Shouldn't she be 'dropping feeds'...?

[jinglespots]

My DD is 7 months and still breastfeeding like crazy. She is on solids, though only enthusiastic about fruity stuff and mush. Generally solids and finger food are sort of fun, but a distraction from what she still regards as The Main Event. I feed her on demand, so normally don't count, but today I felt a bit exasperated with the whole thing and counted 7 feeds. I just want to know how on earth we might start dropping feeds? I suspect the sheer quantity of milk she's getting interferes with her appetite. Am not however inclined to refuse her point blank.

[ChristmasBOOZA]

Hi Spots. My DD is currently scheduled (in my head only ) to have four feeds. She loves her solids though. The feeds are a breast feed first thing in the morning which is currently translating to 5.30, 7 oz bottles at about 10 - 11 and 2 -4 and a breast feed at 7.20 which is bedtime ie she goes down about 7.30. She is also having 3 meals a day (2 of which are two courses). But until the last two nights its been a bit up and down with her having extra feeds in the night - 1 or 2 which would make her up to 5 or 6 milk feeds in 24 hours. I think the four feeds is fine though at this age.

Maybe you could work on a wake up, mid morning, mid afternoon and bedtime general pattern and try and up the solids. Or do you normally combine milk and solid feeds? Agree that she is probably not hungry for the solids like you think.

[Chuffingoodtime]

dd is 8 1/2 months and still has quite a few milk feeds and solids spaced out. solid breakfast at about 7am then bf at about 7.15ish. 5oz formula about 10am. lunch about 12. 5oz formula about 2.30. high tea about 3.45. then some formula about 5.30 doesn't normally drink more than about 2oz. dinner at about 6.15. bf at about 7pm. then dream bf at about 10pm.
We have found the enthusiasm on solids comes and goes a little depending on her mood, teething, colds etc and can be great on one day and not so good on another.
Sounds like you are doing great!

[jinglespots]

thanks... you two... I would be much happier if ?I knew how to get down to 4 feedsa day! She is very lovely but oh so tiring...

[TheHollyAndTheTwiglett]

Feed her when you wake up / after morning sleep / after afternoon sleep and when she goes to bed plus any midnight feeding she wants I suppose

I'm a feed on demand kind of gal .. DD is 7.5 months old .. but I think roughly that's what we're doing (although to be honest she isn't getting the wake up feed cos DH is bringing her downstairs for breakfast)

if she's fussy around meal times feed her mush .. DD just eats mush or finger food too .. she doesn't like little lumps in her mush but is happy chomping on a rice cake / bread / carrot

[PickasillyChristmasName]

When DS was 7 months and only milk was breast milk, he used to feed at least 6 times a day and sometimes more. I used to wonder when he would ever stop having so many milk feeds....and then they started to cut down. I was worried as I went back to work when he was 9 months and thought he'd be drinking milk all day!

By 9 months he was down to 4 milk feeds a day and it was soon down to three after that.

It will calm down - but I remember feeling that I thought it would never happen

[Rois]

HI
My DS is three months old and is only looking for
four feeds a day,consisting of three 6oz and one 7oz bottles.Is this about right or should he be getting more?

[TheHollyAndTheTwiglett]

what does it say on the side of the formula can?

[TheHollyAndTheTwiglett]

here you go Rois this should answer it

[Rois]

Thanks Holly

[jinglespots]

Pickasilly... That is a good xmas name... I am so glad to hear that. My favourite thought is 'go with the flow' but I'm never quite sure it's appropriate in the world of parenting. However today I gave her more bottled water than usual and someone else took her out for a walk, which meant she only had, um, 4 feeds today! blimey! I didn't think she could physically do that... Isn't it odd how these things tend to happen right after you've posted an 'I am Worried' thread?

Twig and Boz, I shall keep the golden target of 4 feeds in my mind whether I mean to or not.

Thanks all of you. x

[OhComeLetUsADiorHim]

My ds dropped a feed of his own accord when he was 8 months, and getting more goodness from solids.