thread: How many feeds is normal??

  1. #1
    Registered User

    Feb 2007
    Taylors Hill
    881

    How many feeds is normal??

    Morning ladies

    I have a question ( obviously)

    ds2 is just 10 months and bf

    now I was talking to my mum, and mentioned he still has 5 feeds a day, one usually in the middle of the night, and she quiried that it's alot. My first son wasn't having this many at this age...

    Ds1 was weaned off at 13 months but not to a bottle. He has milk allergy so never had formula, not even soy.

    I do lovebfding him but can't see the end ( yet I know that sounds hypocritical ).

    I don't want to put him on formula per say, was going to start with soy in a sippy, or does he have to go on toddler formula?? He has ne allegies, so this is new to me.

    So is 5 feeds to much? Can I cut a day feed and sub in soy/toddler milk?

    Thanks

    Lisa.

  2. #2
    Registered User

    Jan 2007
    7,197

    Hun if he is happy and you are happy then I would keep doing what you are doing. With DS at around 13 mths he was at 4 feeds so I don't think it is unusual at all. Remember too that breatmilk is processed more efficiently in the body than formula etc. so he is only asking for what he wants! I would keep feeding as you are, because as he gets closer to and past 12 mths you will find they may drop off a bit anyway! HtH! xox

  3. #3
    Registered User

    Jul 2007
    Antwerp
    192

    My DS is also 10 months and is having 4 or 5 feeds too. Only problem is that 3 of these are at night (10ish, 12ish and 3 ish) because he is too busy and distracted during the day, and therefore gets all his boobying in overnight... I am reluctant to stop feeding him at night as I want to continue BF, though I would LOVE to drop the midnight one... (sorry! his sleeping issues are a whole other post!!) Anyway, I am able to leave him with DH or my MIL for a whole morning or afternoon and he just has a sippy cup with water. He eats a lot of yoghurt and has cows milk on his breakfast cereal. We are doing BLS, but I think I will hold off on offering a sippy cup of cows milk til he's 12 months. Sorry I don't really know a lot about soy, but I personally am not going to use it with our DS. If you are happy with 5 BFeeds a day, then keep going! I think its excellent that he is feeding during the day... I would love for mine to do that!! Enjoy it

  4. #4

    Jul 2009
    Out North, Vic
    8,538

    Hey hun your doing a wonderful job with him and i think a lot of kids at this age are still having that many, Z has about 4 and maybe 5 IF she wakes over night.
    1 when she wakes, one around 11ish then sometimes one around 2 and then she is fed to sleep so i think he is right there with the norm. There are days Z will go without that 11am feed but she eats 3 meals a day plus snacks.

    I am going to write to some of the formula companies to see if anyone will send me a soy sample to test for her allergies without buying a big tin and i MIGHT start seeing if she will take it in case i want to put her in CC and can't express a lot.
    Now she's a lot happier to be with other people since she's on the move.

    I think would prob be best to try the soy formula first and get him used to it rather than jumping straight to the toddler stuff.. can you ask your MCHN what they suggest.. if i get some samples do you want me to give you some.. see how he goes?

  5. #5
    Registered User

    Feb 2007
    Taylors Hill
    881

    Leah, your mchn will have samples. Ask them

    thanks to you other ladies

  6. #6

    Jul 2009
    Out North, Vic
    8,538

    Leah, your mchn will have samples. Ask them

    thanks to you other ladies
    Nope they are not allowed to keep them anymore as they are supposed to 'promote breastfeeding'
    I'm all for promoting breastfeeding and i wont be putting Z on formula but i NEED to test her on soy and this is the onyl way, rediculous isn't it.. it's all or nothing..

  7. #7
    Registered User

    Oct 2008
    Victoria
    4,601

    When my DS was that age he was still having at least 4 feeds per day, one with each meal and how ever many he wanted over night. When he started to drop feeds within the next few months I didn't see the need to put him on any formula as he was getting plenty of milk with his cereal and in a sippy cup too. It also helped that he loved his food and was more interested in that!

    By the time he was a year old he was only having a BF at bedtime.

  8. #8
    BellyBelly Life Subscriber

    Jan 2006
    11,633

    Sounds perfectly fine to me. At that age DS was still on 8-10 They're all different and they know best what they need.
    How do you feel about it? Sounds like you're ok with 5 feeds - if so, no need to change anything. He'll gradually take less milk as he eats more solids - exactly when this switch happens varies a great deal between different kids, but they do it when they're ready to. By 15 months my DS was only having 3-4 feeds (big difference!) and that's when he really started eating a lot.
    I wouldn't use soy formula because of the issues associated with soy milk. Toddler milk is really unnecessary, and it's fulll of sugar. If you want to give him something else, at this age you could try a little bit of cow's milk and see (if you haven't tried him on dairy already). If he's getting other sources of calcium you don't really need to worry about giving him other milk at all.

  9. #9
    Registered User

    Mar 2009
    2,269

    DD was another who was still having 8-10 feeds at that age. She is 20 months now and still has 5-8 feeds a day (2+ of those overnight). I don't think there is a normal