[kindred_spirit]

Do you have them? When did you start them?

My ds is 21 months old - I wanted to do don't ask don't refuse - but he wants to nurse all the time still.

 

[Eman'smom]

"Don't ask, don't refuse" is a cruel joke this house.

I have never "offered" to nurse my children after a few months old, they ask in whatever way they can, if I offer before that they will/did flip out.

I am currently setting limits on dd nearly 21 months, and it's not going well. She was nursing seriously 20 times in 24 hours easy, and I was going bonkers, I've been night weaning, we now nurse to sleep then not again until 4:30 (when dh goes to work) it goes fine until about 2 or 3 am then forget it. I've also in the last month started only nursing at home, at 20 months old I don't want to nurse in the store. So now she still asks all the time and I tell her when we get home (even though we do daily activities we are never gone at any time for very long). The only time she doesn't throw a fit is when we are at the zoo. For us it's not about being busy, if we are home or out nursing is all she wants to do. I'm sore, resentful tired..... For me even though I'm dealing with miserable fits, it's either wean or limits. I know there are plenty of moms here who nurse on demand until the child weans but I can't take it, I really cant.

She is also getting really bad with her latch teeth etc. Mabye someone will have real advice but you aren't alone.

 

[kindred_spirit]

Thanks for your reply!
I could have written that - we havne't attempted to night wean yet
but I am just exhausted - he nurses all th time.
I am trying the counting thing to 3 - sometimes it works others no. He is demanding when he wants to nurse & nothing else can distract - I do think when we are busy - like at the park or something - it helps some

 

[Eman'smom]

Oh I know when she wants to nurse that is it, nothing else will do, no snack or toy or snuggle, it's nurse or nothing.

It's real tiring and frustrating, I don't want to wean, I'd like to nurse at least another year, but man I need to cut back a bit, when she was a newborn, really until about 15 months old, the all the time nursing was no big deal and didn't bother me, but lately......

 

[TiredX2]

First, I just want you guys to know that many, many, many childring have a nursing spike around 18-22 months: you are probably going through that right now. Even if you don't do *anything* differently there is a very good chance that your child will have cut back a bit in the next three months.

*I* think that a big reason for that is your child is probably really ramping up to truly "talk." Not just say words and put them together, but to start the transition to using words as a primary form of communication. So, really, this may be some of the last you see of your "baby."

At this point, I do limit DS to nursing basically when I am up for it. BUT, he is 3.75 and we didn't get there overnight. Also, I am "up" for it probably 3-4 times during the day and then a couple times right before bed/while falling asleep, then after 3-4 hours and a couple more times before getting out of bed.