17mo rejecting meals for breast.

[PrettyCandles]

Ds2 is still fed on demand and has always been a frequent feeder. When I stopped feeding him at night about a month ago he started feeding even more often during the day. To be expected, I suppose, and I think that's fine. But now I realise that he is skipping meals - usually lunch - and wanting to feed even more as a result.

Is this OK? At this age ought I try to refuse him some feeds so that he is hungrier for his lunch?

[jellyrolly]

Perhaps he associates feeding with something else as well. Like a bit of quiet time or a cuddle with mum? If so, could you be outside at the park or somewhere distracting? Is there any pattern to his day feeds? Or is there any way you could make lunch more exciting!?

It seems a bit mean to refuse him if you are both happy so maybe a bit of gentle manipulation would work?

[devonsmummy]

No advice but will watch this thread as I have a 16mth DS still fed on demand and would like to cut down.

I did a week of no feeds at night and he just upped the daytime feeds - as he was feeding frequently in the day to start with I felt like I was constantly feeding him.

Went back to night feeds ( i know I'm crazy!!) but it freed some time during the day!!

Hope someone comes along with advice.

[theyoungvisiter]

DS has always been keener on bm than on food. I used to try to distract him for the couple of hour immediately before lunch - ie make sure we were out and about or doing something he found fun. Then at other times he could have it whenever he wanted.

[hoppybird]

I've got one those babies too! My dd is heading towards 19 months and is still a major fan of bf, and wakes once in the night (on a good night) for a full feed, whether or not she's eaten lots in the day. She has always had a terrible time with teething, and that's when she really loses her appetite, and ups the bf during the day (and night). The same happens when she has a cold. Also, when she's too tired to eat a proper meal, like when mummy is a little late with dinner she rejects it an asks for bf.

I think she's getting a little better though. I have tried distraction, and I have been offering smaller snacks between meals (breadsticks, bananas), trying to pre-empt when she asks for bf. In total, she seems to eat more solids if she has snacks. Would love to hear some more advice too.

[Tapster]

Its good to hear alot of us in the same boat. I've a 16 month DD who feeds 4-5 times a day, usually not at night unless she is poorly. She has never been that keen on solids and have been under lots of pressure from health professionals and family to wean her but she is quite round and doesn't look like she is lacking anything at all. I think I have finally taught her that she can't have feeds outside the home. We were out all day and she didn't have any milk until 5pm after her morning milk. The first time ever. Hope its not a fluke.

It seems to make sense that if they feed on demand rather than 3/4 hourly like bottle fed babies they only eat when they are hungry. Therefore set meal times are not going to work for many of them - my DD eats enough (often not alot) to satisfy her immediate hunger but not to keep her going to her next meal. I wish I could find some evidence for this and how to cure it. I've given up and try and give healthy snacks.

[PrettyCandles]

Isn't it funny how you think you're the only one - and then along come half-a-dozen people who're in the same boat!

The pressure to wean from the breast can be quite strong. It's ridiculous - why should you have to wean now? Dd was also still bf at this age, 5 or more times a day (she was sleeping through), but she was also a fantastic eater. She ate masses, and wasn't fat, but tall and solid. Yet I had a GP worrying about her nutrition, and telling me I ought to stop bfing her!

I think ds2's appetite is more like ds1's than dd's. With ds1 (who wasn't bfd at this age) I had to time his snacks and meals quite carefully, as it was easy to put him off his food. He ate like a bird - even now he sometimes seems to live on air - yet, at the time, was not skinny, just tall and slender. Btu he was a PFB, and I had all the time in the world to organise the day according to his needs. Ds2, OTOH, gets dragged around school runs, which are generally at the wrong time for him, and so on.

I found daytime weaning easy with dd, but I don't want to do it with ds2 in the hope that he'll eat more, unless it really is necessary for him to eat more solids. I don't know what he weighs right now, but he looks fine to me. I also don't think that the breastfeeds satisfy him when he skips lunch.

[Highlander]

DS2 (17mo) does this when he is teething or brewing a cold (ie before it's obvious he has a cold).

[PrettyCandles]

Anyone else?