Help! Confused about bf/weaning etc

[SharkSkinThing]

Hi everyone

This is probably a ridiculously dumb question, but having asked my HV, I feel I have conflicting advice!

DS is 6 months old, EBF, started weaning around 5 months.
Is now on 3 good sized meals a day.
Still bf night and morning, and in-between meals (and 2 - 3 times in the night)

Should I still be offering bf in between breakfast and lunch/lunch and tea? Or let him lead on that? If not offering bf, where does he make up the milk he needs? Would you give milk at lunchtime?

HV says offer snacks in between, but what sort of snack? Surely a bit of bf is the right thing to offer, and once he starts turning that down, offer a bit of water/soft rusk instead?

HV also says to stop feeding at night, but no chance, he's not having any of that! He normally wakes at least twice to feed.

Sorry, but I'm really struggling to get my head around this.

All advice appreciated!

dont worry about what crap hv is saying. If he is hungry,let him eat. And imho he is not big enough to stop night feeds.

I'd follow his lead. The milk he has from you is probably better nutritionally than a snack anyway. WRT night feeds, DS is 13 months old and still wakes at least twice/night for a feed.

IMHO health visitors often advice on parenting practisis that have absolutely nothing to do with them nas LNG as your DS is healthy, growing and well looked after it is none of her business whether be is feeding at night or not. Unless of course it bothers you and you asked for her advice?

Wow. forgive iPhone autocorrect errors.

Thanks, MBJ - only 'bothers' in the sense that I'm knackered, and I was worried, based on HV advice, that I'm ruining his day time meals! I'm happy to feed at night!

But yes, had asked for advice, and had a really awful run of very little sleep and really struggling to cope. DS has never slept more than 3 hours in a row, but I'm not rushing him, he'll get there.

But I was shocked at how abrupt she was - essentially she said, he's 6 months old, stop feeding at night, just feed in the day! Otherwise he won't eat his solids! Both DP and I felt that to be a bit harsh, so are nudging DS onto two feeds at night, though if he needs an extra one due to teething/illness/comfort, fine by me.

I was just confused as to where that bf milk goes, if he's no longer having it mid morning and mid afternoon???

Thanks.

Does he not ask for breastfeeds during the day? I have a 6 month old too, and he has a bf first thing, then breakfast, bf mid-morning, lunch, bf after lunch, bf mid-afternoon, tea and a bf at bedtime, plus a formula feed at 11pm. Milk is still more important than food for the next few months.

Moon - do you wait for yours to ask before you give it? Or slot it in when you think he should, otherwise, there's no time, is there? I don't want to lose the meals as they're going really well. Are you feeding every two hours or so?

He's really loving his food, so want to keep those in, but also still want him to have his bf, too.

With regards to formula, I'd like to try that at 11ish, so that DP can do it. Did you build up to it, or just fill a bottle and get him to just take it straight off?

Thanks, thanks, thanks.

Some I offer some he asks for - he always asks mid-morning and it tends to be as he's getting tired for his morning nap. I always offer after lunch but again as he's getting tired for his afternoon nap he usually wants to feed then anyway. I offer when he wakes up from his nap about 3/4pm, and that's the one he's least interested in - sometimes he has a good feed, sometimes just a couple of sucks on one side.

So meals are roughly 8ish, 12ish, 5.30ish and breastfeeds 6-7am, 9.30ish, 1pm, 4ish and 6.30pm.

He's had occasional bottle of formula if I was out or something since 8 weeks, I think we started a regular 11pm bottle at 4.5 months - so he was already used to the bottle and taste.

I have a 6 mo old too and we do roughly as MoonUnitAlpha, though we don't always have three meals a day. More often than not we have brunch about 10.30am after his first nap then tea about 5pm ish as I was finding he was not interested in brekkie and too tired at lunch.

Breastfeeds we randomly slot in and he feeds to sleep for his naps. I think they are probably similar times to above - morning 7am, midmorning 9amish, lunchtime 12.30pm, waking from nap 3pm ish, he always wants a feed after tea about 6pm then another feed before bed at 7pm. We also feed once in the night. And to be honest if he's in a grump or I'm not sure he gets boob too . I think with BF its a drink and comfort as well as food, well thats how I think when I am randomly feeding all over the place!

Thanks, folks. Our day pretty much went the same way, so I feel we're doing it right.

6.30am woke
7am b/f
8am breakfast
8.50 - 9.10 nap (wow!!!)
Offered boob at 9.30 but not that bothered, just slurped
11.45 lunch
12.50 - 1.20 nap
Slurped again at 1.30
3 - 3.35 nap (seems to have the napping bug today, finally)
3.45 - wolfed down boob
5pm - tea
6.30 - boob and bed

Still feeding 2 - 3 at night, but I'm ok with that, I agree it's about more than food!

Thanks for such brilliant help. xx