Finishing BF

[StylishDuck]

I don't know if this is the right place to post this but it seems as good a place as any!

DD is 8.5 months and has been BF since birth. Won't entertain the notion of a bottle. She'll drink water from a sippy cup no problem. I've not tried EBM in a cup (because I've not needed to so far basically).

She has taken to solids really well and is on 3 meals a day plus snacks (if I think she needs them). She feeds from me 3 times a day: first thing on waking, around lunchtime and last thing before bed. I feel like she's only really interested in the first & last feeds but I've been offering the lunchtime one still because I don't want to cut down too quickly. Sometimes she only takes a few mouthfuls though.

My question is: is 8.5 months too young to only be feeding twice a day? I'm going back to work in a months time so it would be convenient if she dropped the lunchtime feed and I didn't have to express and send milk to nursery in a cup every day. I think she'd drop it without too much of a fuss tbh. However I'm willing to express for the first wee while if she does still need the middle feed.

It's confusing because you hear that milk should be their main source of nutrition until they're 1 but then she has taken to solids so well that I don't think I could get her to take any more milk.

Sorry this has been a bit epic! Thanks for reading if you've made it to the end!

Hopeful bump

I'd say be led by her. I recently saw my HV(DD was 9/10months ish) and she said she should be having roughly 3feeds in 24hours but all babies are different(mine was having 3/4 and multiple in the night). She also said that by 8months most breastfed babies are so efficient at feeding they can drain a breast in minutes so they are getting a lot of nutrition and hydration very quickly. If she isn't interested in the lunchtime feed drop it. You might notice an increase in solids at lunchtime but that's fine. Just make sure she is hydrated during the day. My DD doesn't drink much other than bm so I am plying her with water now she is only feeding twice.
I have managed to get DD down from 3/4feeds in the day and 2/sometimes 3 at night to morning and evening and that's it. Her solids intake has increased and the HV suggested giving her sips of cows milk in a beaker to get her used to drinking different milk.
I found being busy and keeping to set mealtimes meant DD was asking for milk a lot less.

Also my DD will drink formula from a cup if she's really thirsty/hungry so you can always send those ready made bottles/cartons to nursery for the first little while.

Thanks fairywren. I think you might be right about being baby led. I can hardly force her to drink milk if she doesn't want it! I'm reluctant to introduce formula so late on just because she's never had it before and it seems counter productive to get her used to a whole different kind of milk for a few months to then put her onto cows milk when she's 1. I'll maybe try dropping the lunchtime feed a couple of weeks before she starts nursery and see how she gets on. Getting her to drink water between meals is a bit of a struggle mind you.