How much does your toddler nurse?

[rockinmama]

My nearly 2 yo. dd is a boobie fiend!!
She wont nurse as much when we are out and about but generally there is constant suckling ALL DAY LONG!!!- I do love it, but man do i get sore and tired.
She has never been a big eater like most other babies ive seen and she is well proportioned though quite small for her age- she is about 26 lbs and still fits into many 18 mo. clothes some of her pants are 12 months!!
Sometimes i'll be with her and someone will say "She looks too little to be walking yet" :
So i guess im wondering if i am missing something in her eating habbits or if her interest in frequent nursing is right along with others little ones .....


~isis~

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

It seems like every kid is different. I have three boys and each has nursed differently. My first was on all the time until I became pregnant when he was 15 months old. He was only nursing 2-3 times a day then, and quickly dropped to once, and finally quit at 17 months. My second nursed until he was 25 months. Some days frequently, like your daughter, some rarely nursing at all. He is 4 now and still small and I used to get the same comments about him looking to small to be walking. My oldest is average, and the youngest is big! I had to ween him at 25 months due to my new pregnancy and throwing up constantly in the begining of the pregnancy . My third is 16 months and nurses 4-5 times a day usually. I tsounds like she is doing just great, and good for you for nursing her!

[edamommy]

my ds is 2year and 2months. He nurses to sleep for nap and again at night time. He will usually nurse another 3 times during the day and he is JUST night weaned (sleeps from 9pm to 5am w/o nursing). He also doesn't like to eat. And he's WAY to busy to stop and eat so I usually chase him around and feed him as he's climbing and running, etc. He's 25lbs.

also must add that, although born a preemie in serious resp. distress, he has not since been sick- at all.

[brookerenee]

You're not alone!

My 1.5 year old DD nurses a lot when we are at home - like every 2 hours or so. She can go a long time (5 hours or so) without nursing if we are out and about. She nurses twice during the night. She doesn't eat many solids yet, and is small (20 lbs and 29 inches tall) and I get the "too small to be walking" comments almost daily. I bought clothes ahead for this spring and summer in size 18 months (I bought them at the end of last summer) and none of them fit her yet. I bet some of her 6-9 month clothes from last summer will still fit.

[buesi]

We are in the same boat

My dh (18 mos) is the same way.He is a real powernurser. When we are at home, he follows me around and wants to nurse all the time......and during night he is anyway next to the tap. There are days when i can hardly get anything solid in him. He is also small (20 lbs and 29.5 inches) for his age and fits in mostly 12 mos clothes (18 mos only for european brands). Sometimes i'm a bit worried .......


SAHM :to Arjun :and Majnu : Wife to dh

[strawberryprincess]

I also have a frequent nurser. Somedays i feel so frustrated because it seems all she wants to do is nurse, however she rarely nurses before 5am, so at least i have a few hours at night!
she also eats very little compared to some other kids her age, but she's not necessarily very small (she's 24lb at 19 mo) but definetly not huge. i have found that the more busy we are, the more we play outside, etc. the less she nurses. the last few weeks have been cold and rainy, so we've been inside a lot, and therefore, nursing A LOT. now the weather is nicer, and she is back to nursing 4 or fewer times a day. to make up for htat, she will nurse for about an hour straight in the morning before getting out of bed. not a bad way to start the day...if we have the time, of course
the less she nurses, she does make up for in solids.

but remember, that every child is unique, and even if your child were eating lots and lots of food, s/he could still be small. you can usually see signs of malnutrition/dehydration in the face. are your child's eyes bright/ wet mouth/ full,rosy cheeks/ lots of energy...that sort of thing, not to mention plenty of wet diapers. breastmilk is the most perfect food, even for toddlers, and if given the opportunity, kids will eat when they are hungry, and stop when they are full.

[mamadawg]

Originally Posted by buesi

My dh (18 mos) is the same way.He is a real powernurser.

buesi, your dh is 18 months old? And you're nursing him? Cradle robber. :LOL


Just popping in to say that I'm in the same boat. I have two 19 months olds and I swear they'd nurse as much as they did when they were newborns, if I let them. I really do believe in CLW, but I have to set some limits. Otherwise, I think my boobs would fall off.

[Hollycrand]

I can sympathise!
My 21 mo dd is a power nurser, and somedays I really think my boobs will fall off. Or explode.
I too get tired many days from bfing, but then miss it when dd decides to take a break for an entire day (until her naptime or bedtime).

[Bleu]

Bleuet is newly two and just dropped off a LOT in nursing frequency. I have become sensitive to the fact that I put him off frequently. Example, today: we're getting in the car, I'm buckling his car seat, and he asks for milk. I asked if he could wait; he agreed. Then I realized how long it had been and I was afraid if we waited until we got where we were going, that he'd lose interest or be too stimulated by the environment to settle down and nurse. I feel like I have been taking advantage of him and doing more of a mother-lead-weanign thing by asking him to wait so frequently, even though I offer, too.

[The Milk Bag]

Well, when I got pregnant again when my DD was 15 months old, she was nursing almost exclusively - probably 15+ times per day. Now that I am not producing much milk, she nurses before her nap and before bedtime always and sometimes first thing in the morning and during the day if she gets upset about something. So overall she nurses 2-5 times per day now.

I have no doubt that if I still had a lot of milk, she would be nursing constantly! She is 19.5 months old.

[bwylde]

DS asks to nurse several times an hour : (and if I let him, he will nurse that much too....I know, I've tried hoping he won't ask as much. He's too scared sister will get it all, lol!!). He actually nurses about 5-10 times a day. Before I had DD, he literally would nurse all the time. The last days of my pregnancy were stuck in bed nursing him (he would of been 2 and 3 months at the time). He's never been a big eater but always a huge nurser!!

[tempestjewel]

Its nice to know I'm not alone! My DD is 16-months and nurses like a newborn. We went through a phase where she went down to only 2-3 sessions a day, but then got sick and has bumped back up to every 2 hours. If we are out and about she does nurse less, and doesn't seem to miss it when my DH is giving me a break. Sometimes I feel like all I am to her is one big boobie. And I'm not sure what to do because we want to have another baby but my cycles are still very irregular. My Dr. says to wean but I just don't feel like she's ready to...

On a funny note, she stole her cousins binkie the other day (a soothie pacifier) and kept pointing at the nipple of it and saying "mama" -LOL. See, all I am is a pair of nipples...

[willowsmom]

I have no idea how much Willow nurses. :LOL

Sometimes she's nursing like there is no tomorrow...other times she nurses every once in awhile. I lose count...probably because I don't pay attention. She nurses when she wants to...kwim?

[treehugginmama]

Christian is about 15 months. He nurses as much as he did as a newborn. Sometimes more I think.

[violafemme]

DD nurses 6+ times a day and she is 17 months. She's not eating a whole lot of solids but she's stayed consistantly in the 50th percentile for height and weight from birth up. Because we don't do cow's milk or soymilk, I'm happy to let her nurse when she wants but there are day's when I'd just like to have my boobs to myself...........owwie......and who knew nipples could stretch that far??

[Peony]

DD is 28months and still a power nurser, not slowing down anytime soon here! Sometimes she will go a couple hours without bfing, like this am, we were at the playground, and she really didn't bf, but she makes up for it later. She will stayed latched on for 30 minutes if I let her. She still wakes up a couple times a night to nurse as well. Sometimes it does get old, but most of the time I love it, I know that it will pass quickly, then I'll be wishing she was a nursling again!

[Glittergal]

another small 18 month old here... 20 lb and 29 inches. glad to see some other petite babes. sophia can still squeeze into some 9 month pants!
she nurses all the time when we're home. i work part time and sometimes am gone 20+ hrs at births (ouch, major engorgement) and she does fine with dh. however, when i'm home, it's nibble nibble nibble. i've been patient because i feel like since i do work, i should give her what she needs when i'm home. however, lately, i'm just feeling more irritated with it, which i hate! sometimes, she just attacks me and is always squeezing, twisting, pinching with her other hand. grrrrr. she also doesn't eat much. i would love for her to pack on a little more weight and eat more...then i would feel better about starting to limit the nursing, for my own sanity.

[Wugmama]

My 40 month old dd nurses at bedtime every night, is up once in the middle of the night to nurse, then usually wants to nurse in the morning. I work full time (except for every other Friday off for "Mommy-Baby day") and on the weekends she usually asks to nurse once in the afternoon. She is also small compared to other kids her age - just over 27 lbs, and just over 32 inches. Sometimes we get worried about her percentiles after comments her docs make, and sometimes my husband makes comments that maybe she would eat more if she didn't nurse so much. In our best moments, we don't worry about it.

Gosh, does a 40 month old still qualify as a toddler? They grow up so fast...