How often do you breastfeed your toddler?

[shepster]

I am breastfeeding my 12 month old DS and worry now (ironic when I once worried that he wasn't getting enough) that he may be taking in too much breastmilk. Just wondered how often anyone else BFs their toddler? I do quite a lot of night feeds, but, having read another post, I no longer think I am unique here. During the day though, I breastfeed in the morning, before his midday nap, somewhere in the afternoon and, lately, just before dinner. He is teething like MAD though, and has had an ear infection, so I think this is part of the problem. I'm prepared to just go with the flow, but wondered what your stories were.

Sounds exactly the same amount as my DD was feeding then. You're doing great, don't worry! Some toddlers seem to eat so much solid they lose interest in bf....my dd had very little interest in solids for a long time but is thriving still now at 2 1/2 and is fully weaned off bf.

Nap time( if im not at work) bed time and all night. She snacks in the day too but only a few minutes usually.

I guess the holy grail is always to not have the night feeds! But it's not always a realistic goal.
My DS was ok as a sleeper but always used to wake early say 4/5am, so I kept BFing until he was about 2 as it was the only way I could cope - snuggle him into bed and doze until it was 'really' time to get up.
Once I went back to work (when he was about 12months) I used to feed him first thing in the morning and bed time on the days I worked, but more frequently on the days I was off.

Mine was a food monster, so only morning and before bed at this age. Sometimes when I got in from work (worked 3 days). I know plenty of toddlers who fed more at that age though.

I'm bfing DD3 (2.3y) and she has a bf on waking, 1 or 2 (or more) during the day , one at bedtime and sometimes a couple in the night/evening. Today she has two this evening since her bedtime feed because her eczema is all itchy and bfing calms her down. They aren't long feeds though, max 5 or so minutes (with the exception of the morning one and that can last an hour or more but if it means I can sleep and not get up I don't care!).

DD2 who is not a toddler at 4y but she usually has 1 'feed' a day though will occasionally nurse more often depending on circs. It is very short though 10-15 secs a side (has to have both sides!!).

DD is 18mo and feeds at breakfast time, once during the day around 4pm (I'm at work til then), bedtime and then on and off through the night (we co-sleep).

DD3 17m has from 2 to 8 bfeeds a day. She won't touch cows milk but will have water or juice.
DD2 3.5 has a nightime feed only but has been poorly so had some during the day this week, it seems breastmilk is great at curing tummyache

Every farking 5 minutes during the day, every few hours at night. She is 3.3yo. Some just need it more than others! She's a picky eater, so her getting a lot of breastmilk is reassuring because she's getting a hit of vitamins and minerals.

OK, every 5 minutes isn't quite accurate but DD1 wants BF more than DD2 who is only 11 mo. They are all different. If you're OK with it then it's OK.

Morning and evening only for our daughter - so two feeds a day, since she was 9 months when she stopped wanting any milk during the day. I went back to work when she was 10 months so it's worked out very well. She's nearly 17MO now and I'm still doing two breastfeeds a day, a feed before she goes to bed and one first thing in the monring, but twice recently she hasn't wanted the morning one, so it's coming to an end gradually now I think. At the moment she doesn't drink any other milk at all, has not shown any interest in cows milk in a cup, although she will drink a little bit if she's really thirsty, but she seems to prefer water. She does eat porridge made with milk and cream every day, and also yogurt and cheese every day, and I've been told they don't need more dairy than that - she has always eaten really well anyway, so I think she doesn't need any other milk and that she must be getting enough, or she wouldnt have stopped the day-time breastfeeds by herself. The evening feed's a bit different, in that it's a comforting part of her bedtime routine, she settles easily afterwards, and she seems more dependent on that one for comfort reasons I think, so I'm in no hurry for her to stop, but of course I'll have no choice when she does decide she's had enough!

Night and morning for dd who's 2. Ds at 1 was mostly breastfed

At that age about the same as you OP maybe more. Then he started actaully eating a normal amount of solids at 15 months and now at 18 months I would say bf even more than at 1 yr.

Think he is getting more teeth this week so this morning has been ridiculous...

At 12 months DD ate tiny amounts of solids and was mostly breastfed. I worried about it at the time but she is a good weight, very healthy, and is eating good amounts of food now at nearly 2.

She still has lots of breastfeeds: one morning, one nap time, one afternoon, one bedtime, one middle of night, one early hours of morning. We often skip the nap time/ afternoon ones if we're out of the house.

18 months here. 3 times a day when I work and about 5-6 times when I don't. Between 0 and 2 night feeds.

She's a fussy eater and will often skip whole meals but just weighed in on the 91st centile this morning

DS is 25 months and usually has 6-8 day feeds and 1-6 at night (depending on how often he wakes) but there can be more during the day.

On waking, before we go out, before naptime, on waking again, before we start the bedtime routine and just before bedtime are the 'compulsory' ones which are hardly ever missed, although there are other predictable feeds e.g. during singing at toddler group, or about a million times during swimming lessons.

Day feeds last 5-15 mins although bedtime is more like 30 mins. Night feeds are rarely more than 5-10 mins.

The WHO recommends feeding 'frequently and on-demand' till at least 2 years so I don't think they can have 'too much', especially at only 12 months. The WHO also say that from 6-12 months, 50% of nutrition should come from bm and from 12-24 months, a third of nutrition should come from bm.

Eau, I don't think DS is as enthusiastic as your DD1, but it's nice to know that a frequently-feeding DC1 doesn't necessarily result in a frequently-feeding DC2.

Wow, thanks everyone for responding. I don't feel so alone any more. I have been worried that he is sacrificing solids for the sake of BM, but, lo and behold, tonight he has a BF around 5 and then a good dinner half an hour later! I think i should trust him a little more- and myself! Thanks for sharing.

AngelDog and Eau, I feel less put upon now, after reading your posts. A few people had me convinced I was doing something wrong, but now I don't think so. When DS was younger, he would get sooooooooo distracted that it was difficult to ensure he was getting what he needed during the day. Now, it seems he has no trouble whatsoever- and wherever!- asking for a feed. Lord, I hope he doesn't get so comfortable that I have to feed him in a swimming pool - !

Well, the advice on Kellymom is that until 12 months you ought to offer bf an hour before meals to make sure they don't fill up on solids at the expense of milk.

It's only been in the last week that my DS has stopped having his immediately-before-dinner bf. He has a big one before both breakfast and lunch. He likes his food but can be a bit picky.

I bf my 12mo DS. Feeling the pressure from family and friends- the notion of feeding a toddler is challenging them let alone frequent day feeds. As a result I could have written a very similar post, op. You are not alone!!

My DS is 15 months and I was just about to post about the number of feeds myself. He currently has 1 at about 5.30am or whatever time he wakes during the night and then another at bedtime. He won't feed more regardless of when I offer and only the nightime/early morning one is of any decent length. It is all I can do to get him to feed for 10 seconds at bedtime sometimes. I don't feel like he is getting enough milk, doesn't take more than a couple of mouthfuls of cows milk from a cup. I'd really rather he had more bm than he is, but not sure what I can do about it, or whether I should just accept he has dropped down to 1 feed a day? Any thoughts?
Sorry for the hijack.