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A question for those who have breastfed toddlers?

My daughter is now one year old. She has very rarely asked to nurse and being a bit on the smaller side I've always just automatically nursed her. Usually I nurse her 4 times during the day and once throughout the night.

I'm happy to let her choose when and how fast she weans. I've read that the preferred method is "don't offer, don't refuse". I'm wondering how I should go about it. I work three days a week, so she will definitely miss that feeding on those days. I've kind of cut it out even on days that I don't work, unless of course she asks for it. She does like whole milk and I offer her plenty just to make sure she's getting the calories. I've also added an extra snack. Is it okay if she doesn't want to be nursed all day? I feel like I'm doing her a disservice somehow, or forcing weaning on her without meaning to.

I hope this makes sense! Please no comments telling me that she is too old to be nursed.

6 Answers

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  • 10 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    I nursed both of my girls to 15 months at which they self weaned.They really were just nursing for comfort at that point and way too busy to fully nurse.

    I think you are doing fine with the way things are.Be sure that you are offering lots of protein and fiber rich foods.You do not even have to supplement with the milk unless you really want.My 2 year old only got milk from the breast and really did not ever care for regular milk.I will put it in her smoothie or she may take it in her oatmeal,but that is about it.Calcium can come from so many different foods besides milk which is very fattening.Some things to try as a substitute are:

    Sardines

    Chinese cabbage

    Spinach

    Rhubarb

    Wild salmon, or canned

    Kale

    White beans

    Bok choy

    Broccoli

    Pinto beans

    Red beans

    Broths made with vegetables and/or organic bones

    Green food powders that contain a variety of organic green vegetables

    Sesame leaves and sesame seeds

    Also in order to absorb calcium,she needs to get adequate vit.d as well.

    So try oj,spreads,cheese,sunlight is best!! and a variety of fish.

    Nurse her when she wants.If you want,you can pump while you are working and give her the expressed milk in a cup and nurse when you are home.I did this with my first.But I think the way you are doing things is just fine.Kudos to you for still nursing!

  • 10 years ago

    I also nursed until my baby (my first so far) was 15 months old. Around 13 months, I offered at night before bed (she was already sleeping through the night most nights) and rarely during the day. I never refused though. By 15 months, she'd stopped asking completely and was perfectly happy to use her sippy cup (we skipped bottles entirely) because she could still either play or at least be able to see what was going on around her, unlike with nursing.

    It sounds like you've got it just right. Do what works for you, whatever makes you feel comfortable. I do think that the 'don't offer, don't refuse' method is great though. At 12 months, I couldn't stand the thought of losing that closeness but by 15 months, we were both done with it and there was no guilt.

    If she doesn't nurse all day, that's ok. She's probably too busy (like my baby was) to want to sit still that long. If you pump at all, do that and give it to her as just 'regular milk'. She'll still get the health benefits and get to play without interruption.

    Source(s): My happy (and naturally skinny) 21 month old girl.
  • 10 years ago

    Nurse as long as you want too! I nursed my baby until she was 15 months old :) It's ok if she doesn't want to nurse, she is getting use to being able to eat solids, and other foods are interesting to her, and solids will deff keep her full for a longer period of time.

    With my daughter, I let her eat solid foods, and gave her whole milk, and then let her nurse... After a while, I only nursed her at night (occasionally during the day if she wanted it, but I quit offering it) and soon, she was sleeping through the night and weaned all together.

    If you want to keep nursing, go ahead! If you want to wean her, do it gradually. She is old enough to go with out, but still young enough to get it if you still want to nurse!

  • 10 years ago

    i dont think shes "to old to be nursed' i nursed both my girls untill a year but i also dont think you have anything thing to feel guilty about ! dr usually rec nursing untill a year i recently read something that said like 70% of wemon start to breastfeed when there child is born by six months it dropes to 40ish% (i dont remember the exact numb but in the 40s) and only 22% of wemon nurse to a year! I thought that was crazy! you should be proud of yourself for doing what is best for your baby i couldnt beleive there was so few breastfeeding mothers i think just not offering is a great way to go she might surprise yo n just stop asking whats funny is that when both my girls were like six months i was looking foward to quiting nurseing but when they turned a year i had a lot harder ime quiting then they did good luck!

    Source(s): mom of two breastdfed babys!
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  • Badger
    Lv 6
    10 years ago

    she will be fine healthwise drinking cowsmilk and eating snacks. Ive noticed with my 1 year old that missing feedings during the day leads to lots more night nursing, comfort nursing I think

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