When to cut back on daytime milk?

[MegBusset]

DS is 8mo and weaning is going OK, barring teething/colds/full moon, he is eating 3 meals a day although not huge amounts.

At the moment he has 4 feeds a day wake-up, mid-morning, mid-afternoon and bedtime plus one (sometimes two) in the night. Just wondering what kind of age I should be thinking about replacing the daytime feeds with snacks? Don't want to cause him to feed more in the night, so should I just carry on until he's one and I can swap for a glass of cow's milk?

[Roskva]

I would aim to stop the night feeds first, or at least get him down to 1 a night. Dd was having bottle, breakfast, lunch, bottle, tea and bottle until she was about 13 months, then I replaced the afternoon bottle with a snack. She now has a morning snack, too. But she hadn't been feeding in the night for several months already. But take the lead from your little one: if he's still hungry after a bottle, it probably means that he needs a snack instead or even as well as, his bottle.

[Seona1973]

I'd try to get rid of the night feeds first before dropping daytime feeds - you dont want your lo taking more milk at night than in the day. With my ds, from 6 months I limited his middle of the night feed to 4oz (I cut it down gradually 1oz at a time) and at 8 months he gave it up. I wouldnt offer more than 1 night milk feed either - could you offer water or just try to settle him with a cuddle and/or patting, etc if he wakes more than once? My ds went to 4 feeds at 8 months, 3 feeds at 9 months, 2 feeds at 10 months and still has 2 lots of milk per day at 13 months (although they are from beakers now rather than the bottle)

[MegBusset]

Should have made clear that he's BF, not bottle. He does make it through most nights with only one feed, I've got no problem with that but don't want it to increase!

[jamila169]

It probably won't increase -in fact you'll wake up one morning, feeling like crap and realise you've just slept the whole night for the fist time in about 9 months. The daytime feeds will drop off gradually by about a year to 1 or 2 and there's no real need to introduce cows milk as a drink after 1 as long as he eats some dairy - mine all fed well after 1 year, but don't drink cows milk as a rule,we have lactose intolerances to a greater or lesser degree in our house so use lactose free milk in hot drinks and DS1 occasionally has some.