Weaning... - Winter Haven,FL

I nursed my son for almost 2 years, it was harder for my to stop than it was for him. If you are only nursing him 4 times a day for naps then it has become a comfort thing for him. Unfortunately, you're going to have to do what I did, just put him to bed without it. Give him a bottle or sippy cup, because evetually he will drink it if he's really thirsty. You're going to have to shut the door and let him cry. Turn the TV or radio on for yourself, you're going to have to ignore his crying. It will pass.
By the way, my son is now 12 and didn't suffer once I stopped!!

I used to nurse my son to sleep too. At the time, I couldn’t see why it was such a bad idea. The last thing I wanted him to do before he went to bed was eat, what was the harm in putting him in the crib after he fell asleep nursing? Well, it turns out, it was not a good thing to do. My son got older and bigger, and began to finish me off before falling asleep. I thought, no problem, I’ll just walk with him a little until he falls asleep. Every night I had to walk a little longer before he fell asleep; until I was pacing the hall for two hours every night. By the time he went to bed, I was exhausted, my arms hurt, my back hurt… I couldn’t do anything else that night. I realized I couldn’t do this anymore and did some research on putting your toddler to bed methods.

The method that worked for me is similar to the ferber method. After nursing him, while he was awake but sleepy, I put him in his crib, told him good night and left the room. Of course he started crying. Now here’s the hard part, you let him cry. The first interval is 5 minutes, then you go in, keep the lights off, make sure nothing is really wrong, tell him in a soft reassuring voice it’s time to sleep, lay him back down and get out of there. If he’s still crying, wait 15 minutes, then go in and do it again. Repeat every 15 minutes. The first night I did this, it took my son about 2 hours to go to sleep. It was torture for me, but since I had wreaked havoc on my back and shoulders for weeks, I knew I had to stick with it. Every night I did this, he fell asleep faster. He was going right to sleep after I put him down with in a week! It’s hard to imagine, but with in a week, I could put him down awake, he would cry in protest for a minute or two, then just lay down and go to sleep. That’s it. A few months later, he got sick, so we “babied” him more and I ended up having to do it again once he got better.

I’ve seen on tv that the ferber method is not for all kids, some really do cry all night. All I can say is it worked for me and you know what works for your child the best.

L.,
Try a sippy cup. Dr.s don't like to see kids with bottles after 1 year. I can't get my daughter tp take a bottle shes 3 months and I'd like to get back to work. Good luck.

My first son was the same way!! I remember how frustrating it was with the bottle battle! He wanted nothing to do with the bottle, but was eating a lot of baby food and cereal by 7 months. So after a month-long struggle of trying everyday with the stupid bottle, I offered him a sippy cup with a soft spout as a last resort. He took it!! I wish I would've tried the sippy sooner and saved us both the hassle. Because your little guy is a little older, he may respond better to a cup- it's something completely different from the breast, so it's not a "replacement". You may even want to check with your ped. about introducing whole milk in the cup if you're currently using formula. As far as nighttime nursing, that will probably be the last session you'll be able to cut- and if he snuggle time you use to eventually replace nursing gets tough, you may need to enlist dad's help with the "new" bedtime routine. Best of luck and don't lose hope- I promise he won't nurse until he's 30!

girl, the first thing you need to do is get off the nursing to sleep pattern. i know it is so hard - we had the same problem. but that is the only way you'll be able to wean from nursing at all. when he wakes up in the morning, nurse him, does he take one nap or two? my daughter(s) never took a bottle and went strait to the sippy cup. maybe get him to nurse at lunchtime with his lunch, and and then again after his nap right when he wakes up. then again at dinner, but then do bath and story afterwards to put him to bed awake. i'm sure there will be a fight and some crying involved, but i have no idea how else you'd wean without getting rid of that routine of nursing to sleep. hope this helps!!

Hi L.,
I had very good experience with Playtex Products. I copied some information for you, maybe that helps:

www.playtexstore.com

The Natural Action® Latex nipple is designed to simulate the shape and action of mother's breast during breastfeeding. This nipple has a longer stem and larger hole to allow for a faster flow rate.

2 per pack

Playtex Baby NaturaLatch™ Latex Nipples: Fast Flow
Your Price: $ 3.50
View Item Details
Playtex Baby NaturaLatch™ Latex Nipples: Slow Flow
Your Price: $ 3.50

Good Luck
K.

Good Afternoon L.,

My son has been very difficult to weaning. At first, he would not take a bottle, but now occassionally he will take a gerber bottle with vanilla silk. I have gone through more different brands of formulas, milk but the only thing he enjoys as must as breastmilk is silk.
For sippy cups, we first started with the nuby cup until he found a way to pour everything out and ALL over himself. Now he only uses playtex & gerber cups. Good luck, this has been a long process for us, we now only nurse the first thing in the morning and at night.

Good Luck to you,

J.

My daughter is the same age as your son and has never taken a bottle. I am ready to wean as well, but she is not. I have been able to cut down substantially b/c she has taken very well to the sippy cup. One thing I will say about giving a sippy is that he may not realize there's someting in there the first time you give it to him b/c of the valve that stops the leaks. What I do is leave the valve out and put the cup in her mouth just enough so she can get a little taste of what's inside. (and by the way, our ped said it's okay to start on milk after about 10 months)Then, I replace the valve and hand her the cup, she realizes very quickly that there's something inside and she's got to suck to get it out. As for the nursing to sleep, I nurse my daughter before bed, but never untill she's actually asleep. I always detach before she drifts off and put her in her bed awake. It may take some diligence and he may cry a little while, but if he's full and it's bed time he will eventually get to the point of self soothing. Good luck to you, hope this helps.