Dropping feeds

[blushingmare]

DD is 9.5mo and has been ebf. We started solids at 6mo and she eats reasonably well most days. Three weeks ago she dropped her morning (after morning nap) feed - think this was facilitated by the fact that we were on holiday and she had lots of distractions.

I start back at work in 4 weeks (just 2 days a week) and would love her to not be needing any daytime milk feeds by then. Can I try to encourage her to drop her afternoon feed (after afternoon nap) by replacing it with a drink and a snack, or should you really wait until they drop it naturally? Would she be getting enough milk still? (she has a feed a breakfast and bedtime and normally one overnight, although obviously it would be great to drop that sometime too!!).

If you're back to work in 4 weeks she'll be dropping it then anyway, won't she? A direct feed from the breast anyhow.

What are you intending on replacing her daytime breastfeeds with? At 9 months it should be either expressed BM or first infant formula. Or were you not intending to offer any milk and just give food instead?

12 months is the guideline for cows milk so she's a bit young for that just yet but then just the one cup wouldn't make it her main milk drink if she's having at least 3 breastfeeds...

Yeah I guess that's what I was wondering - is it ok to replace it with a drink of water and a snack, maybe a yoghurt to give her some dairy, instead of milk? I could try expressing at that time in place of the feed, but I can see that being tricky at work, not sure if I'd be able to get much out and not convinced she'll drink much of it anyway. And as I'll only be away from her 2 days a week would I give her a breastfeed at that time on the other 5 days or is that just confusing?

I find the advice that milk is the main source of nutrition til they're 1 a bit confusing because surely the weaning process is a gradual transition onto solids becoming their source of nutrition?

I would say something to eat and a drink of milk, full fat cows, would be fine as an afternoon snack, particularly as it's only 2 days a week. She may or may not prefer to stick with this on the days you're not at work, you'll have to wait and see.

A cup of milk mid afternoon is a good way of introducing cows milk into her diet, as a drink. So long as she's still having more breastfeeds than she is cups of cows milk then it'll be fine.

Cows milk has lots fat so is good for growth but it doesn't have all nutrients breastmilk or first infant formula have so isn't suitable for under ones as a main drink. The recommendation assumes that by a year they're having a relatively varied diet (3 main meals and a couple of snacks) and are receiving vitamin supplements (at 6 months or the start of weaning onto solids for BF babies and when having less than 500ml for FF babies) as a back up so they can drop the formula which has the vitamins added or mum(who has hopefully been taking a supplement herself whilst nursing) can give up BFing, should she wish to.

The DOH has used a year as a guideline age because giving an age is the easiest and most universal guide they can use. Physiologically there will be little/no difference between your baby at 51 weeks and at 53 weeks old

Ok thanks that makes more sense. I'm sure someone told me bm/formula should be their main source of nutrition under 1, but what you're saying is it should be their main drink, which makes complete sense. She eats a pretty varied diet and takes the vitamins when I remember

Would you introduce the afternoon snack now to get her used to it or wait until she's about to start nursery and is therefore a few more weeks older?

I'd probably try her now with it and see what she reckons. You may still end up giving her a BF too but so long as you don't mind, it won't be a problem, breastmilk rarely causes problems

Don't stress if she resists it at first. Once she's started nursery and everyone else has a drink and a snack at food time she will do too, they like to join at nursery and are perfectly capable of following nursery's timetable when they're there but doing things differently when at home.