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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Breasfeeders beyond 12 months - how many times a day do you feed?

57 replies

Tinker · 04/06/2006 10:40

Do you feed to schedule, as and when, what? Work during term-tmes so this one normally fed at morning, when get home and bedtime (plus numerous times in the night!) But wjen I'm off feel I'm being mauled all the time. Normal?

OP posts:
Original poster
Tinker · 04/06/2006 10:41

One-hande typing, excsuse typos!

OP posts:
mears · 04/06/2006 11:13

When I breastfed over a year I was not feeding lots throughout the day but sometimes did. It wasn't scheduled. I think you have to feed when you want to as well. You don't want it to become a chore as such. Try other distractions before resorting to breastfeeds if you can.

SoupDragon · 04/06/2006 11:26

I think I was down to morning and bedtime plus maybe a 4pm one in between lunch and dinner.

FrannyandZooey · 04/06/2006 11:34

I would say totally normal. I was feeding all the ruddy time at this age, until about age 2 really.

I never 'got' how people only did morning and night, or just a couple of times a day. I think some babies are just more avid breastfeeders. There are huge advantages to still feeding more or less on demand if you can relax into it. You need to do what works for you, though.

Maddison · 04/06/2006 13:56

We are still bfing (just turned 1) and he feeds every morning and night and sometimes an odd feed in the day.

Original poster
Tinker · 04/06/2006 18:47

Thanks people. Yes, I can't "get" how some are able to control it. Think I want to stop soon but no idea how, am all at sea with this since I never imagined I'd go on this long. But then what do you do when they're ill, upset etc? Seems too easy to keep going...

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PrettyCandles · 04/06/2006 18:55

From about 1y, dd feed about 4 times a day: first thing pre-breakfast, midmorning after nap, midafternoon after nap and last thing before bed. There was an occasional extra daytime feed. I dropped the daytime feeds at about 17-18m, as it seemed to me that she was feeding instead of exploring (and she kept wanting more feeds). The morning and bedtime feeds a I dropped when she wanted. I drn't remember which went first, but I do remember feelign rather odd - happy/sad - when she insisted on dropping the bedtime feed because she wanted to drink her milk from a beaker like her big brother!

I found that it was up to me to set when I wanted to feed dd, prety much by being available (or unavailable) or free/busy, or by offering when I wanted her to feed so that I would be free at a different time.

Gem13 · 04/06/2006 19:01

I think it depends on you and your child. I fed about three/four times a day after a year but my friend has her DS demanding all the time and he is 2.5.

I wasn't strict when they were little but had a rough timetable to feeds, along the lines of 'oh, it's 11...' but my friend has always fed whenever. She is getting pretty tired of it now.

I stopped DS when I was pregnant and he was just over a year. He was happily guzzling cows milk by the beakerload so I think I was becoming a poor second anyhow.

DD just shook her head one night when she was 17 months. I asked if she wanted some milk and she shook her head again. That was it! I was quite relieved by that point. I'm expecting another now so that's ok - I'm looking forward to feeding starting all over again.

bobblehead · 04/06/2006 19:17

Sorry, probably not hugely relevant as I've just weaned dd at 1 year, but I thnik alot must depend on the baby. Dd really wasn't interested in feeding much through the day at all from around 7 months, but would feed every 2 hours at night. I found it relatively easy to replace breast with bottle for her and she still uses this when tired or upset. So my problem now will be to wean her from that I suppose!

(Just to add that the night time weaning wasn't really that easy but in retrospect easier than 2 hourly feeds)

foundintranslation · 04/06/2006 19:24

Franny - snap. ds has just turned 1, I demand feed him, tbh I've no idea how often - and about 2-3 times at night. I'm loving it and although not using any contraception, am a bit apprehensive about getting pg again as I'd rather he didn't wean himself yet.

NotQuiteCockney · 04/06/2006 19:28

At about a year, DS2 realised I had my boobs with me all the time, and was forever pulling at my top when we were out and about. I didn't like this (nothing wrong with it if it doesn't bug you, obviously!), so restricted feeds to my room or his room, generally (+ airplanes, and other places when necessary).

After a few days of struggle, he understood. Now, he feeds first thing, before nap, sometimes after nap, and end of the day. If he wants a feed at another time, he can lead me to our room, and I can say yes or no, depending on if I have time.

NotQuiteCockney · 04/06/2006 19:29

Oh, he's 20 months now. But has been on 3-4 feeds/day (in general) since a year.

If you go a bit scheduley, or place-based (as I do), it is easier to stop, as you just stop taking him to the appropriate place for a bit.

I'm in no hurry to stop, though. DS2 has had a tummy bug, this last week, and knowing that bf was good for him at this time meant at least there was one thing I could do that was maybe helping him.

ja9 · 04/06/2006 19:52

i stopped feeding ds 21mths about a month ago.

from a year old i was just feeding him twice a day - morning and night. he never asked for it outwith those times. we went down to one feed when he was about 18mths - just mornings.

popsycal · 04/06/2006 19:53

Oh god - I am actually glad to be at work tomorrow. Ds2 has nto left me alone this weekend!!!

When I am at work (now olnly 2 days a week( he has a morning and evening feed (and svereal times in the night grrrrr) but wehn I am at home, if i sit down he is on me!!!!

To be honest, I am going to try to go out during the day more often when it is just me and ds2 to try to distract him as he is fien when we are elsewhere!!!

popsycal · 04/06/2006 19:55

he is 15 months btw

drosophila · 04/06/2006 20:05

I do it once at night and once in the morning although the morning session can go on for an hour. She is 16mths. I intend to stop after measles jab ( I read somewhere here that there is some protection from Mum through milk).

If she is sick or something I will give her the odd additional one. Thing is she won't drink any cow's milk so I shovel yoghurt into her.

Original poster
Tinker · 05/06/2006 09:40

Would love to be able to reduce to just 3 or 4 times per day when not working. This one has gone off yogurt though. Thought all babies were meant to like yogurt??? Grrrr. Yes, must make an effort to get out more each day.

OP posts:
mojomummy · 05/06/2006 09:44

I BF DD until she was 2. It was just in the mornings & evenings...Apart from if we were on a plane & i was trying to get her to sleep !

Then I went down to just the morning feed for a couple of weeks & then gave that up to.

She (thanksfully) never pulled at my tops.

Tatties · 05/06/2006 10:58

Ds is 14mths and feeds on waking, mid-morn before nap, mid-aft and before bed. Then whenever he needs it through the night. Sometimes he asks for more during the day though.

Franny I can't grasp the concept of only feeding morning and night either! But then I think it's because I have never had a reason to actively reduce feeds, and ds is in no hurry to give up. But as you say Tinker, it is so easy to carry on at this stage. I really wouldn't be without it, particularly through illness, teething, bumps and bruises...oh and for getting ds to sleep!

singersgirl · 05/06/2006 11:16

I was like Tatties with DS2 until about 18 months; because I went back to work he had been on a schedule of EBM from the nanny 3 days a week, so I just popped in a couple of daytime feeds when I was home. I stopped work when he was 10 months. But it got so that he only asked to feed when he was tired - before his daytime nap.

About 18 months I dropped the feed before the nap (largely because we were usually out in the morning, he would fall asleep in the car, and I would just transfer him to his cot when we got home.)

Stopped the morning feed about 2 and the bedtime feed at 26 months, mainly due to pressure from DH who was fed up with me being a milch-cow. Sad

Gingerbear · 05/06/2006 11:21

I was doing morning, bedtime and the occasional tea-time, home from work comfort & cuddle feed.

She would paw me and grab my neck at other times, but I managed to distract her by keeping busy/ entertaining / playing etc. But it was so so hard if she was tired.

LeahE · 05/06/2006 11:51

DS is 16 months, I work full-time Mon-Fri and feed first thing in the morning and last thing at night (plus sometimes around 4am if he wakes up early and seems hungry, but generally not). DS has never been a child to demand to be fed, though (except if I've just fed him and he has second thoughts and decides he wants some more) I always had to watch out for hungry cues to know when to feed him so that it wasn't a problem cutting back when I went back to work. I could definitely wean him down to one feed a day if I wanted without his batting an eyelid although he does like his morning feed.

If he's ill I feed him more often.

TheBlonde · 05/06/2006 17:43

My DS is 15 mths. No particular schedule but he's still on about 3-4 feeds a day plus a bottle of milk

HYACINTH · 05/06/2006 18:14

I stil breastfeed my ds. He is now 19 months. He usually has some just before he goes to bed and if he wakes up in the night (which he usually does). Have no intention of stopping feeding him until he stops asking.

He also has cows milk, tea (very milky) and fresh juice throughout the day.

skerriesmum · 05/06/2006 18:26

By the time ds was 12 months he was just getting the bedtime feed. He had just been having morning and evening until about 11 months, then I cut the morning one out. I had to wean at 13 months as I was going away for the weekend on my own (!) but it wasn't a big deal.