I am not against co-sleeping in any manner. I didn't do it with my kids because I just couldn't sleep with them that close. I just happened to remember reading somewhere in one of my parenting books that children who co-sleep at night may tend to want that same level of attention during the day. So, always wanting to nurse may be a way for him to compensate for during the day time when he is not always by your side. Again, this is just something I vaguely remember reading and it is just a theory, so take it with a grain of salt. Co-sleeping works well for many families.
If you have any concerns it would always be wise to talk to a doctor and or a lactation nurse. I say this also because if he is not gaining weight and you bring him in at a much later date social workers and investigators might get involved. I have seen this happen to some friends who had kids not gaining weight. But, like you said you don't even know what is normal. Your son may be perfectly normal in weight. A doctor checkup would be good.
Also, a lack of interest in food could indicate an underlying medical condition, so it is best to get it checked out.

Sherri,

It's not uncommon for babies who have gained well to slow down at this age because they become more mobile and begin slimming down. However average weight gain for a 6-12 month old baby is 2-4 ounces a week. It has been proven that breasted babies grow differently than bottlefed babies and the growth charts that most docs have are of fomula fed infants. Fromt he 4th month to the 12th month BF babies gain more slowly even after solids are started and at 1 year BF babies are leaner than FF babies. BF babies also consume less milk than FF babies but use it more efficiently.

Some babies are not real interested in food even at this age. Are there allergies in your family? Some babies who do not like to eat have an instinct about their food sensitivites. I understand your frustration especially if your baby is needy. Sometimes when you wean during the day it just means the baby will nurse at night. The only way to keep your supply up is the baby nursing, so by cutting daytime feedings baby has no other alternative than the nursathon at night. Maybe you could try not allowing baby to hang on the breast all night and nursing normally during the day. There are still so many benefits to BFing in the second year. Baby gets sick less. It is still providing lots of good nutrition so if baby doesnt eat you can be assured they are still getting what they need. At this age my son did not eat a lot of solids. He certainly did not eat 3 meals a day like FF counterparts. I would say his main nutrition was still coming form breast milk with maybe 1/2 pear and small serving of food while we ate dinner which I feel was more of a social thing than his want of the food. Maybe you could leave some expressed milk when you leave and baby would be happier. Also babies at this age can become very attached to mother especially as they begin to discover their separateness from her. I would not discourage this child's need for reassurance. The children who end up inscecure are the ones whose needs are not met. This child might be especially sensitive. Close contact with your children day or night does not cause a child to be clingy. Keep in mind all children have a different pace. I wouldn't push baby until he is secure and ready.

Also relatives sometimes make you feel like you should be leaving your baby. Somehow it drives them crazy that they cannot meet that particular need of the baby and they encourage weaning so they can participate more. Smart babies want their mamma and BF babies ARE smarter than FF babies!!! MOTHER is their survival. Reletives who have not breastfed also have a poor understanding of what is normal for a BF baby and think it is abnormal when they do not eat at that age.

Take heart knowing that baby will outgrow this stage and move on and love to stay with grandma and daddy one day. Baby will not nurse all night forever. You will blink your eyes and he will be climbing a tree and want to do things all by himself. That day will come.

Sherri!

Good to see you around.....I haven't been around much.....I'm finally catching up on all my emails....whew!

Anyway, I swear our sons are two peas in a pod!! All of your posts always seem to be exactly what I'm going through or been through....it's weird. I totally understand what you are going through. My son would not take to solids either, then we had the issue of blood in his stool. To make a long story short I cut out dairy from my diet for 3 weeks and the blood went away. I also started taking him to the chiropractor around the same time and they said his c1 and c2 were out of place and that could affect his eating. They treated him for allergies (using that zapper thing...sorry I don't know what it's called) and now he is eating pretty well. Granted, it's still a struggle at times.....I have to distract him the whole time but it's night and day now from where he used to be. I do feed him solids 3 times per day; some meals are more successful than others but I just have learned to go with the flow. I am still nursing as well. Does your son still wake up multiple times a night? I imagine so if he's nurses a lot. My son still wakes 4 or 5 times a night give or take which has me wondering if he has a sleep disorder because I know it's not for hunger. His naps are sketchy as well. I'm lucky to get 3 consecutive hours out of him per night. The longest he's slept recently is 5 1/2 straight but that's every now and then. The chiropractor is going to work on his sleep points next so I'll be sure to let you know if that helps. Oh and about the weight.....same thing here. At my son's last appointment he fell off the chart for weight.....he pretty much plateaued at 17 pounds and would gain and lose a little for months. She wasn't too concerned but I do have a weight check appointment this Friday. She thinks it's just because he wasn't eating a lot and is more active. My son started walking about the same time as yours......10 1/2 months. Anyway, I hope that helps some. Let us know how it goes!

Nicole