Weaning, breastfeeding and a very hungry baby...any advice or experiences to share...

[MiniMarmite]

My baby is 5 months old and quite big (90th percentile) and energetic. We decided to wean him because of this, especially as he seems to have become much hungrier in the daytime since I stopped giving him a middle of the night feed (even though he was trying to drop the 7 am feed).

I started weaning a week ago but I have rapidly felt the need to increase to 3 meals a day (but still giving breastfeeds) as at lunchtime and bedtime I give a full feed and then wait half an hour and give another feed before he is full enough to settle for a nap/bedtime. I've checked that this is not comfort feeding by settling him after the first lot of milk runs out and he does wake early. He is still happy to go from 11-7 though (but I guess you don't use so much energy when you are sleeping).

Even though he is having solids (veg plus baby rice) I am still having to give a second small feed at lunch and bedtime.

Anyway, sorry this is long and rambling but just wanted to know if this had happened to anyone else and how they managed it. I guess once he is weaned onto protein and fatty foods it will no longer be problem?

milk should be his main source of nutrition until he is a year.
it's normal for him to want to breastfeed a lot, esp if you are now giving solids as he will want more to drink.

breastmilk is far more calorific than any solids you can offer

Yes, what thisisyesterday says. If he's hungry, milk is best. Centile thing is irrelevant.

I agree with that, I think I missed out the bit where I keep running out of milk so he's trying to feed on empty...

mm try not to worry about milk running out,. your breasts are constantly producing milk, so although it sometimes can feel like ther eis nothing there baby will still be getting some, although he may have to work a bit harder for it
the more he feeds the more you'll make, so you'll be fine

you are not running out of milk
dont wean him
feed him as much as he wants
dont try and drop feeds in the night
just feed him the milk that he needs every time he asks for it

as the others have said
milk is more calorific than anything he can have right now
there are risks connected to early weaning
he still probably needs a feed in the night and will be hungry / may seem unsettled in the day if he doesn't get it
if you want an easy life stop worrying about what time he has his feeds and just give him milk when he seems to want it
fairly simple and really the best thing for him (and for your supply)

Are you BFing? I think it's pretty common for babies to alter their 'routine' around this age - my DS still wanted a feed in a night but was then going longer in the morning. For example

10pm - final feed and bed
3/4am - feed, and often a big one
8am - waking up but not hungry
9/10am - breakfast (for want of a better word!)

It's not dropping a feed it's just a change of pattern. Go with it and he will soon settle down again.

Just re-read - does it matter if it's comfort feeding? He's a baby and he likes to be snuggled up to your boob. It's warm and it smells of his mummy and that will be the center of his world right now. Just relax and go with it and your supply will sort itself out in a day or so.

I think at that age I used always to give a breastfeed before lunch so that he didn't overfill with solids and then another full breastfeed before his nap (ie: only 1.5 hrs later) and another feed when he woke up from nap at 4.00pm and another at 6.30pm before bed and another at about 2 in morning and another at 7.00 and another at 10. and then prelunch at 12. So that makes about seven full feeds at least, at 5 months old for a beginning to wean baby. When he was weaned onto more solids at 6months, I think he dropped the justbefore lunch solids feed and was on 6 bfds a day but sometimes had an occasional second night feed (ie: 1am and 4am). My baby was on 90th-98th centile too. I agree with just freely give him milk when he wants it, and go slowly and carefully with weaning. But if you feed him milk before he eats at that age he won't overdo solids.

Thanks for all the advice, we seem to be finding our feet again now and are doing bf followed by solids and then more milk.

Alibaba - no problem re comfort feeding I just wasn't sure whether he was trying to get more milk or wanting a cuddle, I'm happy either way - he's not a cuddly baby the rest of the time so I have to make the most of it