dropping milk feeds

[bessie26]

hi,

My DD is nearly 9mo & is still enjoying 4 milk feeds as well as 3 solid meals a day. When I got her weighed today the HV said that I should drop her afternoon milk now and look to drop her lunchtime milk very soon too, in a manner which suggested I really should have done this already...?

The HV I spoke to last month seemed happy that as I was increasing the amounts of solids, she was decreasing the amount of milk she was taking and I had planned to continue doing that until the daytime milk feeds got so short they weren't worth starting - any thoughts?

[Seona1973]

my ds dropped to 3 feeds around 9 1/2 months at his instigation. He then dropped the other daytime feed around 10 1/2 months (leaving a feed in the am and pm). I didnt have to do anything as he lost interest in the milk himself. They still needs a minimum of 20oz up till 1 year so if your lo is slowly cutting down her feeds as the solids increase then I would just follow her cues.

[ShinySarah]

Hi,
So what do you routines look like then. I'm about to drop a bottle with me 10 month old.

[Rhian82]

My 9-month-old still has four milk feeds a day, but as I'm breastfeeding I assume he's just taking a bit less each feed as he needs less. I don't really want to drop one - they break up the day quite nicely and comfort him when he's starting to get bored and ansty from a couple of hours of sitting and playing!

Our routine is:

7am milk
8am breakfast
10am milk
12noon lunch
3pm milk
5pm tea
7pm milk

[ShinySarah]

Hi,
That's interesting, thank you.

I know what you mean about breaking it up but I've just dropped my 11am bottle and so far so good!

[bessie26]

our routine was pretty much the same as Rhian82's, but the late morning & afternoon milk feeds have been getting shorter & later until last saturday when we skipped the afternoon feed, then today I moved the late morning milk to be after lunch.... all seems to be going ok so far although my boobs are a little confused

[CheerfulSoul]

We have same routine as Rhian82. My ds is 11 months and I want to start dropping his bottles. He's taking 5oz mid-morning and mid-afternoon so I guess I swap the bottle for some water and a snack, right? I'm worried that I'll reduce his fluid levels (he'll never drink that much water) and reduce his nutrition (the formula is so full of goodies). I'm also struggling to think of a snack that he will eat properly. Rice cakes and bread sticks etc. he just plays with and spits out. Cheese is the only thing he eats properly but I can't give him that with every meal and every snack!

[ShinySarah]

Hi,
i should have posted mine...It has taken a week or so but now we're on 3 bottles...

6-6.30 bottle (usually offer another oz or 2 at 7am if he'll take it)
8am breakfast

11.30 lunch

2pm bottle

4.30 tea

6.30 bottle

Lunch used to be 12-12.30 because he wasn't eating anything more the a couple of teaspoons.

Also, I'm struggling on the finger food from-he'll only eat rice cakes and rusks. he won't eat anything that is slipery!!

[littleboyblue]

I started weaning ds1 just before the 6 month mark, and he dropped his milk feeds very quickly. He ate so much solids that he just wasn't interested in milk anymore and by 9 months, was only having about 14oz a day split into 2 feeds.
Ds2 will be 6 months next week and I have started weaning, but at the moment, it seems he needs the milk to calm him before he has the solids, think it's because I can't get purees into him quick enough iyswim?

I kept milks and solids completely different with ds1, he never had both together, but ds2 is having milk along side breakfast and dinner (not started lunch yet)

My ds1 will be 2 next week and has only recently started eating 'wet' food. It has always been dry pasta, but in the past 6 months, he has started eating it with sauce etc. I think you just have to re-offer the things they don't seem to like every now and again. They're taste buds apparently change the most in the first 2 years.

[ShinySarah]

Thanks littleboyblue, he's not a bad eater but will not touch anything slippery!!!! I'm sure there's some kind of message in there somewhere!
I'll keep trying...