BFing 12 month old - what does/did your feeding pattern look like?

[Astrophe]

DD2 is 12 months, and I'm prepared to keep feeding her until...? Maybe 2 years ish.

She has a wake up feed, an after lunch feed, a bedtime feed, and a dream feed (yes..still!), which I will try to drop when I can be bothered!.

Lately she is not asking for the 'after lunch' feed, and I'm wondering if I should press on with it? Obviously I can't force her to keep BFing and wouldn't try, but I am a little worried that if I let it go, it might be the beginning of the end?

I fed DS un til 21 months, but he didn't get completely off day feeds until 18 months or so, and even then, with some reluctance. DD1 was losing interest by 12 months and we finished up around 14 months...which is fine, but I'd like to encourage her a bit longer if I could.

So what does/did your 12 month old do?

This all sounds very good to me if you want to encourage DD2 to BF a bit longer? sadly my just-over-13m old DS just self-weaned :( he was feeding once in the morning and once just before bed, until about 2 weeks ago. The 2 feeds a day had been going for awhile, I think he stopped day feeds around 9 or 10 months -- it just became impossible to feed him as he fidgeted too much and didn't really take anything in! then just 2 weeks ago same thing first thing in the morning, and very soon after that, he was no longer interested in the evening feed.

Sad but I took the hint, now he has milk about an hour before bed and we go and brush his teeth then do books etc. He seems young for this bedtime routine but I don't think there's much you can do to 'encourage' if they aren't interested in BF -- just don't skip the opportunities maybe and see what happens? good luck!

yes, I think you're right. I have been missing opportunities - because I'm actually quite happy not to feed her during the day - I would only press on with it out of concern that she might then also drop the morning and evening feeds.

But it's up to her obviously :)

Yes can't say I was devastated when Ds's afternoon feeds dropped away!

The biggest gap in terms of dropped feeds for us was between the daytime and "morning/evening" feeds though, if that helps :)

My nearly 12 mo is feeding before morning nap (9 ish), sometime late morning if I offer, before afternoon nap (2 ish) and before bed (7 ish). Then about a million times during the night.... (between 2 and 5 feeds). I do wonder if feeding more in the day would help with the nights, but can't really fit in any more with solid meals as well!

Dd was feeding first thing in morning and just before bed at that stage.
She self-weaned at about 13 months too, sounds v similar pattern to easilydistracted's ds.

hmm, it does sound like dropping the day feed will be the beginning of the end then hey? I will press on with the day feed then I think, at least for now.

is there anyone out there who has sustained 2 feeds a day (early moring and bedtime) for more than a few months?

My DS is just coming up to his first birthday. I'm sometimes feeding him during the day (back to work in a couple of weeks so definitely dropping it completely before then). I did have it down to once in the morning, once before bed and once (or sometimes twice, if I'm honest) in the night. Then he started teething again and while he's fine not bf in the day, he's become a bit of a boob-monster at night when his gums hurt. (tired face emoticon) Come to think of it why isn't there a tired face emoticon on MN?

I honestly don't think not offering during the day makes him any less likely to feed (as long as he's hungry and/or sleepy) when it's offered, but time will tell.

I've been doing beginning and end of day feeds with 13m DD for quite a few weeks now and had no problems. I've just dropped the after breakfast feed as she's really not that bothered and happily has a cup of cow's milk instead. I'm planning to drop the bedtime feed soon, as it's getting uncomfortable with the teeth, I feel ready to stop and DD doesn't seem overly bothered a lot of the time.

DS2 is now 15 and half months. I only give him a bedtime feed now on a regular daily basis. I sometimes give him a late afternoon feed if he asks for it.

I think at 12 months he had a morning, mid afternoon and bedtime feed.

It was more than a few months for me, astrophe, I was back at work (so down to the two feeds) at 8 months and continued for another 5 months.