18 month old breastfeeding issues

[holly7347]

Hi all,



My 18 month old was nursing about 4-5 times a day: morning, before nap, before I go to work in the evening, before bed, and if she wakes up in the middle of the night. Now suddenly she is wanting to nurse like every 15-30 minutes. I was hoping to weaning her in the next couple months due to some medication I need to start taking but due to her suddenly wanting to nurse all the time I haven't even attempted wening. If she still needs to nurse I don't have a problem nursing her longer but she is getting very agressive when I try to distract her. I have tried giving her toys, playing with her, giving her a sippy of milk, giving her something to eat but she gets mad and hits me. The other day she grabbed my shirt and started screaming BITE (what she says when she wants to nurse) over and over. Today she started screaming BITE in the car, which she has never done before.



Any tips on how to put some limits on the nursing without all the drama? I would like to get back to our previous schedule of morning, nap, evening, and bed.



TIA

[alegna]

totally normal. Many toddlers need to nurse that much. My dd nurses at LEAST every half hour if we're at home these days.

-Angela

[timneh_mom]

I'm just wondering if there is something happening that is making her need the extra comfort right now? Is she teething, getting sick, dealing with changes or extra stress in your home? I am going to guess that this is a temporary thing, that whenever she feels better, she will go back to her usual routine. Are you able to go along with her for a while and see what happens?

Otherwise, many moms who want to head in the direction of weaning find the "don't offer, don't refuse" technique helpful. They wait for their child to ask instead of offering or assuming they want it at a certain time. I know my DS has been so distracted by everything since 18 months (he's 22 months now) that he hardly asks anymore. It probably doesn't help that I am pregnant and don't have much milk, but he is really busy most of the time and just has other things to do.

[liamsmommy221]

I second what PP said. It sounds like something might be going on. Maybe even just a good growth spurt! Liam did this about a month ago as well, which would put him at the same age she is now, so I think its probably a normal thing!