Okay, seriously, I think I've had enough.

Okay, I wanted to nurse for two years. I also wanted a slow gentle wean, ideally child lead, but willing to encourage on the mother's part. I've gotten now where. On the weekends Drex nurses as frequently as he ever has. I've been limited it as best I can, but he's not at all interested in giving it up. When he wants to nurse I will let him and give him a slow count of five and then say done. He goes along with that, but then always asked for the other side (even when he's already had the other side, so I then have to point out that there are only two sides). Now he'll come up and say, "1,2,3, Please mommy" which I take to mean, he knows it's not a time for a good nurse. When I say, no there is no chichi now--he'll throw a fit. Which is completely avoidable it I let him have his 1,2,3. I've also tried limiting nursing to only in bed--but thing is then he's like okay, let's go to bed, anytime of the day. I've tried offering him something else, like a glass of milk or yogurt, a snack or even a cookie--candy is the only thing he will take when he wants chichi--which is not something I'm willing to do. My only sucess is not nursing outside of home. I've convienced him we can't nurse outside of home and he pretty much accepts that. Nursing in public is very common here--for babies and we've gone WAYYY beyond the average nursing length and DH is starting to be uncomfortable with it. Drex goes around telling people he's a big boy (he's fully potty trained) but when I tell him big boys don't nurse he's say "I'm a baby."
I've got a two week vacation coming up and I don't want to be nurisng him 8 or more times a day during that time. (we aren't going away, so the outside the house thing will be limited, I can't spend all day out without spending a lot of money and I have things to do around the house.)
I'm mystified by all these people saying their child self weaned or lost interest. When is he going to lose interest? Locals say things like rub aloe vera gel on your breast or chili powder (Drex actually likes hot food so that probably won't work). But don't want to do anything tramatic and wouldn't be able to bring myself to anyway, I'm a total softy when it comes to him. But it's even getting hard to hold him in my lap to nurse and I find myself doing a cover-of-TIME type thing in a chair. Not that that's bad, but I'm just done.

Not really any question here--just a vent.

 

Lol, Drex and Lena must be cut from the same cloth. I've taken to telling Lena no during the day, unless she's sick. I try distracting her with food or play, which works most of the time.

And she's pretty much potty trained, too, and she pulls the whole "I baby" thing too. She would nurse 5 times a day if I let her.

 

Today at lunch, Bianca called Drex a caballero (a knight) and he shouted back, "I'm not. I'm a big boy." Then a minute later he comes up to me all soft and sweet and says, "Mommy I'm a baby."

 

I hear your frustration, I just wanted to share how I weaned my twins when they were almost 2, so they were younger, and maybe it won't work with an older one, but basically, I started ending a nursing session, by counting to 10, at the beginning I would let them nurse for basically a regular session, and then when I knew they were finishing count to 10, so that they got used to that as a signal to end. then gradually I shortened the time when I would start couting, I would also immediately transition to another cuddly activity, reading together, singing etc. eventually I would be counting to 10 as soon as they started, and then just going to the activity, and then totally skipped the nursing session.

I think that at this point, he probably just likes the comfort, and maybe you can offer, No we can't nurse now, but you can sit on my lap and read a book, or something else that gives him that same level of closeness.

Even after my girl's stopped nursing, one of them, would always stick her hands up my shirt to play with my lovely twin tummy, just for that feeling of skin to skin.

Good Luck

I don't know if this would work for you at all,

 

I am still nursing my 7 week old twins, but successfully weaned my older daughter at age 2. We cut nursing sessions down to before bedtime and naptime, but she was very attached. I counted as mentioned above and then started to tell her "milky" tasted different when she didn't need it anymore.

I rubbed cumin on my nipples. So nothing traumatic for her, but she noticed the difference and said it tasted funny. I reminded her about it tasting different when she was done. I did this maybe three times and we were done. No tears! I remember the feeling of freedom!

 

I thought I'd let you know I finally weaned Drex last month at 36 months. We didn't nurse outside of home and so we went away for 4 days. He did ask for it on the second night and got upset when I wouldn't give it to him. But then on the third night he was really over tired and throughing a fit and everyone was over tired and we all just wanted him to quiet down and I offered it to him, but he said, "No, I don't like that." Which made me happy. But then when we got home and it was time to go to bed at home, he asked for it. I told him no and was kind of huffy but went to bed. He's asked again on several occasions even though it's now been a full month he still asks, but accepts my no.