How does dropping milk feeds work?

[TheChineseChicken]

8 month old DD is on an approximate 3-hourly BF schedule and now also eats 3 meals a day (baby led so still consuming small amounts but very enthusiastically). I'm a bit confused as to how dropping milk feeds will work. I offer DD the breast at around the same times each day and she always takes it, for varying amounts of time. Since I offer it, how will DD ever drop a feed? Should I instead be waiting for her to ask for it? Problem is, I now feel like I don't know if she wants milk or not as we have followed a routine and I have lost the knack of following cues. A couple of days ago I didn't offer it, DD didn't ask for it and then we got in a pickle at tea time because she was really hungry and had a meltdown!

I like a BF schedule as it helps me plan our day but now I'm wondering how weaning will actually work. Any advice? I'm probably overthinking it Thanks

[QforCucumber]

I started to extend time by about 30 mins for a couple of feeds, until we had 2 daytime instead of 3 but always the same time for early morning and bedtime.
I'd offer when i could see him getting stroppyish rather than they usual 'oh its been 3 hours' 11 months now and on 3 milk feeds, now bottle fed though as full time work and expressing was too much for me.

[TheChineseChicken]

Thanks Q I might try a couple of days responding to cues and see what happens... I was hoping I would have got the BF thing sorted by now but there's always a new challenge!

[Semaphorically]

We only offered milk after solid food. DD slowly ate more solid food and less milk and cut down on her own.

[InMemoryOfSleep]

@TheChineseChicken it's tough isn't it - you think you've nailed it then some other challenge pops up! I've done the same as you, with BLW and BF on demand, my DS is 9 months now. I went from offering a feed roughly 3-hourly according to demand, to just waiting a bit longer to see if he 'asked' for it, and he now goes around 4-5 hours between feeds (on a good day!)

My day roughly looks like this:
7am - wake up, BF
8am - breakfast
11am - BF
12 - lunch
3/4pm - BF
5pm - dinner
6.30pm - BF & bed

So I didnt really 'drop' a feed as such I don't think, he's just going longer between feeds - it's a bit different maybe when you're BF on demand to when you're FF on a schedule. I think just continue to be led by your DD, and a bit of trial and error - she'll ask for it if she's hungry, and you'll soon work out when she wants a BF and when she wants solids!

[ASqueakingInTheShrubbery]

I kept offering at the usual times but at some point switched to offering boob after food rather than before. Eventually she decided she didn't want it and rejected it entirely when she turned 1.

[TheChineseChicken]

Thanks all, some useful advice here. These things always work out so I don't know why I stress about it. I must have nothing better to do than ponder my daughter's feeding habits

[DappledThings]

At 8 months my schedule was identical to InMemory above. At 10 months I just started offering some fruit/rice cake or similar for snack instead of the 11 am feed. At 11 months changed the 3 pm one to a bottle and at 12 months dropped that bottle for snack too. Now at nearly 13 months still bf first and last thing and he sometimes has 11 and 3 snacks, sometimes not.

Next decision/challenge is dropping the remaining 2 bfs and I'm very conflicted about that!

[TheChineseChicken]

So I didn't offer the breast today and went by DD's cues. This led to BF at 7, 10.40, 1.45 and 6.15 (this last one was offered at the usual pre-bed time), which is much more spaced out than usual. Interesting!