should I drop a feed?

[julietbat]

My DS is 8 months old and at the moment has 3 feeds a day (he's breastfed) - 7am, 3.30pm and 7pm. Other than that he has 3 solid meals a day. He's on about the 95th centile for weight so has plenty of reserves. He ADORES his food (both solid and milk) but recently he has been showing signs of not being bothered with the 3.30pm feed. I'm fine with following his lead except that 8 months seems very early to be on only 2 milk feeds a day. Should I persevere or drop the feed?

Thanks.

My DS is about the same age as yours and also eats 3 good meals a day. He only takes 3oz of his 4oz 2.30pm feed, so i'm probably going to give it up in the next couple of weeks.

I'm giving him cheese and yoghurt at least once a day part of his meals just to make sure he's getting lots of good fats in his diet.

I can't see any problem with you dropping his afternoon feed at all.

Thanks toucancancan, interesting that you're in a similar situation. I'm also making sure he's getting plenty of milk protein in his diet and, luckily, because he's such a good eater he gets a really healthy range of foods.

What I don't know is whether he's suddenly taking much less milk at the 3.30pm feed or has been slowly reducing the amount over a long period. Whatever it is he certainly seems happy on the little he's taking at the moment!

Isn't it lovely to have a chubby baby

What are your long term intentions? If you want to keep feeding well into the first year and/or beyond, keep offering. If not, don't.

Slight hijack - toucan, how many oz does your DS have a day? I am bfing, and like the OP am concerned that DS isn't very bothered about feeds, and really worried that he's not feeding enough....he feeds at 7am, 11.30am and 4.30pm but really briefly and I'm sure he doesn't take much

At the moment i make him 17oz. He has 7oz at breakfast (drinks it all) 4oz in the afternoon (not that bothered about it) and 6oz about 6.30 (drinks it all). However, when I drop the afternoon feed, i'll probably make his 6.30pm into an 8oz just in case he wants it.

Julietbat yes i love grabbing his big fat thighs and giving them a good squeeze

jemjabella sorry I don't really understand your point (feel free to tell me how stupid I am!). My long term intentions are to keep feeding until ds is at least a year. But I don't understand how dropping the afternoon feed would impact on those long term plans. My boobs would just produce enough for the two remaining feeds surely? That's what happened with my dd (although she was a little older when she dropped the afternoon feed).

toucan my ds's thighs are already bigger than my dd's who is 2.4! A prop forward in the making...?!

Sorry, normally post while nursing so tend to keep replies short - I mean that if you don't plan on breastfeeding 2, 3 w/e years, many women find that by dropping feeds around the 8-9mo mark they are able to wean earlier/easier. (Basically thinking in terms of ease of weaning rather than supply, which at this stage is well established )

Are you expressing those feeds? (Just wondering as you're talking in oz) If so, could you not keep up the expressing for the time being (freeze if nec.) then try dropping a feed and seeing how your DS reacts?

I couldn't imagine my 8mo old having only 2 feeds a day BUT she is a very breasty child, haha

Thanks jemjabella now I understand! I'm actually not worried about weaning ds at all, he loves his food so much that I'm pretty sure as long as he is getting fed enough he'll be happy.
I'm not expressing any feeds regularly (it was the other replies that were talking in oz) but that's a good idea to express the afternoon feed anyway and then if he wants it back my boobs haven't reduced their supply. Thanks.

Sorry, yes, mixed you & toucancancan up.. d'oh!