Advice on dropping a (breast) feed

[pasteldama]

Hi everyone. I am looking for some advice/experiences on reducing feeding. My DS is nearly 10 months old and well established on solids - a very healthy appetite and eats just about everything put in front of him. He has 3 meals a day, and has yoghurt everyday and regularly has cheese, so even though he isn't of an age to have cows milk he is still getting some dairy. He still has 4 breasfeeds - 6:30pm before bedtime, 10/10:30/11 pm, one in the early hours and then an early morning one before I go to work. I would like to drop the late evening feed so that I can go out and have a life occasionally without worrying, or even just relax of an evening and have an early night! The books say he should still have 500ml of breastmilk/formula a day. We had many battles with the bottle so he has never really had formula to use this as a substitute - he will drink a little from a cup but not very much - so this isn't an option, but I have started giving him weetabix made with formula for breakfast every other day which I hope makes up some of the amount he would miss from the dropped feed. We have tried to have my husband settle him when he wakes for the late feed for the last 3 nights, but DS is most unimpressed! My question is - is it OK to drop a feed at this stage as he is still under a year old or is it too early? Will he get enough milk with 3 feeds and some formula in his food? Should I persevere even though it breaks my heart to hear him cross and upset? Thanks all, for any advice you have x

Do you wake him up for the late feed? I definately had stopped bf at that time (10.30pm) when dd was 10 months as didn't feel dd needed waking for a dreamfeed and as she was on solids that she should really go through most of the night without needing too much topping up! Its a bit of a tricky one as I think at this age my dd was having a bf 1st thing in the morning and then a bottle of formula at about 10am and 3pm (while I was at work) and then I would feed her agin in the evening. Personally I would persevere with trying to give him some formula during the day and not worry about the 10pm feed.

Yes, I would skip the overnight feeds - you could probably drop the late-evening one first and then the small-hours one so he's basically having one feed every 12 hours. At 10 months he can sleep through without the overnight one (though he may disagree...)