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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

A question for those of you BF'ing toddlers

16 replies

LadyRabbit · 28/05/2012 15:26

How often are you nursing? My DS is 21 months and of late seems to want to nurse MORE often. From 1 yr, he was just nursing first and last thing, but recently he has taken to clambering up on to me every couple of hours or so demanding the boob and getting grumpy if I don't oblige. Fine if we're home but a bit of a PITA when I was in the post office this morning. He's getting plenty of fluid, eating the same as normal, don't really understand why he wants more. Just thought I'd ask others with toddlers what their feeding routines are. Thanks.

OP posts:
EauRouge · 28/05/2012 15:31

I'm still feeding on cue (more like on request with a pre-schooler!) my 3.7yo and my 15mo DDs. DD1 has always fed more than DD2, except maybe when DD2 was a newborn. This morning we were out and I think DD1 wanted BF twice as much.

BF is not just about food, especially as they enter toddlerhood. Fear, boredom, pain, sadness, illness, teething, developmental spurts etc are all reasons for wanting to BF.

How are you feeling about the frequency?

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 28/05/2012 15:34

DD is 2. Feeds loads during the night (cosleeping) and during nap time. Feeds if I sit on sofa (or sit anywhere) too long. If she's occupied in doing something she doesn't tend to ask, so I pretty much only feed at home.

Original poster
LadyRabbit · 28/05/2012 15:49

EauRouge I don't mind the frequency - I've always loved BF'ing so that's not a problem. Except that I thought I was going to finally be able to dispense with the granny bras during the day!!! It's only awkward when I am not dressed appropriately for feeding when out and about and I don't think I'm making enough milk for expressing again. He's got all his teeth so it can't be teething. Maybe he just needs me a bit more at the moment. As I write he has just jumped into my lap for a snack!!

OP posts:
EauRouge · 28/05/2012 15:54

Aw, that's brilliant that it's all going so well :)

Grannie bras? You mean nursing bras? I ditched mine already Grin If a bra fits properly then it shouldn't be a problem- at this stage you aren't going through several different cup sizes a day. I wear normal underwired bras, plunge styles are easy for breastfeeding because you just need to pull them down a bit.

This is a really good website for breastfeeding and fashion tips. The breastfeeding I can do but fashion is a mystery to me....

marzipananimal · 30/05/2012 09:17

Lady, my DS is 21m too and has also started feeding more frequently (used to be twice a day). I think it's partly that he's got a lot better at communicating and is able to ask for it now (he's never really had a way of asking for it since he was a newborn rooting around).
Thankfully he doesn't usually get upset if I say no, which I sometimes do.

untidyhouseuntidymind · 30/05/2012 13:12

This is just what I wanted to ask! My DD is 16mo, and bfing loads atm, also every 2 hours or so I reckon, a lot more than she was a month or two ago. Good to know I'm not alone.

Bit worried about it as, though I've been SAHM so far, I have the opportunity to do a few days consultancy coming up; it would be 10hour days, which would be fine if she were just feeding morning and evening, but it'd be quite a shift if she's still doing this.

Have never expressed (and suspect my pils, who have kindly offered to babysit, would be a bit Hmm about giving her expressed bm) but wonder if I should. Though I suspect it's not the milk per se that she wants. but the closeness. Does anyone have any thoughts?

AllYouNeedIsAClickyBallpoint · 30/05/2012 13:59

Untidy, I find with ds3(16m)' he feeds the same as your dd (he's feeding right now actually, upside down with his legs over my shoulder Hmm :o)
If I go out for a whole day, he's fine with dh and will go for cuddles, and go to sleep happily for him.
I think he feeds so much with me because he can iyswim, and it's the equivalent of going for a cuddle with dh.

untidyhouseuntidymind · 30/05/2012 16:48

Thanks Clicky, that's reassuring.

Upside down with his legs over you shoulder?? Grin!

Original poster
LadyRabbit · 30/05/2012 17:45

EauRouge ta so much for the website link..... I now have a perfectly legitimate excuse to do some shopping... eek!

I guess that when they're smaller we just put the increased feeding down to growth spurts or teething. Closeness makes sense. I think he's at the little adventurer stage but needs to come back to base while he tests his boundaries.

untidyhouseuntidymind at this point your DD probably doesn't nutritionally need milk more than twice a day if she's eating food ok. Maybe just extra cuddles from the GPs? I have done some v long work days of late and was very worried but it seems DS had a rum old time and was happy to see me when I got home but didn't seem to have missed me much at all! Sad

OP posts:
AngelDog · 31/05/2012 08:07

Until I got pg when DS was about 24/25 months, he was feeding min 6-8 times a day and 1-5 times a night; sometimes more often in the daytime.

He started feeding loads more from 15 months, when he first started asking for milk.

untidy - I agree it's often the closeness that's the issue - DS is happy to out with DH on his own all day, and for DH to put him to bed without any milk (he doesn't drink cow's milk), but he would Not Be Impressed if I were around and milk were unavailable.

Developmental leaps often mean the temporary need to feed more often too. 18-21 months is 'the mother of all developmental leaps' according to one developmental psychologist, and around 24 months is another huge one.

I can't get on with normal bras. :(

YankNCock · 31/05/2012 08:13

DS is 2.9 and I'd like him to stick to our once-a-day in the morning routine, but lately he's been wanting to feed before bedtime as well.

When he was 15 months we were down to 2 a day, but then I went in hospital for 5 days and after that he was back up to 6-7 a day for a while before we managed to cut it down.

I'm 33 weeks pregnant now and hoping he doesn't suddenly want to have a go every single time the new baby does!

HappyAsASandboy · 31/05/2012 08:23

My twins are 19 months and up until recently have been feeding 4 to 5 times a day, but all between 7pm and 7am! They've cut down a bit recently and are sleeping a bit better, maybe because of the hot weather?

I work full time, so my two don't bf in the day Monday to Friday, but they still ask maybe once or twice in the day if I'm at home.

As someone else said, I think it's mainly for the cuddle Smile

Kveta · 31/05/2012 08:26

DS is 2.8 and has been feeding once a day for 8 months now! occasional evening feeds when he pesters for it, but otherwise just mornings. I'm 39+2 with DC2 as well, which helped me drop his feeds, as they hurt!

pickledparsnip · 31/05/2012 08:58

My son is 30 months old and the frequency he feeds changes all the time. We were down to a feed in the morning and at night, now it's more often. At one point he told me that "milk not coming" but he continued to try to feed. Now I wonder if I should have stopped him and taken that as a cue to stop. I had planned to let him self wean, but some days I'm not so sure.

pickledparsnip · 31/05/2012 09:01

He still feeds as and when through the night. As he's in bed with me I barely wake up, so have no idea how often. He's not bothered about feeding if he's not with me. I'm just glad he's past the pull my top down & lunge for milk phase when out and about!

YankNCock · 01/06/2012 14:33

pickledparsnip Thu 31-May-12 09:01:52: 'I'm just glad he's past the pull my top down & lunge for milk phase when out and about!'

Envy DS is 33 months and still bloody does this on occasion, while shouting 'BOOBIES!!!!' It's very embarrassing getting changed for parent/toddler swimming, he wants the entire room to have a look at 'em.

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