How many BFs a day from 8mo onwards?

[MegBusset]

Have kind of asked this in Weaning but might be more relevant here. DS is 8mo and usually has 5 feeds a day: First thing, mid-morning, mid-afternoon, bedtime and one in the night (sometimes two). He's on solids but not eating loads, and am wondering at what point (if ever) I ought to try to replace the mid-morning and mid-afternoon feeds with food. I am reasonably happy with one night feed (hoping he will drop it himself when he's ready!) and want to keep doing the morning and bedtime feeds past one year.

Any advice/experiences welcome...

dont do replacing breastmilk with food, give it aswell as food, like a morning drink with breakfast....and then when weaning onto cowsmilk can take place easily at 12mths if desired....my son fed 3 times a day at his age morning, pre-afternoon nap, and bedtime.....but my daughter fed whenever she liked until 12mths, ie anywhere between 5 and 10 feeds a day!!.....it was a little demanding, but i was lucky in only having to give 5min feeds from day 1 and that was it!!

Ds2 is 10 months (also bfed) and exactly the same. I'm thinking that once he's a year old I'll replace the lunchtime and post mid-day nap feeds with a cup of cow's milk. Some days these are the two feeds he's barely interested in. Other days he still seems to rely on them rather than the food, so he's obviously not quite ready yet.
Hope that helps.

Yep, agree with glaskham. At 8mo your DS is still getting most of his nutrition from his milk. At that age, my DS was still having feeds at 7am, 3pm, 7pm, 10pm, & 3am. I had dropped the midmorning feed as I was back at work by then but we kept those 5 feeds till about 10mths, then dropped to morning and bedtime (I think).

If you have any other queries about this www.kellymom.com is excellent for all breastfeeding advice.

Enjoy the closeness whilst you can, and be reassured that your DS is getting a fabulous start from your milk.

My 8 nearly 9mth old...

bf 6 or 7am

breakfast weetabix or porridge 8am

water mid morning (if i remember )

lunch 12ish

bf 4 or 4.30pmish (but can sometimes make it to dinner without.)

dinner 5pm

bf before bed 6.45pmish

up once for bf at night at about 2-3amish.

My other two also both dropped mid morning feed about 6-7mths and mid afternoon between 8-10mths.

Thanks everyone!

I will continue feeding as we are at the moment, then, as long as he is wanting those feeds

My dd2 is 8 and a half months and she is currently feeding 5/6am, breaktfast of readybrek/weetabix at 9am, breastfeed between 10/11am before nap, lunch at 1pm with water from cup, breastfeed between 3/4pm (doesnt always have this one) then dinner at 5pm with water from cup, bedtime feed at 7.30/8pm then sometimes a feed during the night. Some days she doesnt take her mid afternoon feed especially since I went back to work and the day feeds on 3 and a half days a week are replaced with bottles she tends not to bother so much with these ones.