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Breastfeeding/breastfeeding a 1 year old

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Expert: - 12/4/2007


Question
Hi Sally,
my name is Keren and i live in Costa Rica and Noam is my cute 1 year old son. I am still breastfeeding Noam and we both love it. In the last few weeks he has been asking to breastfeed almost every half an hour (including the nights, he sleeps with us)and he has been showing less and less interest in solids. I don't want to give up on breastfeeding but he has to eat solids, and I don't know what to do.
We spend all day together, I have tried to distract him with playing in the garden, or going for walks, but it doesn't work.
I'll be very grateful for you time and help!
Keren

Answer
Dear Keren,

First, congratulations for giving your son the best start in life by breastfeeding him!

I'm wondering whether your son is in special need at this time for emotional support. Has anything changed in his life -- like a special person he was fond of not being there any more, or has he been sick, or is there anything else that you can think of? If so, try just breastfeeding him all he wants for about a week and don't worry about the solid foods. Then after that time, reintroduce his favorite solid food (applesauce or other fruit is usually the favorite) after a nursing when he isn't wildly hungry, and see whether he eats it. You might also give him finger foods that he can handle and may enjoy picking up -- like cooked peas, Cheerios, banana slices, etc.

As far as the night-time nursings are concerned -- try sleeping somewhere else for a night or two and let your husband or partner comfort Noam. If you're not right there, he may be willing to go back to sleep.

You're in a situation where you just have to try a few different approaches and see what works. Something will!

Good luck!

Sally
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Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters.  

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Sally Wendkos Olds

Expertise

What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.

Experience

I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.

Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.

Other points of interest I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding. To find out more about me, go to

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