u/thingswillbebrighter

my little one turned 1 last month and I’m still breastfeeding on demand as it works for us and he is a bit of a boob monster (I tracked feeds yesterday just to see and I think it was 10 across the day, I never track at night).

I think I‘d like to continue feeding until he’s 2, I wasn’t imagining this frequency and he’ll be at nursery 3 days a week but I find it hard to say no to his demands (I might delay to get myself a drink but my day is easier if I just feed and then we move on, whether than was hunger/thirst/comfort/pain relief/connection as the reason).

My partner thinks I should cut the feeds to support solids/stop feeding for comfort and try to comfort in other ways . he feels he can no longer comfort our little one as he just wants boob. Equally, I think we haven’t had many opportunities where I am out the house to see how my partner will comfort little one when it comes to it.

Im curious to hear from people - what did your weaning journeys look like if you weaned after your little one was a year old? How did you reduce feeds?

Part of me feels it will be easier to reduce feeds etc once things have settled with nursery and I can assess if that’s what I/we want but also I’ll be dealing with a more strong willed toddler. So for now I’m genuinely curious about other people’s experiences - I appreciate in advance if you take the time to share.

Other mums talk of a few feeds but we’re still feeding very regularly (every 1-2 hours during the day). Some meal times are a success and sometimes it feels like he licks a cucumber slice and gets annoyed he’s in the high chair.

I feel like I waste so much food (I know he’s learning) but I’m never going to be able to stop breastfeeding without upsetting my baby.

I threw his lunch in the sink after trying to feed it/offer it to him picnic style, a couple of attempts to go in the high chair, spaced out across the afternoon.

Does the journey onto solids ever get easier? It just feels relentless and I try offering food after a feed or waiting until he’s hungier but no pattern to what happens during a meal. I’m feeling incredibly frustrated and have just spent the last 10-15 mins crying. I feel like I’m failing him.

Apologies for the typos etc - don’t feel this is coherent but just want some perspective.

11 month, has just started to walk with walker/cruise around, so much fine motor skill development too.

sleep has just gone to pot. I guess I don’t want schedule tweaks for now as I am exhausted too, but roughly 2 hours of day sleep, usually across two naps but variable timing. Occasionally it’s one nap depending on what we do - I follow his cues. we do contact naps, moving towards feed to sleep on bed and roll away (or cosleep as I need naps again). Will be naps on the go if using car etc.

9pm-7am is the night. Last week, maybe sometimes getting a 5 hour stretch but then hourly or more frequent wakes, not just latch and go back to sleep but latch, off, relatc, roll, Relatch etc. otherwise that was the whole night every couple of hours.

he has usually been quite a still sleeper bit he cannot stop moving and that wakes him or me or both up. (We cosleep if that wasn’t clear).

im go to bed and wake up with my baby And I’m exhausted.

Trying to give lots of time to practice skills in day, limit “containment”, trying for lots of stimulation/outdoors if we can. Trying to the best of my ability strip back other stuff in day that I have to do so I can rest.

what am I missing? Should I just accept sleep has gone haywire with development (and possible teething?) Would say I don’t have a village.

any tips for stopping little one biting? he’s 11 months and has started doing this in the past few days.

I end the feed and put him down (sometimes he protests and we restart after a cuddle).

I feel we’ve had a few bad nights (worse than usual) and I’m coming down with a cold.

how do you regulate yourself on little sleep? I have less patience and am trying to be responding to my baby but can’t cope when I need to put him down (to wee or prep lunch or wash my hands or get him medicine ) and he shouts for me. I just feel myself snapping and needing to step away for longer or making little sarcastic comments rather than staying calm when he cries/shouts etc.

I don’t want to sleep train but have a few parents around me who say they are a better version of themselves as a parent since they sleep trained (well it feels like everyone is saying this but it’s not).

I hate myself for how I am reacting to my baby during nappy changes as he tries to roll away.

have tried toys etc to occupy him but I’ve ended up shouting twice and left the room to scream (but I think he heard me).

he deserves better. I should be able to regulate myself To get through a nappy change. I feel like I’m wrestling him back into position to stop poo getting everywhere and I don’t want to hurt him but can’t let Him crawl off. I just loathmyself for getting angry over it and him seeing that.