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Nursing ALL THE TIME at 13 months...

Jennifer - posted on 06/19/2010 ( 7 moms have responded )

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Hi ladies...I am looking for some insight.

My son was exclusively bf for about 5.5 months when we started solids. He LOVES solids and I made everything fresh from the start so he is super healthy. By his first birthday 1 month ago, he was eating far more solids than he was nursing, but still nursing in the morning 1st thing, before and after each nap (2 naps) and last thing at night. So 6 times a day, plus anytime he needed "comfort feeds" but that wasn't often.

In the last couple of weeks I have gone from offering it at the regular times to letting him take the lead. I'm not looking to wean, just allow him to be in control of how often he nurses. For a few days he nursed a little less and would go an hour or so after getting up before coming to me. However, he also stopped doing the ASL sign and started pulling on my shirt and crying. This got old fast!

So I started inforcing the ASL sign for milk and he picked it up again really fast and now he signs for milk all the time. ALL THE TIME. He spends most of themornings before his nap nursing until breakfast, then he still wants to nurse 1-2 times before going down. He gets up and within 30 minutes he wants milk. Then he nurses 3-4 times before lunch and again after lunch and then before afternoon nap. In the evening it isn't as bad, but he still comes to me 3-4 times before bed, plus his bedtime feeding.

On the plus side, he seems less attached to nursing right before sleep, as he usually nurses for a minute or two or less then. He also gets morning and afternoon snacks, sippy cups of water and/or juice and has access to the sippy cup all the time.

I'm confused as to whether this is related to letting him control when he nurses, or perhaps re-learning the sign and enjoying the "cause and effect" of it. It's been going on for a week or more and I'm getting a bit exhausted from it and my nipples are sore for the first time in a good year!

I'd love any feedback from mamas who have been through something similar? Thanks ladies!

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7 Comments

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Jamie - posted on 06/28/2010

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My son did the same thing at that age. We had been using the sign for milk all along, but it just seemed to click with him around 13 months and he was enjoying getting results when he asked for it. I think it lasted for about 2-3 weeks and then the novelty wore off and we were back to nursing 4 or 5 times a day. This also coincided with right before he started walking and I have to wonder if maybe he needed a little extra something to get his body ready to walk.

Megan - posted on 06/28/2010

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sounds like he might be teething or trying to fight off some sort of cold bug. babies go through nursing stages, this is normal. i would be on the look out for new teeth, maybe those back molars.

Angie - posted on 06/28/2010

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My kids both nursed a ton at that age. My youngest at least every 2 hours but some days much more (even now at 20 months she probably spends over half her day on the breast). It's totally n ormal though.

Emily - posted on 06/27/2010

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I am a believer in designated nursing times. My son is the same age as yours and I was nursing 3 times a day until his first birthday. A few weeks ago I took out the afternoon nursing. Some days are fine and some days are rough. If he is very incistent I will let him nap in the afternoon. I believe that he needs to learn to eat in meals and not eat all day long. I also don't want him attached to me all day! I am enjoying our afternoons of added freedom!

Stina - posted on 06/27/2010

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I don't keep track of time or frequency with my 14 mo who I feed on demand. After her morning nurse, she generally nurses for maybe 5 minutes at a time in between playing with her brother and sister. Maybe I'll keep tally one of these days...

As for the cause and effect of the reintroduced sign- this could be a possibility too. They love discovering that they can actually communicate what they want. My dd is using her sign more consistently which is great when we are out and about. Still, even though she uses the sign, I have started telling her to wait sometimes. Like in the middle of dinner today, I told her to finish her dinner and then she could have some milkies. She stopped signing and ate some more. Once she was all cleaned up from the meal, she got her milk.

My 14 mo is my first baby that I've nursed past a year, but I'm pretty sure that even with cue feeding, as they get older and understand more, it's ok every now and then to say "hold on just a minute." as long as you don't do this all the time.

The other day, we were waiting for a bus and I wanted to wait till we were on so I wouldn't have to disconnect/put away in a hurry when the bus came. So while I knew she wanted to nurse, we waited about 5 minutes to nurse once we were in our seat.

Kristina - posted on 06/27/2010

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My son is this exact age and is doing the same thing i think they hit a bit of a growth spurt at this age and need the extra calories for their diet. My son only takes one nap (3hrs). and would like to nurse straight through it if i let him. Its a phase it will pass and use your lanolin if necessary for the soreness.

Celeste - posted on 06/19/2010

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Totally normal!! My twin boys nursed ALL.THE.TIME. at that age too.

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