Partial Weaning for a One Year Old?

This actually sounds pretty normal to me. My breastmilk dropped dramatically around 14mo and that's when I started to wean and do the switch over to cow's milk. I think you need to either go formula or cow's milk while at daycare so as not to confuse him and then just breastmilk at home since you want to continue to BF which is awesome by the way. Don't let daycare give him any subsitutions and you should do the same while he is home during the day to keep it consistant. He will drink when he is thirsty. If the waking at night is a new thing could he be teething? Sometimes nursing can help soothe those sore gums. Try teething tablets and rock and hold him for comfort he may not be hungry at all but just needs some comforting.

Nursing him to help him sleep at night has a psychological answer. He uses nursing to self soothe and also if you are nursing to put him to sleep in the first place, often times when children wake up in the bed surroundings, but remember falling asleep in their mom's arms, it can be confusing to wake up in bed, so they will need the nursing to get asleep again.

It isn't usually a hunger issue that they need the night time nursing at this age, but a comfort issue. You can still nurse during the day or night as well, but try cutting that last nighttime feeding and it will really help.

Instead of nursing him when he wakes at night, hold him, cuddle him, sing to him, rub his back, though it would probably be more effective if instead of picking him up, you go in there and gently rub is back/tummy/hair or whatever he likes. It may be rough the first week or so, but he will learn and the next phase will be easier.

I nursed both of my boys until they were about a year and a half and this really helped me cut the night waking as well.

at one year my son only nursed before nap, before bedtime and when he woke up in the am.. and if he woke up in the middle of the night..(he often woke up in themidle of the night until he was 2 years old.)

we always nursed upstairs in the rocker in his bedroom.. he never asked to nurse anywhere else..

I would stop pumping.. pumping is a pain. especially if he is not drinking the milk you pump. let hime nurse at the normal times but switch him to a cup of cows milk. he should be getting milk with meals and with snacks.. I dont think this confuses them.. they get a cup with milk for meals.. nursing is a difernt thing.

he will enjoy the bonding closeness cuddling of nursing.. it is not about food at this age.. it is comfort.

as you wean you will eliminate feedings until you are down to bedtime only.. then that is the last to go.

if you do it gradually your son wont miss it and you will not become engorged.

First off, let me applaud you! You say "I usually nurse him partially because it's easier for me and I want him to be able to nurse however long he wants to" so you are allowing him to dictate the speed and timing of his weaning. It is as nature intended, so bravo!

All babies naturally drop off their nursing times BUT they also become professional boobie-nursers! They can draw out 5 ozs of milk in 5 minutes and you can release it that fast as well!

As long as you nurse him when he asks (and the fact that he tanks up at night), you will maintain your milk supply.

What I would do is pump once during the days he is at daycare (so you won't get uncomfortable) and you can use that milk to make healthy snacks for him (breastmilk can be substituted for cows milk in most any recipe!)

You are doing a fabulous job at letting him nurse when he wants! He will naturally and slowly wean himself!

:)

Well every child is different, but I nursed my daughter until she was 23 months, and she drank cow's milk during the day. Up until the day we stopped she nursed before bed and at nap time.

I was able to SLOWLY stop the middle of the night nursing by making sure she had a snack before bed (usually cheese) and then I slowly increased the time between each feeding, I also made length of each nursing shorter. Yes - she fussed and cried, but she did get used to it for each change. At the end we did go cold turkey, but after two days she stopped pulling on my shirt and then after a week stopped asking all together.

I don't think you can confuse him - he can tell the difference, he just might not know how to communicate it. With my daughter I taught her a sign for Mama's Milk for nursing and just the regular milk sign for cows milk.

Anyway, good luck!