Dropping feeds

[nick]

Hi. My son is 7.5 months. He is on 3 big solid meals a day and is big and bouncy. He was on 4 breastfeeds a day until 6 weeks ago when I dropped his 11.00am feed (because I was under the impression you should drop this feed when you start feeding meat/fish etc). Since then he has started waking in the night for one, or more recently, two feeds. I'm not sure now if he really is hungry or if this is now just habit. He does not seem to be very hungry, just happy to see me and have a bit of a feed. I'm not sure what to do.

[Rainbowbrite]

Unless you want to there is no reason to drop feeds at all. Your bub will let you know when he is ready to reduce the amounts of feeds.

My 16 month old still has atleast 4breastfeeds a day :thumbsup:

[cheezelkat]

hi,

at this age milk still needs to make up most of their food - solids are more for fun rather than nutrition.

If you can, I'd try and keep in your feeds until he is closer to 2 months.

My boy is also 7.5 months and has 7 + breastfeeds a day.

[emilysmumma]

My DD is nearly 9 months old and for the last two weeks we have been only having 4 BF a day and sometimes only 3 (missing the afternoon feed). I dropped the night time feeds by only offering water instead at night. She still wakes up on certain nights and sometimes she will have a drink and sometimes she doesn't.
She does eat 3 solid meals a day and we just started snacks for morning and afternoon tea as well.
He could be going through a growth spurt and requiring extra feeds or just wants BF as a comfort.
Giving the water was to stop her from using the BF as a settling tool as she is big and bouncy too and was not even hungry just needed help to get back to sleep.
Now we still have a cuddle at night if she wakes but she doesn't even look for a BF.

[the pero clinic]

Dear Nick,

Your little boy may very well still be hungry. It is great that he is taking 3 solid meals a day in addition to his breast feeds – he sounds like a very good eater. Solids are usually added to breastfeeds from 6 months for oral experiences and to fill up hungry tummies – breastfeeds do not have to be reduced when solids are added. Your little boy is getting to the stage where he is probably much more active and mobile during the day, and burning more energy.

It may be worthwhile reintroducing a breastfeed during the day, when you are both awake, to reduce the likelihood of him waking at night out of hunger. He may continue to wake for a while, out of habit, but if you are sure that he is not waking for other reasons (such as pain, breathing difficulties), it would be a good idea not to reinforce his waking with some comfort suckling.

the pero clinic