Dilemma of a Sort

Lil' Lamb will be two in just a few short weeks and he is still nursing and showing no signs of weaning anytime soon on his own.  I'm all for extended nursing, but nursing toddlers are the pits.  He's not cute and sweet about it at all. He's demanding, squirmy, and insists on having his hands and/or feet all over me.  If I deny him, he throws a rip roaring tantrum.  Plus, he still doesn't eat much "real" food and so still needs to nurse frequently at night.  I'm exhausted.

Sounds easy, right?  I should just force a wean.  Here is my dilemma.  Nursing is the only way I can get him to take a nap.  I'm definitely not ready for him to give up naps and none of us are ready for Lil' Lamb 10 to 12 hours straight! An even bigger drawback to weaning is I'll have to drop my daily calorie intake 350 calories.  350 calories is a lot!  That's a large glass of wine or a couple beers at night. It's the occasional decadent dessert.  My life is so hard (she says with the hint of a smile).

Comments

Anonymous said…
I like extended nursing as well, but it sounds like he doesn't need it and only wants it because he knows it is a way of controlling his life and yours. If he is tired enough then he will nap. If he doesn't nap then he will probably sleep all night due to exhaustion. My opinion would be to wean him since it sounds like it is no longer the bonding/calming experience that it should be. You'll do what is right for your family in the end though. Let us know what you decide. =)
Paul and Annie said…
My soon to be 2 year old was the same way, soooo I got pregnant! LOL! Seriously, it decreased my supply and me uncomfortable enough that i really didn't want to keep nursing. Besides the whole pregnancy thing, I would just lie down on the bed with him for naps the way I would usually nurse and give him a bottle instead. He wasn't thrilled the first few days (and I had to wear an undershirt that he couldn't pull up!) and then he was fine. It was good timing for us. I still have moments that I miss nursing, but there had been so little snuggling going on anyway that I'm okay with it. :) Good luck!
Tonya said…
Tough one. I weaned a couple of mine first off the morning time, then off of bedtime, but kept the naptime nursing until the end. Never easy to wean them though!

Popular Posts