[hollysmama]

DS has just turned 8mo and is currently on 4 bf's a day, 3 solid meals and a fruit snack. Generally his feeding routine is this:-

6.30 wake up - breastfeed
7.30 porridge
9.00 - sleep
10-10.30 - breastfeed
12pm - lunch (vegies/banana/avo)
1.00 - sleep
2.00 - breastfeed
3.00 - fruit snack/rusk
4.30 - dinner (vegies)
6.00 - breastfeed
6.30 - bed

no overnight waking.

Yesterday, he didn't really want the 10am feed, I just did it because I was going out. And then it was around 3-3.30 before he was looking for his afternoon feed. I could have easily stretched the 10am one out to lunchtime then not given him another until bed time. If I upped his solids a bit, would it be ok at this age to drop to 3 feeds? I only ask because he's starting day care this week and it would be easier to give one bottle of EBM instead of 2. It's only for one day a week, but DD was down to 3 feeds at this age because she was getting a big bottle of formula at lunch time (and BF morning and night) and she was happy with that. But I don't know if breastmilk will fill him up as much, and formula is not an option for DS as he has a dairy intolerance.

Thanks.

This post has been edited by hollysmama: 03/02/2013, 09:59 AM

[daturah]

Yes, I think three bf's a day is fine for an 8mo. Just offer a snack of yoghurt or fruit at 10am and plenty of water throughout the day.

I have a 10 mo who could easily be on 2 feeds a day (and could have been on 3 at 8 months), except I'm a big softie and let him suckle whenever he whinges for it.

[KRT]

DS was pretty happy with 3 feeds at that stage, but that was because he was too busy with crawling and trying to stand to bother with BFs. I found that as he got older he settled back to wanting four feeds a day, and is still on 3-4 at 13 months.

As for daycare, at that age I had put him on one feed of EBM as I just wasn't getting enough while expressing for two feeds. He was only on two days a week, and I just BF him as normal on the other days. I didn't find that I was particularly engorged and it didn't affect my supply (which had previously been an issue). DS just had extra solids while at daycare and was often not all that hungry for dinner those nights.

[veggiepatchfamil...]

I wish!
DS is 8 months old and still feeds 3 hourly day and night, some more often if he has a top up for sleep time.
I'm off to uni this month and as he won't take a bottle would love that'
Was it a routine you set or just how he wanted it?

[hollysmama]

veggiepatch I've never set my kids in a routine, it's just happened like that. I've always demand fed, I have just been very lucky that both kids have been great night sleepers and I have been blessed with a great milk supply that my children thrived on. That routine I set out above is an average day, doesn't always happen that way.

krt thanks, I think I might do it that way and just give him extra food on his daycare day and express once that day at home for the next daycare day. That will give me extra milk if I only express once.

ETA - veggiepatch - have you tried a bottle lately? I didn't give DS a bottle until 6mths and used the Tommee Tippee ones and he took to it straight away.


This post has been edited by hollysmama: 03/02/2013, 03:53 PM

[KRT]

vegiepatch, DS was a shocking sleeper so we were advised to only BF every three hours. Then when I ran into supply issues, the LC also advised feeding every 3.5 to 4 hours. Once we did that the routine sort of naturally developed.

To go three hours between BFs, we used lots of distraction techniques. It was pretty gentle, and there were times when we fed even though it wasn't the right time by the clock. However, I found that DS was usually pretty easily distracted so it wasn't that hard.

[veggiepatchfamil...]

veggiepatch I've never set my kids in a routine, it's just happened like that. I've always demand fed, I have just been very lucky that both kids have been great night sleepers and I have been blessed with a great milk supply that my children thrived on. That routine I set out above is an average day, doesn't always happen

ETA - veggiepatch - have you tried a bottle lately? I didn't give DS a bottle until 6mths and used the Tommee Tippee ones and he took to it straight away.

I find it frustrating how some babies sleep and others don't.
There is no physical reason he shouldn't be able too ie- his a chubba. I also don't respond to his cries straight away, and his day naps are self settling (put him in cot, walk away and 9/10 times his asleep in 10 after some whinging.)

I haven't tried a bottle again- I was just hoping I could move on to a sippy cup...

I have great supply too. Maybe ill try the distraction techniques mentioned to see if I can push him out. He went 4 hours the other day when we were in town and I couldn't find anywhere suitable to breast feed.

He also doesn't go to bed until 9-10. No matter how early I start 'bed time' he fights me until that time. Then usually wakes at 12,3,5.30,7.
Any other suggestions?
Sorry to hijack the thread!!!

[hollysmama]

veggiepatch sorry you are having a hard time I wish I had some advice for you. Is he getting plenty of solids during the day? Is he actually hungry when he wakes overnight? It could be a comfort thing. Could he be reacting to a food you are giving him?

Perhaps start a separate thread to try and get some better suggestions. I'm sure you will get a lot of tips from some of the parents in here who have suffered the same. Best of luck.

[lucky 2]

At that age, for one day per week in care, I'd also avoid a bottle, just bfing and at care they can give fluids in a cup or by spoon.
In the cup could be water or ebm but if ebm is refused it can me mixed in with lunch +/- snack if need be, to keep up his fluids. Then bfing on reuniting.
Introducing a bottle at that age can be a retro-grade step, ie introducing another type of suck feed when baby already has suck feeds and has the developmental capacity to learn new non suck feeding skills (ie cup).
All the best.

[~katiez~]

My 8 month old has always been more of a 'snacker' than a big feed kind of baby. We have probably 6 feeds a day give or take a couple and lots of BLW solids. She likes water out of a sippy cup and wouldn't ever take a bottle and I haven't bothered trying in months. I'm returning to work a couple of days a week in 2 months and I'll just leave her with expressed milk in a sippy cup plus plenty of water and food and I'm sure she'll be fine!