurse him soon after he wakes up (and he usually has been nursing all morning in bed before waking) then before we go out or before his first nap. Then we nurse sometimes when he gets up and then before his second nap (if he has one) and before dinner then again before bed. Sometimes there is one or two nursing sessions in between these times as well.This seems like a sufficient amount of nursing for a little one his age (to ME). But he seems to want more and more and more lately. I was kind of under the impression that he would kind of taper down the frequency of nursings (he had started to do this) and not increase them!

He is easily frustrated lately from trying to communicate and trying to accomplish difficult things that he isn't quite ready for. This could be a key reason for him wanting to nurse more. I'm willing to nurse him when he asks, I think it's important. But...I'm getting a little weary of it all lately. 

I'm just curious- how does your young toddler ask to nurse? And how often do they ask?

[PatioGardener]

Last La Leche League meeting I went to I asked if it was normal that my 15 month old was nursing like a newborn!

The answer was YES! - and it is a phase. It settled a lot after his molars came in, and now at 17 months we're back to our old routine of about 6 times a day. (Down from 58 times a day, I swear!)

[Asiago]

It is healthy and normal

In societies where bf'g is completely unrestricted, it is normal for even 3 year olds to nurse on average every hour and 20 minutes.

My own son is almost 2 years old and feeds countless times per day, two hours without feeding is a rarity..

Edited by Asiago - 10/11/11 at 1:27pm

[colomamato4]

I was just going to post something very similar to yours...wondering why I'm feeling like my 12-month old is nursing as much as a newborn lately! I really don't mind it too much, but it's the hourly night nursings that are wearing me out. I walk around all day like a zombie and have 3 older kids I need to tend to.

I'm glad to know it's normal and would be freaking out much more if she wouldn't want to nurse - like many of my friends with 1-year-olds are going through.

[octobermom]

my DD is 19 months untill recently she wasn't asking to nurse during the day a lot.. I always offered her (and she ussually took ( the breast upon waking up before and after her naptime 1 in the mid afternoon (a quiet time) abd bedtime.. She in addition would ask between 1-3 additional times but that was about it however she nursed all night long..

 recently though she has been finially STTN waking only once the past week or so but I have noticed she has about doubled the times shes asking me to nurse outside the normal wake and nap type times. She is also nursing more intently at those times.

Deanna

[Lazurii]

To answer the question of how my toddler asks to nurse, she signs "milk".  She sometimes says "Nursh".  Very cute.

To answer how often, that would be VERY OFTEN.  Starting at bedtime, she nurses to sleep, then sleeps for a solid block until midnight or one am.  Then she's usually conitunally latched on until we roll out of bed in the morning.  I mean 100% latched until we're outta bed.  Then she asks to nurse about every hour or so unless she's engrossed in something. She nurses down for nap and would prefer me to sleep with and nurse her during that time.  Every time I sit down she asks to nurse.

Is he teething?  When my kiddos teeth they nurse so much it drives me nutty.

[katelove]

My 17m.o. pats my chest or sticks her hand into my cleavage. If she sees me without a shirt on she will point and say "Ha aha ha!" or, if I'm sitting down, just lunge (we call it bosom diving).

As for how often, it varies depending on what we're doing. If we're out, less frequently. If we're a home and playing in her room I will often lie on the floor reading to her with my bra down and she will be on and off for short feeds every few minutes. Overnight, she can feed for an hour at a time several times or have a few short top-ups in between less frequent long feeds. It's all over the place really.

[CherryBombMama]

my ds is 15 months and nurses something along the lines of every hour, not counting nap time or bed time. 

he generally kind of stares at my boobs and drools (haha!) then just recently started pointing and grunting. when i cant immediately let him latch on, he starts POUNDING on my chest, and i know its not a good habit, but i love that he is trying so hard to get his point across :)

i am 15 weeks pregnant and my milk supply is going down, and my nipples *hurt* so its really getting hard to nurse him. at night when i just want to cry ive been telling him, "num num all done. go night night." he gets really mad, and screams! but i hold him and rock him and put his blankie in between us so he knows there is no chance he is getting any milk, and he goes to sleep.  =\  not sure what else to do, its frustrating because they are not *baby* babies anymore, but theyre not full fledged toddlers either

[crystal_buffaloe]

DD is 17 months and not very verbal at all. As one PP mentioned, if she sees me topless or in just a bra, she'll lunge at my chest Otherwise, she picks at my shirt.

We recently pretty much nightweaned and she does sleep through the night sometimes. She's only nursing 2-4 times per day, but that's with distraction and encouragement from me -- she nurses at daycare pickup or right after we get home for a long time (this is my least favorite, but the one she's most attched to for sure), at bedtime (usually just a few minutes), sometimes at naptime, sometimes at wakeup in the morning (and if so, it lasts a long time), and sometimes there's an afternoon meltdown that can be resolved only with boobs.
Edited by crystal_buffaloe - 10/26/11 at 8:05pm

[Thyme Mama]

my lo is 15 mo. no words yet, but he uses many signs and is more clever than my other kids were at 15 mo. he can follow instructions with several steps in them.

he usually asks to nurse by making the sign for please and going "ooo - ooo". sometimes he will gently rub my chest, make the sign for please and then he will stick his hand in my top and hold my nipple. he asks 20+ times per day. at least. he loves the milk, that one.

[Quinalla]

My DD at that age used the milk sign or if on my lap would sort of nuzzle my breasts and she asked quite often. I personally had to put limits on her nursing for my own sanity, she loved to nurse and would happily have nursed between each toy she played with, etc. but that was too much for me. But yes, it isn't unusually for toddlers to want to nurse A LOT.