Tandem feeding - anyone got any experience?

[bumbleweed]

My plan was to have dd gently weaned off the boob by the time the new baby comes. I pushed to stop night-time feeds because I was knackered and day-time ones followed shortly and we are left with morning and bedtime bf.

I dont really feel like pushing it anymore now, and dd still showing same enthusiasm for it. So if she is still wanting 'milkies' when baby comes and baby will obviously have to come first if he/she is crying for a feed, how will that work for dd. I feel terrible for her in advance, as she is very demanding and has no patience at the best of times!

Anyone done it?

Yes, I have. I tandem fed for about fifteen months, stopping just short of the elder one's fourth birthday.

It was not a problem - she knew that the baby had first dibs.

How does it work though?? Does the older one drink milk thats made for a newborn or does the body make both types??? I thought bm was right for your baby at each age/stage etc that was one of the reasons why its so perfect.

Sorry for hijack!!

I imagine that it's baby milk rather than toddler milk, as that new mum hormones will dominate.

Thats what I thought. So does that mean it wont be as nutritionally(sp) 'good' for the toddler as before??

it will still be nutritionally the best milk available for the toddler. It can help with the transition of having a new younder brother/sister.

Yes I suppose it is

A three-year old isn't really doing it for perfectly matched nutrition though. It's more a comfort thing - but still one of the most nutritious foods there are.

i tandem fed for a year and a half? ds3 was born when ds2 was 2yrs 5ths, i had stopped night feeds as i was knackered, but he was still feeding morning, evening and 'snacking' a bit during the day when ds3 was born, i talked to him during preg about how the baby would have to have milk so he would have to share etc.

showed him photos of him bfeeding as a tiny baby etc.

to begin with baby went first etc, but i quickly managed to feed baby and toddler together if necessary, you have two breasts it can be tricky but fiddle around and see what is comfortable.

your milk will be perfect for the baby but obviously its fine for the toddler too, some children comment that it is 'creamier' once the baby is born.

ds2 weaned at 3yrs 10mths in the end, i am still feeding ds3, two and a half and am expecting no4, so i may be tandem feeding again next year.

I know that S.teacher just wondered thats all.

I'm not planning to still be bf when I try for no.3 but you never know. She'll be 3 by then. She's 2 now.

3madboys how long have you been feeding in total then? Without gaps!

thanks for reply scienceteacher

My boobs produce barely any milk these days, its more a comfort/closeness thing for dd. She is 21 months now. I am interested in her reaction once the colostrum comes in.

How does it decrease rather than increase sibling rivalry - is it because it is something the toddler sees herself as sharing with the baby? I worry that it will increase rivalry because dd will start wanting more of what baby is getting, and I dont want to be sitting feeding both one after another all day.

wow good for you 3madboys. thats a good idea to start talking to dd about the milk beforehand - at the moment she understands there is a baby in mummy's tummy and thats all.

Sadly I only have the photo of her first attempted bf in hospital and none of successful bfing when she was tiny - but can still talk to her about how she used to feed all the time and baby will be the same I guess.

Thanks starlight thats great .

bumbleweed- no experience as yet but come this time next month.....I have a 10 month old who is still a very needy bfeeder & am due next month. Planning to tandem feed & quite looking forward to it. Am just off to a LL meeting where I have been told there are 6 other mothers who have tandem fed to will let you know the outcome. Have you read Adventures of Tandem Feeding?or Nursing Your Mothering Toddler? they have some good info in them. I think its just something thats not talked about very often so we thnk it may not be that common but am hoping to find out its not so odd as people have told me it is.

mush4brains - it's not odd at all - and more mothers do it then you realise - they just don't tell people about it unless specifically asked.

GOod luck with your two very small babies - two babies in a year is hard work but lots of fun as well.

i have now been feeding for 5 and a bit years without a gap hadnt actually realised it was quite that long, i did have a gap between ds1 and ds2, but not between ds2 and ds3, who is currently hassling me for a feed at the moment "milties" he says to me, the cheeky sod is being a bit picky he wont let me sit on the pc whilst i feed him, he takes my hand and says "sofa, milties" and leads me to the sitting room, or if he is tired he says "bed, down, milties" meaning he want to lie on the bed and have a feed.

anyway i think tandem feeding can be great, hard work sometimes but it does mean you can often get both the little ones to have a sleep at the same time and when you are engorged, get a blocked duct etc the perfect way to clear it is to get your toddler to have a feed, they are experts at it

oh tandem feeding is lovely, no need to stop if neoither of you want to.
I tandem fed dd1 through pg and when dd2 was born and for about a year I fed them both. It was no trouble at all and made the transition very easy ime. no sibling rivalry at all, amazingly.
the only rule I followed was to always feed the younger baby first.good luck with it and congrats on your pregnancy