My 19mo DD is a boob monster. Over the last few months her demands for Tit! have been shoutier, more demanding and insistent. Attempts to offer a bottle of cows milk result in thrashing tantrums. At 4am her willpower is greater than mine, so shes learning that shrieking and thrashing about gets her what she wants.
My mother, husband and childminder have been asking me to wean her for some months. But until today Ive been reluctant to do so, because on the occasions shes been unwell (just normal colds and bugs) she becomes absolutely reliant on my milk. But the childminder has been commenting that when my DD gets frustrated or needs comforting she can work herself up into a frenzy, and can become quite aggressive, picking up whatevers to hand to use as a weapon. (She said she occasionally has needed Ninja speed to intervene when DD has become frustrated with a playfellow.)
This morning I was the target. She fed at 4am, and again at 6am. Once she finished feeding she wanted to stay latched on, whilst playing, wriggling, poking me and pulling my hair, hassling me to play with her, whilst she was still latched on. I wanted to go back to sleep so I turned over in bed and went back to sleep. DD toddled off, got her plastic footstool, carried it into the bedroom and smacked me hard over the head with it. That made me wake up!
On hearing this the childminder tried hard to suppress her I told you so body language, whilst politely suggesting that perhaps I might now consider weaning her. My husband and childminder are in agreement that I am the cause of DDs worsening behaviour. So what do I do now? Is weaning really the answer? How do I get DD to accept a bottle of milk instead of me? How do I cope with her howls of betrayed anguish when I refuse her?