Recently I successfully weaned my 13 month old, Isla, but let me tell you, it wasn't easy. First of all, that girl was addicted to the chooch. She loved it breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus any time she was feeling down. With new teeth coming in and winter sniffles, December was not the easiest time to deny her. It took me a good month to get her off of the breast and onto whole cow's milk. It looks weird as I write that, and maybe it is, to raise our children on the milk from a cow, but they need something, that's for sure. Unfortunately, Isla had a hard time with the whole milk and had many a mushy poo. Using cloth diapers at this time was a drag. Well, we took her off whole milk (bummer for me, that stuff is like cream in your cereal) and started with a little bit of lactose free milk., Still yuck, so we bought her some almond milk and mixed it with the Lactaid. It took a couple of weeks, but things are looking much more solid down there. Thank god, because her poor little bum was turning a bit raw.
The actual weaning was tricky. As a babe who loved some nursing right before bed and nap time, trying to substitute a bottle for a boob was not working for Isla. My husband had to feed her before bed while I was out of her sight, and it usually took a couple 4 ounce bottles and some serious rocking. If she got up in the middle of the night, screaming, Pat would have to rock, rock, rock her back to sleep in front of the wood stove. I have to admit, I kind of dug this since I spent almost a whole year waking up to nurse that girl once or twice a night. No offense, Patrick, you are awesome for doing it (and still doing it, since Isla's a light sleeper like me). The naps are starting to get better for me with her during the day. We have a little routine, lunch, try to get outside or if it's too cold, some high action playing indoors, and then about an hour after that–when I see her rub her eyes–the almond/Lactaid combo and it's so long, sucker. Also, any time she gets fussy and starts hitting my chest as if that will bring back the milk, I go for good old distraction. Look at a book, play with some blocks, and at last resort I'll give her my phone. Sometimes it has to be done.
It's really starting to work. She hasn't nursed in about a week, and although she will try to rip off my shirt sometimes after her night tubby while also yanking at my hair in frustration, she's getting the hang of life without the chooch.
