So much conflicting advice re: dropping milk feeds aaargh

[WifiNappies]

My 7mo is breastfed and we are doing BLW where sometimes she has a lot and sometimes not much. I have always been told and read that they still need all milk feeds of which my DD has 5 a day and none at night. I do it to the clock rather than demand because I can never tell if she's hungry (god that's so shameful to admit)

I went to this 8 month contact group yesterday at the hv clinic and the woman there said that by now she should only be having 3 milk feeds a day, 4 at the most. She's given me poor advice in the past so I don't know whether this is right or not. Can anyone help please?

Ignore. Food is fun til one. Keep feeding on demand and baby will regulate own need.

Go with what the baby wants. She will drop feeds in her own time

Thank you, will do!

And that woman needs retraining. I would make a complaint or talk to her manager. I'm fed up with some health care professionals giving poor advice

I had the same crazy advice. I was told only 2-3 breast feeds a day when DS was having 5 or 6 "because if you spoil him with milk, he'll never eat food".

All that genius bit of advice achieved was a week of sleepless nights while DS tried to catch up on the milk he'd missed in the day.

Unfortunately for all the puff health visitors spout about breast feeding, some are lacking in any real knowledge. Just because a formula fed baby is on 2-3 bottles a day doesn't equate to a breast fed baby having the same number of feeds.

my ds was bottle fed and still had 5 feeds at that age. He dropped to 4 feeds at 8 months when he gave up the night feed. He was on 3 feeds by 9 months and dropped to 2 by 11 months. I'd go with what your lo wants rather than what the hv wants.

Just posted this on another similar thread... My DS is just starting solids so I've done loads of research. Milk has more micro nutrients per calorie than most other foods so it should not be limited or reduced in the first year unless baby wants less of their own accord. Good book on the subject here Although most of my friends seem to be trying to drop milk feeds in favour of solids, and some HVs seem to recommend it, the most up to date guidance is that milk is the best food up to 1 year and other food should just be for fun/ extra iron & protein. Info on here is relevant even if ff kellymom.com/nutrition/starting-solids/solids-how/