One time, no more!

Oh you know what??? We finally managed to successfully, more or less, wean Isaac off the breast. Hehehe... yeah, it's "more or less" coz he's sorta still suckling... but wait! let me explain!!! It's much better now, ok!?

You see, only a few weeks ago, he was still drinking about 3 to 5 times a day
1) immediately after I come home from work, he'd need his fix.
2) just before he sleeps - or rather, yes, he nurses to sleep - I'm his pacifier.
3) during the night, he wakes up to drink at least once...
4) sometimes twice!?!?
5) occassionally, before I go to work, in the car, he'd drink.

So, kinda minimum 3 times.

But tell you... his "1 time" is like horrible, coz he'd suckle one side for awhile then ask for "other side", then suckle awhile, then ask for "other side" again! and again! and again! *faint* Hubbs ask me why he does that, I said: "I don't know. Maybe he likes the kou2 gan3"

Anywayz, we really wanted to try to wean him off. So, like a week before his 6th July (22 month 'birthday'), I kept telling him that he was going to be 22 months old soon, and that made him a "big boy". So, big boys don't need to drink from Mummy anymore, right?

Thus, from 6th July onwards, whenever he asked to drink. I would tease him, "You big boy already, right? So no need to drink lah..." I would say it in a teasing voice, tickling and poking him at the same time. He would get all tickled, and actually not drink! Hurray! This way, we actually managed to cut out the fix after I come back from work.

Then, I started to drive all the time, instead of hubbs. Coz we found that Isaac would only quietly sit in his car seat (which is in the front seat, next to the driver - no we don't have airbag), while I am driving! If hubbs is the one driving, he would want to "Sit with Mama! 'hind! 'hind!" (behind). So, I would drive, and so, he stopped drinking in the car.

Now, it was left with the feeds just before he sleeps, and those at night.

We found that it was quite tough to do away with the nursing to sleep, so I tackled the night feeds first. When he wakes up, I would give him the "No, you big boy already... no need to drink lah..." Sometimes he accepts it, when he's sleepy enough, and goes back to sleep. Sometimes, he is tired and cranky and throws a tantrum - which, I either let him burn himself out with the tantrum, or if I am particularly tired myself that night, I'd just surrender and let him suckle.

But most of the time, my Isaac boy is very rational and a bargain boy, he'd say "One time? please Mama. One time?" on and on and on, no tantrum! hahahha how'd you say no to that?! He was asking nicely, with a reasonable request, and he said 'please'!

But remember what I said earlier about his "one time" being "other side" and "other side" and umpteen numbers of "other sides"?!?! I didn't want that to happen! So, I told him, "One time, and no more! Okay?"

Of course, he said "okay." he's learnt to say okay to most things, even though he doesn't really understand what we're saying sometimes. So, I'd let him suckle. Then, naturally, he asked for the many "other sides" after he's had a go at both sides once. That's when I'd say "No, Isaac, Mummy told you already, one time for each side and no more, right?" This, he couldn't argue with, so he'd go back to sleep.

So now he knows. At night, when he wants to drink, he'd say "One time, no more?" And I'd say... "huh... one time, no more ah!?" and he'd nod eagerly and say "One time, no more!!!" And I let him suckle lor... :p

Hey, but I made some progress on the nursing to sleep the past few nights. We'd read before bed, you see. Isaac loves books, so we'd usually have to read to him till he's tired and wants to sleep. The past few nights, I noticed this pattern:
- we'd read till he's tired, and he agrees to sleep
- close book, lie down, he starts suckling
- but shortly, he'd disengage himself (stop suckling), and ask for another book!
- I'd read to him, and he goes to sleep while I am still reading (long book lah, I'm a very interesting reader/story-teller okay ;p)

hurrah!!! even though he nursed a bit, I still feel this is a marked improvement that he didn't nurse to sleep! yay!!!

kekeke ;) not bad progress lah, huh hehehe...