Nearly 11 month old barely eats and breastfeeds constantly

[cpfmw]

I know objectively I haven’t but I feel like I’ve messed up with my second child.

My first took to weaning brilliantly and was down to only a few feeds by this point and then naturally stopped at 13 months.

My second is so disinterested in food and BFs constantly day and night. His sleep is so bad. He’s very different in personality to my first and I know a lot of it is for comfort but I feel like it is a huge contributor to his disinterest in food.
If I do try and go longer without feeding him he gets so upset / will not eat and cries until I give in.
I’m not at all looking to stop but I just feel like surely there’s something more I could be doing to help him eat more. Just any advice really!
I don’t think it helps he’s been ill for what feels like forever!

Sympathy, it's so hard!

My first and second were very different BF fiends and very different weaning babies too.

You said he's been ill, so it's probably that illness and teething working against you here.

Do you BF first or offer food first? I'd be tempted to switch it around to see if that makes a difference, assuming he's still tracking his growth curve? And keep offering food little and often. But don't forget as well that 11m is still tiny in the grand scheme of weaning. Take pressure off yourself!

Both of mine were like this. Found they got more interested in food at 13 months, before that 95% of it went on the floor!

I would say your eldest is unusual, self-weaning at 13 months. In my group of friends, everyone had a baby like your youngest. We would joke that they were addicted to breastfeeding and many continued breastfeeding until they were 2+! But they all eat completely normally now so try not to get stressed. It will happen in its own time.

Until they're one, food is for fun
(Way after that for my DC)

He’ll be 1 in a few weeks,

He won’t be getting the iron or vitamins he needs from breastfeeding now.

I would wean him, if he can’t just have a couple of feeds but eat normally alongside it. At this age their iron stores massively drop and they need to replenish via food

Well, I'm not convincing you otherwise... I heard all that when my DC were bfing, 15 years ago. It's not clear cut. They are fine if you offer them the food (they'll eat it if they need it). Mine were fine, very healthy, no colds or whatever for years. Some others mums around me were freaking out because of random milestones.

My DC3 is closer to 1.5 and still mostly the same. My older 2 had stopped breastfeeding long before this and were both eating well by now. Apparently he eats really well at nursery too so I'm sure it's the milk filling him up when with me.

Sounds fairly typical of some babies who BF but I would consider night weaning. It will hopefully give you a break at night and increase his appetite during the day. Obviously though, don’t try night weaning until he is well.

Do you ever leave him with anyone else? Just wondering how he gets in if you go out for two or three hours?