Expert: ruth kraft - 8/7/2009

Question
I have a happy 14 month old girl who has crossed over on her growth chart. She is NOT underweight(cute fat thighs), however in the past two months she has started a downward curve on the growth curve.
Now in saying this, she had the chicken pox, then started walking, then got three molars and then had roseola ..all in the months where her weight has not increased much. She nursed so much during these sick times and her solid intake was unpredictable.
My doctor suggested weaning her off the daytime feeds and only nursing her at bedtime and through the night so that she is geting the right amount of solid food. This is tough for me as I demand fed my son until he was over 2. However, he is not the picky eater that she appears to be.
I am reluctant to wean but think maybe if I just make sure i nurse her AFTER her solid meals instead of whenever she wants.
Feeling torn on this as I love nursing and so does she but obviously want her to comsume proper nutritional requirements.
Thanks andrea

Answer
My opinion is that you should continue to nurse her on demand. You can certainly try to nurse her after you feed solid foods but the breastmilk has alot of nutrition in it. its also VERY common for babies to start doing this when they start walking and becoming mobile. they spend the first 8 months putting on little fat thighs and then the next year burning off that baby fat. As long as she is acting normal and is on target developmentally ,  then let her choose how and when to eat. otherwise it may become a power struggle. the reality is, kids grow at different rates. My son grew like this and did the same thing your daughter is doing at around 12 months. without the chicken pox and roseola... and didnt lose weight but didnt gain much. The doctor had me so worried but then as I did more research I realized he was fine. it was just how HE grew. Growth charts are good for watching for big issues.  Reaching a plateu doesnt mean anything is wrong. If she continues to be otherwise normal, Don't worry about it. Any indication of illness, then go back to the dr. If she insists on day nursing more, and you take away what she does best with, she will get less calories. not more. not to mention the decrease in antibodies she will get over time...

Good luck!
www.honoringwomen.com