15 Month Old Lost Weight Who's Almost Totally EBF

Weight leveling off is totally normal as they get more active and have less interest in sitting and eating (or nursing). He probably did lose a bit from being sick- I know I always think of that as the one benefit I get from being sick. Obviously he is growing because he got taller.

As for weaning, only an idiot would suggest you take away the best source of nutrition available anywhere;) I try to impress upon people that cow's milk is the breastmilk of a cow made for a calf so why would it be better than breastmilk from a human made for a baby? Keep up the good work!

(By the way, I am not even an "extended" breastfeeder myself, I just recognize the benefits)

Did your son start walking after his first birthday? Lots of babies will lose or simply maintain their weight once their activity level increases drastically.
As for food intake, I would try and get him to take some more solids. There's no reason to wean, I agree. Not sure why you are averse to cows milk but there's no reason he needs it especially if you're still nursing. We give it to our kids just because it's a convenient way to get some extra calories, calcium, fat, and vitamin D into their systems, but with my son I did cows milk starting at 12 months and didn't wean until 20 months.

Anyway, for getting him some extra calories... what foods does he particularly like? Will he eat toast? Chunks of sweet potato? Peanut butter? Macaroni and cheese? I would try and offer him 3 meals a day, maybe an hour or two after his last nursing session so that he's not full when the food is offered. That way he may be somewhat hungry. Remember, the goal is for him to get independent over the next year or so, so you'll want to try and gradually increase his food and let him back off on his nursing as he begins to fill up on adult food.

M.,
It sounds like maybe he is eating(nursing) on and off through the night still which may be why he is not a good eater during the day. I would try to cut back on the nursing and offer more finger foods etc. I have a feeling his body is needing less breast milk and more solids. You could always introduce water in a sippy cup as an alternative liquid during the day which also is good to hydrate them but not fill them up as much as breast milk. I did nurse both of my boys up until approx. 14 months and then I weaned them to whole milk. Now, at 3 and 5 all they want to drink is water or milk..no juice etc. Which is fine by me. And I just have to say, I did the same thing as you, mostly with my first son, as far as sleeping/nursing in my bed. Now he is 6 and he wakes up every single night and wants to come to our bed. I wish I would have worked harder when he was little to get him to sleep in his crib and put himself to sleep without nursing/ being next to me. Putting yourself to sleep is totally a learned behavior. Good Luck!!!!

I don't remember them necessarily losing weight, but both my kids got long and thin at that age when they start walking and running and being active. Totally normal! Especially if there was a recent illness. I'd take him in for a weight check in a month if you are really worried, but honestly I wouldn't even give it a second thought unless he looks like he's not gaining weight.

Since he's just been sick, you could try a week of pediasure to quickly put a little weight on him (it's lactose and gluten-free). But personally I wouldn't worry about it unless he seems to look (too) thin over the next few weeks.

I wouldn't stress out over if it the dr. is not worried. If he is off the charts or something like in the 5th percentile, then I would be worried. I had that situation and even before the dr. told me, I was worried because he was so skinny. That kid is just fine now and one of the tallest ones in his class.

Like the other posters said, when they start moving around more, walking and running, they will slim down, but that's ok. If you are really worried, you could probably get a nurse visit to have him weighed again in a week. Call and see.

M.

Take a deep breath, mama. He is fine. I am not an MD but I can tell you babies at this age also lose weight because of their beginning to be mobile. If his other measurements were normal I would NOT worry a bit. No need to supplement -- your milk is fine and he'll go through the weight loss from being sick -- TOTALLY NORMAL. Kudos to you for breastfeeding and furthermore this long. I've been at it non-stop through pregnancies and all for 4 years now. Its such a blessing...Enjoy!

my son went from 90% weight to 15% and apparently it was normal.

I wouldn't be too concerned because they are much more mobile at this age, your son just came off from being ill and was extensively teething. I am a very huge advocate of breastfeeding too. However, has your child begun some whole foods yet - rice and breast milk or any vegetables? If he "nurses around the clock" then he is basically snacking and could be a reason why he is not much of an eater. I would at least get to some point where you are a little more in control with his eating schedule and he may desire eating for longer periods of time. It won't hurt him at all to hold him off just a while in the day so that you can give him a good, full feeding. It will give you more flexibility with your schedule, possibly more sleep, especially since you do have a 3 year old.

Good luck.