Ok, so never in a million years did I think I would ever entertain the idea of nursing a toddler. Don’t get me wrong, there are a million and one reasons one should continue nursing…but I NEVER thought I would. *Note to self: Stop saying NEVER, it seems that I always end up doing exactly what I said I would not do. Prior to becoming a mommy, I would totally gawk at toddlers who would toddle over to their mommies and ask for milk.
I always thought if my wee one could ask for milk…it was time to give the boob the boot.
Breastfeeding has been pretty easy for me since my little guy was born, so I have never had to supplement with anything. Other than the general trials and tribulations of being a first time mom, I made it to my first goal of nursing exclusively for six months pretty seamlessly and then added in solids accordingly until my dude was a year. This was the way it was supposed to work. Spend the first 6 months just nursing and then months 6 through 12 practicing eating and working our way to at least 3 solid meals per day.
My little guy is now 14 months now and he eats like a champ albeit still skinny as a string bean and nursing all the time but definitely eating 3+ meals every day. So herein lies the dilemma…I am now the mom who has a little toddler who walks up to his mom and asks mama for mi mi (milk) and says “tank you” after.
Do people look at me? Probably! Have I thought about weaning? Absolutely! Have a read a tons of articles about mommy lead weaning and baby led weaning? You bet! Do I have the heart to listen to my strong-willed child cry if I deny him milk? Not yet! So what is a momma to do?
I am really self-conscious about nursing a toddler, but it works for us and keeps the sanity in our house so I have continued. At this point, nursing seems second nature to me but I am I have to admit a nice supportive non-nursing bra sounds really appealing. Not to mention, it would be nice to stop flashing random people at stores in Walnut Creek every time my little senor decides he would like some milk on demand. So as I write this, I am stuck wondering if my little one will ever self wean.
What if he doesn’t ? Will I cut him off ? Any one else experience this ?