Hi. My baby girl will be 12 months on Saturday. She has been exclusively breastfed. When she turned 11 months I started weaning her to whole cows milk. She was down to just one a.m nursing session. We went away on vacation to Florida and she regressed! She wanted to nurse more frequently. Not wanting to deal with her meltdowns while we were in Disneyworld, I gave in and got back to nursing 3 x / day. She ALSO when we were away consitently woke up at 12 a.m. and 5 a.m. to nurse. She takes a pacifier only for sleep but she wanted NO part of it. She only wanted the breast. That was the only thing that got her back to sleep. We have been home for one week and she is doing the same thing! Another factor is that we are in a one bedroom apt. So her crib is in our room. A couple of months ago we sort of sleeped trained her by moving into the living room for a month and she slept thru the night after that. When she wakes up during the night, her cry seems to be a "something is bothering me " cry and not just a " i want some attention " cry. Now she is down to 2 nursing sessions, one at wake up and one prior to her 11 a.m. nap.. She gets 8 oz of cows milk prior to bed via a straw cup. she gets 3 meals/day of solids and i think she is getting enough but maybe she isnt'?? i don't know why she is waking up! I jhwant to say she is hungry or sheis tething! she only has 2 teeth on the bottom. could she be hungry and if so what do i do to make her not hungry thru the night. i need hellp! i feel like she is too old to be nursing thru the night! thanks!!
Hi Cathy, Yes, teething is a big possibility. Any change, like a trip will also cause a child to want comfort, which she finds with mommy. This should not last too long but our first job as mom is to reassure our baby (she still is) that we are here for them. I know it is not comfortable but in the long run you will have a well adjusted child. Grandma Mary (mom of 5)
It is certainly your decision on what too old is to be nursing. I night weaned my son at about 16 months b/c I was pregnant with #2 and desperately needed sleep. He had no problems night weaning at that point.
He was a comfort nurser and wanted mama and the closeness more than the nutrition at that point.
I don't know. I personally think your daughter is too young to wean. My son didn't eat much at all til 14 months. He tasted food and I didn't intro cow's milk til well after 12 months. I sort of am one of those "crazy" people who think baby cows should get cow's milk and baby humans should get mama's milk.
There will be people who tell you to stop nursing and let her cry. She will eventually learn that mama won't come to her and she will stop. But, do you want her to stop b/c she doesn't need you as much (maybe in a few months) or stop b/c she's found that adults aren't reliable or trustworthy?
You said her cry sounds like "something is bothering me". Maybe it is, maybe she still really needs that closeness to mama. Are you working? Or spending less time with her during the day perhaps? I know my son nursed more at night the days that I worked. He wanted the closeness.
Good luck. There are as many answers as there are posters on here. Only you know what's best for you and your family.
I think you've gotten great responses and I definitely agree with Wendy T. that you are the only one that can decide how old is too old for nursing. My son nursed at night until I weaned him at 3. Everybody's different. I think you should listen to your instincts and if you think her cry sounds more like something is wrong, then I would definitely comfort her. If she only has 2 teeth so far, teething could absolutely be the problem. I wish I had more advice, but like I said, I would just listen to your instincts :)
I had similar problems with my son at night even though he was getting plenty of calories during the day and wasn't actually hungry. In order to wean him at night I would get up and rock him and comfort him, but not let him nurse. If he was particularly stubborn my husband would take him and rock him because then nursing isn't an option. I didn't want to make him feel neglected, but I also didn't want him to get into the habit of relying on night feedings. He is 12 1/2 months and just nurses when he wakes up in the morning, but he eats a lot during the day. Usually 3 meals and at least 2 snacks. Has your daughter started moving more? I am sometimes amazed at how much my son eats now that he is walking. Maybe she's actually hungry. I typically offer food to my son every 2-3 hours. He doesn't always eat it because he's too busy exploring and I don't force it, but I want him to get the nutrients and calories he needs.
We also had problems at night when he was teething because he would wake up in pain and also when he was teething he wouldn't eat as well during the day because his mouth hurt so he would be hungry at night. If she only has 2 teeth it seems likely that she is teething. Anytime our son is cranky at night we usually blame it on that, but he has 12 teeth, so it's been pretty constant or the last 8 months.
You have to do what's best for both of you, but I just thought I'd let you know you aren't alone. Soon this will pass and you will have something else to worry about. Good luck!
