Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Flip

Original poster

How do you demand feed your older BF baby?

14 replies

RufflesKerfluffles · 27/04/2011 11:31

DS, nearly 9mo, is BF (and BLW) and it is generally going really well, but I've realised I am almost exclusively feeding him at 'routine' times these days; I don't think I demand feed him any more. I offer him feeds when he wakes up, before and after (two) naps, an hour or so before dinner, and just before bed. He then feeds about twice a night. Occasionally he'll want a feed at another time, but I sometimes don't realise immediately, I suspect in part because I am out of practice now. What do other people do with similar age babies? Is there something I'm missing, or is this normal?

OP posts:

blackteaplease · 27/04/2011 12:25

If he is getting 9/10 feeds in 24 hours it sounds to me like he is getting enough milk so doesn't need to demand it from you. You may find that if he is ill/ teething/ having a growth/ development spurt that he will demand more feeds.

16mo dd has a similar routine to your ds, but now that she is older it's clear when she wants extra milk as she tries to pull my top down and help herself. Thankfully she doesn't do this in public!

Hopefully someone else will be along soon to give you some better advice.

KD0706 · 27/04/2011 13:09

Hi ruffles
My DD is 12mo and also BF and BLW.
Up until about six weeks ago, we did a very similar pattern to you. She never demanded (other than during the night), but was happy to accept the breast when offered at 'set' times. Obviously, like you, I would feed her sooner if she seemed to want it.

I think that they stop demanding a feed in the same way as they get older.

About six weeks ago, my DD was lasting longer overnight so I started to not offer during the day and we are now down to a feed first thing in the morning, one late afternoon when she demands (generally by being grumpy and sticking her head down my top!), and a bedtime feed. Also recently due to teething she has had a night feed but it is obviously more comfort then food as she tends to fall asleep as soon as the nipple is in her mouth (but that's another story!!)

I think you're doing fab as you are. If your DS wanted fed more often I'm sure he would let you know.

Okonomiyaki · 27/04/2011 13:38

My 6mo demands by doing a sort of backwards swoopy dive and pulling my top. Often accompanied by screeching. Pretty unmistakeable

silkenladder · 27/04/2011 15:25

It was the same with me, too, and I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing. There's something on Kellymom about having to offer feeds if you want to continue bf to 2 years or longer and if you are in a routine then you will automatically offer feeds at certain times.

DD is 23 months and feeds first thing and at bedtime. I stopped offering daytime feeds (other than naptime) at around 12 months and she didn't seem to demand them. Now when she comes into our bed in the morning she says "want a milk", so that's pretty clear .

I've read lots of posts saying dcs "lost interest" at anything from 10 to 18 months and always wondered how that squared with assertions from bf expert sources that self-weaning under 18 months was extremely rare. Maybe some babies don't feel they need to cue feeds at that age and that leads some mums to think they are self-weaning?

RitaMorgan · 27/04/2011 16:02

I think with older babies breastfeeding isn't so much about hunger anymore, so they're not necessarily demanding milk when they're hungry. My ds is also almost 9 months and generally wants to breastfeed if he is tired, hurt or bored Our feeds are also at set times pretty much of first thing in the morning, before naps (feeds to sleep) and bedtime. If he's ill, teething, has bumped his head or we're just having a dull day at home he'll usually get some more in.

Okonomiyaki · 27/04/2011 22:18

Ah silken, we had some last week (in Osaka, yay!). It was deeeeeeeelicious.

Apologies for hijack OP

duchesse · 27/04/2011 22:29

DD3 (20 mo today) climbs onto my lap and sticks her hand down my front saying "no-oh?" at pretty regular intervals (maybe 3-4 times a day normally, more often if she's ill and not eating anything else like at the moment). She also lifts my top and tries to undo my bra. Alas I have little experience of anything other than demand feeding!

Babieseverywhere · 27/04/2011 22:42

My 8 month old DD2 signs 'milk' in BSL, that takes the guess work out of things for me :)

Okonomiyaki · 28/04/2011 07:57

Wow babies, when did you start teaching her the sign? I have got to stop calling it booby, it's really going to come back and bite me on the arse!

Cosmosis · 28/04/2011 10:06

Short answer, I don?t! He doesn?t really demand any more (at nearly 8m), so I do it to a loose routine. I bf when he wakes, at around 11am, 3pm, 6pm, bedtime (7.15pm) and at about 2am. Days when I work, I don?t do the 11 and 3, but the CM offers a bottle of EBM which he generally refuses, so has a snack and some water instead.

blackteaplease · 28/04/2011 11:17

Okonomiyaki I call it milk and dd now goes mu mu mu mu when she wants some, hopefully that'll be a bit less embarrasing than booby in public.

Original poster

RufflesKerfluffles · 28/04/2011 12:09

Thanks all - you've reassured me. Also you've made me realise that I am offering him quite a lot of feeds at the moment, so no wonder he doesn't ask for many more. I've been a bit worried that if I don't, the night feeds will go up even more, but as they sometimes seem to do that anyway, I might cut down slightly in the day (will experiment with the two after nap feeds, which he often doesn't seem bothered about) and see what happens.

Those of you with top pullers, it sounds very cute :)

Babieseverywhere I have been trying to teach him the sign (amongst others) but while he occasionally possibly shows some understanding, he's certainly not signing himself yet. At the moment he seems to be more obsessed with moving than communication; hopefully that'll change at some point!

OP posts:

AngelDog · 28/04/2011 13:34

Sounds normal to me, but my DS has never really 'asked' for feeds since he got past the newborn stage. He's nearly 16 months and we've been signing 'milk' since 6 months but he still doesn't use it, or give any other indication of wanting milk. He does flap excitedly when I offer his bedtime feed though so I know he always wants that. :)

By 11 months I was feeding about 7 x a day and 2 or 3 times a night. Once DS got to 12 months I stopped offering feeds an hour before dinner, and collapsed together 2 feeds which were close together - he didn't seem to notice. Now at nearly 16 months he feeds about 3-4 times a day and once a night (unless his sleep is disrupted, in which case he feeds every time he wakes).

Babieseverywhere · 30/04/2011 19:08

OP, Recognising the sign is the first stage and he'll have to figure out how to do the sign. Sometimes I help them make the sign. Watch him carefully the first few signing attempts, the sign might be difficult to recognise. Not that the sign has to be perfect...if you know what he is trying to sign, praise him and give him what he asked for. Over time his signs will become much clearer to see.

Okonomiyaki, I started signing to her straight away as a newborn I introduce one sign at a time until they understand it and then move on to another. We always start with milk and introduce just half a dozen signs that we find useful (home, sleep, eat, more, toilet/nappy change). Just enough signs to make my job easier, not too many as I have a terrible memory :)

Flip