Did you drop milk feeds or did your baby?

[MrsJamin]

DS still has as many milkfeeds now at nearly 10 months as he did at 6 months (6-7 in day, 1-2 at night). Have tried to drop milk feeds but
a) he gets too upset still when eating solids (doing BLW) and too tired/hungry - just wants boob
b) he still asks for it

Should I persevere and drop feeds so he eats more solids or should I leave it to him to drop feeds? He just doesn't seem to eat enough solid at a meal to really see him through to the next meal without 2 BFs inbetween! It just seems he BFs too much for getting towards being 1! How did any of you drop milk feeds?!

I left it up to DD. At 10 months she was still have a LOT of feeds. Gradually she's fed less and at 14 months has 4 a day, more if teething/ill. She still doesn't eat much in the way of solids but is getting better. My way is to always give it if she asks for it as I'm lazy and don't want to deal with the upset of refusing her

My DD is 11 1/2 months and also BLW and BF. I've always just fed on demand, at first she shortened her feeds then gradually dropped a couple.

At a certain point I started offering little snacks between meals and she did seem to feed less once I'd done that.

Do you give a small BF before solid meals? I found that really helpful sometimes if she was tired, she would definitely eat more that if I hadn't BF before.

I have exactly the opposite problem, since DD started on solids she's lost interest in milk.

She quite often refuses morning bottle but will gulp down porridge.

She has a 9oz bottle before bed and a 7oz dream feed so she has nearly her whole quota in those 4 hours

Sorry not very helpful but interesting to see contrast.

I guess the issue that I'm having is that I may well be back at work when he's 1 (trying to get a new job so don't know), and I will give up BF when he's 1 too - so it seems like a lot of change to do in 2 months, go from 7-9 feeds to just a few drinks of cow's milk. If I was staying at home or BFing beyond 1 then I guess I wouldn't see it as a problem. I'm just starting to feel that everyone else has dropped feeds (or BFing altogether) and I"m a bit weird or my son's a bit weird for not really changing. I'd like him to drop them but he just crawls up to me, kisses my neck and then after a feed gives me a big toothy grin! There's no doubt he still enjoys it and wants it.

Ooh, I was going to post something like this, as DS2 is 8mo and not madly interested in solids, and still has at least 4-5 bf's a day, plus usually 1 (sometimes 2) at night. I'll be back to work (hopefully part-time, but still) when he's 1, so feel I need to try to guide him towards fewer bf's and more solids before then, but finding it hard!

Sorry, am no help whatsoever. DS1 was pretty much down to 2 or 3 bf's at this age entirely of his own volition, and loved his food, so DS2 is really quite different...

Mine is 8 and a half months and has always been on formula. For past 2-3 months he has been on cereal in morning made with formula, lunch (solids), dinner(solids) and a 7oz bottle of milk before he goes to bed at night. So basically he has about 14oz of milk a day. I found that giving him a bottle at 11pm actually turned into a habit rather than him really wanting or needing it. We dropped the late feed by accident one day by falling asleep and he never woke up for it! Maybe if you introduce formula with their cereal they will not be as hungry for further day time feeds? This will be easier for when you return to work..

MTFG (great name btw) our DS's are the same then, just love the boob! I can't imagine he wants to give it up and I don't like the idea of not giving it when he wants it.

Rodgershawk, My DS has never had formula and I'm not about to start, he'll have cow's milk at 1 not formula. He has cow's milk with shredded wheat or porridge but I can't imagine that would make a difference considering he has up to 6 daytime feeds after his breakfast.

The idea of formula with breakfast is that formula is got more nutrients in than cows milk and its much more filling, thus filling him up more and maybe negating the need for the some of the 6 daytime feeds.. Worth a try if you have no options left that have worked for you

Thanks but I don't want to try formula.

Mrs Jamin I've heard that replacing 1 bf for 1 chocolate button does wonders for helping a child who is overdue healthy weaning.
Surely at 8 months a baby should have a varied healthy diet??

lol (are you an ex-BCer?!)

does anyone have any other suggestions other than formula or chocolate buttons?!

At chocolate buttons. The amount of nutrients in bm, it IS a healthy diet. My DD's diet is still mainly bm, and she's 14 months

Hmmmm, trying to think of ideas. Could you try distraction? Say taking him for a walk or having a play when he starts asking for a feed. I'm struggling to think of ideas tbh because I know how determined they get when they want it Could you try offering a snack when he asks for a feed?

I know this must be difficult for you. I think, seeing as you definitely want to stop by 1, it might be a good idea to sort of plan out how you want him to drop feeds over the next 2 months and then tackle one at a time. If you start now then you'll have plenty of time to gently wean him in time for going back to work. And if all else fails, choc buttons are always a plan!

Just in case you haven't seen it, here's a link to some info about gentle weaning techniques. Good luck!

Wow way too many emoticons!

MrsJamin I am proud to be a current babycentre member and am very concerned that after all your weaning comments and advice to other women on how to wean their children with blw that in fact your child is not yet eating properly and can only assume that is because of your somewhat extreme views on weaning.
Surely bm is not a nutritionally viable diet for an 8mo baby as you may or may not be aware the iron levels a baby is born with deplenish at 6 months and weaning after this point can cause lack of iron which is essential for healthy red blood cells.
May I suggest you drop some of the bf and encourage your child to eat a healthy iron rich diet served with lots of vitamin c rich fruit to help absorb all the iron he has been missing out on.
Like any of us you obviously have your childs best interests in mind but I felt you needed to be told this at risk of being shot down. You are actually risking your childs health with this delayed weaning.

In summary, you are wrong. Bm IS a nutritionally viable diet for an 8 months. Food is for fun until 1. Iron stores do not run out at 6 months, but BEGIN to deplete after that. Bm still provides iron in a small amount but which is easily absorbable, better in fact than from other foods. Many cultures do not wean until 1 or even later. BLW is good because it allows your baby to regulate their own appetite. MrsJamin's DS is doing just fine. Now why don't you run off back to babycentre with your OPINION?

Two more questions. Do you really think it's better to give a baby a chocolate button than a bf? Please educate yourself. There are much healthier ways to gently wean.

Also, how do you expect OP to get her DS to eat more? He is obviously taking as much as he needs. You're not suggesting forcefeeding, are you?

No actually none of my children have chocolate other than special occassions and I have breastfed 4 healthy children so really not needing any advice on that ...sorry how many do you have??
I would never forcefeed a child mine have healthy appetites and always finish their meals perfect for their height and weight this is due to me weaning them carefully ,giving them portions proportionate to their age and size and not just to play with if my child was to play with their food they would be told to stop
Food is NOT fun,food is a very basic human need without which we would die.

Both DS1 and DS2 had lots of bfeeds a day still at this age and I let them drop gradually (DS2 happily feeding three times a day or so at 18 months).
MrsJ you might find it easier to drop the feeds gradually if you ease up on your cut off date of age one. I think lots of bfed babies feel no desire to drop feeds, why woudl they really?

Despite some comments here, BM doesnt suddenly become nutritionally empty/unnecessary when babies turn one.
WHO advises breastfeeding till at least two years of age.

Trust me, I have no wish to advise you on anything. I am advising MrsJamin. Try reading my post. It has a lot better advice in it than give him a chocolate button I have 1 daughter, fully breastfed until 6 months then weaned using baby led weaning. She is healthy and a good weight and height. Yes, food is a very basic human need. Breastmilk is food. Babies should be allowed to eat as much solids as they want. My DD has a small appetite and is easily affected by teething and illness. I follow her lead as I feel it's much better for her. You can't expect them to eat the same every day. A baby weaned at 6 months cannot transfer all nutrition from breast milk to solids within 2 months and they should not. Breastmilk or formula should be their main food until one.

And please tell me, how do you stop a baby from doing exactly what they want with their food. You can't make them eat it.

Agree with Pannacotta on easing up on the cut off date (and everything else). Maybe aim to get down to morning and night feeds as a start?

Let me get this right pp MrsJamin has 2 blw children with poor appetite,pp CharCharBaGOOOOOOORE has a blw dd with a small appetite mmmm I see a recurring pattern here.
Of course bm is food like I said I have bf 4 ...yes 4 children.
Their does seem to be a correlation between blw and poor appetite though ,children need guidance any child given the chance would'nt eat their meal,In my opinion you are being too soft and it is your fault your children won't eat well and to think blw criticise those of us who do a great job and have very healthy eaters.

Bollocks to you. You are talking absolute shit. I know BLWed babies who eat truckfuls. I also know mush fed babies who eat virtually nothing at older than my DD.

Let me ask, how long did you breastfeed your children for? Because you don't seem to have a very good understanding of feeding older babies and toddlers. I am not being too soft, I am being realistic. I don't want DD to eat more than she needs. Some days she eats lots, some days average amounts. Atm she is teething and has a virus, so she is eating very little. Some days I eat lots, some days average amounts. Some days I am ill and eat very little. Are you seeing a pattern here? I have a very healthy eater.

I don't even know why I'm trying to defend myself to you. I don't give a shit what you think. And you forgot to answer my question, so I'll rephrase it. How exactly do you get a baby to eat what they do not want?

And of course DD has a small appetite - she is small. Duh!

Sorry choclover but that is a very sweeping statement, based on nothing more than a few comments here about two children.

The OP wasn't asking for validation about BLW, simply about how other DCs dropped milk feeds (or not).

FWIW I did BLW (more or less) with both DSs and they both have good appetites and always did, esp DS2 who still loves his breastfeeds.

That said their main source of nutrition until age 1 was (breast) milk and that is the way it should be.

CharCharBaGOOOOOOORE
I'm very surprised you have allowed yourself to become so angry over this seen as how you don't give a (sorry I won't lower myself to swearing)
My children do not choose what they want since they were very young they have eaten what they have been given.
Children are not adequately informed enough to choose their own diet.

Pannacotta
I admit I don't have any interest in blw but am glad your children have good appetites unlike pp.