Hi-I have an almost two year old daughter, and we are nursing still-she loves it and so do I. I don't plan on weaning until she is ready. My question is that lately she has increased her nursing sessions quite a bit, both in terms of number per day and duration. She's gone from waking up once or not at all at night to 2-3 times, and asking to nurse each time. She is also nursing more frequently during the day. I try offering food instead, thinking she must be going through a growth spurt, but she typically refuses that. Nothing has changed in her schedule, although she is developing a lot of new words really quickly, so it could be a developmental leap. But, I also feel that my supply has really decreased over the past few months-did any of you notice an increase in nursing like this when your supply decreased as your toddler aged?
Thanks!
Re: increased nursing in almost two year old
Yes.
It's not about food. It's about the fact that he likes to nurse. He'll nurse when he's happy. When he's sad. When he's bored. When he remembers I have boobs. It's not a hunger driven activity any more.
With my pregnancy, it's actually gotten to the point that I had to set limits for my own sanity. The past few days my rule is that "boo is for bed" - so he gets to nurse in the morning and before bed, but not overnight (or before 6 am). I also nurse him if he asks when we get home from work/daycare.
I would say that she is exploring her control - she likes nursing and has realized she can ask whenever she feels like it rather than just when she's hungry. You can indulge that (and I did, for months), or you can set limits just like with any other activity. It's up to you to strike a balance that works for your relationship.
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My almost-2-year-old goes in spurts. I attribute it to developmental milestones, teething, digestive upset, etc. Like Token said, you can keep going on demand or decide to set limits. I typically do like you said, and offer a snack or a drink. If she insists, I usually don't have a problem with her increased need. I'm trying to work on keeping nursing at home, so might put her off if we're in public.
It's hard for me to say about my supply, because I don't pump any more and I just don't feel like I know what I have going on in there, lol. I sometimes assume my supply is down if she's nursing for longer sessions, but don't have any evidence to back that up.
Toddler nursing is kind of a different ball game, isn't it?