How does dropping milk feeds work?

[DedalusDiggle]

Feeling stupid but I have no idea how this works!

Started weaning baby about 3 weeks ago and it’s going really well. He has tried about 40 different foods and hasn’t rejected anything. I’m giving him 2 meals a day currently but the amount actually consumed was still small - example: dessert spoon of rice, slice of cheese and a stick of broccoli.

until today when he wolfed down LOADS. Which has got me thinking… do I have to actively cut out a milk feed (when the time comes) or will he just naturally drop one? Currently I am doing eat/play/sleep so I just feed him after every nap rather than looking for hungry cues.

How old is your baby and are they bottle or breast fed?

He’s breastfed. I’m not considering dropping a feed now, it just occurred to me that it’s something I’ll have to do at some point and I have no idea how!

Breastfed three kids and have never actively dropped any feed - they just seemed to peter out naturally.

If you're timing it to naps then you'll probably find that sorts it for you as most babies start consolidating their naps into just a couple at this age.

Do bear in mind that when weaning normally you would keep milk the same for a while with food as a supplement to that, you don't want food to replace milk until later in the first year really.

Follow baby's lead.
You don't HAVE to drop any feeds.
So long as he's getting plenty of milk and food in the day he will stretch the gaps between feeds of his own accord.
x

You'll find he'll either drop one of his own or consume less of the same number of his feeds.

Fab, thanks all - a rare, unanimous response!

@BertieBotts good point about the naps consolidating. I’ve actually just dropped one recently and didn’t even occur to me that I’ve therefore also dropped a feed