Stopping breastfeeding - when to phase out feeds?

[Schmaffy]

Some advice if you please ladies.

DS is 9 mo and bf. He has never had a bottle - just would not take to it. Tbh, I never really wanted to feed for this long but I'm glad in a way that I feel I've given DS the best possible start in life.

He currently has 3 feeds a day: 7am ish, 2:30pm and bedtime having recently been night weaned. In my head, I would like him to be fully off the boob by about 13 months.

I've spoken to a trouble shooting nanny for advice and she has suggested replacing 2:30pm feed with a drink and snack at about 11 months, stopping 7am feed at 12 months (ensuring gets lots of milk at breakfast) and bedtime feed at about 13/14 months, offering milk in a sippy cup instead.

However, I'm slightly concerned as DS is frankly rubbish at drinking from a cup (doidy or tommee tippee free flow). He might have 1 mouthful under duress but then spit it all out. My concern is if this continues that he will become dehydrated when the feeds are stopped.

Has anybody else been in a similar situation? When did you stop the feeds and did you replace them with snacks, drinks in beakers etc? How did your dc get on?

We started at about 8 months replacing one feed at a time with one of those beakers that has a sort of nipple on the top that you have to suck. Don't think it makes much difference what order but the bedtime one was last to go. Can I ask if your DS is walking yet? I know it seems a silly question but I found that linking it to that really helped e.g "Wow you're walking now, that makes you a big boy. Because of this I'm going to get you a new cup as a present" (or whatever). You may also find that the more active they are the less interested they are in feeding. I think I introduced diluted fruit juice at around a yr at lunchtime. HTH. Don't stress. It'll be fine.

Thanks Mopswerver. Can I ask the make of cup?

No - he's not walking yet but that seems like a really sensible suggestion re:linking to a cup.

It can take a bit of practice for them to take more fluids from a cup. A lot of babies manage better with a straw and trying a straw type cup mite be a good idea.

We used this sort of thing.

www.tommeetippee.co.uk/product/first_sips_cup/

It's the type with a soft nipple type spout (not shown very well here). They are widely available in supermarkets. They only 'give out' when sucked so no spills.

Good luck

really, until he is one milk should be a big part of his diet.
I know at a year a formula fed baby is still supposed to take around 20 oz a day (about a pint), and assume it's the same for a breastfed baby although obviously you can't tell how much they're getting!

i'd be loathe to start cutting out any feeds until your baby is at least a year tbh.
then cut down gradually, one feed at a time.
you could try offering a snack or a drink from a cup, or just distracting him by going out or doing other things

Yes I agree. When I say we started replacing the feeds it was with follow on milk in a beaker. But at around 1yr I did start with a little diluted juice or water (on HV's advice) as they get more thirsty when they start eating more.

Also, after 1yr you can use cows milk.

I cut out the afternoon feed at about 10 months - or really ds did as he stopped asking for it. He is now just over 11 months and isn't that bothered about a morning feed as he still has a night feed.

I don't think you can plan too closely. Ds has just started walking and is not really that interested in bf anymore, other than to get to sleep.

Meant to say... We've started giving him a small drink of cows milk with breakfast, but I'm still offering a bf after at the moment. He is good with a cup though - uses a doidy cup.

DD stopped all but morning/night feeds at 10 months. She still fed on demand through the night but as I was asleep at the time I couldn't honestly tell you how much she was having at night.

We gave a variety of different cups, sippy cups, doidy cups, training spouts, etc. and also she still had her cows milk bottle for a long time as this gave her some comfort.

I am in a similar situation, so I'm interested to read the replies :) DD is just 10mo and feeds evening and overnight on demand, but in the day only once mid-morning and once mid-afternoon. She doesn't drink well from a cup either, but actually yesterday and today did, so perhaps persistence pays off?

I've just decided to drop the mid-afternoon feed and give her a snack and water. I need to do this as am returning to work in a few weeks. I don't want her to have the upheaval of dropping feeds and going to nursery all at the same time. I'm planning to drop the mid-morning feed in a couple of weeks time, and to persist with the cup in the daytime now. Am just not sure whether water is ok, or if I should introduce formula?

I was told by the HV that 2 feed is fine for a child this age so long as they are good feeds and they are getting a varied diet.

My ds hasn't had formula, and I don't plan to start! So expensive and there doesn't seem to be any point. I also know someone whose baby was given formula at 9 months as she started nursery and it made her really ill as she wasn't used to it.

No harm for a couple of months if they find milk comforting but from 1 yr they can have cow's milk so not so pricey!