Breastfeeding/back to work/nursery morning routine advice

[badb]

Hello all. I am currently breastfeeding a one year old - we are currently at 2-3 feeds a day, morning (usually at 6.30 or so, when he wakes), sometimes at 3ish after I pick him up from nursery, and evening before bed at 6.45. He gets one bottle of formula (7oz) at 10.30 at nursery.

At the moment, he has his breakfast at around 8am and I drop him to nursery at 9.30am. From September, however, I will need to be at work by 7.30am, which means I will need to leave home by 6.45, and husband will be dropping him (and his older sister) to nursery at around 8.15am. I'm just wondering what to do with feeding/breakfast. I will probably be able to feed him in the morning before I leave, but perhaps not always if he sleeps late. Nursery do provide breakfast, but usually not till 9am when the "arrivals rush" dies down. This seems to be fine for my toddler - last year when she was going full time, she would have a cup of milk at home and have her breakfast at nursery, and never complained of being hungry or anything. But my son seems to be RAVENOUS in the mornings - he starts getting really cross at around 7.30, and then devours his breakfast as soon as I dish it up. A few mornings last week I tried to give him a sippy cup of milk and hold off breakfast till 9, but he was really cranky with hunger.

Husband could give him breakfast at 7.30ish, but then I'm worried about him going hungry between breakfast and lunch, as the nursery have a really annoying food schedule in the baby/waddler rooms and don't give lunch till after the afternoon nap, at 2.30 (at 10.30/11 they have bottles and fruit). That's a pretty long gap between breakfast and lunch, I think. This will be the case till he moves to the toddler room at around 15-16 months, so a while yet.

I know I'm overthinking this a bit - he's not even my pfb, but he's just so angry when he is hungry! Also, I was hoping to wind down the breastfeeding soon - I'm away with work for a week at the end of October, so I would like to finish up gently if possible before that. So I'd like to have the morning routine sorted by then. What does your early morning routine for nursery look like, food-wise?

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

If you are thinking of winding down the BFing, I'd get DH to give him a good breakfast and a cup of milk at 7 ish. This will give him a good 2 hour break between his first and second breakfast.

I think he'll probably be fine then

[badb]

Ha, I didn’t even think of two breakfsts! Maybe that’ll work.

[zebrapig]

We give ours milk when they wake, then a brioche on the way to nursery. They then have snack at around 9.30. We never have time for them to have breakfast at home as they're not early risers but they get to nursery too late for breakfast.

[MaverickSnoopy]

Agree either two breakfasts and if pushed for time put him in high chair where you/dh can see him and give him something he can easily feed himself.

[user1480880826]

Surely he can still have breakfast at nursery even if you give him breakfast at home?

My daughter has breakfast at home at about 7am (toast or cereal) and often has another breakfast at nursery at 8am. Then they have a snack at 10am and lunch at 12:30am.

Really odd that your nursery makes them wait so long for lunch. From what you’re saying my daughter effectively gets an extra meal every day compared to yours.

[badb]

Thanks all. Something like a brioche before they leave might work, yes.

As for the two breakfast thing - in theory, I don't really have an issue with it if they were both small breakfasts. It might even help him drop the 10.30 bottle which I would like to happen sooner rather than later. He did, however, accidentally have two breakfasts a few weeks ago when DH forgot to tell nursery he'd eaten at home already, and he vomited everywhere and had to come home and stay home for two days. It might have been a bug, but I don't think two bowls of porridge, a 7oz bottle, and a banana all before 11am helped.

Yes, the nursery feeding schedule is incredibly annoying. It's such a good nursery otherwise, but this is really irritating. It makes it really hard to phase out the bottle! They start giving lunch at 12 once they move into the toddler room, but that might not be for another 4-6 months or so, until he's walking confidently and can make a decent fist of feeding himself. It's a pain in the hoop, frankly.

[user1480880826]

I wonder if it was something else that made your son sick. Most children that age won’t just keep eating until they’re sick.

I would avoid brioche if I were you. It contains a lot of sugar and processed carbs. Maybe some whole grain cereal or some fruit.

[Mylittlepony374]

My one year old has two breakfasts. We just last week dropped his morning breastfeed. He was starved so it's been replaced with porridge about 7am. He gets to creche at 8.15ish and eats more cereal or toast and fruit. Works fine for him but he is a little giant, 90th centiles for height/weight so he just seems to need it.

Toddler just has milk when she wakes and eats breakfast at creche. She doesn't seem to need anything early on.

I would just try the two breakfasts and see. We find oat bars useful if in a rush, he can feed himself while I dress.

[badb]

Yes, quite possibly it was a bug, though he didn't vomit any more after that. Children are funny with vomiting though - when I vomit, I feel ill and out of sorts for ages after, but they just vomit and move on!

I know what you are saying about brioche. They tend to have Weetabix for their nursery breakfast, but I suppose they could have it at home too. I just need to get over my own hatred of it - I despise it's grim, concrete-like mess. Maybe a slice of wholegrain toast, though husband will lose his reason letting the baby have some as he has (a) a deep rooted fear of choking, and (b) preciousness about getting crumbs/butter on his leather car seats

[Indecisivelurcher]

My 2yo has a cup of milk when he wakes, normally about 6:30. Then a banana at about 7. Goes to nursery at 8 and has breakfast there at 8:40. So I second a brioche or banana as an easy thing to give, no prep or clean up, but gets him through till the later breakfast time at nursery.

[saywhatwhatnow]

I second the two breakfasts idea. BF or milk if you're not there on waking, then and small breakfast at home (banana/fruit, yoghurt or small bowl of cereal like cheerios) to keep him going. Just let nursery know and they can give him a second small breakfast of toast or weetabix or whatever so he doesn't vomit again. My DS would eat all of that in one sitting so don't think it will be a problem to split it over a couple of hours.

[badb]

Thanks all. Mylittlepony, I see we are on similar ground: DS is 50th centile, but is ravenous it seems from waking till around 4.30, then he won't eat a thing for tea.

It looks like two breakfasts, or at least 1.5 breakfasts is the way to go, especially when I phase out the morning feed over the next few months.

[Mylittlepony374]

Sounds very similar alright @badb. Except my boy doesn't stop. He's had two dinners tonight too- sweet potato & beef casserole then a big bowl of pasta an hour or so later. 😂.