10.5 month old feeding schedule

[amg11881]

Hi all-
Our DD has been eating solids/puree's since 6 MO.  She goes through fits and spurts of loving it and hating it.  We have tried to do a better job of eating with her and also trying new things (I think she gets bored eating the same thing).  We have also just moved to a chair that she can be buckled into but doesn't have a tray so she is sitting at the table with us.  Its messy, but it seems to work better...at least for now.

I saw an earlier post asking about switching solids before BM--and the responder said not to do that.  As of right now, her feeding schedule is:

6:30am BF
8am-breakfast (oatmeal, yogurt, fruit, english muffin, waffle or some combo of those foods)
11/11:30am-BM
12/12:30pm-lunch (bits of turkey, cheese, fruit, veggies, hummos,, etc.)
3:30/4pm-BM
6pm-dinner (varies depending on what we're eating, but if that doesn't work, we go back to something soft/smooth that can be fed on spoon).
7:15pm-BF

I just want to be sure, should we be keeping the schedule like this?  Should I keep the four milk feeds or go down to three to see if she'll take more solids?  When our nanny feeds her a bottle she'll still generally take 8 oz---so she is still drinking quite a bit of milk!  I was hoping to stop BF'ing once she is a year old (or at least move to just BF'ing in the AM and before bed) but at this rate, she isn't eating nearly enough solids to make that feasible. 

Any advice or thoughts on this would be much appreciated!  Oh and I should mention, she JUST cut her first tooth the other day. 

Thanks in advance!

[Erin M]

Generally the advice is to keep the milk feeds first until a year, and then start switching/dropping feeds.  Milk should be her primary source of nutrition until a year, so I'd keep with your schedule and then when you get to a year you can drop the daytime feeds and I bet she'll take in more solids.  I dropped daytime feeds with my ds when he was about a year and continued nursing at wake up and bed time for several more months -- he definitely took more solids after we dropped those milk feeds.  For now, it looks to me like she's doing great. 

[amg11881]

Thanks!  So just to be clear, you would keep the same number of BM feeds until a year? And when your LO turned one, you dropped the daytime milk feeds immediately (so didn't phase out) and just did the milk first thing in the AM and right before bed, correct? 

I am a nervous wreck about dropping the BM feeds since she gets so fussy with solids!  I guess if they are hungry they will eat...just need to keep reminding myself of that!

[creations]

Hi, just offering a different perspective.  I think for some mums they want to keep the breast feeds right up to the year and that is fine, some mums like to breast feed beyond this time, fine too.  It looks to me like you are hoping to drop breast feeding by/at a year, if this is the case then at 10.5 months there is no harm at all in dropping one of the day feeds (it's usually the afternoon 3pm ish feed that goes first but doesn't have to be), this is the sort of routine formula fed babies would generally have so the milk drops a little and she is more hungry for food.  It is also usually ok to drop the mid morning 11am ish feed before 1yo.  The remaining two feeds should be sufficient milk intake leading up to the 12 months mark.
At 12 months it is advised all bottles are dropped and milk is given in a cup - obviously if you wish to continue to breast feed that is fine.
This may help if you haven't seen it
Milk intake - what you can expect between 6 months to 12months +

If you want to drop the day feeds either now or at 12 months it is often quite easy to replace it with a healthy snack and a sippy cup of water, your LO might not even notice the change, or welcome it.  There is no harm in offering the snack and water and then offering a little milk after for a short while to gradual wean it if you preferred. The aim is to move LO onto solids, not upset them.
hth

[amg11881]

Great, thanks for the different perspective!  I am hoping to stop BF'ing by one year (though would be happy to keep the first AM and right before bedtime one)...I just want to be done pumping by one year!  Your tips are helpful, so thanks to you both!!

[Erin M]

Sorry, I'm so slow in replying these days!  When ds turned a year I dropped one daytime feed and then the second one about a week or two later.  If your LO is still taking good amounts at those feeds it's probably better to wait a week or so between dropping them so your body gets used to the change in demand.  We kept WU and BT for a little while longer -- I actually can't remember which one I dropped first but we were done completely around 16 months.