partial weaning?

rmm17 · January 2012

Did anyone partially wean starting at 1 year? I have been so worried about Ace weaning early (we had a nursing strike that freaked me out!) that i probably offer the breast way too often. He nurses 8 times in a 24 hour period (we don't cosleep) and gets solids 3x/day. I always nurse right before his meals. I have very mixed feelings about weaning/cutting back. I know he is ready and can go much longer between meals but i am so sad about losing that connection. DH reassured me that we will still get snuggle time etc. but i think i'm just sad about him getting so much older!

Anyways, i was thinking of working towards nursing 4 time a day starting around 1 year (maybe wake up, before and after nap, then bedtime? and any other time he asked). Did anyone else do this? What is the best way to do this in an AP way? Right now i feel like he is so distracted that if i didn't offer to nurse he would never "demand".

Also, are these mixed feeling normal? How did you deal with it?

TiffanyBerry · January 2012

If he has a way of asking, he will ask when he wants it. I stopped offering (unless I know I'm about to leave for a few hours or it's been more than six hours). Some days she nurses more (6-8 times), some days less (4-6). Let him be the guide as to how often you nurse. Left to their own devices, human kids typically self- wean between 2 and 4 years of age.

lovekissedmama · January 2012

I could have typed much of this. I have always felt anxiety about a drop in supply and so have always offered frequently. I was offering so often that DD began biting me. I caught on to this being the reason for biting about two months ago and began nursing only when she asked. Turned out to be every 4-5 hours! Then, just when I got used to having a bit of freedom she upped her nursing to every 1.5-2 hours and we've been there for a couple of weeks. Glad to have my baby back. My new attitude is to enjoy each phase - dependent or independent - because she will continue to switch it up. My advice is to listen to your LO and throw in a few nursing sessions for no reason at all (if he will have them)

Angela814 · January 2012

I stopped pumping at work at 1 year, and by 15 months, DD2 started refusing to nurse during the day. She's currently nursing at bedtime and a few times at night. (Her morning session is usually 5-6am, so I don't know whether to call it night or morning. :-)) She was nursing or getting a bottle 5-6x a day (and at least 2x at night) at 12 months. I just stopped sending bottles to daycare when she started drinking whole milk.

DD1 was nursing every 3 hours around the clock at 12 months, so that's 8x total. With her, I was able to nurse on my lunch hour, so at 12 months, she nursed morning, lunch, after work, before bed, and 2x at night. She was also offered whole milk at daycare. By 18 months, we had dropped the lunch session because it just didn't work with her nap then, and that left us pretty consistently at 3x a day.

I think to start out with, I would offer meals before nursing. You can stop offering at whatever sessions you'd like to eliminate too.

I think it's just hard to see our babies grow up. There are nights when I'm just done with nursing and want nothing more than to night wean DD2. But then, I'm pretty sure if I night weaned her, she'd wean completely, and she's still so young for that. This is why babies are supposed to wean slowly. It gives us time to adjust!

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